Student health and wellness are an important part of our School District’s holistic approach to education. The health service is concerned with health education, establishing good health habits, appreciation of good public health, and detecting personal needs and illnesses.
Parents/guardians have the primary responsibility for their children’s health. The school provides assistance only by administering first aid, notifying parents/guardians of illness or accidents, and providing counseling in health-related matters. It is important to note that this service is rendered only for accidents or illnesses that occur in school, not for those that occur at home.
The School Nurse is on duty each day from 7:30 AM to 2:45 PM. With the exception of emergencies, students must obtain a pass from the teacher whose class he/she will be missing in order to visit the Nurse’s Office. Students should not spend the period in the lavatory trying to recuperate. Students should also not contact a parent or guardian directly with a request to leave school early due to illness. If in the judgment of the nurse the student should not remain in school, he/she will initiate contact with the parent or guardian. Please visit the Middle School website – Health Services tab, for more information and frequently used forms.
School Vaccination Requirements for Attendance in Pennsylvania Schools:
(Reference: OJR School Board Policy # 203 - Immunization)
All grades need the following:
• 4 doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis
• 4 doses of polio
• 2 doses of measles, mumps, rubella
• 3 doses of hepatitis B
• 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) or evidence of immunity
For Attendance in 7th Grade:
• 1 dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) on the first day of 7th grade.
• 1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) on the first day of 7th grade.
ON THE FIRST DAY OF 7TH GRADE, unless the child has a medical or religious/philosophical exemption, a child must have had the above vaccines or risk exclusion.
Dental Requirement for 7th Grade:
The State requires that students in the 7th grade receive a dental examination. This exam may be done by the school dentist, at no expense to the parents/guardians, or by the family dentist, at the parent/guardians expense. Please visit the Middle School Website for more information.
Screenings
Throughout the year, all students will participate in height, weight and vision screenings. 7th grade students will also participate in a hearing and scoliosis screening. A referral letter will be sent home if your child does not pass the vision, hearing or scoliosis exam. Please contact our office if you have any questions or concerns regarding these screenings.
Children with communicable diseases will be excluded from school. Any student excluded from school must present a signed doctor’s statement before he/she may return to school.
The Pennsylvania Public School Code, Section 1414.2(g) allows parents/guardians to request an exemption to the administration of an epinephrine auto-injector for their student. In order to request this exemption, contact the school nurse to make an appointment to discuss this decision, review and sign the opt-out form. Parents/guardians wishing to choose this option should meet with the school nurse to discuss their decision and then review and sign the opt-out form in the presence of the school nurse.
Diabetes Management
(Reference: OJR School Board Policy #209.2 – Diabetes Management)
Before a student can receive diabetes-related care and treatment in a school setting, the student's parent/guardian shall provide written authorization for such care and instructions from the student's health care practitioner. The written authorization may be submitted as part of a student's DMMP.
Diabetes-related care shall be provided in a manner consistent with Board policy, district procedures and individualized student plans such as an IEP, Service Agreement or DMMP.
Medication Policy
The Owen J. Roberts School District recognizes that parents have the primary responsibility for the health of their children. Although the School District strongly recommends that medication be given in the home, it realizes that the health of some children requires that they receive medication while in school. Parents should confer with their child’s physician to arrange medication time intervals to avoid the administration of medication during school hours whenever possible.
The term “medication” shall include all medicines prescribed by a physician, any patent drug, aspirin, and/or cough medications. Medication is not categorized as prescription or non-prescription for school purposes.
When medication must be administered during school hours, the following procedures must be followed as required by School Board Policy 210 - Use of Medications:
Parents or guardians must submit a written request which shall give permission for the nurse to administer the medication and relieve the School Board and its employees of liability for administration of medication. This document will be kept on file.
Parents or guardians must submit the written order of the prescribing physician which shall include the purpose of the medication, dosage, the time at which or special circumstances under which medication shall be administered, length of period for which the medication is prescribed, and possible side effects of the medication. This document will be kept on file.
Any medication to be given during school hours must be sent by the parent or guardian directly to the school nurse or in his/her absence, to a building administrator. The medication must be sent to school in the original, labeled container. All medications must be picked up by the parent at the end of the period of medication or at the end of the school year, whichever is earlier.
A medication log will be maintained for any child receiving medicine during school hours.
In the absence of the school nurse, a building administrator or his/her designee will aid a student in the self-administration of necessary medication. Prior to any such assistance, the school nurse shall provide orientation to a building administrator or his/her designee regarding the proper administration of the medication(s).
Medication will be kept in a locked container in the Nurse’s Office.
Students will be responsible for reporting to the Nurse’s Office at the time the medication is to be given.
Requirements for Student Self-Administration of Medication
Before any medication may be administered by any student during school hours, the procedures described above and outlined in School Board Policy 210 must be followed.
A building administrator or his/her designee may assist the student in the self administration of medication by doing the following tasks: reminding the student when to take the medication, obtaining the necessary equipment, pouring water for taking oral medication, opening the container/bottle if necessary, and placing the container(s) or medication in close proximity to the student so that it may be reached. Such assistance does not include measuring or dispensing the medication.
Students will be permitted to possess asthma inhalers and to self-administer the prescribed medication used to treat asthma provided that the above conditions are met.
Naloxone Administration for Opioid Overdose
(Reference: OJR School Board Policy #823 – Naloxone)
Across the country and in Pennsylvania, the rate of deadly heroin and prescription opioid overdoses is unprecedented. As a means of enhancing the health and safety of its students, staff, and visitors, and in accordance with Pennsylvania General Assembly Act 139, the Owen J. Roberts Middle School will maintain a supply of an opioid antagonist, specifically naloxone, for emergency use in individuals believed to be experiencing an opioid overdose. The school nurse, athletic trainers, and school resource officers have been trained in the administration of naloxone.
An “opioid” refers to an illegal drug, such as heroin, or prescription medications used to treat pain, such as morphine, codeine, methadone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and buprenorphine. An individual with an opioid overdose could present with the following symptoms: he/she may become unconscious or unresponsive; he/she may not be breathing or have slow, gurgling, or shallow breaths; he/she may have blue lips or nail beds, with pinpoint pupils and clammy skin; or the individual may be in cardiac arrest and require CPR.
Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug. Naloxone, given by nasal spray or injection, displaces opiates from receptor sites in the brain and reverses the respiratory depression that is the cause of overdose deaths.
An individual’s condition may be deemed a drug overdose if a prudent person, having an average knowledge of medicine and health, would reasonably believe that the condition is in fact a drug overdose and requires immediate medical attention. Middle school students, staff, or visitors who suspect that an individual is experiencing a drug overdose should report their concerns to the school nurse and an administrator immediately.
People who report a suspected overdose using their real name and who remain with the overdosing person until EMS or law enforcement arrive, and the person whose overdose has been reported, will be protected from criminal prosecution. In addition, people who report overdoses or administer naloxone in overdose emergencies will be protected from civil liability.