School Nurse
District Health Personnel
Jaymie Powers-Walton, BSN RN - District Nurse jwalton@shisd.net
Emily Holmes, BSN RN - Junior High Nurse eholmes@shisd.net
Amy Mayhew, LVN - Primary Nurse amayhew@shisd.net
Amanda Chism, LVN - Intermediate Nurse achism@shisd.net
Illness Prevention
Proper handwashing techniques are the very best way to prevent the transmission of illness. Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and ensuring all surfaces of the hands/fingers are included is the number one way to prevent illness. Alcohol based hand sanitizers should be utilized when soap and water are not accessible. Covering coughs/sneezes with a tissue, then properly disposing of tissue in wastebasket before handwashing is helpful. If tissues are not available, coughs/sneezes should be covered in the crook of the elbow. Annual flu vaccines are encouraged. In order to minimize the spread of infection, please keep your student home if they have a fever of 100.0 fahrenheit or greater and are exhibiting symptoms of flu. Studies have shown that children/teens that are getting adequate amounts of sleep are healthier and have stronger immune systems, which help fight off illness. Please ensure your student is getting adequate sleep each night. Children ages 5-12 need nine to twelve hours of sleep each night, while teens ages 13-18 need eight to ten hours of sleep each night.
Current Contact Numbers
We would like to stress the importance of current contact numbers for the nurse’s office (and the campus offices). It is so important for the nurse’s office to have your cell number, your home number, your job number and an emergency number that is not one of the above numbers. Please remember to send new numbers to us when you change cell numbers, disconnect or change your home phone or change jobs. Also remember the emergency numbers need to be people who could, in an emergency, come to the school and pick up your child. In other words, an out of state relative is not useful to us. If your child is ill or injured, the information you have given us is the sum total of information we have to reach you regarding your child’s well-being.
We thank you for helping us to be better prepared to help your child.
Medication at School
OVER THE COUNTER AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS MUST BE PROVIDED IN THEIR ORIGINAL BOTTLES.
For any medication your child will need to take at school, a parent consent must be signed. This allows the student to take medications for 10 school days, then the medication will be sent home. Your student's campus nurse can provide you with the required consent form.
If you child requires a medication for longer than 10 days, a physician consent is required. Please fill out the top and fax it back to the nurses station, and the campus nurse will get the physician's signature. Your student's campus nurse can provide you with the required consent form.
Please review the medication policy in the student handbook, and contact your child's campus nurse with any questions - we are here to help!
*PARENTS: If your child has medication at school, PLEASE remember all over the counter and prescription medications will need to be picked up prior to the end of the last day of each school year. Medication not picked up prior to the last day of the school year will be safely disposed of by nursing staff.
SPRING HILL ISD IS NOT A NUT FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Please be aware that Spring Hill is not a nut free food environment school district. We do ask about food product allergies on the student demographics. We also notify food services and "red flag" the charts of allergic students. Peanut butter is not served by the cafeterias, but sometimes, nut products do sneak into products (as label readers know). Peanut butter can be sent from home with other student's lunches. We ask that parents provide the school with epi pens if their pediatrician/physician feels the student needs one. As a responsible parent you need to educate your child regarding their food/nut allergies. Teach them to ask questions. Teach them to read labels. Make their teachers and the nursing staff aware that they have allergies. We are thrilled when parents let us know up front and provide us with epi pens.
Please notify the nurse's office if your child has a food/nut allergy or insect stings/bites and requires an epi pen for allergic reactions. The campus nurse will provide you with the proper paperwork to allow your child's epi pen to be stored and used at school.
Health Resources:
Meningitis Information for Students and Parents
Heatstroke Dangers
https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/heatstroke
Teens and drugs
https://drugfree.org/article/what-parents-need-to-know-about-vaping/
https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/teens.html
https://www.longviewunitedway.org/need/mental-healthcounseling
Teens and Eating Disorders
https://aimymh.org/helping-teens-with-eating-disorders/
School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act
Mental Health Resources
https://namitexas.org/youth-resources/
https://www.herefortexas.com/resources-for-parents
SHISD Health Bulletins:
Ebola Virus Update/ Enterovirus Update: http://www.cdc.gov/
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/ebola
Spring Hill ISD does schedule a mobile student vaccine clinic through Aurora Concepts at the beginning of each school year. Please monitor the district webpage for updates on dates and times.
Each incoming 7th grader will need a tetanus booster (Tdap) and their first meningococcal vaccine prior to the first day of school. Some local physicians administer these boosters at at a child's 11/12 year old well child check. If your child has received these boosters at some point during their 6th grade year, please ensure you are providing an updated vaccine record to the campus nurse.
FLU information
People can contact their health care provider, local health department or dial 2-1-1 to find out where to get a flu shot. Flu information and tips for protecting against the flu are at texasflu.org.
*Although there are no clinics within our district, any clinic in the Longview area will offer a flu vaccine. However, none will offer it for free. Each clinic will take either insurance, or cash payment.