Jayne Ruotolo
jruotolo@westfieldnjk12.org
(908) 789-4555
Please feel free to reach out to me with any health concerns or questions you may have. It's important to keep me informed of any changes in your child's health, including new allergies, medications, hospitalizations, or other relevant medical updates.
Open and timely communication helps ensure that any health issues are managed appropriately. By working together, we can help make this school year a safe, healthy, and positive experience for your child.
Health Screenings
Annual health screenings as mandated by NJDOE begin in September and are ongoing throughout the year. Any unexpected results will be reported to parents.
Current Health Issues
The NJ Department of Children and Families is continuing to monitor the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus and its impact on children and families. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NJ Department of Health are providing ongoing guidance and direction regarding necessary precautions and action plans for schools. (See below for latest guidelines.) The experts agree that Coronavirus prevention strategies are similar to what we do to prevent the flu:
Wash your hands in soap and water, regularly
Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow
Avoid touching your face, mouth and eyes
If you are feeling unwell, stay home and rest
Per the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has updated its guidance for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. This guidance offers a unified approach to preventing the spread of common viruses like COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. Since these viruses share transmission methods, symptoms, and prevention strategies, the NJDOH and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that schools, early care and education programs, and youth camps implement a core set of infectious disease prevention strategies, outlined HERE. In summary:
Students or staff who are sick should stay home until symptoms are improving and they are fever-free for 24 hours.
Students or staff with a temperature equal to or greater than 100.4, vomiting, or diarrhea should stay home according to our standard school policy. Individuals with a fever need to stay home for 24 hours after the last temperature of 100.4 or above, without fever-reducing medications.
Improving symptoms means the individual is no longer feeling ill and can participate comfortably in educational and other activities as they did before they were sick.
If students or staff test positive for a respiratory illness but are symptom-free, they should mask and practice good hand hygiene for five days, unless the disease has more specific exclusion criteria.
After returning, students or staff should take additional precautions for five days, including masking, practicing good hand hygiene, and coughing into the bend in their elbow.
If symptoms worsen or the fever returns, they should stay out until symptoms improve and they are fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
Common symptoms of COVID include (1) one of the following symptoms: new cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or new disorder of smell or taste; or (2) two of the following symptoms: fever (Temperature equal to or greater than 100.4 F), chills, shivers, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose. If your student has the above symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider.