Health Policy
All children are required to have a medical examination and an up-to-date record of immunizations. Parents who have not had their children immunized for medical reasons must present a doctor’s written statement. This statement must include which immunization(s) are to be exempted and the specific nature and probable duration of the medical condition. If the condition is temporary, parents must inform the school when the situation changes, and the child can complete the immunization process. In the event of the outbreak of a communicable disease, children who are not immunized may be temporarily excluded.
We intend to maintain policies that promote and protect the health and welfare of all concerned. We try to do this by maintaining a safe and healthy environment and by encouraging parents to keep children home when they are ill and may be contagious to others. We contact parents when children become ill while at school, and we expect them to make arrangements to have the child picked up. We also advise parents to contact their pediatricians, and we accept the advice of the pediatricians. If a child contracts a communicable disease, clearly, he or she must be kept at home. Certain contagious or infectious diseases may require a doctor’s written release before a child may return after a required absence.
Common symptoms that mean your child must stay home until he/she is symptom-free for 24 hours:
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Fever of 100.4°F or higher
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Constant cough
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Vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Extreme pain
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Green discharge from the nose
Please inform teachers and the office manager as soon as possible if your child has any of these symptoms, a contagious disease, or is absent due to illness. A sign may need to be posted in the classroom of your sick child. We try to strike a balance between protecting our community’s health but not being so rigid that parents are forced to keep children at home who could be at school.
Parents are advised to notify the staff of any health or medical problem which may affect the child’s behavior or progress. Children who are not well enough to follow the normal routine should not be brought to school.
The Model School administration, in conjunction with The Model School Parents Group Disaster Committee has created a Disaster Preparedness Plan that is distributed to all staff members and each enrolled family.
Medication
A parent who wishes to have medication administered at school must complete the “Parents’ Medication Request” form. Medication prescribed by a physician must be brought with a copy of the prescription to the director or to the child’s teacher in the original bottle, labeled with the child’s name, date and dosage. Medication not prescribed by a physician must also be labeled and may be administered only at the discretion of the director or designee. Parents are advised not to leave medicine in either the child’s lunch box or cubby. Generally, we prefer not to administer medication not prescribed by a physician.