Health Services

Ms. Christine Reeves
Ms. Mary Pat Olszewski

The Health Services phone number is 215-884-4700 extension 2229.

Physical Examinations

·         Examinations are required by law upon original entry into school and in the sixth and eleventh grades. Parents are requested to have these examinations done during the summer months by family physicians. Reports of these examinations are due at the opening of school in September.

·         A test for tuberculosis is required on original entry and in other grades upon the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. A special examination may be required at any time. Parents unable to have examinations completed to secure medical care should contact the school nurse for assistance.

·         Temporary or permanent health problems should be reported to the school. The school will report to the parents in writing or by phone call any deviations from normal health that are discovered or suspected in school.

Immunizations

• Pennsylvania Department of Health regulations require that all students attending school must be fully immunized. The only exceptions to these regulations are those students for whom immunization is not medically advisable or those for whom immunization is contrary to religious or moral convictions. Students who are not fully immunized will be prevented from entering school.

Health Conferences

• All students are seen each year in a conference. During the conference the student is weighed and measured and is given a vision test. Students in grade seven are screened for scoliosis. Students in grade eight have their blood pressure checked. Selected students are given a hearing test. Written reports of any findings that deviate from the norm are sent home to the parent. Parents are asked to contact the nurse by note or by phone call after the student has been evaluated by a doctor.

First Aid and Emergency Cards

·         No care will be given in school beyond first aid in accidents and illness under written orders of the school physician.

·         Emergency cards with written authorization for further care and names of physicians and other persons to be called in an emergency are on file in each school. Parents are requested to arrange necessary transportation when a student needs to go home, to the family doctor, or to the hospital. The school will immediately summon a physician (the family physician if possible) or an ambulance in cases of serious emergency.

·         No student may leave the school for health reasons without prior authorization of the principal or health service.   Parents or guardians are required to come to school to pick up any student needing to leave school for health reasons.  Students are not permitted to walk home from school on their own.

Medication Policy

• Link to the Superintendent's Administrative Procedure regarding Medication-Use by Students

 

Rules for the Health Room

• Students must obtain a pass from the teacher in order to visit the health room during school hours. When passing between classes, the student should report to the next class before going to the health room. This rule  applies in all situations except emergencies.

School Insurance

• This is a contract between the student and the insurance company. Parents are responsible for filing all necessary claims. Coverage is extended to all injuries in school, including athletics, except high school football in grades ten through twelve. All injuries must be reported immediately to the nurse, office, or to a member of the faculty in order for the student to be eligible for an insurance form. Parents are encouraged to buy school insurance.

 

Medical Excuses Required

·         All students restricted from school activities, including physical education, must present a note from the family physician describing the condition and advising the kind and length of restriction. Permanent excuses must be renewed at the opening of school each year. For further information on medical excuses see the nurse.

·         Medical notes may be required for three-day absences and for students with repeated absences. Parents are urged to notify the school about students who may be absent for more than two days.

Controlling Communicable Diseases

• The list below indicates the time period which students should remain home from school when having contracted any of the following communicable diseases:

·         Chickenpox - Six days from appearance of rash

·         Impetigo - Until judged non-infective by the school nurse or child's physician

·         Acute Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) - Twenty-four hours from start of appropriate therapy

·         Respiratory Streptococcal infections (Including scarlet fever and tonsillitis) - Not less than seven days from the onset or 24 hours from the start of appropriate therapy

·         Ringworm (all types) - Until judged non-infective by the school nurse or child's physician

·         Scabies - Until judged non-infective by the school nurse or child's physician

• Students returning to school after recovery from any of the above diseases should present a note from the attending physician. Students excluded because of suspicion of a disease requiring isolation may be readmitted if a physician certifies that they are not suffering from the disease.