Dear Parent or Guardian,
USD #257 provides school nursing services with the primary goal of helping each child achieve and maintain his or her optimal health status. A healthy child is a teachable child.
Health services include medication administration, immunization audits, communicable disease control, follow-up of chronic absenteeism, coordination of school physicals and health screenings, promotion of a safe school environment and health/wellness education.
Parents often ask about the district policy on medication administration. Medication may be given at school when necessary and the district has a policy to ensure that they are given in a safe manner. If your child requires prescription medication at school, you must obtain a written permission form from the prescribing physician and bring it with the medication to school. All local physicians and Allen County Hospital Emergency Room have these forms in their offices. The medication must be in the original pharmacy bottle. (Most pharmacies will provide an extra empty bottle for this purpose.) In order to reduce the number of medications given at school we ask that you only send medication that must be given during school hours, i.e., a medicine that must be given at noon. (Most antibiotics that are prescribed for three times a day can be given at home before school, after school and at bedtime.) Early morning medications can generally be given at home, although we can give them at school if the physician requests it, if your child eats breakfast at school and needs to eat before taking the medicine or if you have other special circumstances.
Non-prescription (over-the-counter) medicine does not require a physician’s permission form unless it is to be given at prescription-strength dosages. We cannot give higher doses than recommended on the bottle unless directed by a physician. Because children’s dosages can vary, we ask that you use the non-prescription medicine form available at the school to give us specific information about how the medicine should be given. Non-prescription (over-the-counter) medicine must be in the original bottle, marked with your student’s name. We cannot accept pills in envelopes, plastic bags, etc., even if they have brand name markings on them. Due to the risk of Reye’s Syndrome, please do not send products containing aspirin to school.
All medication must be kept in the office. The only exception is for students using asthma inhalers. Students who use inhalers must obtain a prescription medication form from their doctor. An inhaler release section is included in the form and must be signed by the physician and parent giving the student permission to carry the inhaler at school.
These policies are to ensure safe medication administration for your child. Your child’s safety is our primary concern. If you have questions or your child has a medical condition about which we should be aware, please contact Jacki Chase at 365-4785.
Jacki Chase, RN, BSN Kim Peterson, RN, BSN
USD #257 School Nurse USD # 257 School Nurse
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