FAQ's

Keep your child home if they:

• have a temperature of 100.0 degrees or more
• have been diagnosed with a strep infection and have not been on antibiotics for 24 hours
• have vomited during the night or in the morning
• have a persistent cough, chest congestion, or discolored nasal drainage
• have persistent diarrhea during the night into the morning
• have a red, swollen eye that is itchy and is draining pus
• have a rash you can not identify
• When in doubt, keep them out!

COLD: occasional low grade fever, sneezing, slight aches and pains, mild fatigue and weakness, occasional headache, sore throat, mild to moderate chest discomfort, hacking cough.

FLU: High fever with sudden onset, occasional sneezing, severe aches and pains, extreme fatigue and weakness (up to 3 weeks), prominent headache, occasional sore throat, severe chest discomfort.

ALLERGIES: Watery nasal discharge, sneezing, little to no cough, runny nose (comes and goes through the season), red, itchy eyes, fewer lymph nodes in neck affected.

Children who are ill during the school day should report to the School Nurse office for evaluation. If the School Nurses determine that a child should be sent home due to illness, the nurse will contact the parents. A parent who receives a call or text from their child should call 484-667-5000 and press option 2 to be connected to the Nursing Office to verify their child has seen the nurse and should be picked up.

Yes. All communicable diseases should be reported to school, even if students develop them over the weekend and are well enough to return to school by Monday. It is important for the Nurses to be able to track infectious disease occurences in order to provide parents with information about their prevalence and the need for precautions. The following are some examples of illnesses that should be reported to the Nursing Office: COVID-19, Chicken Pox, Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, Pink Eye, Ringworm, Fifth's Disease, Impetigo, and Scabies.

Strep throat is a bacterial infection, caused by the bacteria Streptococcus. It occurs most frequently in the late fall, winter, and early spring . The infection is spread by person-to-person contact with nasal secretions or saliva. Strep throat must be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor will perform a test to make sure the sore throat is a strep infection. Sore throats should not be treated with antibiotics unless they are tested for strep. Most people are contagious until they have been on antibiotics for 24-48 hours and are fever free. During this time, your child should stay home from school. If your child is not feeling better after 3 days of medication, contact your doctor.

The policy is that we can administer medications to students only with written permission from the parent/guardian AND physician. Please download the Medication Administration Form, compete all of the information, and return it to the Health Services Office. All students must have a signed medication form on file before medications may be administered to them. Verbal permission over the phone is not acceptable. A new form must be filled out at the beginning of each school year and with each change in order.

All medication must be in the original container, clearly labeled with the student's name, physician's name, medication name, dosage, and frequency. All medication must be taken in the nursing office and may not be carried by the student. Controlled substances must be delivered to the nursing office by a parent/guardian.

A prescription provides instruction to the pharmacist for dispensing the medication. A medication order provides instruction to the nurse for administration of the medication. For each medication to be administered, there must be a medication order from a licensed prescriber. Medication orders are required for both prescription as well as over-the-counter medications and herbal remedies. Written, faxed, or electronic orders from a licensed prescriber should be provided to the school nurse in writing, with an original signature or an authorized electronic signature. These orders can be accepted from a licensed prescriber on his/her letterhead, prescription pad, or you may download the Medication Administration Form for this purpose and have it signed and dated by a licensed prescriber.

In accordance with standard medical practice, a medication order from a licensed prescriber should contain:

• student's name
• name and signature of licensed prescriber and phone number
• name of the medication
• route and dosage of medication
• frequency and time of medication administration
• date of the order and discontinuation date
• specific directions for administration, if necessary

Students are not permitted to carry medication during field trips. Due to the staffing needs of the AGCS Nursing Offices and a shortage of substitute nurses, a school nurse will not accompany students on field trips for the purpose of dispensing medications. However, students with an active 504 plan who currently receive daily medication(s) at school as detailed in their 504 plan will have all required nursing services provided during field trips. Only emergency medications (inhalers, Epi-pens) will be permitted to go on field trips. Options for families of students requiring daily medications include the student taking their medication at an adjusted time, before or after the field trip, skipping the dose, or having a parent accompany the student on the trip and administering any medications.

No, not each time he/she comes in. If your child has a fever, vomits, has diarrhea, or an emergent problem, we will notify you at once. Otherwise, we see approximately 50+ students each day and we rely on your child's emergency contact card for permission to administer Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Antacids, Cough drops, or emergency medication. If an injury occurs or a chronic or recurrent issue develops we will contact you, as you are part of your child's health team.

DO NOT PANIC! Visit our Head Lice-Get the Facts webpage for what to do and lots of helpful information.