Rockdale School District 84

The school sets guidelines for excluding children from school due to illness. We depend on parents to be partners with the school in promoting the health of our students and staff. It is important to anticipate the fact that if you work, you will need to have an alternative plan for your child when they are ill. We realize that at times parents face a conflict about what to do if their child becomes ill when one or both parents work. Please make arrangements for when your child is not well enough to attend school ahead of time to make it less stressful when illness occurs.

Children who become ill during the school day should be picked up within one hour after the parent/guardian is contacted. The school nurse or other staff may try certain measures prior to a parent being called. If a child has any notable signs of illness or is completely out of sorts, a decision to send the child home may be made. If the parent cannot be reached by phone, we will utilize the emergency numbers the parent has provided us with. Please keep all of your emergency numbers current for these situations.

Your child is too ill to attend school and should be kept home if he/she has had any of the following symptoms in the past 24 hours:

• A temperature of 100 degrees or higher, now or in the past 24 hours. Students are to be fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours before returning to school

• A low-grade fever (99-100 degrees) accompanied by any symptoms of not feeling well or excessive tiredness

• Diarrhea or vomiting

• Flu-like symptoms

• Headache not responsive to Tylenol

• Undiagnosed rashes or skin lesions which are suspicious for something contagious

• Any illness where the child is unable to participate fully in classroom activities

Please remember that if your child is sent home during the school day it is for everyone’s benefit and your child should remain home for a full 24 hours. This policy is to prevent the potential spread of illness and, although your child may appear well the next day, they may still be contagious. Also, there are certain infectious diseases that do require a doctor’s note upon returning to school. The nurse will let you know if a doctor’s note is required when your child is sent home.

Guidelines for Contagious Diseases – Time children should be out of school:

Federal law protects students from discrimination due to a disability that substantially limits a major life activity. If your student has a qualifying disability, an individualized Section 504 Plan will be developed and implemented to provide the needed supports so that your student can access his or her education as effectively as students without disabilities.

Not all students with life-threatening allergies and life-threatening chronic illnesses may be eligible under Section 504. Our school district also may be able to appropriately meet a student's needs through other means.

We may be able to provide a food substitution for a students food allergy during breakfast and lunch at school. However, this can only be provided once a "Physician Statement for Food Substitution" has been completed and signed by the physican. For example- if your child can not consume cows milk, but it able to have soy milk this could be provided once we have the appropriate paperwork. The "Physician Statement for Food Substitution" form can be picked up in the health office at Rockdale school or it can printed from this website. This form must be completed and turned in to the school every school year it is needed.

Care of Students with Diabetes

If your child has diabetes and requires assistance with managing this condition while at school and school functions, a Diabetes Care Plan must be submitted to the building principal. Parents/guardians are responsible for and must inform the school in a timely manner of any change which needs to be made to the Diabetes Care Plan on file with the school for their child.

1. Inform the school in a timely manner of any changes to their emergency contact numbers or contact numbers of health care providers.

2. Sign the Diabetes Care Plan.

3. Grant consent for and authorize designated School District representatives to communicate directly with the health care provider whose instructions are included in the Diabetes Care Plan.

For further information, please contact the building principal.

Student Medication

Taking medication during school hours or during school-related activities is prohibited unless it is medically necessary for a student’s health and well-being. When a student’s licensed health care provider and parent/guardian find it to be medically necessary for the student to take a medication during school hours a “School Medication Authorization Form” must be completed and on file in the school health office before any medication can be administered at school. The School Medication Authorization Form can be obtained from the school health office, in the school handbook, or it can be printed from the school website. There is a section on this form that must be completed by the student's physician and the other section is for the parent to fill out and sign. All medication must be in the original container or prescription bottle appropriately labeled by the pharmacist, physician, or manufacturer and labeled with the student’s name. The medication is to be stored in the health office unless it is an inhaler or epipen that the parent has provided signed permission for the student to self carry. No student is allowed to possess or consume any prescription or non-prescription medication on school grounds or at a school-related function other than as set forth by this policy.

Self-Administration of Medication

A student may possess an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®) and/or an asthma inhaler prescribed for use at the student’s discretion, provided the student’s parent/guardian has completed and signed a School Medication Authorization Form.Parents of students who take asthma medication and would like their child to self-carry and self-administer, must submit the “Student Self-administration of Asthma Medication” form.

The school and district shall incur no liability, except for willful and wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from a student’s self-administration of medication or epinephrine auto-injector or the storage of any medication by school personnel. A student’s parent/guardian must agree to indemnify and hold harmless the school district and its employees and agents, against any claims, except a claim based on willful and wanton conduct, arising out of a student’s self-administration of an epinephrine auto-injector and/or asthma inhaler, or the storage of any medication by school personnel.