- Scotch Plains - Fanwood HS
- Health Services
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The Health Office is staffed by two full time certified school nurses and one full time registered nurse. It is located on the first floor in a corner office facing Westfield Road. The nurses administer first aid in the case of an accident or illness during school hours. In the event a student becomes ill and needs to go home, the nurse will notify the parent for permission to release the child from school. Dismissal through the Health Office is considered an unexcused absence.
It is extremely important that you complete and sign the yellow student emergency form for the health office staff. This will provide the nurses with daytime phone numbers and the names of at least two other adults who will be responsible for your child if you cannot be reached. When choosing an alternate contact, consider if they are local and available to provide care and transportation for your child during the school day. It is important to keep this information on the emergency card current. A new emergency form must be filled out for each school year and returned to the health office. The health informtion provided and authorized by the Parent/Guardian to be shared with the teaching staff will be placed on tbe Powerschool Alert. Alerts expire at the end of each school year and do not roll over.
School nurses provide health education and counseling as needed and conduct a variety of screenings as mandated by the State of NJ. Per NJAC Chapter 16 6A:16 2.1-2.2, each student will be screened for height, weight, and blood pressure every school year. Students will be screened in 9th and 11th grade for scoliosis unless the student has submitted proof of a physical examination or the parent requests in writing that the student be exempt from the screening. A vision screening will be conducted on all 10th grade students and a hearing test will be conducted on all 11th grade students. All screenings will be conducted by the nurses. State guidelines are followed to monitor student immunization records and tuberculosis skin testing. Mantoux skin testing for tuberculosis is currently required for some new students entering from specific countries. You will be contacted by the school nurse if your child requires testing.
Physical examinations are required for all new students entering the district and all candidates for athletic teams. It is recommended, but not required, that your child have a physical examination by your private health care provider at least once during the high school years. We recommend grade 10.
Each candidate for a school athletic team must be examined within 365 days prior to the first practice session. A full report of the examination must be documented on the state approved Pre-Participation History and Physical Exam form and dated and signed by your private health care provider. (note: your doctor can leave no blank areas on this form.) If the physical was performed 90 prior to the first day of practice, the Parent/Guardian must submit a 90 day health update questionnaire to the nurse. The school nurse will bring these forms to the School Medical Director for his approval. No student will be allowed to participate until approved by the School Medical Director. In addition, the Parent/Guardian must visit https://scotchplains-ar.rschooltoday.com to register the student for participation. You will be asked to read and electrically sign the following forms: Consent to Random Steroid Testing, Concussion Policy, Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes, Eye Safety in Athletes and the SPF Participation card. A student must be re-registered for each new sport season.
Medication should be administered at home as much as possible. The school does not routinely supply or dispense any over the counter medication such as Ibuprofen (Advil) or Acetamimophen (Tylenol). When absolutely necessary, medication will be administered by the school nurse upon written request from the parent/guardian along with written orders from the student’s private physician detailing the diagnosis, name of drug, dosage and time to be administered. The medication must be brought to school by the parent/guardian in the original prescription labeled bottle and will be stored in the nurse’s office. Students are not allowed to carry medication of any kind at school/ or school sponsored events except when a potentially life threatening condition exists and self-administration of medications (such as asthma inhalers, epi-pens, insulin) is necessary. Special self-medication forms must be filled out by a private physician, parent and student. Both nurse administered and self-administered medication forms are available from the school nurse. Any unused medication must be picked up by the parent/guardian by the end of the school year or at the end of the period of administration which ever comes first. Uncollected medications will be discarded on the last day of school. If it is absolutely necessary that your child take medications while on a field trip, please contact the nurse for medication forms as soon as possible. Only the nurse or the child’s parent may administer medication (prescription or over the counter) while a student is on a field trip. If a school nurse is in attendance on an overnight field trip we do have Standing orders from our School Medical Director for the school nurse to administer Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, and TUMS as necessary. Parent must have signed permission on the field trip form for administration of these medications on the overnight field trip form.
Medical conditions requiring exemption or limitation of physical education activity require a written physician’s note and are processed through the Health Office. Parent notes are not accepted.
Please call the school nurse with any question: 889-8600 ex. 31020.