There are often questions concerning medications at school. Please remember: any medication, including both prescription and over the counter medicines such as Tylenol or cough medicine, can be given only with a completed school medication form signed by the prescribing physician as well as the parent. Forms are available in the school office as well as many medical clinics. All medication must be brought in the original container, by an adult, and counted with school staff in the case of any controlled substances. Although as a parent I know the policy can be inconvenient at times, as a school nurse I am frequently reminded of the potential problems when it is not followed. Most antibiotics and many other medications can be prescribed to avoid school hours altogether. Please consult with your medical provider regarding this when the need arises. Please call with any questions or to request a copy of the district policy. Thanks for your cooperation.

I know that it can be a challenge to convince some children to eat breakfast before school. As school nurses, we believer that healthy students make better learners. You can help by encouraging your children to eat breakfast. We see students in the health room at midmorning with complaints of stomach aches or hunger pains. It is difficult for these students to concentrate when they are distracted because they are hungry.

It has come to my attention that some parents are under the impression that vision screening in school counts as an eye-check-up. This state mandated test does not replace physician’s and/or eye professional’s assessment of a child’s eyes and vision. Some eye problems (such as lazy eye) need to be caught very early for proper remedy. Vision screening in the school setting only looks at distance vision, nothing else.