Health and Medical Care Guidelines for Walton Students
Many of the students who attend Walton are medically fragile and are at risk of serious illness when exposed to something as simple as a cold virus. Therefore, it is especially important that we all closely adhere to the following guidelines.
- If a student has an elevated temperature (100 degrees or higher), the student should remain at home until he/she has a normal temperature for 24 hours.
- A normal temperature (whether taken by mouth, ear, or forehead) is 97.6 to 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit without taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). Those medications can temporarily lower a fever, but the child is still ill and possibly contagious.
- If vomiting occurs, keep your child home until he/she can eat their normal diet without vomiting for 24 hours.
- A child with diarrhea (or more loose stools than normal) should stay home.
- Do not send a child with a rash to school until your doctor has said that it is not contagious or the rash has cleared.
- If your child has a cold, he/she should stay home if he/she has a deep or hacking cough or if he/she has a thick, constantly flowing nasal discharge.
- If your child has white spots on the back of the throat or a sore throat with a fever, keep him/her at home and call your child’s doctor/health care provider.
- Do not send a child to school with open sores that have a discharge and/or pus (a sign of infection), or a thick honey-like crust (a sign of impetigo – which can cause serious medical conditions if untreated). You should call your child’s doctor/health care provider.
- If your child has a toothache, keep him/her home and call the dentist.
- If your child has an earache, keep him/her home and call the doctor/health care provider.
- If your child must take medicine while at school (including over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, antibiotic cream, or cough syrup) a “Medications Dispensed in School” form must be completed, including your signature and the signature of your child’s health care provider/doctor. This form must be completed every year and whenever there is any change in the medicine, instructions, or doctor/health care provider.
- As parent or guardian, you must supply Walton with all medicines your child must take during the school day. You or another adult must deliver the medicine to school or to the First Student bus driver, who will then give it to the teacher or school nurse. Do not put medications in your student’s backpack.
- Each prescribed medicine your child must be given at school must be in a separate container labeled by a pharmacist licensed in the United States. The container must list your child’s name, the doctor’s name, the name of the medicine, and instructions for when to take the medicine and how much to take. Also, the dates on the prescription label must be current.
- If your child needs a specialized health care procedure performed at school (such as gastric-tube feeding, urinary catherization, oral suctioning), a form must be completed, including your signature and the signature of the doctor. This form must be completed every year and whenever there is any change in the procedure or doctor. Any changes in the health care procedure must be received in writing from the physician. All supplies must be provided by the parent/guardian.
