Nurse's Office
Nurse's Office
The CDC has simplified recommendations and includes COVID in with other respiratory virus recommendations. Click the links below to read more from the CDC and the US Department of Health and Human Services on the most recent press release and current guidance on this topic. (Chenango County Public Health references the New York State Department of Health which in turn references the CDC links below.)
As part of the guidance, CDC provides active recommendations on core prevention steps and strategies:
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Staying up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV if eligible.
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Practicing good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
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Taking steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.
When people get sick with a respiratory virus, the updated guidance recommends that they stay home and away from others. For people with COVID-19 and influenza, treatment is available and can lessen symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness. The recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and if a fever was present, it has been gone without use of a fever-reducing medication.
Can my child go to school today?
Encouraging regular attendance among students is crucial for their education, health, and well-being. When students are feeling ill, it is important to keep them home from school to prevent the spread of illness. These guidelines should be used when deciding if your child is too sick for school.
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I have a mild cold with a runny nose and/or a mild cough with NO other symptoms.
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I have NOT had a fever in the last 24 hours and have NOT taken any fever-reducing medications.
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I have a mild stomachache. I have not thrown up or had diarrhea in the last 24 hours and can eat and drink normally.
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I have a mild rash with no other symptoms.
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I have eye drainage WITHOUT a fever, eye pain, or eye redness.
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I have had a temperature of 100.4 or higher in the past 24 hours.
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I have thrown up 2 or more times in the past 24 hours.
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I have watery stool and cannot make it to the bathroom in time.
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I have a persistent cough or respiratory symptoms that are worsening or not improving.
It is recommended that students stay home from school if they are too sick to participate in classroom and other school activities. If your child is sent home from school due to illness, it is essential that they remain at home until they are fever and symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school. A parent or guardian will be contacted to pick up their child if they return to school prematurely.
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If you have any concerns or questions about whether to send your child to school, please contact the Unadilla Valley School Health Office at (607) 847-7523.
Health Exam Requirements
ew York state law requires a health examination for all students entering the school district for the first time and when entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. The examination must be completed by a New York state licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, and provided to the school within 30 days of the student’s first day of school.
Immunization Requirements
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) has revised immunization requirements for school attendance to be consistent with recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP is a national group of medical and public health experts.
Current requirements were developed to reduce the number of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and whooping cough. No new vaccines are required, but the number of doses required and the time intervals between doses has changed.
Students entering kindergarten or grade 6 are required to have two doses of the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine and three to four doses of poliomyelitis (polio) vaccine.
All other students will be able to attend school with one dose of varicella and three doses of poliomyelitis.
Students in pre-K-grade 6 will be required to have age-appropriate doses of DPT or DTaP, in accordance with the ACIP schedule.
Two Doses of MMR are required for entrance into kindergarten.
A student who is “in process” must be allowed to attend school. A student who is in process is defined as one who has had the first dose of all required immunization series and has appointments to complete the series in accordance with the ACIP catch-up schedule.
See the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the schedule.
For more information on immunization requirements, contact the Health Office at (607)- 847-7523.
Medications
The following is the policy for the administration of medication(s) at Unadilla Valley:
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Prior to the administering medication (including over-the-counter medication, creams, or lozenges) to any student, the school nurse shall have on file a written, signed authorization from the student’s physician.
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Prior to the administering medication to any student, the school nurse shall have on file the authorization by the student’s parents/guardians.
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All medication shall be stored in a safe and secure fashion to assure that only authorized personnel have access to such medication. Medications shall be delivered directly to the school nurse by the student’s parent/guardian.
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No student shall be permitted to possess medication on school premises without appropriate documentation provided by the child’s physician.
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All medications must be in the originally labeled pharmacy bottle.
Body Mass Index (BMI) Reporting
New York state requires schools to track each student’s body mass index (BMI) and weight status category as part of school health examinations. Every year, the New York State Department of Health surveys some schools for the number of students in each of six possible weight status categories.
If Unadilla Valley School District is surveyed by the state, the district will share summary group data only and will not share individual names or information. Parents/guardians who wish to exclude their child’s data from the summary group calculations must contact their child’s school.
Reporting an Absence
To report an absence, please (607) 847-7500, ext. 1143 and leave a message. A written excuse from parents/guardians is required when a student returns to school after an absence. The excuse note must be turned in to the Elementary School or Jr senior high School main office when the student returns to school.
Attendance policy
Every person over five years of age and under 21 is entitled to attend public school maintained in the District where such person resides.
Once a person becomes enrolled at Unadilla Valley Central School, the school becomes responsible for meeting all attendance regulations as mandated at the local and state level under New York State Education guidelines.
These policies are outlined as follows:
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A student after each absence or tardiness, shall bring in an excuse signed by the parent or guardian, stating the specific reason for the absence within three days. The absences are then coded to maintain an accurate record of the type of absence. In cases involving medical appointments, the name of the person with whom the appointment is scheduled should be on the excuse, as well as the time of the appointment.
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The following reasons for student absences are recognized as valid and excused by the Board of Education.
A. Sickness
B. Sickness or death in the family
C. Impassable roads
D. Religious observance
E. Sickness requiring attendance at a medical clinic
F. Quarantine
G. Required court appearance
H. College visits/interviews when approved in advance.
Any other absences is considered illegal. Any questions of legality of excuses will be at the discretion of the building principal, regardless of whether or not a student has a parent’s permission. The student is considered truant if they are not in school and do not have a valid excuse as stated above.
Head Lice Procedures
Overview: Headlice are parasitic insects that feed on human blood. They are typically located on your head but also can be found on eyelashes and eyebrows. Lice can be identified in three different stages including nits (eggs), nymphs and adult headlice. Headlice is most commonly spread among preschool and elementary aged students and their house members.
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Intense itching of the scalp or body
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Scratching of the neck, scalp or hairline
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Feeling a crawling sensation on the hair or neck
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Seeing bugs that look like light brown sesame seeds crawling on hair, skin or clothing
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Finding lice eggs (nits) located 1cm from scalp along the hair shaft
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Lice do not hop or jump: they can only crawl
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Head-to- Head Contact: direct contact with the hair of an infected individual
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Indirect contact through personal belongings such as combs, brushes, hats, sports helmets, blankets and pillows. This method of transmission is less likely to occur
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Avoid head-to-head contact during school activities
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Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms and hair clips or barrettes
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Do not lie on rugs, pillows, blankets, furniture or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person
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If a student is showing signs/symptoms of having head lice, a teacher or staff member may request the student be checked for head lice at the Health Office.
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Upon permission from a parent/guardian the student may be checked for head lice by licensed nursing staff in the health office.
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Upon a positive diagnosis of head lice by licensed staff, the student may return class. The student will be sent home at the end of the school day with the appropriate supplies to treat head lice and an educational letter send home about the expectations for the treatment of head lice. Students are recommended to have at least one treatment at home before returning to school.
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Students will be rechecked in the health office 24 hours after diagnosis and first treatment. Students will be rechecked again 7 days after initial diagnosis/treatment. Further education or parent notification will be given if necessary.
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Head lice infestation is not considered a communicable disease in accordance with Public Health Law.
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Students with a lice infestation are NOT to be excused or excluded from school or school activities but instead encouraged to avoid head-to-head contact.
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Classroom screenings and parent notification letters will NOT be conducted per the latest American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations.
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It is recommended that students have at least one head lice treatment before returning to school.
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Siblings or house members of a student with an active infestation will be checked in the Health Office, if parental consent is provided.
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Only teachers/staff members of students with an active lice infestation will be notified by the school nurse to uphold student confidentiality.
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Parents of students with an active lice infestation will be notified via phone and a letter sent home by the school nurse.
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