NURSE’S OFFICE
Taunton High School has a nurse’s office on the first floor
adjacent to the field house lobby. A nurse is in attendance
during the school day. Students who become ill or are injured should
report to the nearest teacher who will provide proper assistance. If
dismissal is a necessary measure, the nurse will notify the home. The
nurse keeps a careful record of all pupils who visit the nurse’s office. All
students are eligible for the school system insurance program. Enrollment
forms are distributed in September of each school year.
SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER (SBHC)
In order to provide adequate access to health care and to improve the overall health of school-aged children, Morton Hospital and Medical Center, through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, has established a T.H.S. Student Health Center. Services are provided by nurse practitioners and overseen by a medial physician. The clinic is located on the first floor across from the nurse’s office at Taunton High School. The SBHC offers a full range of medical services, including physical exams, immunization and sick visits. Confidential matters, such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease testing are also available. Additionally, in an effort to educate children about good health choices, wellness programs, including nutrition, exercise and stress management, is provided. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are available. Students receive enrollment information at the start of each school year, but can obtain information from the SBHC office throughout the year. Consent forms need to be signed by parents or guardians, except for confidential visits, in order to use the SBHC. The SBHC office telephone number is 508-821-1184, the hours of operation are the regular school day.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS
A copy of a physical exam occurring within eighteen (18) months preceding entry into the eleventh grade is required. Please request a copy of the physical exam at the time it is performed and forward the copy to the school nurse to ensure the student’s health record is kept current.
IMMUNIZATIONS
General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 15 states as follows: “No child shall, except as hereinafter provided, be admitted to school except upon presentation of a physician’s certificate that the child has been successfully immunized against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles and poliomyelitis and such other communicable diseases as may be specified from time to time by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
HEALTH INSURANCE
If a student needs health insurance, please contact the school nurse for information and an application form for Massachusetts Health Insurance.
A doctor’s certificate is required for admittance to school following an absence of five
(5) or more consecutive school days due to illness or following any absence related to a communicable disease.
The administration of medication in the schools is to be avoided whenever possible. No medication shall be administered to pupils in school except by the school nurse or designated personnel approved by the Taunton School Committee, after all approvals have been secured. “Medications” shall include all medicines prescribed by a physician for a particular pupil, including prescription and non-prescription drugs. It should be remembered that non-prescription, over-the-counter remedies (Tylenol, creams, cough syrup, etc.) are medicines. Any use in school must be prescribed by a physician.
All parents who request that their children be medicated during
school hours are to contact the school nurse by telephone or in writing. The
nurse will give the parent the proper form to be filled out and signed by only the parent if it is an
over-the-counter medication. If the drug is a prescribed medication, both the doctor and the parent must sign the school form. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES OR CONDITIONS SHOULD ANY MEDICATION BE BROUGHT
TO SCHOOL WITHOUT CONTACTING THE THS NURSE’S OFFICE FIRST.
A written order from the physician stating:
(a) the purpose of the medication
(b) the dosage
(c) the route to be administered
(d) the time at which the medication shall be administered
(e) the length of time for which the medication is prescribed
(f) the possible side effects of the medication must be on file.
Medication must be brought to the school nurse in its original container by a responsible adult. A weekly supply of medication can be kept at the school in a secure area. Medication no longer required must be removed by the parent/guardian. In addition to the above requirement, students who are in need of psychotropic drugs during school time will need certification from the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education. These forms are available in the school nurse’s office and must be signed by parents, physician and school headmaster.
Under no circumstances may a psychotropic drug be administered by anyone other than a licensed medical person, i.e., nurse, doctor, etc. If a school nurse is not available to dispense the medication, a parent/guardian will have to come to the school to administer the medication.
Please note that all medications administered in school must be in the possession of the school nurse. No student can carry medication of any kind in his/her pocket, lunch box, backpack, etc. This is a dangerous practice for that student and other students.
ANNUAL HEALTH UPDATE CARD
Parents need to keep the school informed about their child’s health by completing the Taunton Annual Health Update Card for each child at the start of the school year. The health information requested is kept confidential, and is used to facilitate the planning and provision of care that the student’s health needs may require while they are at school. Parents are advised to keep the school nurse informed about rashes, surgeries, broken bones and any other significant events that may have an impact on him or her.
It is very important to notify the school nurse with any change in the emergency numbers in case the student becomes ill or is injured while at school. Every effort is made to provide a safe environment at school. Accidents and injuries do, however, occasionally occur. Minor injuries will be attended to by the school nurse and following the school nurse evaluation, any injuries that may require further medical attention will be appropriately referred and parents notified as soon as possible.
When a child becomes ill at school, he or she should report to
the classroom teacher who will then direct the child to the nurse’s office.
Parents will be notified when the school nurse feels that their son or daughter requires further medical
attention and/or requires dismissal from school due to illness.
SCREENINGS
Screening programs conducted at T.H.S. are designed to detect
previously unrecognized conditions as early as possible, to ward off a negative impact on academic performance.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires that schools conduct screenings for vision and hearing,
and measure school-age children for height and weight. These
screenings must be conducted annually in the absence of a waiver.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires that young people in grade 9 have postural and scoliosis screening done because young people in this age range are in a growth spurt, and they mature at different rates.
The purpose of the screening is threefold:
· to detect early signs of spinal problems that should have further medical evaluation
· to provide regular monitoring
· to reduce the need for surgical remedies.
Parents will be notified of any abnormal findings with recommendations for follow-up care. Parents who believe their child does not need to participate in the screenings should notify the school nurse at the beginning of each school year.
AIDS/ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME
HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse,
through blood-to-blood contact (such as the sharing of injection drug needles and syringes) and from an infected
woman to her baby. Research has demonstrated that HIV is not transmitted through casual contact, such as in a
school setting.
Students diagnosed with AIDS or HIV infection that are too ill to
attend school, should have an alternative education plan.
The student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) are the gatekeepers of
information relating to the student’s AIDS/HIV status.
In consultation with the student’s primary care physician, the
student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may decide to inform certain school personnel about the student’s AIDS/HIV
status, particularly the school nurse or school physician. They are not obliged to disclose this information to school personnel.
Alternatively, the student’s parent/guardian may request that their primary care physician make the disclosure. In this case, written consent of the student’s parent/guardian is required.
Further disclosure of a student’s HIV status by the school
nurse/ physician to other school personnel requires the specific, informed, written consent of the student’s
parent/guardian. As a
general rule, a student’s health records related to AIDS/HIV should be kept as confidential. MGL, c.111, s.70F, prohibit health care providers, physicians and health
care facilities from disclosing HIV test results, or the fact that a test has been performed, without the
specific, informed, written consent of the person who has been tested. This
statute prohibits testing persons for HIV antibodies without their permission, and protects against the
nonconsensual release of medical records (including school health records).
