Medication at School

Medication Nurses are available, on a limited basis, at all of the district schools during the day to oversee the dispensing of prescription and non-prescription medication to students. When possible, the nurse will give the medication. If the nurse is not available, the building principal or designee will give the medication. ALL MEDICATION AND PLANS MUST BE UPDATED EVERY SCHOOL YEAR. Please talk with your physician about scheduling medication to avoid school hours whenever possible. Prescription medications which are to be taken 3 times per day normally do not need to be given at school.

Prescription medications must be brought to school in a correctly labeled prescription container.  Non-prescription medications must be in the original container with the student’s name affixed to the container. A Medication Authorization must be completed for both prescription and non -prescription medication.

Vision and Hearing

Vision and hearing screenings will be administered during the school year according to Illinois State Public Health guidelines. The mandate requires hearing screenings for all students in preschool, kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, and all students in special education classes. Vision screenings are required for all preschool, kindergarten, 2nd grade, 8th grade and all students in special education classes. In addition to these students, any student entering Urbana School District who has not previously been screened and any student referred for a special education case study will be screened for both vision and hearing. Any student suspected by a parent, guardian or teacher of having a vision or hearing problem may also be referred for testing.

Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete vision and eye evaluation by an eye doctor.  Your child is not required to undergo this vision screening if an optometrist or ophthalmologist has completed and signed a report form indicating that an evaluation has been administered within the last 12 months. If your child does not have a medical card and you need assistance in obtaining an eye exam and/or eye glasses for your student please contact the District Nurse at 217-384-3564. 

Asthma

If your child has been diagnosed with asthma we encourage you to notify the school and provide the school with asthma medication, in the event your child has problems with their asthma during the school day.

You have two options in requesting that asthma medication be utilized at school for your child:

• Option 1: Keep medication in the school health office to be administered with supervision as ordered by your physician.  If you choose this option, you and your physician must complete a Medication Authorization Form.
• Option two: Have your child carry medication for his/her asthma to self-administer the medication independently.  State law requires that we inform you, in writing, that the School District and its employees and agents are to incur no liability, except for willful and wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from the self-administration of medication by your child. If you choose this option you and your child’s healthcare provider must complete the Self-Administration of Asthma Medication Authorization Form. You may choose to submit the prescription label to the asthma medication in lieu of the physician’s written order.

Allergies

Food Allergies affect about 4 percent of children younger than 18 and approximately 2.5 percent of adults. Every food-allergic reaction has the possibility of developing into a life-threatening reaction. Urbana School District #116 is an allergy aware district.  Individual classes may have different rules regarding treats, however, we do not ban students from bringing in items with ingredients commonly known to trigger allergies. Our staff (teachers and administrative staff) have extensive training and education about allergy awareness and potentially serious allergies. That training stresses precautions and the seriousness of all allergic reactions and we have implemented guidelines for the management of life-threatening food allergies.

If your child has a life-threatening food allergy please notify the principal at your child’s school or the District Nurse at (217) 384-3564. You will need to turn in an Allergy Action Plan Packet each year.  If accommodations are necessary for your child to eat a hot lunch at school, we will need to have the Food Substitution Form completed by your child’s healthcare provider. 

State law allows your child to carry and self-administer their Epinephrine Auto-Injector during the school day and at all school related activities. State law also requires that we inform you, in writing that the School District and its employees and agents are to incur no liability, except for willful and wanton conduct, as a result of any injury arising from the self-administration of medication by your child. In order to provide for this the district requires that you and your child’s physician complete a Self-Administration of Epinephrine Auto-Injector Authorization Form.

It is advised that an extra Epinephrine-Auto-Injector be kept in the school office, in case your child should forget to bring theirs to school and requires assistance from school staff, in the event they should suffer a life-threatening allergic reaction. If you choose to keep an Epinephrine Auto-Injector in the school office, a Medication Authorization Form must be completed. 

Seizures

If your child is diagnosed with a seizure disorder, please notify the principal of your child’s school. To better meet your child’s needs while at school, we will ask that your child’s physician complete a Seizure Action Plan.  For any student suffering a seizure at school, without a current Seizure Action Plan on file, emergency services will be contacted.

Control of Communicable Diseases at School

Communicable Diseases are those diseases, which may be transmitted from person to person. Control of communicable disease is managed within the district in accordance with the Illinois Department of Public Health Guidelines. Any person who exhibits symptoms of a communicable disease will be excluded from school by the building principal until the student’s healthcare provider and/or the Illinois Department of Public/Champaign Urbana Public Health District indicates they can safely return.

It is requested that parents notify the building Principal if their child is diagnosed with a communicable or contagious disease. The Parent/Guardian should provide the school with a note from the student’s Healthcare Provider (physician, advanced practice nurse or physician’s assistant) and/or Public Health Official for readmission to school.

In accordance with School Code, Article 27-Section 8.1, subsection 6, please find the Urbana School District #116 student health data – immunization for the current school year.