HEALTH SERVICES

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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. 

Health Conditions

We all do our best to stay healthy and to keep our children healthy. When children come to school sick they are not able to participate in the learning process and they also expose others to their illness.

The following are general guidelines we ask families to follow:

  • No child should be sent to school with a fever (a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit). The child may return to school when they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications such as Ibuprofen or Tylenol.
  • A child with diarrhea should be kept home until stools return to normal.
  • If vomiting occurs, keep the child at home until they are able to keep food down.
Head Lice

Head lice are parasites that are transferred from one person to another by direct contact with an infested person’s head, or by contact with personal items such as hats, hairbrushes, or bedding. Lice infestation may occur in any age category, but it is most frequent among preschool and grade school age children.  You are encouraged to check your child’s hair on a regular basis and notify the school if you discover lice in your child’s hair. Discourage your child from sharing hat, scarves, or clothing, especially coats and jackets.  If the school discovers your child has head lice we will contact you. Information will be given to you with recommendations on how to treat your home and child for head lice. 

Full head lice policy

Rash

If your child develops a rash, you need to have the doctor diagnose the problem. Please provide the school with a note from the doctor before your child returns to school. If your child develops a rash during the school day, we will ask you to take your child to see the doctor.

Sore Throat

If your child is diagnosed with strep throat they must be on medication for 24 hours before returning to school. They must also be fever free (as outlined under health conditions).

Cardiac Emergency Response Plan

Sudden cardiac arrest events can vary greatly. All staff and Cardiac Emergency Response Team (CERT) members must be prepared to perform the duties outlined below. Immediate action is crucial to successfully respond to a cardiac emergency. Consideration should be given to obtaining on-site ambulance coverage for high-risk athletic events. One should also identify the closest appropriate medical facility that is equipped with advanced cardiac care.

Responding to a suspected cardiac emergency

Follow these steps in responding to a suspected cardiac emergency:

  1. Recognize the following signs of sudden cardiac arrest and act quickly in the event of one or more of the following:
    1. The person is not moving, unresponsive, or unconscious.
    2. The person is not breathing normally (has irregular breaths, gasping or gurgling, or is not breathing at all).
    3. The person may appear to be having a seizure or is experiencing convulsion-like activity. Cardiac arrest victims commonly appear to be having convulsions. If the person is having a seizure without a sudden cardiac arrest an AED will not deliver a shock.
    4. If the person received a blunt blow to the chest, this can cause cardiac arrest, a condition called commotio cordis. The person may have the signs of cardiac arrest described above and is treated the same.
  2. Facilitate immediate access to professional medical help:
    1. Call 9-1-1 as soon as you suspect a sudden cardiac arrest. Provide the facility address, cross streets, and patient’s condition. Remain on the phone with 9-1-1. (Bring your mobile phone to the patient’s side and put on speaker, if possible.) Give the exact location and provide the recommended route for ambulances to enter and exit and escort emergency responders to the victim.
    2. Immediately contact the members of the Cardiac Emergency Response Team (CERT) using your facility’s designated communication system (i.e. walkie talkies, overhead page). 
    3. If you are a CERT member, proceed immediately to the scene of the cardiac emergency.
  3. Start CPR as soon as possible. The first person who can start CPR should begin immediately and, if additional bystanders are available, other tasks can be delegated.
    1. Begin continuous chest compressions and have someone retrieve the AED if not at the scene. Referred to the Act Now. Save a Life. (Simplified Adult Basic Life Support) graphic below.
    2. Press hard and fast in the center of the chest, at 100-120 compressions per minute. (Faster than once per second, but slower than twice per second.) Use 2 hands: The heel of one hand and the other hand on top (or one hand for children under 8 years old), pushing to a depth of at least 2 inches (or 1/3rd the depth of the chest for children under 8 years old). Follow the 9-1-1 telecommunicator’s instructions, if provided.
    3. If you are able and comfortable giving rescue breaths, please use a barrier and provide 2 rescue breaths after 30 compressions. 
  4. AED Access. The person who can retrieve the AED the fastest (ideally in route to the scene) should get it to the site and leave the AED cabinet door open as a signal that the AED was retrieved.
  5. Additional communication measures
    1. Give the exact location of the emergency. (“Mr. /Ms. ___ Classroom, Office or Room # ___, gym, football field, cafeteria, etc.”). Be sure to let EMS know which door to enter.
    2. Assign someone to go to that door to wait for and flag down EMS responders and escort them to the exact location of the patient.
  6. Use the nearest AED.
    1. When the AED is brought to the patient’s side, press the power-on button, and attach the pads to the patient as shown in the diagram on the pads. Then follow the AED’s audio and visual instructions. If the person needs to be shocked to restore a normal heart rhythm, the AED will deliver one or more shocks. Be familiar with your school’s AED and be aware if you will need to press the shock button or if it will deliver automatically. Note: The AED will only deliver shocks if needed; if no shock is needed, no shock will be delivered.
    2. Minimize interruptions of compressions when placing AED pads to patient’s bare chest. 
    3. Continue CPR until the patient is responsive or a professional responder arrives and takes over. Make sure to rotate people doing compression to avoid fatigue.
    4. Do not remove AED pads even if the patient regains consciousness – the pads should be left in place until handoff to EMS occurs. This precaution is necessary in case the patient has a relapse. e. If the AED is used be sure to have a plan to download the data, store the data, and deliver to the patient’s cardiology care team.
  7. Transition care to EMS.
    1. Once EMS arrives, there should be a clear transition of care from the CERT to EMS.
    2. Team focus should now be on assisting EMS safely out of the building/parking lot.
    3. Provide EMS a copy of the patient’s emergency information sheet.
  8. Action to be taken by Office / Administrative Staff.
    1. Confirm the exact location and the condition of the patient.
    2. Activate the Cardiac Emergency Response Team and give the exact location.
    3. Confirm that the Cardiac Emergency Response Team has responded.
    4. Confirm that 9-1-1 was called. If not, call 9-1-1 immediately.
    5. Assign a staff member to direct EMS to the scene.
    6. Perform “Crowd Control” – directing others away from the scene.
    7. Notify other staff: school nurse, athletic trainer, athletic director, safety director, safety manager, leadership, sports facilities manager, etc.
    8. Plan for ongoing coverage following an emergency response in case a subsequent event occurs.
    9. Consider having the people (e.g., staff, students) stay in place (e.g., delaying class changes or hallway traffic, services provided, dismissal, recess, or other changes) to facilitate CPR and EMS functions.
    10. Designate people to cover the duties of the CPR responders.
    11. Copy the patient’s emergency information for EMS.
    12. Notify the patient’s emergency contact (parent/guardian, spouse, etc.).
    13. Notify faculty and students, staff, employees, and sports attendees when to return to the normal schedule or services.
    14. Contact organization leadership (e.g., school district administration), human resources and/or other facility management (e.g., sports facility management).
  9. Debrief
    1. Discuss the outcome of the cardiac emergency. This shall include but not be limited to a summary of the presumed medical condition of the person who experienced the cardiac emergency to the extent that the information is publicly available. Personal identifiers should not be collected unless the information is publicly available.
    2. An evaluation of whether the CERP was sufficient to enable an appropriate response to the specific cardiac emergency. The review shall include recommendations for improvements to the Plan and in its implementation if the plan was not optimally suited for the specific incident. The post-event review may include discussions with medical personnel (ideally through the organization’s medical counsel) to help in the debriefing process and to address any concerns regarding on-site medical management and coordination.
    3. An evaluation of the debriefing process for responders and post-event support. This shall include the identification of aftercare services including crisis counselors.
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