Health and Wellness

Child Abuse Hotline

If you suspect a child is being abused or maltreated (neglected), report it by calling 1-800-342-3720, a toll-free 24-hour hotline operated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department. Information about reporting child abuse and maltreatment (neglect) is available online at http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/cps/.

When should a student stay home?

Students who have a fever (>100 degrees F), vomiting or diarrhea must be symptom free for 24 hours prior to returning to school without fever-reducing medication.

Immunization Information

New York state public health law requires all school children to be adequately immunized for both in-person and remote learning. Immunization records are due within 14 days from the first day of school for a child already living in New York state or within 30 days of enrollment for a child coming from outside New York state.

Physical and Health Screening Requirements

Physical Examinations

New York state education law requires that physical exams are completed for all students entering kindergarten, grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11; students new to the district. This health appraisal must be completed within 12 months prior to the start of the current school year using the New York State Health Examination Form.

Per New York state education law, schools may only accept the approved state health examination form or an electronic health record equivalent form so please make sure your child’s physician is using the correct form.

Physical exams using the state examination form are also required annually for interscholastic sports; for working papers as needed or as required by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) or Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE).

Body Mass Index

Included in the health examination is a “Body Mass Index and Weight Status Category.” Weight Status Category information is compiled and submitted to the state Department of Health; however, the names of students are not included. If you prefer that your child’s Weight Status Category information is not included in our summary, please notify your child’s school nurse in writing prior to Sept. 30 at the start of each school year.

Vision and Hearing Screenings

New York state education law requires that students receive vision, hearing and scoliosis screenings in the following grades.

Vision screenings: Grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11, as well as any newly enrolled student
Hearing screenings: Grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11, as well as newly enrolled students
Scoliosis screenings: Girls in grades 5 and 7; boys in grade 9

These screenings are part of the yearly health services each public school district provides and are an invaluable way to detect the presence of hearing or vision problems that may interfere with a student’s ability to learn.

Parents/guardians will be notified via telephone and in writing of any abnormal vision/hearing results.

Dental Certificates

New York state education law allows schools to request a dental examination report for all newly enrolled students and for students in grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. The dental health certificate is a request from the New York State Education Department. Unlike the health examination form, students who do not submit the dental health certificate will be allowed to attend school. To view the Dental Health Certificate [PDF], please click here.

Athletics

Students must have a current New York State Health Examination Form [PDF] on file with the district to participate in athletic activities. Physicals for the district’s athletic programs expire one year from the month they were performed, on the last day of that month.

If your child is prescribed emergency medication, such as an inhaler to treat asthma-like symptoms or an EpiPen for a life-threatening allergy, they must have these medications available both in school and for athletic participation.

Concussion Information

The district provides the following materials so that parents and guardians are aware of the risks of concussion and other brain injuries for students who participate in contact sports, such as tackle football.

Medications in School

For a school nurse to administer medication (prescription or over-the-counter) to a student during school hours or a school-sponsored activity, the nurse must have a Medication Authorization Form [PDF] on file from the student’s healthcare provider and the student’s parent or guardian. A parent or guardian must deliver the medication in its original container to the school health office. Medication permissions must be renewed at the beginning of each school year.

Students may not have any medication on their person, with the exception of emergency lifesaving medications with the proper Self-Carry Medication Release Form [PDF] on file in the health office. The district permits the following self-carry medications under this exception:

Rescue Inhalers
Epi Pens
Diabetic Medications

Life-threatening Health Conditions

A parent or guardian and a medical provider should annually review school emergency health care plans for students with life-threatening health conditions. Please review these plans with your child’s medical provider, and return them to your child’s school. Life-threatening health conditions include, but are not limited to:

Seizures with emergency medication prescribed
Life-threatening allergies requiring an Epi Pen
Asthma or asthma-like illness with an inhaler prescribed

Families are asked to please use the school-preferred forms below.

Nut-free Classrooms

If your child is in a “Nut-Free Classroom” this means there is a student(s) in their class who could experience serious, potentially life-threatening reactions from eating (and sometimes touching or smelling) the food they are allergic to. Students may bring nut-containing foods for lunch as there is a nut-free table in each school’s cafeteria.

Please do not send nut-containing foods for snack-time or any other time food will be consumed in the classroom. Please read all food labels carefully, and avoid those that state, “May have been processed in the presence of nuts or may contain nuts.”