Health Room
Frederick County Health Department
School Health Program
Each school has a School Community Health Nurse (RN) and a Health Room Technician. The nurse is not always at the school everyday. Most of the time your child will be seeing the Health Room Technician.
The School Nurse here at WES is: Kelly Pranger RN, C
The Health Room Technician is: Susan Fleming
Listed below are a few guidelines to help ensure a healthy and positive experience for your child while he/she is in school:
What health information do I need to provide my child’s school?
Every child entering school in Maryland will receive a:
○ Health Inventory form: All students entering Maryland schools are required to have a physical examination. The parent/guardian should complete Part I of the Health Inventory form and the physician should complete Part II.
○ Immunization Certificate: This form is completed by your physician. Your child will not be able to attend school until a completed immunization record is made available or there is a documented pending doctor’s appointment made to complete the missing immunization(s).
○ Emergency Cards: Please complete, sign and return emergency cards distributed at the beginning of the school year as soon as possible. Please make sure to provide emergency contacts, physician, any medical concerns and medications your child may be taking. This is injured while at school. If there are any changes in any of the data on the emergency card, please contact the office and Health Room.
What routine health screening is done at school?
Vision and hearing screenings are completed by specially trained technicians for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 4th and 8th grade students, and all new entrants from outside of Maryland. In addition, students who are referred by parents and/or teachers for symptoms of possible vision or hearing problems will be screened.
If a student is found to have difficulty in area, he/she will be rescreened in approximately 4-6 weeks. Parents will then be notified if the difficulty persists and be requested to seek further evaluation by a private physician.
What if my child needs to take medicine at school?
All medications to be taken at school, whether prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter),
Must have a Medication Authorization form completed by the child’s physician and parent. These
Forms are available through the Health Room and at www.fcps.org. Click on forms on the
homepage. This form along with the medication, in a properly labeled bottle or original
unopened package, should be brought into the Health Room by the parent/guardian. Students are
not permitted to carry medications to and from school. For the protection and safety of all
students, medications must be taken in the Health Room. There are exceptions made in some
cases…please contact the Health Room with any questions. Parents will be notified at the end of
the school year as to how to handle any unused medications in the Health Room.
The following is a list of “comfort items” that parents may provide for their child that does
not require a doctor’s order. Comfort measures can be used in the health room when a completed
permission form, available in the health room or note is provided by the parent/guardian. These
medications must also be brought to the health room by a parent/guardian:
- Rolaids - Chloraseptic spray
- Maalox / Mylanta - Cough drops
- Lactaid - Aloe Vera Gel
- Saline nose spray / drops - Calamine lotion
- Ambesol / Oragel - stridex
- Sunscreen - Rewetting drops for eyes
- Bee sting wipes* - Vaseline*
* may be supplied by the health room but still need parental permission
What if my child is sick or injured at school?
The health staff will assess all injuries and symptoms of illnesses. They will provide first aid as necessary and notify parents/guardians as appropriate. A health rooVisionm report which includes your child’s complaint and health staff intervention will be sent home with the student.
When should I keep my child home?
Important signs of illness:
- Temperature of more than 100 - Earache
- Nausea - Thick discharge from nose
- Stomachache - Painful sore throat
- Diarrhea - Rash or skin infection
- Pale or flush face - Red or pink eyes
- Headache - Loss of appetite
- Persistent cough - Loss of energy or decrease in activity
If these symptoms persist for more than 24 hours, you should contact your child’s physician. If your child comes to school with these symptoms and complains about them and is sent to the health room, we may call you to pick up your child.
To ensure a healthy experience at school and help prevent illness:
-Make sure your children are well rested each day. It is healthy (and important for learning!) for them to get 8-12 hours of sleep each night. Some children require more and some less.
- If your child does not eat breakfast at school, please make sure they eat a good healthy breakfast before they leave home. Food is very important for brain activity.
-Make sure your child washes their hand at appropriate times (i.e. before meals, after playing, after sneezing/coughing into their hands, when visibly dirty, etc.) to cut down on germs.
Please feel free to call the health room with any questions you may have concerning your child’s health.
We can be reached at 240-236-1013.
Together we can provide our children with a safe and healthy learning environment