Health Services

School Health Staff

If you have a concern regarding your child at any of the school sites, please feel free to contact us:

Renville County Public Health Sibley County Public Health

Am I well enough To Go To School?

Many students and parents are frequently concerned about when students should stay home from or attend school. The following information is intended to help with this decision.

AS A GENERAL GUIDELINE:

• If the student has had a fever of 100° or more, the student should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal, without fever-reducing medication.
• If the student has vomited or had diarrhea, the student should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
• If the student has a rash that may be disease-related, or if you do not know the cause of the rash, check with your family physician before sending the student to school.
• If the student is ill, please call the school daily to report the illness.

If you have any questions about the above information or about an illness, please call your school nurse or your family physician.

Please advise the main office and your child’s school nurse if your child has been diagnosed with a contagious illness which requires exclusion from school, i.e., strep throat, chicken pox, impetigo, pink eye, ringworm, head lice, etc. It is also helpful for the school nurse to know when a child has been hospitalized and/or has had surgery, in the event a plan needs to be developed for re-entry into school. This might include a plan for medication or a plan for limited or restricted activity.

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Procedure to Self-Carry and Self-Administer Non-Prescription Pain Relief Medication

According to Minnesota Statute (2005), a secondary ** student may possess and use non-prescription pain relief in a manner consistent with the labeling if the district has written parental or guardian authorization.

The parent or guardian must submit written authorization for the student to self-administer the medication each school year. The parents must instruct their child on the proper use and administration of the medication. The parent must send the medication to school in its original bottle/container. The student must also agree to the responsibilities associated with self-carry and self-administration of medication.

The FDA states there are two categories of over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers/fever reducers: acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Acetaminophen – Tylenol products
NSAIDs – Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil products)
Naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve)

It is important that students are not taking medications with aspirin as research has established a link between Reye’s Syndrome and other salicylate containing medications.

The school district may revoke a student’s privilege to possess and use non-prescription pain relievers if the school district determines that the student is abusing the privilege.

**Please note that this procedure applies to Junior High and Senior High students only.

Forms:

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Immunizations – Is your child ready for school?

In order to enroll or remain enrolled in any elementary or secondary school in Minnesota, the parent/guardian of a student must have a statement on file with the school administrator or other person having general control and supervision of the school that shows that the student is either:

• Immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, and varicella, OR
• Immunized against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella and has begun, but not yet completed, immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and/or polio, and/or hepatitis B, as verified by a provider or clinic, OR
• Legally exempt from one or more of the required immunizations, as evidenced by either a statement of medical exemption signed by a provider, a notarized statement of conscientious exemption, or, in the case of varicella disease, provider-documented history of varicella disease.