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Health Office Guidelines

2024-2025 Health Office Information/ Guidelines

Certified School Nurse:  Nancy M. Polifroni, RN, MS, CSN-NJ

 

Absences  

  • IF your child will be absent please call the main number 201-384-5526, ext 2 - HPS Attendance Line before 8:30am
  • Since all student illnesses are required by the state to be tracked and documented to monitor for outbreaks, be sure to indicate the reason for your child's absence, your child's name and grade, and whether it is illness-related/another reason.   If you choose to send an email, please notify BOTH your child's teacher and the school nurse. 
  • Our school must verify each absence to monitor students’ attendance, track illnesses within the school, and ensure safety. In the event your child’s absence or late arrival has not been reported to the “HPS Attendance Line,” we will call the "emergency contact phone numbers" you have provided to verify the absence. If we are unable to contact you at the numbers provided, the local Police will be contacted to check the home.

 

When to keep your child home      

  • Temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher within the last 24 hours
  • Chills/Rigors (shivers)
  • Myalgia (muscle aches)
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • Nausea/Vomiting within the last 24 hours
  • Diarrhea within the last 24 hours
  • Fatigue
  • Congestion or runny nose (persistent)
  • Cough (persistent)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty Breathing
  • Any loss of taste or smell


Other Illnesses/ injuries

  • If your child sustained any injury (concussion/ bone fracture/ etc.) please notify the school nurse and provide a doctor's note stating your child's injury and what restrictions/accommodations are required at school. 
  • If your child tests positive for strep throat, he/she may not return to school sooner than 24 hours after the start of the antibiotic and must return with a doctor's note. 
  • If conjunctivitis (pink eye) is suspected – verification from your child's doctor of diagnosis is required.  Your child may return to school after receiving 24 hours of antibiotic eye drops.  A doctor's note clearing them to return is required. 
  • If your child is diagnosed with influenza or covid and/or has been exposed, please notify the school nurse and provide a doctor's note stating when your child is cleared to return to school. 

 

Emergency Contacts

  • Please indicate the most current contact numbers and preferred contact individuals for the current school year.
  • These numbers will be utilized if we are unable to reach a parent/guardian.

 

MD notes

  • A doctor's note is required for all students after 3 consecutive days of being absent and/or after any extended illness or for confirmation.  The doctor's note should state a diagnosis and indicate that your child is cleared to return to school.  
  • A doctor's note is required if your child has sustained an injury and has been evaluated by his/her primary care physician, at an urgent care facility or emergency room.    The note needs to indicate the diagnosis of the injury and restrictions /accommodations needed during the school day.   Another doctor's note will be required by your child's doctor when he/she is cleared to return to all activities at school.  

 

Immunizations

  •  Age-appropriate Pre-K (yearly influenza in addition to required vaccinations)
  •  Age - appropriate Kindergarten (5 years), needs DTaP/Polio/MMR
  •  Age - appropriate 6th grade, Tdap, MCV (age 11-12)
  •  Parents will be notified if their child is not in compliance with state-required immunizations and will be given a 30-day period of time to obtain the required immunizations or their child will be excluded from school until compliance is met.

  https://nj.gov/health/cd/documents/imm_requirements/k12_parents.pdf

Medication Administration in School

  • A doctor's order is required for any medication administered at school, including OTC (over-the-counter) medication such as Tylenol/ Advil/ etc. 
  • The HPS Medication Administration Form with a Parent Permission signature will need to be completed by the parent/guardian for any medication administered at school including OTC (over-the-counter) medication.  
  • Prescription medications must be supplied in the original bottle with a label from the pharmacy.  The prescription label must match the doctor's order.  Additionally, please send in any other items that may be needed for administration of the medication. (yogurt, apple sauce, respiratory supplies, etc.)
  • Please do not send any medication/supplements mixed with food or beverages.
  • Please alert the Health Office of many medication changes or health changes
  • If your child has Asthma and/or a Food Allergy that requires an inhaler and/or EpiPen, specific forms are required to be completed by your child's doctor (Asthma Emergency Action Plan and Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan).  All forms can be found on my website.  Inhalers/Epipen must be dropped off by a parent at the beginning of the school year.

 

As stated, all required forms necessary for the administration of medication at school can be found on the Health Office Website. Click on "Important Forms."

 

Annual Health Screenings

  • Height, weight, and blood pressure are completed annually for all grade levels.
  • Vision and hearing screenings are completed per the NJ State Guidelines for the child’s grade/age.  Notifications will be sent home if a referral is needed.
  • Scoliosis screening is completed biannually for students aged 10-13 by our school physician. Permission letters and notifications of failed screening will be sent home if a referral is needed.

Footwear during the school day

  • Rubber-soled, non-skid closed-toe footwear is safest for our environment.
  • Please do not have your child wear flip-flops, open-toed sandals, or Crocs during days when your child will be attending PE class. 

 

Middle School Sports  - Athletic Forms are located on the HPS website.  Click on the "Health Office" and/or the "Sports" tab 

 

Nutritional Guidelines at HPS

In order to promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn, Haworth Public School carefully follows the NJ Department of Agriculture Law on Nutrition in Schools and is committed to providing an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity for all students. The State of NJ Department of Agriculture created laws (Sept. 2006) that work towards reducing childhood obesity by regulating snacks and beverages sold/served in schools. All food (for snacks, parties, sold or given away) that is brought in must meet the state guidelines, which are as follows:

Snacks/beverages nutritional content PER SERVING:

  • Sugar cannot be the first ingredient listed (this means all forms of CANDY)
  • 8 gms or less of total fat
  • 2 gms or less of saturated fat
  • No trans fats
  • Drinks must be either water or 100% fruit juice/vegetable juice or milk/ low fat milk (no sodas/diet sodas)

 

Consideration must be taken for those students with Life Threatening Food Allergies or those with Special Dietary Needs by adhering to the following:

  • Food lists for class parties should be decided early—please bring labels/lists several days in advance. NO substitution permitted as there are MANY students with food allergies (in almost every food category) and we don’t want any reactions.
  • Parents and teachers must be aware of specific labeling information: statements such as “May contain traces of…” or “May have been processed with/in….” are warning labels and indicate the product could be extremely dangerous for an allergic child and should not be served.
  • Any food brought into HPS must have complete food labels (nutritional and ingredients).
  • Please check if any student in your child’s classroom has dietary restrictions (i.e. Gluten Free, Lactose Free, etc.)
  • Please NO peanut/nut products if a student in your child’s classroom has a NUT ALLERGY
  • Please NO homemade products as nutritional content and cross contamination of food allergens in home baked goods cannot be verified.

 

Please remember—we are all in this together—we expect everyone will be supportive of these guidelines to help promote the health, well-being, and safety of our school children.

NURSE POLIFRONI