• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan
• Asthma Action Plan
• Seizure Action Plan

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you or your child get sick, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with other to keep from infecting them.
   

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus?

• If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible.
• Do not go to work or school if you are ill. Stay home until you are free of symptoms and not on fever-reducing medication for 24 hours.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your hand when coughing or sneezing if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
   

What are the emergency warning signs that children need urgent medical attention?

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Sever fever of above 102 degrees F (children below the age of 3 months who have a temperature of 11.4 degrees F should seek medical attention)
• Has other conditions (like heart, lunch or kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, or asthma) and develops flu symptoms, include a fever and/or cough

Do not give any aspirin. Aspirin given to children with influenza has been linked to the very dangerous Reye’s Syndrome.

Parents/guardians can use the USD 383 health assessment form or many health clinics have a form available at their office. Please return the completed health assessment form to the school nurse.

• USD 383 Health Assessment Form

HEALTH INFORMATION GUIDES FOR PARENTS
Please contact the school office if your child has any of the below illnesses. Please mention what symptoms of illness your student is experiencing. These guidelines published by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
 

Chicken Pox

• Each person with varicella/chicken pox shall remain in home isolation until vesicles become dry and crusted except when seeking medical care. Signs of this disease are fever over 100 degrees, body aches and skin rash. The rash starts as a red bump, develops into a blister, an indentation occurs in the center of the blister and then a scab will form. The first eruption often occurs on the scalp. Several crops of blisters over several days will develop all over the body. Children should stay home from school for 6 days after the first eruptions begin.
• ASPIRIN should NOT be given during this viral illness. Complications such as coughing, chest pain, high fever or severe vomiting should be treated by a doctor. The illness spreads easily. Symptoms may develop within 2 weeks after exposure. The Varicella vaccine is now a required vaccine for school attendance. While the vaccine may not prevent your child from getting chicken pox, it has proven to lessen the severity of the symptoms. Vaccinated children generally only have a few lesions and do not always have a fever and body aches.
   

Diarrhea

• May return after being diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of medication. Exception:If health care provider determine illness due to dietary changes, medication, or hard stools, and student is not in danger of dehydration.
   

Fever

• May return to school when fever free for 24 hrs. without the use of medication to lower the temperature. A fever is considered having a body temperature of 100.4 degrees and over.
   

Fifths Disease

• Greatest period of communicability is before the onset of the rash. Not contagious after rash onset. May return to school if no fever associated with presence of a rash.
   

Hand, Foot, Mouth

• There are no exclusion requirements for children with hand, foot, and mouth disease; however, it is recommended children with fever and rash should stay home from school until fever free.
   

Head Lice

• Parent encouraged to treat hair with pediculicide, infected clothing cleaned, home must also be cleaned to reduce the chance of re-infestation.
   

Impetigo

• May return to school 24 hours after treatment has started.
   

Influenza

• May return after being fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
   

Measles

• May return to school 4 days after the onset of rash.
   

Mumps

• May return to school 9 days after the onset of symptoms.
   

Pertussis (whooping cough)

• May return to school after completion of antibiotic treatment or after 3 weeks if untreated with antibiotics. Very contagious bacterial infection. It is usually mild in older children and adults, but is often serious in young children, those with immune disorders and frail elderly.
• Symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, fever, cough lasting 1 to 2 weeks. The cough gradually becomes worse leading to uncontrolled coughing spells followed by a whooping noise when a person breathes in. During these severe coughing spells, a person may vomit, or their lips or face may look blue. Adults, teens, and vaccinated children often have milder symptoms that mimic bronchitis or asthma.
• If there is a confirmed case of whooping cough or chickenpox in your child’s classroom and your child is not current on their vaccinations for these diseases, you will be asked to get the vaccine within 24 hours or keep your child home for 21 days after the onset of the last reported illness in the school. Please keep your school nurse informed of any immunization updates.
   

Pinkeye

• Not required to be excluded from school. Infected children should be allowed to remain in school once any prescribed therapy is implemented, unless their behavior is such that close contact with other students cannot be avoided.
   

Rashes

• If rash is associated with a fever, student may not return until fever free without fever reducing medications and health care provider note stating that rash is not contagious.
   

Ringworm

• May return to school immediately after beginning treatment with fungicide. Keep area covered while at school.
   

Rubella

• May return to school 7 days after the onset of rash.
   

Scabies

• May return to school 24 hours after treatment has started and clothing is disinfected.
   

Shingles

• Actively draining lesions should be covered by clothing or a dressing until lesions have crusted. If lesions cannot be covered children should remain home until lesions are dried and crusted.
   

Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, Scarlatina

• May return to school after being on an antibiotic for 24 hrs. and when fever free for 24 hrs. without fever reducing medication.
   

Vomiting

• May return after being vomit free for 24 hours without the use of medication. Exception: If a health care provider determines illness not communicable due to other factors or child is not in danger of dehydration.

Health Information Guide – Spanish

Tracking of Illness
Why do we ask about your child’s symptoms when you call the school office to let us know your child is sick?

• Riley County Health Department asks that we report what symptoms are keeping children at home. We do not report your child’s name only symptoms. This helps the Riley County Health Department and the school nurses keep track of communicable illnesses in the community and within the school setting.

USD 383 District Guidelines for Lice Control

Parents will be notified upon discovery of the live lice and encouraged to pick up their child to provide treatment. This will be done in a confidential manner with consideration for the student’s privacy and the issue of lice. Students may remain at school in the classroom for the remainder of the school day with the understanding they should begin treatment prior to returning to school the next day.

Approved treatments include treatment with a pediculicide or treatment approved by a doctor. Nurses may request that a parent bring in a treatment label or note from the doctor with the prescribed treatment. Please notify the school with any questions about obtaining treatment or the process of treatment.

As per Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) regulations and guidelines, students may return to school with nits. Nit free is not a requirement to attend school. As per Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) regulations and guidelines, the entire class will not be checked for head lice. Class checks will be completed when a cluster of cases is found or at the nurse’s discretion. A cluster is defined as 3-5 cases of head lice in the same classroom within a two-week time period.

Any parent may request a private head lice check for their child or family members from the school nurse at any time.

Information about head lice may be distributed to parents when cases have been confirmed. This could include the following:

• A letter sent home with students in the class when a cluster (see above definition of a cluster) of head lice cases has been confirmed.
• Information on treating the infected person(s) and other supplemental measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Providing Care for Individuals with Head Lice
• Information from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment: Kansas Classroom Handbook of Communicable Disease

General Guidelines and Supplemental Measures for Lice Treatment

Treatment for head lice is recommended for persons diagnosed with an active infestation. All household members and other close contacts should be checked; those persons with evidence of an active infestation should be treated. Some experts believe prophylactic treatment is prudent for persons who share the same bed with actively-infested individuals. All infested persons (household members and close contacts) and their bedmates should be treated at the same time.

Some pediculicides (medicines that kill lice) have an ovicidal effect (kill eggs). For pediculicides that are only weakly ovicidal or not ovicidal, routine retreatment is recommended. For those that are more strongly ovicidal, retreatment is recommended only if live (crawling) lice are still present several days after treatment. To be most effective, retreatment should occur after all eggs have hatched but before new eggs are produced.

When treating head lice, supplemental measures can be combined with recommended medicine (pharmacologic treatment); however, such additional (non-pharmacologic) measures generally are not required to eliminate a head lice infestation. For example, hats, scarves, pillow cases, bedding, clothing, and towels worn or used by the infested person in the 2-day period just before treatment is started can be machine washed and dried using the hot water and hot air cycles because lice and eggs are killed by exposure for 5 minutes to temperatures greater than 53.5°C (128.3°F). Items that cannot be laundered may be dry-cleaned or sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks. Items such as hats, grooming aids, and towels that come in contact with the hair of an infested person should not be shared. Vacuuming furniture and floors can remove an infested person’s hairs that might have viable nits attached.

Treat the infested person(s): Requires using an Over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medication. Follow these treatment steps:

1. Before applying treatment, it may be helpful to remove clothing that can become wet or stained during treatment.
2. Apply lice medicine, also called pediculicide, according to the instructions contained in the box or printed on the label. If the infested person has very long hair (longer than shoulder length), it may be necessary to use a second bottle. Pay special attention to instructions on the label or in the box regarding how long the medication should be left on the hair and how it should be washed out.
3. Warning – Do not sue a combination shampoo/conditioner, or conditioner before using lice medicine. Do not re-wash the hair for 1-2 days after the lice medicine is removed.
4. Have the infested person put on clean clothing after treatment.
5. If a few live lice are still found 8–12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not retreat. The medicine may take longer to kill all the lice. Comb dead and any remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine–toothed nit comb.
6. If, after 8–12 hours of treatment, no dead lice are found and lice seem as active as before, the medicine may not be working. Do not retreat until speaking with your health care provider; a different pediculicide may be necessary. If your health care provider recommends a different pediculicide, carefully follow the treatment instructions contained in the box or printed on the label.
7. Nit (head lice egg) combs, often found in lice medicine packages, should be used to comb nits and lice from the hair shaft. Many flea combs made for cats and dogs are also effective.
8. After each treatment, checking the hair and combing with a nit comb to remove nits and lice every 2–3 days may decrease the chance of self–reinfestation. Continue to check for 2–3 weeks to be sure all lice and nits are gone.
9. Retreatment is meant to kill any surviving hatched lice before they produce new eggs. For some drugs, retreatment is recommended routinely about a week after the first treatment (7–9 days, depending on the drug) and for others only if crawling lice are seen during this period.

Supplemental Measures

Head lice do not survive long if they fall off a person and cannot feed. You don’t need to spend a lot of time or money on housecleaning activities. Follow these steps to help avoid re–infestation by lice that have recently fallen off the hair or crawled onto clothing or furniture.

• Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that the infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry–cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
• Soak combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.
• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, the risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a rug or carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1–2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the human scalp. Spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
• Do not use fumigant sprays; they can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

The Facts of Lice

Kansas regulations do not require individuals with head lice or nits to be excluded from school or child care. Head lice can be a nuisance, but they have not been shown to spread disease and are not considered a public health hazard. The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs any perceived risks associated with head lice. Check out these common myths and learn the facts of lice!

• Myth – It is easy to get lice.
  • Truth – Lice are spread by head-to-head contact and are much harder to get than a cold, the flu, ear infections, pink eye, strep throat or impetigo.
• Myth – Avoiding lice is important, as they are dirty and spread disease
  • Truth – Lice do not spread any known disease, not are they impacted by dirty or clean hygiene. They are just annoying.
• Myth – Head lice are sturdy creatures and can survive many days off of people in furniture, linens or clothing.
  • Truth – Head lice need a blood meal every few hours and the warmth of the human scalp to survive. After falling off a person, they will die within one to two days.
• Myth – Nits (lice eggs) can fall off a person’s head, hatch and cause another person to get lice.
  • Truth – Nits are glued to the hair shaft by a cement-like substance and are very hard to remove. When a nymph (baby louse) is hatched, it must quickly have the warmth and food source of a head to survive.
• Myth – Cutting a person’s hair will prevent head lice infestations.
  • Truth – The length of a person’s hair does not impact his or her risk of getting head lice.
• Myth – You can get head lice from sitting at a desk next to someone who is infested with head lice.
  • Truth – Head lice are spread through direct head to head contact. They do not hop, jump, or fly, so sitting near someone with head lice does not increase the risk of getting lice.
• Myth – Lice are commonly spread throughout schools.
  • Truth – Transmission in schools are rare. It is more common to get head lice from family members, overnight guests and playmates who spend a lot of time together.
• Myth – Lice are commonly spread through hats or helmets.
  • Truth – Head lice are spread most commonly by direct contact with the hair of an infested person. Spread by contact with inanimate objects and personal belongings may occur but is very uncommon.
• Myth – Schools and child care facilities should screen all children for head lice, so everyone can be treated and the spread of head lice will be prevented.
  • Truth – Having regularly scheduled mass screenings does not reduce the incidence of head lice.
• Myth – “No-nit” policies reduce the risk of head lice in schools and child care facilities.
  • Truth – Research shows “no-nit” policies do not decrease the number of cases of head lice. They do increase the risk of incorrect diagnosis of head lice, the number of days children are out of school, and negative social stigma associated with head lice. They also may hinder academic performance.
• Myth – The only way to ensure you will not get head lice after a treatment is to remove all the nits.
  • Truth – Studies have shown the removal of nits immediately after treatment with a pediculicide is usually not necessary. Nits located further than ¼ inch from the base of hair shaft may be already hatched, non-viable, or empty casings.
• Myth – You can get lice from your dog or other pets.
  • Truth – Head lice are specific to humans. Dogs, cats, and other pets do not play a role in the spread of head lice.
    

Printable version The Facts of Lice English

Printable version The Facts of Lice Spanish

USD 383 is committed to the safety and health of all students. Many of our students suffer from environmental, medical, or food-related allergies. We strive to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students with allergies and reduce the likelihood of severe or potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. We want to ensure a rapid and effective response in the case of a severe or potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.  Requirements for meal modification requests through child nutrition vary depending on whether a student has a disability or whether it is a food allergy or intolerance that does not rise to the level of a disability. Child Nutrition will make meal modifications prescribed by a licensed physician or dietician when a student has a disability. (See the definition of disability on the meal modification form). When a student has a food allergy or intolerance, or other medical condition that does not rise to the level of a disability, child nutrition has the option of making a meal modification requested by a medical authority.

Meal modifications will continue until the licensed physician or dietician or medical authority requests that it be changed or stopped (Form 19-C Discontinuation of School Meal Modifications Form).

If you would like nutritional or allergy information on any of our menu items, please contact our Child Nutrition Department at 785-587-2851.

• Meal Modification Form – English
• Meal Modification Form – Spanish

Medication Policy

• Kansas regulations require medication forms be on file in the nurse's office for any medication a student has at school.
• Medication forms must be signed by a parent for any over-the-counter medication.
• Medication forms must be signed by a health care professional and the parent for any prescribed medication.
   

Parents of Elementary students

• can give permission for cough drops to be administered on-line when registering their child for school and do not need to fill out the nonprescription medication form. All other over the counter medication requires the nonprescription form.
   

Parents of Middle and High School students

• can give permission for Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough drops, and Tums when registering their child for school and do not need to fill out the nonprescription form. All other over the counter medication requires the nonprescription form.
   

If your child requires medication - prescription or nonprescription - during school hours, you must complete and return the medication consent form.

• Medication Form – English
• Medication Form – Spanish

Guidelines for Medication and Procedures

Refer to Board of Education Policies JGFGB and JGFGBA

Medication & Procedure requests must be renewed each school year.

Procedures are specialized caretaking tasks that are:

1. Prescribed by a health care provider that require specialized training to implement.
2. Necessary to enable the student to attend school and/or programs occurring before/after school and hosted or controlled by the school. Examples of procedures include injections such as insulin and emergency auto injectors, gastrostomy tube feedings, etc.
    

School Nurse Responsibility Regarding over-the-counter and prescription medication:

1. Must review all medication requests prior to initiating their administration.
2. Development of an Individualized Health Care Plan.
3. May designate and train non-nurse school employee(s) to administer medication.
    

Regarding Procedures:

1. Is responsible to review and process the request for the procedure.
2. Is involved in the planning and provision of the services. a. this planning will result in the development of an Individualized Health Plan when indicated.
3. May designate and train non-nurse school employee(s) to perform the procedure.
    

Parent/Legal Guardian Responsibility Regarding Medication:

1. Must provide a new Authorization for Medication/Procedure at School form each school year.
2. Must notify the school immediately regarding changes. Any changes in dosage or schedule require a: a. new written request from the health care provider b. correctly labeled medication container. 
3. Will contact the school nurse prior to the end of the year to discuss arrangements for transfer of medication.
4. If at all possible, medications should be taken prior to coming to school or after leaving school under parental supervision.
    

Regarding Procedures:

1. Must notify the school immediately regarding changes. a. changes require a new written request from the health care provider and approval of the nurse.
2. Is responsible for providing, maintaining, servicing and replacing necessary equipment and supplies– i.e., syringes, tubing, glucose tabs, etc. a. equipment must be correctly labeled with directions for use
3. Will contact the school nurse prior to the end of the year to discuss arrangements for transfer of equipment.
    

Student Self-Administration of Medication School Nurse Responsibility:

1. Will review that the student has the skill level to self-administer the medication.

If your child is injured at school during the school day, the child should go to the nurse's office. It is the responsiblity of the parent/guardian to complete and mail/file the required claim form with BMI Benefits.

Dear Parent:  

Our school district provides accident coverage for all students. Outlined below is important information regarding this coverage. It is intended as a brief description for reference only, and is not the policy.  

Only ACCIDENTS that occur in school‐sponsored and supervised activities INCLUDING participants in interscholastic sports are covered.  

Definition of Accident:  

An unexpected, sudden and definable event which is the direct cause of a bodily injury, independent of any illness, prior injury or congenital predisposition.  

Conditions that result from participating in an activity do not necessarily constitute accidents. For example, illnesses, diseases, degeneration, conditions caused by continued stress to a particular area of the body, and existing conditions aggravated by an accident are not covered.  

A. This plan of insurance is EXCESS ONLY: It will not duplicate benefits paid or payable by any other insurance or plan including HMO's or PPO's.

B. The policy will not cover expenses payable under the insured's HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), or PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). If the insured chooses not to use an authorized medical vendor (under HMO or PPO), the policy will only cover expenses incurred that it would have honored had the insured used the proper medical vendor.

C. Medical treatment for a covered accident must begin within 60 days of that accident. Only expenses incurred within 52 weeks are considered. Benefits are determined on the basis of REASONABLE AND CUSTOMARY for the geographic location where services are performed.

D. Specific exclusions of the policy include, but are not limited to, sickness, disease, in any form; non‐prescription drugs; fighting; and orthotics not prescribed exclusively for rehabilitation (e.g., playing brace, mouth guard).

E. The balance of covered expenses will be processed on an 80% payment basis.

F. Any person who knowingly and with intent to injure, defraud or deceive any insurer files a statement of claim containing any false, incomplete, or misleading information may be guilty of insurance fraud and subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Accidents must be reported to the school within 20 days. Medical bills must be submitted within 90 days after date of treatment.

How to File Your Accident Claim Form: 

1. Complete ALL blanks. If information is not applicable, indicate the reason it is not (e.g., deceased, unknown).
2. Attach all ITEMIZED bills to date (not balance due statements) for MEDICAL EXPENSES ONLY. Subsequent medical bills can be submitted within 90 days after date of treatment.
3. Include all worksheets, denials, and/or statements of benefits from your primary insurer. (Each charge must be processed by all other insurances/plans before they can be processed.)
4. If you are employed and no coverage is provided by your employer, A LETTER OF VERIFICATION FROM YOUR EMPLOYER STATING THAT NO COVERAGE IS PROVIDED MUST BE SUBMITTED.
5. Submit claim form within 90 days of the accident by:
   1. Email at: BMI@bobmccloskey.com
   2. Mail: BMI Benefits, LLC, PO Box 511, Matawan, NJ 07747 Fax: 732-583-9610

A copy of the form is available in the school office and available below. 

• Student Accident Parent/Guardian Letter
• Student Accident Parent/Guardian Letter – Spanish
• BMI Benefits Student Accident Insurance Claim Filing Checklist
• BMI Benefits Student Accident Insurance Claim Filing Packet – Spanish