Clinic

Staff contact, student medication, illness procedures, and more

Clinic Staff

Sandy Cambell Tony Cross
Public Health Nurse School Health Aide
@email @email
703-690-5510  

 

Student Health at South County MS

Greetings from the South County Middle School Health Room for the 2018-19 School Year 

Our goal in the School Health Room is to ensure that your student will enjoy a healthy, safe school year. Please read the following information carefully.

Your school health room services include:

  1. Care of sick and injured students according to FCPS and Health Department guidelines.
  2. Hearing and vision screening (grade 7, students new to Fairfax County and any student referred by a teacher or parent.)
  3. Administration of medications according to school and county guidelines.
  4. Coordination of individualized school action plans or health care plans for students with identified conditions requiring specific care or monitoring during the school day.

How can you help your school health room provide the best possible care?

  • Advise the health room aide of any special health concerns, as well as any contagious conditions or diseases your child might have contracted.
  • If your child becomes ill during the school day, he/she MUST check into the clinic before calling or going home. If your child calls or texts you from the classroom and does not go through the clinic, this will be considered an unexcused absence.
  • Provide current home, work and alternate telephone numbers for the Emergency Care Information form. Generally, a student may remain in the health room for up to 20 minutes. After that, if he/she is still feeling ill, parents will be called to take the student home. We must have current phone numbers, as well as names and numbers for local emergency contacts if you cannot be reached.
  • Children who have fevers (temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher), vomiting, or diarrhea are not able to stay in school. It is best for children to be at home for 24 hours after these conditions resolve.
  • When medication must be administered during the school day, please follow the guidelines established in the current version of FCPS Regulation 2102:
  1. Complete the FCPS Medication Authorization forms (available online at https://www.fcps.edu/registration/forms
  2. Ensure that all medication containers are properly labeled (your pharmacist will usually provide an extra container for school use if you request it).
  3. Medication must be transported to and from school by a parent or guardian. This assures that medications are not lost or damaged, and that other children do not have access to the. No medication will be administered to a child unless it and the appropriate paperwork are brought to e Health Room by a parent or guardian.
  4. Medications must be kept in the school health room or other school-approved location.

We look forward to a great school year with your children. If you have questions, please feel free to call your School Health Room aide, Tony Cross at 703-690-5510 or your School Public Health Nurse, Sandy Campbell at 703-690-5511

Health Information Form

The Health Information Form is to be completed by the parent or guardian at the start of each school year. The completed form is to be returned to the school clinic.

Prescription Medications

Children who need to take medication during school hours must have a signed Medication Authorization, Release, and Indemnification Form. Prescription medications require the signature of both the parent and the physician. Inhalers and EpiPens require authorization forms.

Over-the-counter Medications

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are drugs that can be purchased without a doctor's prescription and are used for the relief of symptoms on a temporary basis. With parent and physician authorization, OTC medications may be given on an "as needed" basis throughout the school year. Parents may authorize limited use for 10 consecutive days with a completed Medication Authorization Form. Examples include antihistamines for allergic reactions.

With parent permission using the Medication Authorization Form, certain OTC medications may be given on an "as needed" basis throughout the school year only as a pain reliever for headaches, muscle aches, menstrual cramps, or orthodontic pain. The medication must be supplied by the parent in its original container. Examples include Tylenol, Advil, Pamprin, and aspirin.

Transport of Medications to and from School

Parents must transport medications to and from school. All medications must be kept in the clinic and taken under adult supervision. Middle school children are not permitted to carry medications, including OTC medications, except for prescription inhalers or EpiPens with the authorization of their parent(s) and physician.

Scheduling Medical Appointments

Please make every effort to schedule appointments outside of school hours. When this is not possible, please send a note to the school on the morning of the appointment stating the time the child will be picked up. Children should bring appointment notes to the attendance secretary before homeroom. The student's name will then be shown on an early dismissal list so teachers will know the student is not cutting class. For safety reasons, parents must sign out children in the office.

Release of Student from School

Only those individuals designated on the Emergency Care Information form will be contacted either to excuse or take your student home. If the clinic contacts you to excuse your student from school, the clinic must have voice contact with the responsible adult to dismiss the student from school grounds. In an emergency, 911 will be called prior to contacting the parent.