Tippecanoe School Corporation
Health Services
Krystal Zahn
Our primary focus is on the health and well-being of your child. The goal for our staff is to provide our students with appropriate treatments to keep them at school and in class.
The TSC physician provides standing orders for our health offices. These orders allow the use of first-aid medications including contact solution, eye drops, topical antiseptics, topical analgesics, throat lozenges/spray, antacids, oral glucose, and activated charcoal.
Antihistamines (Benadryl and Pepcid) will be used as the first treatment of severe allergic reactions, and epinephrine is available if needed.
It is the parent's/guardian's responsibility to notify the health office at their child's school if they prefer these items not be used when treating their child.
- Health Services Department Staff
- Immunizations
- Exclusion Criteria
- Medications at School
- Health Screenings
- Head Lice
Health Services Department Staff
Immunizations
2018-2019 School Year
IN State Department of Health
Required and Recommended School Immunizations
All minimum intervals and ages for each vaccination as specified per 2018 CDC guidelines must be met for a dose to be valid. A copy of these guidelines can be found at http:/www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules.
According to Indiana Code 20-8.1-7-10.1 (c) (1): When a student enrolls for the first time in a school corporation, a statement of the student's immunizations will be supplied to the school by a parent or guardian. This record must show that the student has received at least the minimum number of immunizations at the required intervals for the student's age. Students may not attend school until required immunizations are up to date.
Please refer to the TSC policy 5320-Immunization for further information.
Exclusion Criteria
Students with vomiting, diarrhea, undiagnosed skin rashes, eye infections, or fever over 100° should not attend school. Students exhibiting these symptoms at school will be sent home.
With vomiting and diarrhea, the school nurse will evaluate any associated circumstances and other symptoms before making an exclusion decision. Children vomit for reasons other than illness, including coughing, stress, exertion, reflux and food intolerance.
Students with vomiting, diarrhea, or fever over 100º should not return to school until the symptoms have resolved without medication for 24 hours.
Students with pink eye may return to school with a doctor’s note when the symptoms subside or when a student shows treatment has begun with appropriate eye drops. Contagious skin rashes should be reported to your school nurse and a note will be required by your child’s physician to return to school.
Please remember with all of these exclusion criteria that our job is to facilitate students remaining in school. Our goal is to have the child miss as little class time as possible.
Medications at School
Medication Administration
Medication Requirements
All prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications must be FDA-approved and will be kept in the school health office. Your child may not carry any medication at school. All prescription and Over-The-Counter (OTC) medications must be in the original container with the current pharmacy or package, labeled correctly with the most current date, student’s name, dosage, frequency and match the current doctor’s orders on file with the health office. At no time will medications be transported by a student. Any change in prescription medication, dosage or time to be given must be in written form from the parent with an accompanying doctor’s order.
Written permission with instructions from the parent/guardian are required for all prescription and OTC medications. Permission forms are available at your school's health office and in the button marked Health Services Forms.
Emergency Medications
Your child may not carry any medication at school, with the exception of inhalers, diabetic supplies and epinephrine (Epipen). These emergency medications may be carried only with written permission from your child's physician and from the parent/guardian.
Students in Prep K through 4th grade will keep emergency medications in the nurse’s office unless we have a physician’s note indicating the medication should be carried by the student. Students administering emergency medications outside of the nurse’s office will report to the nurse that the medication was administered.
Return of Medications to Parent/Guardian
Medications must be picked up in the health office by a parent, guardian, or designee who is at least 18 years old and with written permission from the parent/guardian. Medications (with the exception of emergency medications with permit to carry) CANNOT be sent to school or sent home with a student. Failure to comply with this may result in disciplinary action for your child
Health Screenings
Vision screenings: Measurement of Visual Acuity only (Distance and Near) are completed annually for all students in 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th grades or any student with a suspected visual defect can be performed by the school nurse and/or health assistant. A Modified Clinical Technique are visual tests performed on all 1st Grade students by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Hearing screenings are completed annually for all students in 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th grades; a student who has transferred into the school corporation; and a student who is suspected of having hearing defects.
Based on State of Indiana referral recommendations, parents/guardians will be notified by a referral letter if a concern is identified during the screening process. Further medical evaluation will be recommended and should be obtained.
Head Lice
Head lice checks are done on an as-needed basis if an infestation is suspected through excessive scratching, or if lice are seen in the hair. TSC Health Office staff do not perform head-checks of entire classrooms.
Our staff will check students who are symptomatic (excessive scratching or visible nits/lice), and as needed for students undergoing lice treatment.
Students will not be sent home for having nits in their hair, but will be sent home for live lice. Students sent home with live head lice must be checked by health office personnel before they return to class.
Head lice is very distressing to kids as well as parents, but they do not pose a health threat. Lice do not transmit diseases, and are spread most commonly by close person-to-person contact. Dogs, cats or other pets do not play a role in transmission. Lice move by crawling, and do not jump or fly.
Common places that lice are transmitted include school, daycare, home, sporting activities and slumber parties.Transmission may occur in the following ways:
- Wearing clothes, such as hats, scarves, coats or helmets of an infested person.
- Sharing combs, brushes, hair ties or towels with an infested person.
- Lying on a bed, pillow, couch, carper or stuffed animal of an infested person.
All reasonable measure will be taken to prevent the spread of lice at school. Students will be reminded not to share coats, hats and brushes/combs at school. We recommend that you routinely check your child for head lice at home. Below is a head-lice treatment checklist that should be followed in the event your child has lice.