Cattaraugus-Little Valley
School Nurse 

The nurse's office at school is not a primary care facility.
The nurse by law is not allowed to make a diagnosis, prescribe treatment, or administer medication without a Doctor's order. First aid and medical care provided by the school nurse are primarily for illnesses or injuries that occur during the school day.

Contents

Is your Child Too Sick for School?

• A runny nose is the way many children respond to pollen, dust, chalk, or simply a change in the season. If it is not the common cold, then it is an allergy. Do not keep the child home from school.
• A bad cough or cold symptomscan indicate a severe cold, bronchitis, flu, or even pneumonia. A run-of-the-mill cold should not be a reason to miss school. However, if your child is not acting right, has a fever of 101 degrees or above, has difficulty breathing, or is becoming dehydrated, it could be serious. Check with your doctor right away.
• Diarrhea and vomitingmake children very uncomfortable. If your child has repeated episodes of diarrhea and vomiting, accompanied by fever of 100.5 or above, a rash or general weakness, consult a doctor and keep your child out of school until the illness passes. A single episode of diarrhea, or even vomiting, unaccompanied by any other symptoms, may not be reason enough for the child to miss school. Please be sure we know how to reach you, if needed.
• Fever is an important symptom; when it occurs along with a sore throat, nausea, listlessness, or a rash, your child could be carrying something very contagious. Most doctors advise parents to keep children home during the course of a fever of 101 degrees and for an additional 24 hours after the fever has passed. If your child has a fever of 100.5 degrees or above during the school day you will be contacted to pick up your child.
• Strep throat and scarlet two highly contagious conditions caused by a streptococcal (bacterial) infection. They usually arrive with a sore throat and high fever. Some 12 to 48 hours after the onset of scarlet fever, a rash will also appear. A child with either strep throat or scarlet fever should be kept home and treated with antibiotics, as prescribed by a doctor. After 24 hours on an antibiotic, the child may return to school, with doctor permission.
• Chicken pox,a viral disease, is not life threatening to children but is very uncomfortable and extremely contagious. If your child has a fever, is itching, and begins to sprout pink or red spots with watery centers on the back, chest, and/or face, the chances are good it is chicken pox. Please tell us if it is; it is important that schools know this information. Keep your child home for at least a week from the time the rash appeared or if there is still fluid in any of the pox and at least two days after the last spot has appeared, whichever period is longer.
• Measlesis a viral infection that attacks a child's respiratory system, causing a dry, hacking cough, general weariness, inflamed eyes, and fever. If these symptoms appear, keep your child home and consult your doctor right away to avert complications that are more serious. If it is confirmed as measles, please let us know. The measles rash of hard red bumps will next appear on the child's face, behind the ears and down the body. Your doctor may advise you to deep your child home for several days after the rash has disappeared, also.
• Conjunctivitis or pink eyeis highly contagious and uncomfortable, so take heed when your child complains of an eye or eyes burning, itching, and producing a whitish discharge. Minor cases (caused by a virus) and severe cases (caused by bacteria) require treatment with prescription eye drops. It is best to keep your child home until your doctor says it is all right to return usually 24 hours after treatment is begun.
• Ear infections ,unless properly treated, can cause permanent hearing damage. Here again you should follow the 24 hour rule for fever and antibiotic therapy.
• Head Lice, once brought into a home or school, can quickly produce an epidemic of itching and scratching. Lice are tiny parasites (like ticks) that thrive on the warm, damp scalps of children. Caution your child against sharing anyone's combs and brushes or clothing, especially hats. You can put linens, clothing, etc., in the hot dryer for 30 minutes to kill the lice. Vacuum mattress and carpets in general. Treat each affected person with an approved lice treatment shampoo. There are many products on the market to appropriately treat this condition. Remember this school district has a no nit policy. Please, remove all nits from the hair prior to returning to school.

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