Any child with a severe or life threatening medical condition that may require adult intervention and oversight during the school day, such as but not limited to diabetes, poorly controlled seizures, severe respiratory problems, or anaphylaxis secondary to food or insect allergy, will have an Emergency Care Plan/Emergency Action Plan created by the school nurse in cooperation with the parent and their private health care provider. These plans are updated annually. The purpose of the plan is to provide concrete and simple training and instructions to non-medical personnel acting in a supervisory role for your child to keep your child as safe as possible until medical assistance arrives.
If you believe your child needs an Emergency Care Plan/Emergency Action Plan, please bring the school nurse medical documentation from your physician as soon as possible before the start of school, so she/he can work with you to develop a safe plan for your child. Please be advised that you or your designate are encouraged to attend field trips with your child who has a special medical need for medication or management when the RN or an RN may not be available. Please provide adequate supplies of all lifesaving medication and testing materials to the school nurse. If your child is self-carrying life-saving medications on their person, their kit should be maintained in a dedicated, secure place known to the nurse, and a second kit should be stored in the health office for emergency purposes, including things such as misplaced or used medicines your child was carrying, emergency sheltering-in-place, emergency evacuations, etc. Be sure to keep the health office informed of updated cell phone numbers for emergency contact if needed.
Any child with a medical condition that requires special accommodations in physical education, which is a mandatory class for NYS graduation requirements, must have an annual re-evaluation of need and renewal of the order for adaptive physical education or accommodations from your primary care provider. If you have been given written administrative clearance in the past for your child to have any special accommodations based on medical need, including the ability to participate in physical education and sports with only one of a paired organ, you may provide a letter annually to the school nurse without a medical provider note that your child’s medical condition has not changed and that the prior year’s plan remains current. When your child’s medical condition changes, a physician written update is required. The district offers a full range of low impact, non-contact activities, including floor exercise, yoga, and board games, for students recovering from illness or injury.
Certain medical conditions are eligible for special accommodations for transportation upon parent and physician request and with prior administrative approval. All requests for accommodations require private physician documentation and school physician review and approval. This is a highly restrictive measure and requires written private physician documentation, and CSE or Section 504 consideration and action. Accommodations within school are individualized according to patient needs and physician documentation. These medical conditions of a child include, but are not necessarily limited to, asthma, behavioral and/or mental health issues, cognitive delays, orthopedic problems, sensory impairments, and other serious or life threatening medical conditions. Please contact the Department of Transportation for more information.
Some children attending our programs have certain electronic medical devices and implants in or on their bodies. Some units, if subjected to outside magnets, can affect the function of the medical device. If that is so with the unit your child has, your treating provider has probably already advised you to keep your child away from direct contact with strong magnets. Please be advised that your child may have access to electronic equipment in school. Please be advised that some of these devices contain strong magnets that can reset certain electronic devices when held too close to the body. If your child has or uses any sort of a medical electronic device or implant with a warning about exposure to magnets, please check with your provider to determine whether there are any precautions or restrictions necessary during school, and contact your school nurse if you need to restrict its use. We take precautions seriously and will do everything we can to implement your requests. Our goal, like yours, is to keep all children safe.