A Note from the School Nurse
Parents/guardians, as we enter into flu season, I want to take some time to remind you all of a few very important issues.
If your child is sent home from the clinic sick or stays home sick, please do not send them back to school until they are 24 hours fever, vomit, and diarrhea free without medication. A fever is considered anything over 100 degrees. Also, if your child isn’t well in the morning, please do not send them to school. Kids are in close contact at school, and if you can keep them home at the first signs of an illness, that will greatly help us in minimizing the spread of bacteria and viruses.
Kids who call or text their parents to come pick them up prior to coming to the clinic to be assessed will not warrant a medically excused absence. We are seeing an increase in students who come to the clinic to wait for their parent/guardian to pick them up before they can be assessed. If they do this, please don’t send them to the clinic to wait. This takes time away from the nurses to answer to emergencies and assess other students in the clinic. Instead, ask them to wait on the bench by the welcome desk.
Lastly, please make sure your kids are drinking plenty of water. 8 to 10 glasses of water each day is vital in keeping ourselves healthy. If they play sports, they need to hydrate well before and after each practice and game. If you can, encourage them to bring a reusable water bottle to school each day. They also need to try and eat a healthy breakfast each morning or encourage them to get breakfast at school; especially if they take daily medications. They could also put a snack in their backpacks. We are seeing a lot of early morning upset stomachs from kids who haven’t eaten breakfast or had a sufficient amount of water.
Thank you in helping the nursing staff here at Gloucester High School in keeping the kids and staff healthy!
Sincerely,
Nicole Hollingsworth, RN
Carol Tassone, RN BSN