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Each school has a school nurse assigned to the campus. The school nurse operates the school’s health room. The nurse administers minor first aid for illnesses and injuries occurring at school and maintains a record on each child. However, students should be kept at home when they are sick, have a fever, or have undiagnosed rashes. A child should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

Other duties of the school nurse are as follows:

• identify health problems that interfere with learning and assist families and schools to resolve them;

• work with students who have chronic illnesses to help them benefit from their education;

• monitor the administration of medications;

• assist with checking permanent records for complete medical records;

• conduct health-related screenings as needed; and

• provide health promotion activities as needed.

Any student who becomes ill at school should request a pass from a teacher before reporting to the school nurse. If an extreme emergency exists, however, the student should report directly to the nurse. The nurse will contact a parent if the student needs to leave school. If parents are unavailable and the illness or injury is such that immediate care is required, the school will arrange for the student to be taken to a hospital for treatment. This action will not obligate the personnel of the school to assume financial responsibility for treatment.

Under NO circumstances may an ill student remain at school in lieu of the parent/guardian picking them up.

According to South Carolina state law, every student must present a valid South Carolina Certificate of Immunization showing the minimum immunization requirements at the time of school entrance. If the student is entering from another South Carolina school, he/she must submit an immunization record at registration. Students from out-of-state have thirty (30) days to comply. Failure to comply will result in disenrollment.

Medication CANNOT be given to students without parent permission. The school nurse, the principal or his/her designee(s) may administer prescription medication only by parental request and physician permission.

If a student is required to take over-the-counter medication during school hours, the student’s parent must complete the Medication Administration Permission form and must include the following information: (1) student’s full name, (2) name of medication, (3) times to be administered, (4) dosage, (5) possible side effects (if significant), and (6) termination date for administering the medication. Prescription medication will require a physician’s signature in addition to the requirements for over-the-counter medications. 

All medication sent to the school must be in its original container. Students are not to keep ANY over-the-counter or prescription medicines with them during the school day.

Students who must keep an inhaler, epi-pen, insulin, or any other emergency medication on their person for emergency purposes must have an approved Medication Administration Self-Administration/Self-Carry form and receive permission from an administrator and/or school nurse.

Parents should pick up all medications before the last day of school. Any medications that are not picked up by the last day for students will be destroyed.

School nurses may conduct vision, hearing, and blood pressure by parent permission. 

If a child has severe food or other allergies, parents should notify in writing the school nurse and the child’s teachers. Written procedures for the school to follow in an emergency should be given along with a list of foods or items that the child needs to avoid.

In recent years, life-threatening food allergies have been the subject of concern in our country. Consistent with our commitment to serve the students of Pickens County, the School District of Pickens County has developed School Guidelines for Managing Students with Anaphylactic Food Allergies. Although no blanket policy can possibly address the individual needs of every child, the district developed these guidelines which may be used in conjunction with an Individual Health Care Plan or a Section 504 Accommodation Plan if appropriate. Of course, no one can eliminate altogether the risks associated with life-threatening food allergies, but we encourage parents of children with such allergies to contact the school for more information on how they may be able to help address their children’s needs.

Many health care services can be provided for students to keep them at school where they can learn and participate with other students. Our goal is to provide information to parents and legal guardians about some of the services and programs available for addressing the health care needs of students during the school day to help students succeed in school. It is important that the necessary health care information is shared with the appropriate people—such as teachers on duty during recess, bus drivers, and cafeteria employees—to make sure that the students’ needs are met throughout the school day.

Individual health care plans are also called individual health plans or IHPs. School nurses who are registered nurses write IHPs to guide how a student’s health care needs will be met while at school. The nurse works with the student, the student’s parents or legal guardians, the student’s health care provider, and other school staff to write the plan. IHPs are written for students who have special health care needs that must be met by school staff during the school day. IHPs are also written for students who have been approved by the school district to self-medicate or self-monitor. To learn more about IHPs, talk with your child’s school nurse or the SDPC Director of Health Services.

To be eligible for services under Section 504, a student must have a condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The school’s 504 team determines if a student is eligible. The team should include the student’s parent or legal guardian, the student (if able), and others who know the student or know about the student’s disability, such as a teacher, a school counselor, a school nurse, and other school staff. If the student is eligible, the team develops an individual accommodation plan. The individual accommodation plan explains how the student’s needs will be met while at school and may include health services for the student during the school day if needed. To learn more about Section 504, contact the SDPC director of special education.

Students, ages 3 through 21 years, may receive services under the IDEA if the eligible student needs special education and related services to benefit from his or her educational program. A multidisciplinary team decides if a student qualifies for services under the IDEA. The team includes the student’s parent or legal guardian, teachers, and other school staff. The team develops an individualized education program (IEP) if the student meets federal and state requirements. The IEP outlines a plan for helping the student receive a free appropriate public education and meet goals set by the team. The IEP may include health services for the student during the school day if needed. Contact the SDPC director of special education to learn more about the IDEA.

Medical homebound instruction is a service that is available for students who cannot attend school for a medical reason even with the aid of transportation. A physician must certify that the student has such a medical condition but may benefit from instruction, and must fill out the medical homebound form that the school district provides. The school district then decides whether to approve the student for medical homebound services. The school district will consider the severity of the student’s illness or injury, the length of time that the student will be out of school, the impact that a long period away from school will have on the student’s academic success, and whether the student’s health needs can be met at school. To learn more about medical homebound services, contact the SDPC homebound secretary​.

When a student is determined to have head lice, the parent will be contacted to pick up the student from school. The student may not return to school until he/she is treated with a special shampoo made to kill head lice. Nits (lice eggs) should be removed from the hair to prevent a recurrence of the lice. In addition, a second shampoo treatment may be necessary. Parents should be aware that household items such as beds, linens, upholstered furniture, carpet, toys, clothing, hats, hairbrushes, and combs can be infested with head lice and will need to be cleaned to ensure extermination of the lice. Students who have been identified as having head lice will be checked before being permitted to return to the classroom.

SC Regulation #61-20 requires that SC DHEC publish each year an Official School and Childcare Exclusion List of Contagious and Communicable Diseases. It further requires that students should be excluded from school attendance if they have one or more of the conditions in the lists.

Please visit the South Carolina DHEC website for the full exclusion list. Parents may also request a copy of the exclusion list from their school nurse.