healthservices

School Nurse: A school-community health nurse is present at McNeely one-half day per week as provided by the Richmond Health Department. She may be contacted by telephoning the school (668-6250) or the Richmond Health Department (233-3142). Available health services include hearing and vision screening, immunizations and communicable disease follow-up.

Immunization: Parent permission is required for any immunization. If a child's immunizations are incomplete or where the school has no record of immunization, the child may be excluded from school in the event of an outbreak of a communicable disease.

Illness of Students: When the school health nurse is not available, students who feel ill are to report to the office. Members of staff are qualified First Aid Officers and are available to provide assistance if necessary. A staff member will ensure that parents or alternates are contacted when a student should be sent home or to the hospital. School facilities and available staff do not allow for the care of sick children at school. Please make alternate arrangements to care for your child when ill and report all communicable diseases to the school nurse or administration.

Medication: Unless absolutely necessary, children should not have medication at school. If medication is necessary, school personnel must obtain the written approval of the Richmond Medical Health Officer and parent before dispensing any medication. Please contact the school nurse before sending any medication with your child. On occasion we have been asked by parents to ensure their child receives prescribed medication. Please be aware that in order to do so, we require the completion of the Request for Administration of Medication at School form, which must be signed by the prescribing doctor. (This includes Epi-pens)

An Information Verification Form is kept on each student attending McNeely School. These forms are sent home at the beginning of each school year and it is important that they are completed correctly and/or updated and returned promptly. It is essential that the information recorded on Information Verification Form is kept up to date at all times to include changes in the status of your child’s health, work phone numbers, alternate contact persons, doctors, neighbourhood person authorized to pick up child in event of an earthquake emergency and out of province or country contact. This Emergency Information Form is taken with the office staff during all fire and earthquake drills and it is this information which will be used should an emergency occur. Please help us by contacting the school should changes on the form need to be made.

The Health department updated the practices regarding head lice in 1998. The Health Department reports that recurrent outbreaks of head lice can occur throughout the community (only 10% of the time do they originate at the school). Lice do not carry disease, however, they are a nuisance. Students are not checked for head lice at the school. It is the responsibility of each parent to check their child(ren) and report to the school incidents of head lice. Parents are asked to look through their children’s hair at least weekly, especially if they complain of an itchy scalp. Look for tiny teardrop-shaped eggs, which are smaller than the head of a pin - called “nits” - that head lice lay. Head lice are tiny, wingless, grey insects that live and breed only in human hair.

For treatment, toxic shampoos are no longer recommended. The current recommended treatment of head lice is a process using everyday hair conditioner. If a case is reported in a classroom, all children in that class will receive a notice from the school reminding parents to check for head lice. This notice includes information about the treatment using everyday hair conditioner. If your child has head lice, help us, and others, by informing the classroom teacher.

A very short, but informative video to assist parents in recognizing and eliminating lice is available in the school library for parents to borrow. The school nurse will provide more detailed information on request.