High School Health Center

If you need to contact me, please feel free to give me a call, but understand that I may not be able to answer the phone, depending on how busy I am. My number is 484-1402. I can also be reached via email at creeves@solvayschools.org

As the weather begins to get colder and students begin to pile in with complaints of not feeling well, there are a few things to keep in mind when sending your student to school. I have listed the reasons to keep your student home below. Keeping your student home when they are illi will prevent any calls later in the day asking you to come retrieve them from school. It will also help reduce the amount of illness traveling through the school.

As the school year is in full swing, I will begin calling your child down for routine screenings, including vision, hearing, height, weight, and scoliosis. All tenth graders are required to have physicals performed. The physicals may be performed by your own physician, or by the schools physician. I will inform the students when he will be here again. Also, any new student from another district is required to have a physical. This includes all students from Lyncourt. As I told the seniors at the beginning of the school year, colleges require physicals. Our physician will not perform these physicals, as they must be performed by your private physicians. 

I have included a link for parents to be able to download if your child will be required to take medication during the school day. This can be found in the document section. It must be signed by a parent/guardian and filled in by your physician. Your child MAY NOT take any medication without this form.

WHEN TO KEEP YOU CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL:

Many parents are confused about when to keep children who are ill at home.  These guidelines will help you but are no means hard and fast rules.  Please remember that your child may have lowered resistance to infection and be more likely to become worse if he/she comes to school ill.  Also, your child may be contagious to others, and it is important to control the spread of infection.  Although our school health offices are very well equipped, the offices do not provide full-day care during illness.  Any time you have questions, please consult your doctor’s office and call the school nurse.  Below is a list of some of the common illnesses and symptoms:

1.   FEVER:  Your child should stay home if he/she has a fever of 100 degrees (orally) or more and should remain at home for about 24 hours after the fever is gone.

2.  VOMITING OR DIARRHEA:  Your child should stay home if he/she has vomited or has diarrhea (more than one loose stool) within 12 hours prior to the start of school.  (Be alert for stress induced vomiting.  Some children vomit when worried about something.)

3.  PINKEYE:  Conjunctivitis is very contagious.  If the white of your child’s eye is red and has any type of drainage, you should keep your child at home and consult your child’s doctor.

4.  HEAD LICE:  Children with lice cannot come to school until they have been treated with a lice killing product and all nits (eggs) have been combed out of the hair.  No product will kill nits.  They have to be removed or they will hatch and the cycle continues.  Please contact the school nurse if you believe you have found lice or nits on any of your children.

5.  CHICKEN POX: Students cannot return to school until at least seven days have elapsed since the first appearance of the rash.  Ideally, students should wait to return until blisters have scabbed over and are dry.  This will take 7 – 10 days.  This is especially important if the blisters are on the face, arms, lower legs, or other exposed skin.  A note from the doctor is required confirming diagnosis.

6.  IMPETIGO:  Impetigo is a skin infection that causes a rash of infected sores.  Impetigo can be found anywhere on the body including the face.  It is highly contagious.  The sores become crusty and drain infectious material.  The infection needs to be treated by a doctor or it will worsen and spread.  Once treatment has started, your child may return to school.  If not dry and crusted, the sores need to be covered with clothing while your child is in school.

7.  STREP THROAT:  If your child has been diagnosed by a doctor as having strep throat (this required a “throat culture” test at the doctor’s office), your child should stay home until 24 full hours have gone by since starting the antibiotic prescribed by the doctor. He/she must be fever-free for 24 hours also.

8.   COUGH:  If a cough is so frequent that it causes chest pain, the child should stay home and the doctor should be called.  If the cough is constant, the child may be very contagious to others and should remain at home and the doctor called.  Any cough that produces unusual discharge should be checked by the doctor and the child should stay home until the doctor allows your child to return.

COLD:

• rarely have a fever
• rarely have headaches
• may have mild muscle aches
• may have mild tiredness or weakness
• NEVER have extreme exhaustion
• often have runny nose
• often have sneezing
• often have sore throat
• may have mild hacking cough

FLU:

• fever may reach up to 102º, may go up to 104º and last for 3-4 days
• may have sudden onset of headaches that can be severe
• muscle aches are common and somtimes severe
• tiredness and weakness can be extreme at times and may last 2 or more weeks
• extreme exhaustion can have sudden onset and can be severe
• runny nose is not common
• sneezing is not common
• sore throat is not common
• cough is common and may become severe
   

  Flu shots are being offered throughout Onondaga County and are recommended for everyone, at every age. Contact your physician, or go to 

   http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/  or call 435-5752.