Required Medical Forms
All students are required to complete and submit medical information forms each school year.
Physical and Immunization Record Reminder
Students are required to submit an up-to-date physical exam record from their doctor each year. If your child has had their annual physical exam and you have not yet submitted the exam record, please either drop the record off at the school or fax a copy to the nurses at 857-520-0836.
Medication Administration in School
Under Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) Chapter 112, Section 80B, a licensed nurse must have a medication order from a physician, dentist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant in order to administer any prescription medication. Please get an order from your child’s physician for ANY prescription medication that they will need during school hours. School nurses are NOT allowed to give your child medications without having an order.
What can our nurses do?
- Provide First Aid: Treat minor scrapes, cuts, bumps, and nosebleeds that happen at school.
- Manage Chronic Illnesses: Help students with asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, and seizures follow their daily care plans.
- Administer Medication (With Rules): Give prescription medications only with a signed doctor's order, parental consent, and the medicine in its original container. Give over-the-counter (OTC) medications with signed parental consent on the school’s standing order, found here.
- Track Immunizations: Check and track student vaccination records to make sure they meet state school rules.
- Conduct Health Screenings: Perform routine checks like vision, hearing, or growth screenings as required by the school district.
- Send Sick Students Home: Call parents to pick up a child who has a fever, vomiting, contagious rash, or severe illness.
WHAT CAN OUR NURSES NOT DO?
- Cannot Diagnose Illnesses: Nurses assess symptoms and provide temporary care, but they are not pediatricians and cannot officially diagnose diseases or conditions.
- Cannot Give Unapproved Medication: Cannot give out Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough drops, or prescription drugs without written doctor and parent permission.
- Cannot Replace a Family Doctor: Cannot provide long-term medical treatments, stitches, or comprehensive physical exams.
- Cannot Perform Deep Invasive Procedures: Most school nurses avoid complex or deep procedures like digging for splinters, pulling loose baby teeth, or removing objects from ears/noses unless it is an emergency.
