Health Center

The Health Center serves as a resource for health education & emergencies. The Health Center is staffed 24 hours a day when students are on campus, Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon. Additionally, KSD's school doctor visits daily to examine any ill or injured student. Students attending KSD with health issues have Health Care Plans and appropriate training is provided for all staff related to the child's specific health needs. An on-call nurse is also available for KSD sponsored weekend activities.

Services include:

Assessment of illness and/or injuries
Continuous nursing care as needed
Maintain and administer medications as scheduled, and/or as needed
Assist families with obtaining medication refills
Communicate with families & primary care providers regarding care
Screenings for vision, dental, height, weight, & blood pressure
Proper use of car seat/booster seat/seat belt as per Kansas state law
Immunization compliance
Provide staff training & support for medical emergencies & delegation procedures
Facilitate Dental clinic for students as requested by parent
Providing nursing care as defined by the Kansas Nurse Practice Act

Medications

All medications (prescription and over-the-counter) require an annual doctor's note and parent's authorization.
Bring the physician/dentist signed form to the school or fax it to the school.
Send medications in the labeled container.
Medications are kept in the health room and given by a school nurse or trained staff member. Exceptions to this are Epi Pens, certain emergency medications and certain inhalers (see school nurse for applicable forms).
Before the nurse can implement any change in medication or specialized medical procedures, they must have a written order signed by the student's physician.

Services and Screenings

Emergency Medical Services, such as an ambulance, will be used in emergency situations as determined by staff. The child’s parents/guardians are responsible for the expense of these services. An out of town parent/guardian will be advised of a medical emergency as soon as possible by the school nurses or other designated person.

If your child has plans to participate in after school or weekend activities that are not part of the KSD calendar, parents are responsible to request medication arrangements at least 48 hours in advance. This includes visits to friends. We must have a signed release of information form. Medication can only be released to a designated adult. Medication will not be released without prior authorization.

Medical and Health Care Services

A student who has a communicable disease (i.e., chicken pox) is sent home as soon as possible. The child must be cleared by the Infirmary before returning to school. Policy for exclusion from school because of a communicable disease is consistent with procedure and recommendations of the Johnson County Health Department. Some communicable diseases must be reported to the Health Department according to KS law.

Any student who has been absent from school due to illness, is required to check through the Infirmary when returning to school. The student must be symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication to mask these symptoms (i.e., fever, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) before permission is given to attend school or return to the dorm. A doctor’s permission may be required at the nurse’s discretion.

Medication Compliance and Behavior Expectations within the Infirmary

Students are expected to participate in prescribed medication/treatment regimens with the assistance and/or prompting of school and dorm staff. Students are expected to follow school-wide behavior expectations while they are in the Infirmary. Mobile phones and other electronic devices will not be permitted in the Infirmary to protect the privacy of other students. The administrator on duty will be contacted to address medication non-compliance issues or other behavior compromising safety and privacy in the Infirmary.

Off-Campus Medical Care

KSD is not able to provide transportation or staff to take students to off-campus medical, dental or other routine appointments. Parents/guardians are expected to handle those arrangements.

When a student is off-campus for athletic competition or student activity, the staff is responsible for medical care for an injury. In addition, the staff is responsible for dispensing medications to students as instructed and delegated by the school nurse. Documentation will be filled out by the staff person. The parent/guardian of a day student is responsible for providing medication for a field trip to the Infirmary staff 48 hours before their child leaves for any off-campus trip. At the discretion of the administrator and nurse, a student may be excluded from a trip if necessary medication is not provided.

Vision Screening

Vision screening is done by the school nurses, using the Lea Symbols and/or HOTV eye chart. According to Kansas vision screening laws and regulations it is stated that every student enrolled in each school shall be provided a basic vision screening without charge to the pupil not less than once every two (2) years. At the recommendation or referral from a parent or teacher, a student can be seen earlier than the two-year rotation. Results are shared with the parent/guardian when the screenings are completed.

All new students (Kindergarten – 12th grade) are screened for Usher’s Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder of hearing loss with progressive loss of vision. Screenings involve questionnaires for teachers, dorm staff, students and parents. A short series of vision tests are also done. This screening is typically done during February.

The above statements serve as notification of vision screenings to be completed during the current school year. Any parent/guardian who prefers that their child’s vision not be screened at KSD may provide documentation of a vision screening within the six months prior to the scheduled school screening.

Dental Screening

In compliance with Kansas State Statute 72-5201, all students will be screened unless the parent does not want their child to participate in the screening. The screening will be provided at KSD and free of charge. No dental work is provided. Data collected from screenings will be used to analyze oral health trends in Kansas children so that programs can be improved or created for better care. Referrals for dental work will be made by the oral health nurse through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The statement above serves as notification of the dental screening during the current school year. Any parent/guardian who prefers to not have their child’s teeth screened may contact the Infirmary. If your child does participate, a copy of the results of the screening will be sent home with the child.

Dental Program

KSD partners with a visiting dental program. A parent/guardian can sign permission for their child to participate in this program. A dentist and 2 dental hygienists visit KSD on scheduled dates to provide cleanings, x-rays and many dental treatments. This program works with families to provide dental services through private insurance, Medicaid and grant funded care. Uninsured students may be offered free or discounted services by this program. The parent/ guardian is responsible for completing the necessary paperwork.