Nurse's Office
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OFFICE HOURS & LOCATION
The Nurse's Office is open from 7:15 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. during regularly scheduled school days. The Nurse's Office is located adjacent to the Attendance Office. The phone number is 949-766-6029. HEALTH SERVICES Health Services are provided for students by a registered nurse. This includes first aid, health counseling and health programs. The emphasis of the program is "wellness" and personal responsibility. If it is not an emergency, students should go to the Nurse's Office during break or lunch so as not to miss any class work. NEW IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS Under a new law that takes effect in July, California middle and high school students must be vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough). Beginning July 1, 2011, all students entering 7th through 12th grades in both public and private schools will be required to show proof of a “Tdap” booster shot before starting school. This requirement applies to all public and private schools. The new requirement was signed into law earlier this year by Governor Schwarzenegger. This coming school year (2011-2012), all students entering into 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grades will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot (called “Tdap”) before starting school. For the next school year (2012-13) and future school years, all students entering into 7th grade only will need proof of a Tdap shot to start school. This does not affect students enrolled in summer school. Parents are urged not to wait for the new fall school year to get students vaccinated, since there will be no grace period and the regulations will be strictly enforced. The California Department of Public Health recommends that parents have their adolescent children vaccinated now in order to protect them against pertussis and to meet the 2011-12 school requirements. Parents should be aware that the protection from childhood immunization to pertussis wears off, and adolescents may be at risk to the highly contagious disease without a booster. The Tdap vaccination is currently available at doctors’ offices and many pharmacies. In addition, Santa Margarita Catholic High School will host a two-day on-campus Tdap vaccination clinic on Thursday, August 11 and Friday, August 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Administrative Building. This clinic conveniently coincides with the first two pick-up days for online book sales. Santa Margarita’s on-campus clinic requires a parent or legal guardian to accompany students as they will be required to sign a waiver. You will also need to bring your student’s current immunization record with you. Vaccinations will be provided at a cost of $55.00 per student. You may schedule an appointment online and pre-pay by credit card, or come as a walk-in and pay by cash or check. (Credit card payments will not be accepted on day of clinic.) Click here to make an appointment for SM's Tdap clinic online. MEDICATIONS Tylenol, Advil and Tums can only be given to students who have the consent of their parents on their emergency cards. All medication must be taken in the Nurse's Office, both prescription and over-the-counter medications. Prescription medicines must be in pharmacy-labeled medication container (labeled with the student's name, medication name, dosage, and frequency). In addition, prescription medicines must have the Parent/Guardian and Physician Request for Medication Administration form completed by the student's parent and physician, in order to take prescription medicines at school. Over-the-counter medicines must be in the original labeled container along with a parental note (signed and dated) giving the nurse permission to administer the medication to their student. All medications must be kept in the Nurse's Office at all times. Students with asthma/allergies (provided proper documentation is completed in the Nursing Office) may keep an Inhaler/Epipen with them but it is also recommended to keep an extra Inhaler/Epipen in the Nursing Office in case of an emergency. Click here for the Medication at School Release Form. EARLY DISMISSAL DUE TO ILLNESS When a student becomes ill or injured during class, a pass to the Nurse's Office must be obtained from the current teacher.If a student is too ill to remain in school, the nurse will notify the parents. Students are not allowed to make arrangements to go home on their own. If the parent is unavailable, the persons designated on the student's emergency card will be called. It is important that all phone numbers be kept current for the protection of the student. Leaving campus without an authorized passport is considered truancy. Students are advised to stay home if suffering from active illness in order to protect other students and staff from possible disease transmission. Students should remain at home until their illness has resolved, even if examinations will be missed as a result of illness. Do not come to school simply to complete an examination with the intention of leaving early because of illness. If a student is absent for three consecutive days it is mandatory that he/she presents a physician's note indicating that the student has been seen and is safe to return to school. This will allow the student to take the absences as excused and more importantly, reassure the school community that we are making every effort to minimize the transmission of treatable contagious diseases. Parents may report an absence to the Attendance Office at 949-766-6020. Parents are requested to report all confirmed or suspected contagious diseases to the school nurse. INJURIES – FOOT Students are not allowed to wear flip-flops or slippers under any conditions. In the event of a student injuring a foot or toe please use either a medical shoe on the effected foot, or a sandal with a back strap on the effected foot and a regular shoe on the unaffected foot. INSURANCE It should be noted that the student's family health insurance plan is the primary coverage for school-related illness and injuries. All students at SMCHS have secondary accident insurance with Meyer-Stevens & Toohey. This coverage also includes accidents, which occur one hour before, or after school (while directly en route to or from school), all school sponsored events, and sports activities. Football students pay an additional premium. REPORTING INJURIES All accidents that are school related should be reported to the Nurse's Office. Sports injuries are reported to the coach and the trainer. All accident insurance claims are processed by the Nurse's Office. |
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