Nursing & Health Services

To enter into Santa Margarita Catholic High School, incoming freshmen and transfer students must have immunizations that meet the California School Immunization Law, Health and Safety Code Sections 120325-120380. Your student’s immunization record (yellow CA immunization card, MD immunization record or previous school immunization record) may be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to SMCHS/Nurse’s Office. Incomplete or missing records will delay the admission process.

Under a 2011 California law, all California high school students must be vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough). Incoming Freshman and students transferring from out of the state or country in both public and private schools will be required to show proof of a “Tdap” booster shot before starting school. 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 Shots For School website provides useful information about the new Tdap requirements, a new state law, requiring students to be vaccinated to protect against the whooping cough.

SHOTS FOR SCHOOL

• Tylenol, Advil and Tums can only be given to students with parental consent obtained through online registration. All prescription and over-the-counter medications must be taken in the Nurse's Office.
• If your student needs to take a prescription medicine at school, it must be in pharmacy-labeled medication container (labeled with the student's name, medication name, dosage, and frequency). In addition, a DIOCESE OF ORANGE PARENT/HEALTHCARE PROVIDER REQUEST FOR MEDICINE FORM needs to be completed by the student's parent and physician, and returned to the Nurse's Office by the parent when bringing in the medication.
• Over-the-counter medicines must be in their sealed original labeled container along with a DIOCESE OF ORANGE PARENT/HEALTHCARE PROVIDER REQUEST FOR MEDICINE FORM signed by the parent (a physician's signature is not required).
• All medications must be kept in the Nurse's Office at all times. Students are not allowed to carry medications on themselves, in their backpacks, lockers or cars.
• Students with asthma/allergies (provided proper documentation is completed in the Nursing Office) may carry an Inhaler or Epipen with them but it is also highly recommended to keep an extra Inhaler/Epipen in the Nursing Office in case of an emergency.
  
  Medication at School Release Form:
  
  CLICK HERE

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.

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 affected foot, or a sandal with a back strap on the affected foot and a regular shoe on the unaffected foot.

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.

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.