Tussey Mountain School District

The State Mandated Health Screening Program From the following links Ongoing Nursing Services CHIP Program Is There a Nurse in Every Building? The School Physicians The School Dentists Immunization Requirements Parents of Seniors

Your school nurses are here to help you! In addition to caring for students who are ill or injured at school, school nurses also administer medication, provide individualized health teaching, assessment and referral for health problems and serve as a general resource to connect your child with other agencies or providers in our community. Your school nurse works closely with teachers, guidance counselors and principals to support your child in the educational setting.

The State Mandated Health Screening Program:

Height, weight and vision measured every year
Hearing screening at grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11
Scoliosis screening in Grades 6 and 7
Dental exams in grades K, 3, and 7
Physical exams in grades K, 6, and 11
BMI (Body Mass Index) measurements starting with Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Parents are notified of any problems noted in the screening programs. Referrals are made to have further evaluation done by the appropriate professional.

Parents are encouraged to have their family health care providers do the mandated physical and dental exams. Documentation of these exams need to be given to the school nurse (as per state requirements) on the forms provided by the District (see below).

From the following links, you can download the Private Physicians Report of Physical Exam and Private Dentist Report which are to be completed for students who get their mandated physicals and dental exams from their own health care providers. These forms are also available from your school nurse.

http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/schoolhealth/PrivatePhysicianForm.pdf

http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/schoolhealth/Paprivatedentalform.pdf

Ongoing Nursing Services:

Assessment and management of illness and injury occurring at school and contact with parents.
Administering over-the-counter medication as indicated, through standing orders, doctor and parental consent.
Supervision of students taking prescription medication at school through doctor and parental consent.
Health education and advice, both one-to-one and in groups.
Nursing management at school of students with special health needs.
School nurses are members of the Student Assistance Team and make referrals for emotional and mental health concerns.
School nurses work closely with parents and other faculty members to ensure that health problems do not interfere with the students education.
School nurses may organize health fairs.
ADHD Student Monitoring Program Provides teacher information to parents bimonthly in the elementary.

If your child is not covered by health insurance and affording medical care is a problem , contact your school nurse. There are many rescources available, including the CHIP program for uninsured children. Your childs school nurse can help connect you to the appropriate program and/or health care provider.

Is There a Nurse in Every Building?

There is not a full time nurse in every building every day with the exception of the High School. The State Law (Public School Code) mandates that there be one CSN (Certified School Nurse) for every 1500 students. (A nurse may be responsible for fewer students, but not more.) Therefore, our elementary schools have one school nurse (Mrs. Louann Heath) who rotates to these schools one to three times per week and is available on-call if needed. Two health aides (Mrs. Rebecca Hardy and Mrs. Sandra Rouser) supervise the issuance of medication, student illnesses, and injuries when the school nurse is not in the building. Health Aides are in the nurse's office 3 ˝ hours per day. The high school has a nurse (Ms. Angela Johnson) in the building 5 days a week.

The School Physicians are the Broad Top Area Medical Center (Dr. James Hayden, Dr. Brett Acker, and Dr. Dominick Kistler) and Dr. Mark Bolinger. They provide consultation to the school nurses, and also do physicals at the school.

The School Dentists are Dr. John Snyder and Dr. Mike Shuke. They conduct dental exams at school and are available for consultation to the school nurses.

Immunization requirements for school are always changing! When your child registers for school, his or her immunizations will be screened by one of the school nurses to make sure all requirements are met before your child starts school. You will be informed of any deficiencies. All required vaccines are given for a nominal fee at our local State Health Center. Call 643-3700. Please keep your school nurse informed of any boosters your child receives. If you have any questions about immunizations, call the school nurse at your childs school.

Parents of Seniors:

Please note: Your child's immunization record is given to them at graduation. These records are only kept at school for 5 years after graduation. You should store them in a safe place for future reference.