We’re pleased to have Nurse Howell here to provide medical care, screen students for illness, teach health maintenance, administer medication, and execute physician-ordered treatment and/or procedures. If she can help you or your children, please do not hesitate to call. See below for some health-related reminders.
Contact
Jana Howell, RN
(804) 365-4644
Absences Due to Illness
Your child should stay home if he or she:
- Has a fever of 100.4° or higher before taking a fever reducing medication
- Has vomiting/diarrhea within 24 hours
- Has symptoms that prevent him or her from participating in school and appears to be ill, such as excessive tiredness ,or lack of appetite
- Persistent or productive cough
- Headache, body aches, and/or earache
- Severe sore throat
- Excessive runny nose
- Stomach pain
- Has an unknown rash or possible contagious condition
- Has eye irritation with crusting and drainage
- Has been diagnosed with conjunctivitis “pink eye” or strep throat and has been on antibiotics for less than 24 hours
If your child complains of being sick in the morning, but you do not see any symptoms, please use your best judgment. If your child comes to school, please do not tell him/her, “If you feel bad, go to the nurse.” Your child may think that means he/she should, right off the bus, go to the clinic, first thing in the morning. It is better to say, “Go to school, go to class, and try to make it today.” Tell your child you will check on him/her later in the day. If your child is really feeling poorly, he/she will go to the clinic during the day.
If your child is absent from school for any reason, please report his/her absence by calling or sending a written note to your teacher.
Returning to School After an Illness
In order to be present at school, a student should be free of fever, vomit, and diarrhea for a minimum of 24 consecutive hours without medication. Secondly, if a child has a known infection such as strep or pink eye, he/she must be on medication for 24 hours before returning to school to be considered non-contagious.
Medication
Hanover County’s medication policy prohibits students from transferring any type of prescription or over-the-counter medication. A parent or guardian must bring all medications, unopened and in the original container, to the clinic and complete a Permission to Dispense form. Students who require medication at school for ten days or more should submit a doctor’s written order.
Allergies
At the beginning of the school year, we distribute allergy alert letters to classrooms in which there are students with severe allergies. These letters provide guidelines for foods to avoid as snacks in order to protect our students. If you receive an allergy letter, please read it carefully, and keep it for reference throughout the year.
Wellness Policy
During the summer of 2015, the Hanover County School Board revised the wellness policy (School Board Policy 6-3.19) to state that students may not bring food into the school building to share with other students. If you wish to recognize your child’s birthday or another special occasion, please do not send edible treats for the class.
This policy also requires that we provide all parents with advance notification of any instructional activities or classroom parties that may involve food. For this reason, you will receive at least one week’s notice of these events, including a specific menu. This notification will also be your opportunity to provide permission for your child to participate or offer information regarding accommodations specific to your child.
Forms
Please access and print forms on the division Health Services page.
The following forms may be picked up from the clinic or requested from Nurse Howell.
- Memorandum of Understanding for Private Duty Nurse
- Release of Medical Information
- Medically Fragile Health Services Plan
- Medical Procedure Order Form