Policies

Reasons for which a child may be sent home or for a parent to keep the child at home from school:

  • A fever of 100 degrees or above.  The child should remain home until fever free for at least 24 hours without medication.
  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye), strep throat, ring worm, and impetigo are all infections that must be treated with medication for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Diarrhea or vomiting.  The child must remain home until symptom free for 24 hours
  • Head injury
  • Rash of unknown origin
  • Severe coughing or difficulty breathing
  • Inadequate immunizations with known disease outbreak in the school (chicken pox, pertussis, mumps, etc…). The child should remain home for the duration of the incubation period.



Injuries
Any injury that requires activity restrictions or has a child using a cane or crutches must be accompanied by a physician’s order describing the restrictions. In order for a child to return to full activity and participate in Recreational Arts a child must have a written medical clearance from their physician.



Prescription Medications
Any prescription medication must be accompanied by a current written doctor’s order. The medication must be in a prescription bottle where the label matches the doctor’s written order and states the child’s name, dosage, route and expiration date. All prescription medication is stored in the nurse’s office and may only be given by the nurse as ordered. For short term medications (eg antibiotics) please ask your physician to write the dosage for three times a day or two times a day, as opposed to four times. No employees other than the school nurses may administer any form of medication to a student. It is against NYS Department of Health regulations to do so.



Saint Ann’s School Health Form and Immunization Policy
 The Child and Adolescent Health and Examination Form, to be completed by your child’s medical practitioner, is required for entry to the school for:

  • all new students
  • all preschool and all kindergarten students
  • all returning 1st, 6th and 9th graders
  • all middle and high school students who plan to play sports

An Interval Health History Form is required BEFORE tryouts for all middle and high school students who wish to participate in team sports unless the student has had a physical exam less than 30 days prior to the start of the season’s practices and has submitted the Health and Examination Form at that time.

In accordance with the New York State Public Health Law, all students must be immunized. Section 2164 of the Public Health Law permits the following two exemptions to this mandatory immunization requirement:  If the parent objects to the immunization because the parent holds genuine and sincere religious beliefs which are contrary to the requirement that the child be immunized; or if a New York State licensed physician certifies that such immunization may be detrimental to the child’s health.

In the event that a case of a vaccine preventable disease occurs in your child’s school and your child has not obtained the required immunization, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has the right to require that your child be excluded from school for at least one incubation period after the onset of the last case. For example, if a case of measles is diagnosed, students who have not received a measles vaccine will be excluded from school during the outbreak and for an additional 18 days after the onset of the last case in the school.

Religious Exemptions
If you are seeking a religious exemption for your child, you must provide a written explanation of the foundations for your religious belief opposing immunization. In your own words, describe the religious principles that guide your objection to immunization. Also, indicate whether you are opposed to all immunizations, and if not, the religious basis that prohibits particular immunizations. A letter from you, a lawyer, a member of the clergy or other individual simply indicating that you have such a religious belief, without any further explanation, is inadequate to support the granting of an exemption.

Please note that the Public Health Law does not authorize the granting of exemptions based upon personal, moral, secular, scientific or philosophical beliefs.  Documentation in support of a religious exemption should be submitted to the head of school. Your request will then be reviewed and you will be notified of its approval or denial.  If the information you submitted in support of the exemption request is not sufficient for the head of school to make a determination, you may be asked to provide additional documentation.

Medical Exemptions
If you are seeking a medical exemption, you must provide a letter from a New York State licensed physician certifying that one or more of the required immunizations are detrimental to your child’s health. The letter should specify which immunizations may be harmful to your child and for how long the immunization(s) would be detrimental.