We are very fortunate to have a full time nurse in every building. The role of the school nurse is to support student success in education. According to the National Association of school nurses, “school nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success, and lifetime- achievement of students.”
Franklin County is committed to meeting the health care concerns of our students. The responsibilities of school nurses are very broad. In addition to managing the clinic visits daily they also review student records for compliance of state health mandates, perform required screenings, consult with health professionals and parents, perform medical procedures as needed, promote health education for students and staff, and advocate for the needs of children.
The school nurse serves as the health professional for the school community and provides guidelines for school district health policies, goals and objectives.
Use the tabs below to locate important information, forms, and services provided by our school nurses.
Informational update concerning Ebola and Enterovirus D68
Guidance from Public Health authorities concerning pandemic influenza
Children returning to school after sickness-If your child has been ill and is returning to school on medication (either prescription or over the counter) please see the Medication Policy. If your child is ill and you are unsure of when he or she should attend school, please see the Sick Day Guidelines.
Current immunizations-All immunizations must be up to date for a child to enter school. Please check the policy for current immunization requirements.
Physicals-It is a Virginia Law and requirement that every child must have a physical before entering school.
Medication during school hours-If a student requires medication during school whether prescription or over the counter schools require specific guidelines for addressing these situations:
Appropriate permissions and authorized instructions for administration must be completed. The medication must be brought to the nurse by the parent/guardian in the original bottle. When the student is getting low on the medication the nurse will notify the parent to bring in more medication.
At the end of the school year the parent/guardian will be notified to pick up any remaining medication. If this is not picked up by the last day of school the nurse will dispose of the medication.
Any questions regarding medication in school please contact your child's school nurse.
If your child needs medication during school hours please see the Medication Policy. Medication forms are available to download on this web site under forms.
Eating Disorders-For more information on Eating disorders click here
All Students K-12 must have the following in order to register for school
Current physical within 12 months of entering school
Must have proof of current immunizations
A valid birth certificate
Middle School Immunization-In April 2018, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) changed the minimum recommended age for the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) adolescent booster vaccine from 10 to 11 years. As a result, a routine adolescent booster dose of Tdap should not be administered to students younger than 11 years of age. 7th graders are required to have Meningococcal Conjugate- a minimum of 2 doses. The first should be administered prior to entering 7th grade and the second and final dose should be administered prior to entering the 12th grade. Effective July 1, 2021 a complete series of 2 doses of HPV vaccine is required for students entering 7th grade. The HPV vaccine is the parent’s /guardian’s sole discretion, may elect for the student not to receive it.
High School- The final dose of the meningococcal vaccine should be administered prior to entering the 12th grade. (Must have vaccine or medical or religious exemption before starting 12th grade.
Please review your child's shot record. Make arrangements to have your child adequately immunized before they start school. Your child can not attend classes in the 7th grade until documentation of this immunization is taken to your child's school nurse.
The school nurses realize there are times when it is in the best interest of your child to keep him/her home from school due to illness. The school nurses must also provide a healthy environment for all students. Therefore, the goal of the sick day guidelines is to assist the parents/guardian with the decision of when to keep their child home from school due to illness or infection.
Students should not come to school IF:
Severe or persistent earache, sinus drainage that is green or yellow, vomiting or diarrhea, Your child should stay home 24 hours after symptoms are resolved.
The student has a temperature over 100 F; a student may return to school after having a normal temperature for 24 hours without medication.
Antibiotics are prescribed; the student may return to school after taking the antibiotics for a minimum of 24 hours and without a temperature over 100 F.
The student is vomiting more than once.
The student has diarrhea.
Persistent pain (ear, stomach, etc).
A widespread rash.
Severe cold symptoms (Persistent cough).
Student diagnosed with a communicable disease (Chicken pox, impetigo, scabies, pertussis, conjunctivitis, etc).
Conjunctivitis -Student may return to school with the clearance by a health care provider while symptomatic.
5th disease (Parvovirus B19) Rash characterized by a vivid reddening of the skin, especially to the face which fades and recurs; classically, described as a slapped cheek appearance. Pregnant women and persons with weakened immune systems should seek medical advice.
Hep A- Patients with acute HAV infection who work as food handlers or attend or work in child care settings should be excluded for 14 days if systematic or 7 days since jaundice.
Mpox (Previously known as ( monkey pox) Patients should be excluded from school and child care until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed. This may take as long as 4 weeks after symptoms began. School nurses will work with a health care provider and health department to decide when the child or adolescent can return to the educational setting.
Pertussis-CDC recommendations are to exclude from school and childcare until 5 days after initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy. A 5-day course of azithromycin is usually treatment of choice and is also used for post exposure prophylaxis. Untreated individuals should be excluded until 21 days have elapsed from cough onset.
Rubella exclusion of unimmunized contacts should be excluded from school for 23 days. Patient excluded from school and child care for 7 days after onset of rash. Avoid exposure to women in early pregnancy.
Streptococcal Diseases are excluded from school for 12 hours of antibiotics and fever free.
Student with impetigo are excluded from school and child care until at least 12 hours after antibiotic treatment has been started and all sores on exposed skin are covered. Close contact with other children should be avoided at this time.
Physician's documentation is required for school attendance after treatment of communicable diseases. Please contact your school nurse before sending your child back to school or if you have any questions regarding the health status of your child.:
Franklin County Public Schools is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for students.School guidelines for managing students Food Allergies: Please NOTIFY the school nurse of the child’s allergies. To create a safe environment for students with food allergies: For class parties or other events for which parents are asked to supply food, that food may be ONLY prepackaged, store bought food. NO HOMEMADE FOODS ARE TO BE DISTRIBUTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. The packaged food should have the nutritional information label must be submitted with the food item. ALL food must be approved by the nurse before going to the classroom. Parents will be notified when a class party is scheduled so they can provide an alternative snack for their child.
Head lice guidelines
Franklin County has a NO NIT POLICY. If a student has head lice or nits, the parent will be called to pick the child up from school. Students CAN NOT ride the bus. The student must be rechecked by the school nurse before he/she can return to class.
Listed below are recommendations you should follow if your child has pediculosis (head lice).
1. Identify pediculosis in your child's head.
http://headlicecenter.com/identifying-head-lice/
2. Contact your medical care provider for further instructions on how to treat pediculosis.
3. The County has a NO NIT policy. Guardian should be present with child upon his/her return to school in order that the nurse may examine the student's head prior to him/her returning to the classroom. DO NOT PUT STUDENT ON THE BUS! Parent must bring student to school to the nurse to have the child cleared to go back to the classroom.
4. Clean your home environment in order to prevent re-infestations. Please remember that a louse will not survive off the human host for longer than 24 hours. You need to wash all bed clothing and vacuum with a hose nozzle of the vacuum cleaner. You should vacuum upholstered furniture, rugs, stuffed animals, and car seats. Change the vacuum cleaner bag after use. Your efforts must be on the child's head removing nits.
5. Check the child's hair, and other family members daily until you are sure all nits and lice have been removed. Most children that have recurring problems are not from re-infestation but from lack of 100% removal the first time.
If you have any questions please contact your child's school nurse.
Elementary School Screenings
Motor screenings- applies to students in grades K to 3
Vision screenings K to 5- Please contact your school's nurse for the dates that the screenings will be done at your child's school and make sure if your child wears glasses that he/she will have them for their screenings. Kindergarten thru grade 2 will also be screened for stereopsis. This is a screening not an exam.
Parents will be notified in writing if their child fails the screening. The form used can be given to an eye doctor for further screening evaluation and then returned to the school nurse.
Scoliosis screenings for grade 5th-9th-(Parents will be notified in writing if your child fails the screening). The form used can be given to your physician for further screening evaluation and then returned to the school nurse.) Scoliosis is a lateral spinal curve of 11 degrees or greater, can have adverse effects including the progressive development of poor range of motion, back pain, distortion of the position of the ribs , impaired function of the heart and lungs, unpleasant cosmetic deformities, and social and psychological problems including poor self-image and social isolation. Early detection can prevent scoliosis from progressing and can identify those in need of treatment. The prevalence of scoliosis begins to increase at about age 10 to 11 with the preadolescent growth spurt and lateral spinal curve of 11 degrees or greater is present in about 2 to 3 percent of adolescents at the end of their growth period. Progressive curves occur three or four times more frequently in girls than in boys. Scoliosis tends to run in families, and if scoliosis is diagnosed, other siblings should be evaluated. If you have any questions please contact your school nurse.
http://www.iscoliosis.com/symptoms-screening.html
Height and weight for grades kindergarten, 3rd and 5th. We use the CDC Height and Weight Charts Boys & Girls.
Middle School Screenings
Vision screenings grade 7
Height and Weight grade 7
Scoliosis grade 6, 7, and 8
Franklin County High School Screenings
Vision Screenings grade 10
Height and Weight grade 10
Scoliosis Screenings for grade 9
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE SMITH MOUNTAIN LIONS CLUB FOR HELPING WITH ALL THE VISION SCREENINGS!! This is a tremendous service and helps the nurses greatly!!!