Peoria Unified School District

Crutches, Wheelchairs, Scooters:

• If your child’s doctor prescribes crutches, wheelchairs, or scooters for an acute injury such as a sprained ankle or broken toe, please provide the school nurse with a doctor’s order allowing the child to use these devices on campus.

Casts, Braces, Splints:

• If your child injures themselves and requires a cast, brace, or splint, please provide the school nurse with doctor’s orders detailing activity restrictions, limitations, or clearances. Without orders, your child will not be able to participate in physical education, recess or after-school sports. Once healed, the doctor’s note clearing your child for activity without restrictions is needed. 

Contact information:

• It is understandable that your phone number or your emergency contact information might change throughout the course of a school year. If anything changes to where the nurse might have difficulties reaching a guardian or emergency contact, please update the school’s registrar with the most current information.
• If the nurse cannot reach you by the phone numbers provided to the school, your child will have to remain in the nurse’s office until someone can pick them up, including not allowing them on the bus home. It is the discretion of the school nurse to call 911 for a higher level of care if the guardians cannot be reached in a timely manner and the health status is moderate to severe.

When the Nurse Calls:

• While our goal is to keep children in class, school is not the best place for sick children. They cannot learn effectively and they can pass illnesses onto others.
• Please report to the school to pick up your child within a reasonable amount of time after the nurse or health assistant call, which is within about an hour. Please bring identification.
• If you choose to send an emergency contact who is 18 and over, please let that person know that identification will be requested before the child is released to them. 
• The nurse or health assistant will give direction as to when the child can return to school.

Health Status Change?

• Sometimes your child might experience an acute injury or illness at home such as a head injury/concussion or ear infection. Your child’s health and wellness are our priority, so we are here to help. Please consider notifying your nurse if your child is experiencing changes in health status so you and the nurse can discuss how best to support their needs.
• For new onset chronic health issues, your nurse can help advocate for long-term considerations needed in the school setting. Keep an open line of communication with your school health staff. The more the nurse knows about your child's health, the better prepared everyone will be to work together for your child. 
• If your child has a short-term injury or non-contagious illness, please send your child to school with a note excusing them from physical education (PE). A parent/guardian can excuse a student from PE for up to one week in elementary school and up to 3 days in high school. If your child needs more excused days from PE than listed in the previous sentence, a medical provider note will be needed. Excessive lack of participation in PE can affect grades and class credit. A medical provider note helps, but if your child needs to miss more than a reasonable amount of PE, please contact the PE teacher or school administration to discuss options. 

Need Assistance?

• If you need assistance with housing, clothing, food, school supplies or other basic needs, please contact your school nurse. He/she will help identify viable resources for you. 

The Nurse and Your Child’s Doctor:

• We understand the timing of a prescribed medication might not work well for your child. Changes in medication dosages must be ordered by the provider. A parent/guardian cannot direct licensed health professionals to administer medications to their child that are not consistent with the provider’s order. If you would like the timing changed or other changes made to the medication, such as dosages, please ask your child’s medical provider to order the changes and provide the orders to your nurse.
• Parent/guardian consent for the school nurse to speak with the private provider is not required in order for the health care provider to clarify orders per the Health Insurance and Accountability and Portability Act (HIPAA). If you would like your school nurse to speak to the doctor regarding other issues unrelated to clarifying orders, you will have to complete a release of information form. This form can be found under Health Office forms on this webpage. Your nurse is happy to assist you with contacting the doctor as needed. 

General Safety:

• As temperatures rise in Arizona, heat related illnesses and dehydration are possible. Please remind your child to bring a water bottle to school and to drink plenty of water. There are water bottle refill stations on campus. 
• Proper footwear, especially on PE days, is important. Wearing flip-flops can increase the chances of injury. 
• A good breakfast for your child before class starts can have a positive impact. If they do not eat breakfast, children sometimes report feeling faint and might miss class due to hunger, nausea, stomach aches or headaches. They are sometimes unable to think and learn effectively or they feel generally tired.