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Health Services

Healthy students are successful students

Our school staff provide a variety of services that support a healthy learning community. We are committed to providing students with health conditions access to their education by facilitating their independence and creating a community of support by working collaboratively with the student, their family and district staff. School nurses promote optimal student health for optimal learning. 

Establish healthy habits early to ensure your child’s success

Instilling healthy habits and routines (adequate sleep/nutrition) and consistent attendance ensures a student’s success in school even as early as kindergarten. We know that too many absences/tardies, for whatever reason, can cause children to fall behind both academically and socially.

To help ensure healthy habits consult with your health care provider regarding well-visits and immunizations, as well as maintain good hygiene. Also:

  • Get the appropriate vaccines.
  • Wash your hands frequently.
  • Practice physical distancing from members outside your household, when appropriate (staying more than 6 feet apart).
  • Stay home if you are sick (so you do not spread the illness to other people).
  • Use a tissue, or cough and sneeze into your arm, not your hand and turn away from other people.
  • Use single-use tissues. Dispose of the tissue immediately.
  • Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing or using tissues.
  • If working with children, have them play with hard surface toys that can be easily cleaned and disinfected.
  • Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands (viruses can enter your body from unwashed hands).
  • Do not share cups, glasses, dishes, cutlery, cigarettes or cellphones.
  • When recommended by public health authorities, wear a non-medical mask when in a public space and physical distancing cannot be maintained.

The school district will follow the guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health for recommended exclusion and notification for vaccine-preventable diseases including coronivirus, mumps, measles, rubella, pertussis, diphtheria, viral hepatitis, chickenpox and meningitis. Families will not be notified and students are not excluded for lice, pink eye or strep throat.

Community Clinics

We are fortunate to have two community health clinics in Dakota County to support children and families who are in need of minor and routine health care services. Please see the links below if you are looking for routine physicals, sports or camp physicals, initial mental health screenings, and other basic health care needs. All families welcome regardless of insurance status.

 

erica white

Registered School Nurse
Erica.White@district196.org
Phone: 651-683-6969, ext. 3-685
Fax: 651-683-6858

Medications

With your signed permission, your child may self-carry and self-administer non-prescription medications. For prescription medication, the student may self-carry if they have a signed doctor order to self-carry. If your child would like to keep non-prescription medications in the nurse's office, medication must be in the original labeled bottle with a parent note. 

Any prescription medication sent for the nurse to administer must be in a pharmacy labeled bottle, have a doctor's order and signed medication authorization by a parent. Most pharmacies will provide a small bottle for school use at no extra charge. 

Beginning of each school year

All students who have medication in the health office must get new doctor orders and new action plans. All medications orders and action plans are good for one school year only. 

Immunizations

All incoming 7th graders need two additional immunizations prior to the first day of school:

  1. Tdap
  2. Meningitis (meningococcal)

We need the month, day, and year of all vaccines. Also the law provides for exemptions from vaccines if your child has a medical condition that prevents immunizations or if immunizations are against your beliefs. Call the office for information about necessary forms, which need to be submitted for this type of exemption.

Student Immunization Form