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Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness

We understand that a healthy child is the best learner, and we are committed to supporting your child's health.

Our registered nurses (RNs) are responsible for providing first aid to students who become injured or ill while under school supervision. In such cases, every effort is made to contact parents or guardians. However, our ability to reach you depends on having accurate contact information. Student demographic sheets are sent home each September, and it is important to make any necessary updates and return the form to the school as soon as possible. Please be sure to include emergency contacts (other than yourself) in case we are unable to reach you. If your contact information changes during the year, kindly notify us as soon as possible.

Illness and Attendance

Attendance is necessary for success! To help students attend school, we ask that medical appointments, vacations, and other events that would lead to a student missing class be scheduled for outside of school hours. Please review our Student Attendance Policy here.

Immunizations Information

The following is a brief overview of the immunizations required before school entrance. These requirements and the accompanying guidelines are extracted from the NYSED Regulations & Public Health Law 2164.

All children attending schools in New York State must be properly immunized as illustrated in this document.

Physicals

NYSED requires a physical exam for new entrants and students in grades Pre-K or K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11; annually for interscholastic sports; and working papers as needed; or as required by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) or Committee on Pre-School Special education (CPSE).

Please be aware that if your physical was performed by Hudson Headwaters Health Network, you need to fill out a release form for the district to access your file. Please access the release form here and submit it to the Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

Medications in Schools

If your student needs to take medicine during the school day, we must have a parent and prescriber's authorization form on file for each medication including over-the-counter medications. New medication forms are required each year.

The New York State Center for School Health has recently sent the school nurses a lengthy list of over the counter (OTC) products and medications that school nurses are not allowed to give to a student, even with verbal and written permission from a parent or guardian. 

We, of course, do not want any student to endure discomfort at school and are asking that everyone reach out to the student's pediatrician to get an order for any medications such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen or Tums, that might be needed at school. The order will be good for the 25-26 school year only.
 
We also need orders for 'as-needed' emergency medications such as EpiPens and Inhalers. At the Jr/Sr HS level, most students carry these items, and the order needs to indicate that.  Please see the OTC Medication Permission Form link below.

Once the order is signed by the physician AND a parent/guardian, it can be sent through email, Parent Square, or sent into the school. Please let your school nurse know when any documentation has been sent in, as many students forget it in their bag.

If you are unsure whether or not your student has these orders already, please reach out to us. Oftentimes, it's assumed that an order that has been requested from a provider has been sent to us, and it most often has not.

Thank you for your understanding. 

Georgene Carpenter

Over the Counter Medication Permission Form

Contact Us

Georgene Carpenter, School Nurse
email: carpenterg@wcsd.org
phone: (518) 623-2861, ext. 226

Policies

  • Absences other than sickness, health treatment, death in the family, religious obligations, approved cooperative work programs and impassible roads are considered illegal. Making up for missed time is difficult and never as beneficial to your student as being present for regular instruction.

    When a child is absent or tardy, parents are asked to phone the appropriate attendance officer. For the elementary school please call Mrs. Seeley at (518) 623-9747 and for the high school please call Mrs. Monroe at (518) 623-2861. State law requires that every absence from school, both legal and illegal, be explained by a written note from a parent or guardian upon the student's return to school. This note should specifically state the date and cause of the absence and must be submitted to the attendance officer within three days of the student's absence. A dental or doctor's appointment is not usually a reasonable excuse for a whole day's absence unless the student is ill.

    Early dismissal from school requires a written excuse from the parent or guardian indicating the date, time and reason. In the even that the student does not report to school, and a parent or guardian or other designated adult (ex. baby sitter) has not phoned school to advise of the student's absence, we will call parents and guardians at home and/or at work. It is extremely important that we have up-to-date contact information.

  • The New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department mandate specific vaccinations to attend school. Please visit the Department of Health's website for complete immunization information.

    Parents/Guardians should consult with your child's physician regarding immunization schedules. Documented proof of immunizations need to be provided to the appropriate health office as soon as possible. For more information, please contact the health office.

  • If your student needs to take medicine during the school day, we must have a parent and prescribers authorization form on file for each medication including over the counter medications. New medication forms are required each year.

    New York State requires school districts to comply with the following guidelines regarding medications at school:

    • Parents/Guardians must personally deliver all medication to the school health office unless a self-carry order form is signed by the parent and physician.

    • All controlled medications must be brought in by an adult.

    • All medication must remain in properly labeled pharmacy constrainers or original over-the-counter containers. If you are diving up a single prescription for use at home and at school, please ask your pharmacist to provide a second, identically labeled container for any medications your student will take at school.

    • A new prescription/medication form signed by the medical provider is required at the beginning of each school year.

    • A parent/guardian must sign the medication permission form.