Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccines now required for
6th Grade -
Pertussis (Tdap) Requirements
New
York State Public Health Law now requires
all students be immunized for tetanus
toxoids, diphtheria and acellular pertussis
(Tdap).
The key points regarding requirements
of the law and its implementation are:
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Students who are entering 6th grade and are 11 years
of age must receive an immunization of Tdap
before the first day of school in order to
start 6th grade.
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There are 2 vaccines available: Adacel
for ages 11-65 and Boostrix for ages 10-18
years
RStudents who will be 10
years old have 2 options: Option 1: vaccinate 10 years olds
with Boostrix or Option 2: wait until student is 11
years of age and then vaccinate with Adacel.
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In cases where the 6th grade student
turns 11 after the start of school,
documentation from the doctor of the
appointment to receive the vaccine when the
student turns 11 should be turned into the
middle school nurse by August 15th.
For students who are already 11 years old,
but do not have an appointment for their
physical until after the start of school,
documentation from the doctor of the
appointment should be turned into the school
by August 15th.
Documentation of the vaccination should be
turned into the school nurse immediately
following the appointment.
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If a student has received a Td, DT or DTaP vaccination within the last
two years, the students Tdap vaccination
should be deferred (with rare exceptions)
until a period of two years has elapsed.
Documentation from the physician is
required.
Dental
certificates are requested for 7th grade students.
Dental certificates should be filled out by your child's
dentist and returned to school after they are completed.
Dental certificates are not required, only requested at
this time.
Student
Emergency Information Update forms.
We rely on the Student Emergency Information Update
form to provide up to date contact information for
family, emergency contacts in case we are unable to
reach parents/guardians for students, and a
brief statement of any pertinent health issues that the
nurse should be aware of.
Please
be sure to send in the Student Emergency Information Update
form as soon as possible so our records reflect the
most current contact and emergency information for your
child.
If your child has any health conditions such as
heart problems, diabetes, epilepsy, severe allergies,
eye or ear problems, chronic conditions or any new heath
problems and medications taken at home, please and you
have not put that information on a Student Information
Update form, please contact the school nurse. - 399-9141, ext 4035
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A Health
Clearance Form
(yellow sheet)
is required for students to tryout for any sport.
The Health Clearance form needs to be obtained from
the school nurse within 30 days prior to the
start of the sports season once all needed paperwork
is on file in the nurse's office.
What to Bring to the Nurse In
order to obtain a Yellow Sheet,
students should bring the following to the nurse:
A copy of their physical with
the date of the exam being
within one calendar year of the start of the
sport (or check with the school nurse to see if
the physical on file is current).
Download a copy of the
physical exam form here (pdf format).
A Sports
Health Recertification form (available from the
athletic office, nurse's office) to be completed
by parents ONLY if the physical was done more
than 30 days prior to the first day of tryouts.
The Health Recertification form updates health
information from the date of the physical to the
date of the start of the sports season. Download the
Sports Health Recertification Form here (pdf
format)
Please contact the school nurse with
questions or concerns.
How to know
if your child is sick enough to stay home from
school
Students at the Middle School are expected to attend school everyday.
However,
the possibility that they will get sick during the year is always present.
Illnesses can be lengthy, and many times it is difficult to decide whether or
not to send your child to school. The following guidelines may be helpful in
making the decision.
A student should
NOT attend school if:
A fever (100º
or greater) is present.
The child has a cold with persistent heavy
nasal discharge.
A persistent uncontrollable cough is
present.
The child has a very painful sore throat or
a sore throat lasting longer than 24-48
hours and is getting worse.
Vomiting occurs before school.
An unidentified rash is present.
He or she generally does not feel well.
The role of the school nurse is to
assess a student’s condition through objective and subjective data in order to
make appropriate decisions and recommendations to parents/guardians about illnesses
or injuries occurring during the school day and when/ if to seek out medical
evaluation and treatment.
Please do not send students to
school to be diagnosed. Do not administer medication
to lower abnormal temperatures so that they may
attend school. The risk of spreading an illness is
detrimental to staff and students in the building.
Also, please do not send sick students to school to
take important exams and tell them they can go to
the nurse after it is done. Students should be
feeling well when they take exams. Taking exams when
not feeling well will not benefit the student. If
you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact
the nurse, Mrs. Kathy Greco at 399-9141, ext. 4035.
