Health and Wellness

We request you call the Early Childhood Education Center at (662) 840-5237 to inform us when your child is absent. Excused absences shall include: parental excused absences or medical excused absences. These excuses must be received within two days of the absence. A parent/guardian can substantiate the absence by sending, emailing, or faxing a signed note or medical excuse to the school. Before returning to school, if your child is sick, he/she must be fever-free without medication, not vomiting or nauseated, or with no signs of diarrhea for 24 hours.

Administering Medication at School:

The school principal, school nurse or designee may administer prescription medications to students in their charge only under the following conditions:

• Parents/guardians must request in writing that such service be provided.

• Parents/guardians must read and sign a copy of this policy that is kept on file by the school principal, school nurse or designee.

• Prescription medications must be brought to the school principal, school nurse or designee by the parents/guardians in the original container with the information label attached containing the name of the prescribing health care provider, name of the medication, dosage, and instructions for administration. The instructions should be specific, such as “before meals” or “with food”, etc.

• Prescription medications will only be administered in accordance with the specific instructions from the prescribing health care provider on the original container label.

• All prescription medication is kept in a secure designated location. An exception to this provision is made for asthma medication which students may self-administer in accordance with District policy. Access to all stored prescription medication is limited to the school principal, school nurse or designee who witnesses and documents the administration of the medication.

• TPSD does not provide non-prescription medications for students and is not responsible for the storage or the administration of such medications.

• No more than a forty-five (45) day supply of prescription medication is stored at the school. The school principal, school nurse or designee should return to the parents/guardians or destroy with permission of the parents/guardians, any unused,discontinued or obsolete medication. Medication that is not repossessed by the parents/guardians within seven (7) days of notification by school authorities is appropriately disposed of by the school principal, school nurse or designee in the presence of a witness.

TPSD Board Policy JGCDC regarding medications at school is available on the TPSD Website upon request.

 

Illness at School:

• Students should not be sent to school if they are sick.

• Joyner Elementary has a school nurse on campus Monday through Friday each week during the school year.

• Emergency Medical Information Cards should be completed for every student during the online registration process.

• Parents/guardians not providing this information are contacted by the school principal, school nurse or designee.

• The following procedures are followed in case of a medical emergency as may be deemed appropriate:

•Dial 911.
•Notify school nurse.
•Notify parent/guardian.
•Notify private physician.

In the event students become ill at school, they are sent to the school nurse for evaluation. If needed, the school nurse or designee attempts to contact the parents/guardians of the student. It is very important that all contact information for the parents/guardians of each student is current and complete.

Please notify the school immediately if contact information changes!

If your child is sent home from school with a fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea, he/she must remain at home the following day until they have been fever-free or have not vomited or had diarrhea for 24 hours.

Our school refers to components of TPSD Board Policy JGCC-Communicable Diseases regarding procedures to keep both students and staff safe.
 

Asthma Medication:

The self-administration of asthma medication by a student at school shall be permitted if the student’s parent or guardian has given written authorization to the school. A written statement from the student’s health care provider indicating that the student has asthma and has been instructed in self-administration of asthma medications, must accompany the parental consent and shall be kept on file in the office of the school nurse or school administrator.

The name, purpose and prescribed dosage of the medications, including the time and circumstances that the student is to receive the medications, must also be included in the statement from the medical provider. The length of time for which the medications are prescribed should also be noted.

The District and/or its employees, by law, shall not be liable for any injury sustained by the student that has self-administered asthma medications. The parental permission shall be effective for the school year in which it is given and shall be renewed each following school year upon following the steps above.

Upon fulfilling the requirements of this policy, a student with asthma may possess and use asthma medications when at school, at a school sponsored activity, under the supervision of school personnel or before and after normal school activities while on school property including school-sponsored child care or after-school programs.

Immunizations:

Mississippi Law requires certain minimum immunizations before a child may attend school. Children entering a Mississippi school must have proof of receiving these immunizations and this information must be placed in the child’s cumulative file.

These required immunizations are:

• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP)

• Polio (IPV)

• Hepatitis B

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

• Chickenpox (Varicella)