Nurses' Office: Frequently Asked Questions

Are students allowed to carry medications?

All medications, both prescription and non-prescription, should be stored in the nurses office. Parents are asked to complete a Request to Give Medication form.  We are able to give medications on a routine or as needed (PRN) basis.  

Students that need to carry inhalers or Epi-Pens for emergency use will be given a form for their doctors to complete authorizing that Student to keep their medicine with them.  An additional backup supply of that same medicine is required to be stored in the nurse’s office.

Tylenol and Ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) are offered to students whose parents authorize the use of these medicines.  Parents may authorize this on the Health Information/Enrollment forms that they should complete each year.  

Students may carry cough drops and throat lozenges with them; no special permission required for these items.

Who should I notify if my child is sick and will be absent from school?

If an absence is necessary, a parent/guardian should notify the Attendance Office at the student’s school between 7:45am and 10:30am.  At West Intermediate that number is 299-4415 EXT 2900.  Voice mail messages may be left for the Attendance Secretary during non-school hours.

What if my child becomes ill at school?

Students who do not feel will be sent to the nurse’s office where they will be evaluated.  The nurse will determine if a student will be sent home due to illness and will notify the parents/guardians.  Parents are asked to report to the Main Office in a timely manner to sign their student out.

When will the nurse call a parent?

Parents will be notified when a child has a head injury or an accident that is likely to leave a bruise or mark. Parents will also be called if your child has repeated visits to the clinic in the same day or requests to call home.

When will your child be sent home?

Children will be asked to go home if their temperature is 100.4 or higher.
From the time they are sent home, we ask that you keep him/her home for 24 hours or until they are fever free for 24 hours without any anti fever medications.

Other reasons they will be asked to go home are for vomiting / diarrhea at school (at nurses discretion), have head lice/ nits present in their hair, have purulent drainage from eyes, ears, or wounds, or have any other contagious disease.

What are the most common complaints in the Nurses' Office?

The two most common complaints in the Nurses Office are headache and stomach ache. Each student will be assessed to determine what treatment may be offered to help him/her feel better. They will be sent back to class if possible.  We may offer medication for pain relief such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, if permission has been signed on the child's enrollment form.

For stomach aches we will ask them about when and what they last ate and offer them crackers. The opportunity to use the restroom and/or lay down for 10-15 minutes may also be offered at the nurse’s discretion.  We reassure the child that stomachaches don't usually hurt all the time, but tend to come and go.

Our goal in treating both of the above conditions is to minimize the amount of out of classroom instructional time, and to keep the child as comfortable as possible while maximizing their ability to learn.