FAQs

Health Office Letter - March 2025

Dear Midland School Families,

Spring is almost here and I wanted to take this time to share important information from our Midland School Health Office. Please take the time to read through this entire letter as it contains a lot of important information for the end of the school year.

Is my child well enough to go to school?

Many parents are worried about when to keep students home from school especially when there are attendance concerns. To ensure a healthy school environment for all our children, please have your child remain at home until fully recovered from all illnesses. Your child should not be sent to school if he/she presents with one of the following:

A fever of 100.4 or higher. Students may return to school when the fever has subsided for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine.
Vomiting and/or diarrhea during the last 24 hours.
Persistent cough or runny nose
A rash of unknown origin or open or draining skin sores
Reddened, itchy eyes with crusty or goopy discharge

*Children who have been diagnosed with strep, pink eye or any other contagion must remain home for 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotic, and in the case of pink eye students should remain home until there is no further discharge from the eye.

Do I have to report school absences? How?

It is your responsibility to notify the school by 8:15 am if your child will be absent or late for school on any given day. The Health Office is equipped with voice mail, making it possible for you to call and leave a recorded message at any time. If you need to report a student’s absence for any reason, you should call the Health Office at 201-843-3120 x518 or email me at [email protected]. Simply state the name of your child, his or her teacher’s name or homeroom, as well as the reason for the absence. The reason is important so I can follow through on outbreaks and report them to the state.If your child tests positive for an illness, please let me know right away. Send in or email any doctor’s notes, so that I can change the absence to medical in RealTime. If your child is late (arrives to school after 8:25 am), please remind your child that he/she must report to the Main Office to get a late pass.

Attention 5th and 6th grade parents/guardians

Sixth grade students are required to have Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines within 2 weeks after their 11th birthday in order to remain in 6th grade. If you have a student in 5th grade turning 11 now, they need 2 vaccines. - Tdap booster and Meningococcal Vaccine. They cannot come to school in September without these vaccines unless their 11th birthday is after the start of the new school year (then they have 2 weeks after their birthday). (Tdap can be given at 10 years of age.)

Public schools are required to provide information on meningococcal meningitis to the parents/guardians of students in the 6th grade and information on vaccination against HPV (Human Papillomavirus) to the parents/guardians of students in the 7th grade. Parents in these grades, please check the district website for this required information.

What do I do if my child has a physical injury and is restricted from activities?

With spring sports getting started and outdoor play more common as the weather gets warmer, I wanted to remind you that all physical injuries must be reported to the Health Office. If your child sustains an injury that requires sutures, a cast, immobilizer, crutches, etc. or has sustained a head injury, please contact the Health Office prior to returning to school so that accommodations can be made if necessary. If your child cannot participate in physical education class a doctor’s note is required that describes the injury and the length of the restriction, if any. A doctor’s note is required for students to return to activity.

Please send doctor’s notes to school with your child and instruct them to hand it to the Health Office on the first day of exclusion. Students with a written excuse for restriction from activity may be provided with alternative activities related to the physical education curriculum. Written parent notes requesting exclusion from physical education will be accepted for up to two physical education classes in a week and only once per quarter. If students require a longer restriction a doctor’s note is required.

Finally, please note that when students are restricted from PE they are also restricted from recess. This allows them to rest an injury or help them to recover from an illness. Students who can self-regulate and refrain from playing during recess are welcome to sit on a bench and enjoy the sunshine and friends.

What if my child needs to take medication for allergies?

Spring allergy season is here. If your child needs to take medication, prescription or over-the-counter, please try to remember to give it to them at home in the evening or the morning before school. It’s recommended to start 2 weeks before the allergy symptoms begin and to alternate different allergy medications if one stops working, for example if you used Zyrtec last year, use Xyzal this year.You may be called to bring them medication at school if they forgot to take it. If they need an inhaler or nebulizer treatment at school and you have not yet brought in an Asthma Treatment Plan and the inhaler or nebulizer medication, mask, and tubing, please do so as soon as possible. Medication forms and Asthma Packets are available to download from the school's website under the Nurse’s Office tab. The medication must be brought to the school in its original container, with your child’s name on it. In consultation with the school physician, I can provide cough drops to students in grades 4-8. There is a check off area on the HEALTH OFFICE EMERGENCY FORM where parents can give permission to give these if needed. Do not give your child any medication (even cough drops) to take by him/herself while at school.

What do I do if my child has a food allergy?

If your child has a food allergy, please download the Food Allergy Action Plan Packet from the nurse’s tab on the website.Fill out the appropriate sections and have your doctor fill it out as well. Bring it to school with the epinephrine auto injector and /or Benadryl. Medication must be in the original box with the pharmacy label with the student’s name.

We are a Nut Free School

As food allergies become more and more common, we must take responsible steps to ensure the safety of those that have these allergies. For some of these students even the smallest exposure (touching a surface that has peanut/tree nut residue) can cause a serious allergic reaction resulting in a medical emergency. Strict avoidance of peanut/tree nut products is the only way to prevent a life threatening allergic reaction. We are asking for your cooperation in instituting a few safety precautions. ALL CLASSROOMS AT MIDLAND SCHOOL ARE PEANUT/TREE NUT FREE.

Any foods containing peanuts, tree nuts and their products (i.e. foods even made with peanut oil), cannot be brought into the classroom for snacks, class parties or birthday celebrations. If your child had breakfast, which may have contained peanut/tree nut products, please wash their hands and face before bringing them to school. Please speak with your child about the importance of not sharing food and washing his/her hands with soap and water after he/she has been eating foods containing peanuts and tree nuts.

Reminder - Classroom and Birthday Celebrations

Please note, no food may be distributed during classroom or birthday celebrations. Classroom teachers and friends can continue to recognize children on their special day in other special ways. Please check with your child’s teacher for some non-food alternatives (stickers, pencils, erasers, etc.) and be sure to provide advanced notice to make sure that they can fit the birthday plans into their schedule.

Attention 6th and 7th grade parents/guardians

6th grade students are required to have Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines within 2 weeks after their 11th birthday in order to remain in 6th grade.

Updated Physical Information

There is a new procedure and new forms for Sports physicals for students in 6th -12th grades. Please see the Athletic Forms tab under Health Forms in the Nurses’s Office Department.

Lastly, if your child has had a physical or received any new immunizations (including the COVID-19 vaccine) within the past year, please provide updated records to the Health Office.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the above information, please don’t hesitate to contact the Health Office.

-Maria Geiselhart, RN

[email protected]