Medical and Emergency Information

Emergency Cards

All Emergency Card forms for each child will be sent home in the fall to be completed by the parent/guardian. The school will use this information if your child becomes ill or is injured at school. The person you designate may be asked to pick up and care for your child if you cannot be reached. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school of any changes to home phone numbers, or contact names and phone numbers. If a child is in need of immediate medical assistance, they will be transported to the nearest medical facility.

Immunizations

Current immunization cards must be maintained on all students not asking for an exemption. If parents/guardians have questions on immunizations they may leave a message at the school. The school will maintain the immunization histories of all children and will update those histories with information supplied by the local public health agency, parents/guardians, or private physicians. The school has free immunization exemption forms available for parents.

Accidents/Illness

If students become ill during the school day they should inform the teacher that they are not feeling well. The teacher will first suggest that students put their head down on the desk for a brief time to see if they recover enough to remain in class. If the teacher determines that the student is too ill to remain in class, they will be sent to the office and the school nurse notified. If a student has a fever, parents/guardians will be contacted immediately and asked to pick the student up or give the school permission to send the student home. If a student does not seem seriously ill, we will ask the student to rest for a short time and return to class. If they cannot return to class, we will contact parents/guardians. If a student receives a minor injury in class, such as a small cut, staff will be asked to take care of it in class (cleaning it, applying a Band-Aid). If a student is seriously injured, we will contact 911 and parents/guardians. Individuals supervising the student at the time of the accident are required to complete an accident report

Chronic or Serious Conditions

Chronic or serious conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, etc., which could conceivably require emergency treatment, should be brought to the attention of school personnel immediately and noted in the registration packet. This information is important for the safety of your child.

Student Health Guidelines

A student should remain at home if:

• The student has experienced episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours and the student is not yet tolerating regular diet.
• The student's temperature is not normal (approximately 100 degrees or higher) and the student feels ill.
• The student is aching and fatigued enough to be unable to participate in class and school activities.
• The student has an uncontrollable cough or runny nose so not able to be cared for in a sanitary manner.
• The student has been diagnosed with strep throat or other treatable contagious disease and has not yet had 24 hours of treatment.
• The student has an untreated contagious disease (impetigo, scabies, draining pink eye, etc...).
• The student has a recent injury that causes enough discomfort to significantly distract from being able to focus on school activities in class.

A practical question to ask is, "Does the student feel well enough to participate in and learn at school or would it benefit the student to rest at home today?"

We encourage parents to send students to school each day if injury or illness does not significantly compromise the student's health and there is no threat of communicable disease to others. A phone call to school to explain an absence is required on the day your child will remain at home. Parents are required to provide the school with current, accurate phone numbers to support school contact with parents. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please call the school office.

Student Medication Policy

The Academy Board recognizes that some students need to receive medication during the school day and delegates to the Administration responsibility for developing appropriate guidelines for administering medication to students in accordance with Utah Code §53A-11-501.

The Administration authorizes the following guidelines for administering medication to students.
Guidelines

1. School personnel may administer prescription medication or nonprescription medication to a student during the regular school day only when the medication has been prescribed by the student's physician, dentist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant and the school principal receives:
   1. A current, written request that medication be administered during regular school hours signed by the student's parent or legal guardian, and
   2. A current, written statement signed by the prescriber of the medication that includes the following:
      1. A statement that administration of medication by school employees during periods when the student is under the control of the school is medically necessary, and
      2. A statement that describes the method, amount, time schedule for administration, and duration of the treatment.
2. The parent request and prescriber's statement must be resubmitted at the beginning of each school year the medication is continued, and as medication is prescribed or changed.  The school may administer medication based on the previous year's parent request and prescriber's statement for up to ten (10) school days when necessary to allow the student's parent or guardian time to obtain the prescriber's signed statement for the current year. 
3. Administering over-the-counter medications requires a prescribing practitioner statement as well as consent of the parent or guardian.  Protocol for administering over-the-counter medications is the same as for administering prescription medications.
4. Oral, topical, and inhalant medication or injectable epinephrine may be administered by assigned school personnel if the provisions outlined in Sections II.A. and II.B. have been met.
   1. Medications requiring other routes of administration will not be given by school personnel, unless delegated by a registered nurse in accordance with the Utah Nurse Practice Act (Rule R156-31b).
   2. Medication administration that cannot be delegated to non-licensed personnel must be given by a licensed nurse.
5. All medication that is to be given at school must be furnished by the parent or guardian and delivered to the school by a responsible adult.
6. All prescription medication must be in the original container labeled by the pharmacy with the name of the student, the name of the prescriber, the name of the medication, and the dosage. The name of the medication and dosage indicated on the label must be identical to the name of the medication and dosage specified in the statement signed by the prescriber.
7. Nonprescription medication must be submitted in the original container and be labeled with the student's name.  The name of the medication and dosage indicated on the label must be identical to the name of the medication and dosage specified in the statement signed by the prescriber.
8. All medication provided to the school must be kept under lock and key.
9. School personnel who are assigned to administer student medication shall receive appropriate training.
10. A record including the type of medication, amount, and the time and day it was administered must be kept for each student receiving medication at school.  The person administering the medication must initial the record each time medication is given.
11. Authorization for administration of medication by school personnel may be withdrawn by the school director after consultation with the school nurse at any time following actual notice to the student's parent or guardian.
12. School personnel who administer medication to students in substantial compliance with the prescriber's written statement are not liable, civilly or criminally, for any adverse reaction suffered by the student as a result of taking the medication or the school's discontinuing the administration of the medication under these guidelines.
13. Elementary students are not to carry or self-administer medication on school premises unless it is expressly ordered by the prescriber and authorized by the parent.  Secondary students may possess and self-administer over-the-counter or prescription medications not to exceed an eight (8)-hour dosage or medications only dispensed in multi dose containers.
14. Unused medication must be picked up by a responsible adult within two weeks following the last dose administered.  Medication remaining at the school after this time should be destroyed.
15. Distribution of any drug or medication from one student to another will be considered Dangerous and Disruptive Conduct and shall be dealt with according to the provisions of applicable policy.

Screenings

Vision and hearing screenings will be conducted by the staff during the school year. Please contact the office if you have questions regarding these health-screening programs. Kindergarten students are legally required to have at least one vision screening before starting school.

Lice

If any nits or lice are found in a student's hair, the student will be sent home. Due to the high transference rate of lice and in order to limit those affected, if a case of lice is confirmed or suspected, Gateway Preparatory Academy reserves the right to discretely check students' hair for evidence of lice. Parents may choose to not have their child's hair checked at school, but must provide a medical check-up to confirm that there is no evidence of infection.