Scoliosis screening is done on all 9th-grade students. If you receive a letter from us it means that the school nurse has recommended that your child follow-up with their own physician. Please return the referral forms to us as soon as you can. If your child is already under medical care you can notify the school nurse in writing to opt-out.

SBIRT screening for Grade 9 is also done please see nurse for info.

All students are screened for vision and hearing and height and weight for BMI according to Massachusetts State Regulations. These tests are done over a period of time throughout the year as to not impact on the student’s ‘time on learning’. We will send all vision and hearing referral letters home for students that need further evaluation.

Height, Weight, and BMI are done on all students. You can notify the school nurse in writing by September 15thto have your child opt-out of the screening. You will receive a letter in the mail notifying you of your child’s results.

All students are required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts/Massachusetts Department of Public Health to have an up to date physical on file BEFORE the 11th grade. Please have your child bring their recent physical to the health office. Those students that do not have an updated physical on file will be notified.

All students entering 11th grade are required to have a second dose of MenACWY (formerly MCV4).  This must be given on or after the 16th birthday, and more than 8 weeks from the first dose. Students without this vaccine by January 3,2023 will be excluded until proper documentation of administration or exemption has been received by the school nurse. 

For the 22-23 school year, all students entering 12th grade are required to have a second dose of MenACWY (formerly MCV4).  This must be given on or after the 16th birthday, and more than 8 weeks from the first dose. Students without this vaccine by January 3,2023 will be excluded until proper documentation of administration or exemption has been received by the school nurse. 

Students will be given their complete medical record at graduation practice. Please keep this information in a safe place since they may need it for college, military and/or employment. No copies will be kept on file in the health office after graduation.

Information pertinent to the student’s safety or ability to learn in the classroom will be shared with the student’s team and specialists as well as school administrators. All other information will be kept confidential.

Cough drops are considered to be over-the-counter medications by the MA States Regulations.They are included in our OTC Consent Form.  If you would like your child to have access to cough drops at school, please complete the OTC Parental Consent Form and send it in to  your school nurse. 

If your child has been diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy, please notify the school nurse. You will need to provide the completed Allergy Action Plan pages 1-3, to the school nurse. We recommend that you provide TWO EpiPens® for your child in the event that your child needed a second dose of Epinephrine before the ambulance was able to get to your child.

• It is required that all allergy paperwork be completed annually and an EpiPen® on hand to participate in any school field trips.
• If your child’s physician deems your child to no longer have a life-threatening allergy, please bring documentation of this change from your child’s physician to the school nurse.

In compliance with Massachusetts General Law for the safety of our students, this medication policy  will be strictly enforced.

The policy for administration of prescribed medications (a prescription is required for over-the-counter medications) during school hours is as follows:

1. Medication must be accompanied by a MEDICATION PERMISSION FORM signed by both the physician and the parent. A signed physician's order, stipulating specific diagnosis requiring treatment, accompanied by a MEDICATION PERMISSION FORM signed by parent will also be accepted.
2. Medication must be supplied by the parent in the original pharmacy container. Please ask your pharmacist to provide a second container and send only the amount of medication needed to school.  An adult must deliver all medication to the school nurse.
3. Medication is kept locked in the nurse's office and is dispensed by the School Nurse. For their own safety and the safety of other students, students are not allowed to carry medication to or during school.
4. All medication orders must be for treatment of specifically diagnosed medical need and must be renewed at the beginning of each school year.
5. All medication must be picked up by an adult at the end of the school year.  No medication will be stored in the school over the summer vacation. 

Medication Permission Form

 Please note students are not allowed to carry any type of medication with them, either prescription or over-the-counter.

A medication administration plan should be developed with the nurse, including plans for field trips. Parent/legal guardians should retrieve all medications at the end of the school year or they will be disposed of on the last day of school.

If a prescription medication is to be given at school, it must be in the pharmacy bottle with the prescription label attached. Please download and complete the Medication Permission Form. This form must be signed by a physician and the parent/guardian. Please bring the completed Medication Permission Form to the nurses' office with the prescription.

A parent must bring in all medications to the school. By law, students are not allowed to carry any meds on their person at any time with the exception of inhalers and Epi-pens.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are drugs that do not require a prescription in order for you to purchase them.  In the school system, physician orders are required in order to administer OTC medications in the health office.  Our school physician has written standing orders for the medications listed below.   OTC medication will be given based on our current standing orders.  Written parental permission is required for administration.  The OTC Parental Consent Form (linked below) must be completed by the parent for the student to receive any of these medications at school.   A copy of the protocol can be requested.

OTC Parental Consent Form

Topical:

• Hydrocortisone Cream 1%
• Calamine Lotion
• Antibiotic Oitnment (bacitracin)
• Caladryl
• Hand Sanitizer

Oral: 

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• Throat lozenges/cough drops
• Antacid Tablets (Tums)

Physical exams are required by law for all incoming kindergarten, 4th grade, 7th grade, and sophmore students. Physical exams are to be performed by your private physician. Please provide documentation of the physical exam to the school nurse. 

The goal of North Middlesex Regional Schools is to strive for excellent attendance. There are times when your child may not be perfectly healthy, but is able to participate in normal school activities. We would encourage your child to attend on those days. If you feel it is questionable that your child will make it through a full day of school, please send a note in to the school nurse with numbers where you can be reached. The Nurses at North Middlesex Regional Schools have formulated the following guidelines for school attendance.

Please keep your child home from school if they display any of the following symptoms:

• Fever of 100 degrees or more, and until the child has had a normal temperature for 24 hours; without the use of Tylenol, Advil. or any fever reducing medications
• Vomiting or diarrhea during the 24 hours before their return to school
• Uncontrollable cough
• Abdominal pain lasting more than 2 hours
• Rash of unknown cause
• Signs of infection of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, skin or scalp. For example: conjunctivitis or pink eye, open sores in mouth, untreated strep throat, impetigo or open weeping wounds
• If on antibiotics for less than 24 hours for infectious conditions such as strep throat, conjunctivitis or impetigo

Please remember to call the absent line at your child’s school to report his/her illness. Please try to call the absent line early in the morning if your child will be out. 

According to MIAA rules, all students participating in school sports must pass a physical examination within 13 months of the start of each season. Please mail or bring in a copy of your child’s physical, to the nurse’s office and we will notify the coach that we have received the up to date physical.

Sports physicals are offered every spring at the school by the district physician or practitioner.