Responsibilities

The school nurse’s responsibilities include:

• Providing leadership in promoting personal and environmental health and safety by managing communicable diseases, monitoring immunizations, and providing consultation and health-related education to students and staff to promote school health and academic success;
• Providing quality health care and intervening with actual and potential health problems through health screenings, health assessments, and nursing interventions, including the development of health care and emergency care plans to enable students to safely and fully participate in school;
• Providing case management services to direct care for students with chronic health conditions in order to ensure their safety and increase their access to the educational program; and
• Collaborating with school and community-based resources to reduce health-related barriers to student learning, improve access to health care and develop school-community partnerships to support academic achievement and student success.

As a general rule, the parent or sponsor will be notified by the school administrator or school nurse if a child has:

• Any illness or injury that causes concern or inability to participate in school activities;
• Eye, ear, or teeth injuries;
• Head injury;
• Second- or third-degree burns;
• Severe pain;
• Sprains or possible fractures;
• Temperature greater than or equal to 100 degrees Fahrenheit;
• Vomiting or diarrhea; and
• Wounds that may require stitches.