Letter From The Nurse
My name is Patty Russell. I am a RN and your Warrior Ridge School nurse. I have four children with three currently in the Warrenton School district and one recently graduating from Warrenton. As a nurse, I will provide first aid, emergency care, administration of daily prescribed and nonprescription medications, vision and hearing screenings.
All medication, prescription and over the counter, must be picked up or dropped off by a parent/guardian. Students, by Warren County School District Policy, are not allowed to carry any medication. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Any medication not picked up the last day of school will be destroyed. Listed below is some important information about when to send your kids to school, immunization information, and head lice information. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 636-456-4311 ext. 6325.
When Should a Student Stay Home
From School?
It is very important that we prevent the spread of communicable disease. Before returning to school:
- Students
should be fever free for 24 hours without use of fever reducing
medications.
- Students should be free of continuous coughing.
- Students should remain at home until 24 hours after the last
episode of vomiting or diarrhea.
- Students should remain home for 24 hours after taking the first
dose of antibiotic for an infection.
Because of all the infectious disease germs around us, it is particularly important to practice good hygiene such as hand washing and to not eat or drink after each other.
Immunizations are available through your private doctor, local resources and the Warren County Health Department. Call 636-456-7474 for information.
Warren County
Health Department
104 W. Main
Room OW23
Warrenton, Mo. 63383
(hours) Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30
p.m.
A parent or legal guardian must accompany the child to any clinic sponsored by the Warren County Health Department to sign the permission form for the immunizations. In the event a parent or legal guardian cannot be present, please call the Warren County Health Department at 636-456-7474. You must also take your child’s updated immunization records with you to the clinic. Employment and services are provided on a non-discriminatory basis.
Head lice can
happen to anyone, clean or dirty, rich or
poor.
The most important fact to remember is that the problem should be
quickly treated because delays will only help to spread the
infestation throughout the community.
The adult female head louse lays eggs (nits), which she glues
to the hair shaft with a tenacious material applied near the root
of the hair. The young lice hatch approximately 10 days later
and emerge as miniature replicas of the adults. In order to
survive, the newborn louse must feed within 24 hours. Under
favorable conditions, the head louse will reach maturity in about
two weeks. During its 20-30 days of life, the female louse
can deposit as many as six eggs per day, so there may be hundreds
of nits in a single infestation.
Head lice are usually transmitted from one infested person to
another by direct contact with the hair. Personal items like
combs, brushes, towels, and bedding are other frequent sources of
contamination. Another common source of infestation is
clothing, such as hats, ribbons, scarves, topcoats, and sweaters,
all of which provide excellent transportation from one individual
to another.
Head lice do
not observe any class distinction: they can
infest anyone and are a problem that is rapidly gaining ground in
all parts of our society. The schoolgirl who borrows a comb,
the student trying on a hat in a shop, children who share a bed, or
the traveler resting his/her head against the back of an airline
seat can fall victim to a head louse infestation.
Head lice are insects, flattened in shape form top to bottom;
they have no wings and do not jump or fly. Their mouths
include a set of six pairs of hooks by which they attach themselves
to the hair shaft. They possess short, stout legs equipped
with large claws for grasping and holding on to human hair.
While they look terrifying when magnified, they actually measure
only approximately one-tenth to one-eight of an inch in length.
Although the lice are difficult to see, they are easy to
recognize, provided you are actually looking for them. One
telltale sign is a persistent itch of the scalp, often accompanied
by infected scratch marks or what appears to be a rash.
Closer inspection, possibly aided by a hand lens, will reveal
small, silvery eggs attached to individual hairs. In checking
the scalp, pay particular attention to the back of the head and the
area behind the ears. Lice live mainly in the area at the
back of the head, although they will occasionally migrate to the
beard or eyebrows.
Lice and their nits can survive (for a time) off the human
host. Even though you may have been successful in eliminating
your infestation, immediate reinfestation is possible or a fresh
infestation of other family members may occur.
If any person in a family, camp, school, or other institution
has head lice, there is a strong possibility that others will
too. The Warren County R-3 School District has adapted the
state recommended "No
Nit Policy" to handle the
head lice problem. You should watch for persistent itching
and check for nits (small silvery eggs that attach to hair shafts)
paying particular attention to the neckline and above the ears on a
regular basis. Should you discover that your child has head
lice DO NOT SEND THE CHILD TO SCHOOL - KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME UNTIL
HE/SHE HAS BEEN TREATED WITH SPECIAL LICE SHAMPOO AND ALL THE NITS
HAVE BEEN REMOVED.
PLEASE BRING YOUR CHILD TO THE NURSE TO BE CHECKED BEFORE RETURNING
TO CLASS.
INFORMATION ABOUT TREATMENT OF HEAD LICE
Special lice shampoo must be used. REGULAR SHAMPOO
WILL NOT WORK. Shampoo can be obtained from your doctor or
pharmacist. Because each lice shampoo is different, follow
the directions on the box. Lice Shampoo only kills head lice and
will not prevent reinfection.
Shampoo child and any member of the family that has evidence
of head lice (Persistent itching, nits on individual hairs or louse
on the scalp).
Remove all clothing before treatment and put on clean
clothing after shampooing. Nits adhere tightly to the hair
shaft. A fine tooth comb may be used to help remove
them.
TO PREVENT REINFECTION IT IS IMPORTANT to care for all articles of clothing, bedding, furniture, etc. that may carry a louse or nit.
-Wash clothing,
bedding, and towels in hot water (120 degrees or above) and dry on
hot cycle. Pillows, blankets and spreads may be put on hot
cycle in the dryer for 20 minutes.
-Combs and brushes may be soaked in hot water (just under
boiling and kept at that heat) for 20 minutes.
-Furniture, mattresses, carpeting, car seats, etc. should be
thoroughly vacuumed and sprayed with special spray for
lice.
-Dry clean coats, hats and other clothing that cannot be
washed.
-Other articles that cannot be sprayed or taken care of in one of
the ways above can be placed in a plastic bag and left for 30
days. Stuffed toys and throw pillows may be handled in this
way. NOTE: The louse may not live for that long but the
nit may survive for as long as 30 days.
-Hot blow-drying also helps prevent
reinfestation.
If you have
questions call Patty Russell, Warrior Ridge Nurse at
636-456-4311 ext. 6325, a toll-free number 1-800-783-1919, or
www.headlice.org.
MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION IN THE SCHOOL SETTING
The Health Services Department of the Warren County R-III School District is dedicated to providing the most appropriate services to the students of the district. Many students are able to attend school because of the effective use of medications in the treatment of illness and disabilities. Some medication regimens necessitate the administration of medication during school hours. Safe and effective administration of medication, therefore, requires adherence to a policy.
Prescription medication will be given by school personnel.
"Over the Counter" medication (including "Tylenol") will be given. It must be sent by the parent, in its original container, with the student's name/grade/teacher on the bottle.
It should not be necessary to give more than one dose of medication per day during a six-hour school day. Most medication schedules can be arranged so that all doses of medicine are taken at home. Exceptions can be arranged with school nurse.
TO RECEIVE MEDICATION AT SCHOOL WE MUST HAVE:
1. Signed, written permission from parent or guardian for the medication to be given.
2. Doctor or health care provider's written signed statement that administration of medication by school employee is necessary. Statement needs to include name of medication, amount to be given, time that medication is to be given, possible adverse reactions and expected effects on learning.
3. Medication must have a pharmaceutical label with (1) child's name, (2) name of medication and instructions as dosage, time, etc., (3) name of doctor prescribing medication and (4) a current date. Your pharmacist can give you an extra labeled bottle to use for medication to be sent to school.
4. Students who require emergency medication, as for bee strings or asthma, should have their medication properly labeled as described above. Specific written instruction must be provided as to when and under what circumstances medication is to be given. THIS INFORMATION MUST BE PROVIDED AND SIGNED BY THE STUDENT'S DOCTOR ANNUALLY.
PHYSICIANS WHO
HAVE EDUCATED THEIR PATIENTS ABOUT THEIR CONDITION, MEDICATION AND
THE USE OF IT, MAY SIGN A MEDICATION AUTHORIZATION FOR
SELF-ADMINISTRATION OF THE MEDICATION. THEN STUDENTS WILL BE
ALLOWED TO CARRY AND ADMINISTER THEIR MEDICATION.
UNAUTHORIZED MEDICATION WILL BE REPORTED TO SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
AND PARENTS.
THE SCHOOL WILL NOT FURNISH ANY MEDICATION OF ANY TYPE. All medication must be brought to school by an adult. Adults will need to pick up excess or unused medications from the health room. Medications not picked up within 1 week after the end of school will be destroyed.
ALL MEDICATIONS MUST BE IN THEIR ORIGINAL CONTAINER
Missouri
Immunization Requirements
Click
here for Medicine Authorization Form
