What To Do With Sick Kids

If your child is complaining of feeling ill, please take his or her temperature before sending them to school.

School Nurse: Karla Handcock

Phone:             2240 6329

Email:              karlahandcock@cdnis.edu.hk

Important advice from Nurse Karla 

  • DO NOT send your child to school if their temperature is 37.5 C or higher, or if he / she has a cough, runny nose, diarrhea, rash, or is feeling generally unwell.  Unfortunately, one child’s illness can spread to the whole class.
  • DO NOT give your child Panadol, Tylenol, Calpol or a cough suppressant in the morning and then send him / her to school.  Medications only mask an illness and by lunchtime the student will feel unwell again.
  • DO NOT come to school to pick up your child if the nurse has not called you.  If your child calls you and asks to be picked up because he or she is not feeling well, please reconfirm with the nurse.

Please notify the nurse if your child is absent for more than two days in a row or if your child is diagnosed with a contagious illness such as chicken pox, impetigo, herpangina (blisters or ulcers in mouth), or hand, foot and mouth disease.

If your child has an undiagnosed rash or red itchy eyes with more discharge than usual please take him/her to the doctor to be diagnosed before returning to school.

School Nurse Responsibilities

  • Administer first aid to students or staff.
  • Collect and maintain individual student medical records and provide liaison and follow-up with parents and staff.
  • Monitor students who have special medical conditions such as allergies or asthma. Make sure that those students have up-to-date medications at school in case of emergency.  Alert staff to those students who have severe allergies, and who might have an anaphylactic reaction. Educate appropriate staff on use of EpiPen.
  • Assess ill students at school and determine if they should be sent home or stay at school.
  • Administer medication authorized by parents, on the advice of a doctor.
  • Meet with students, families and/or teachers in cases of special medical needs to provide advice and support.
  • Liaise between government clinics and the students regarding programmes such as immunizations or medical and dental care offered in the school or at outside locations.
  • Provide advice, education or teaching support to classes, individuals or families regarding health and hygiene.

 

Sending Sick Students Home

There are times when a child will start to feel ill during the school day. In this situation, the teacher will send the sick child to the nurse’s room. The nurse will assess the child’s condition and decide whether the child is well enough to stay in school or is too ill and needs to go home. The nurse will then call the parents to come pick up their child. If the parents are unable to come to the school, they may ask their domestic helper or other family member to pick up the ill student. The nurse will also inform the teacher and the principal that the student is going home.

In NO CASE should a student call their parents directly and ask to be picked up because they are sick. This is a decision that is made by the school nurse, the teacher and/or the principal. If in doubt, the nurse will call the parents to discuss the situation. If your child does call and ask to be picked up from school because of illness, please phone the school first to confirm this.

Common situations for a child to be sent home are a fever of 37.5 or above, vomiting, contagious conjunctivitis (eye infections), undiagnosed rashes, severe headaches and extreme stomach aches.


Individual Student Medical Records

At the beginning of the year, a medical form is sent home with each student requesting medical information such as allergies, illnesses and medications. On this form the School requests the name and phone numbers of two emergency contacts, other than the student’s parents (i.e. domestic helpers, grandparents, close friends) to be phoned in case the parents are unreachable.

If a child has a medical condition, allergies or is on medication to be given at school, an additional form will be sent home to get further details.

Student Medications

If your child is on medication because of illness, it is advisable that you keep your child at home until he/she has completed the medication and feels well enough to return to school

However, if your child is on medication such as an antibiotic that needs to be given during the school day, your child must bring the medication to the nurse’s room at the beginning of the day. Please ensure that the following information is provided in English:

  1. The name of medication clearly labeled.
  2. Why your child is getting the medication.
  3. The dose (amount to be given).
  4. When the medication is supposed to be given during the school day.
  5. The time that the last dose was given.
  6. The prescribing doctor’s name.
  7. Your signature.

In some cases, students’ medications can be stored in the nurse’s room for students who have conditions requiring prescribed medications. These medications include EpiPens and antihistamines in the case of severe allergic reaction, and ventolin puffers in the case of asthmatic students. Ritalin can be stored in the nurse’s room and given by the nurse at a specific time during the school day if required.

The nurse’s room is well equipped with various medical supplies and equipment. There is an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and Ambu-bag (a self-reinflating bag used during resuscitation) to be used in the unlikely event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. All appropriate staff will be trained on the use of the EpiPen, AED and Ambu-bag.