HEALTH INFORMATION

• General Health Reminders

• Documentation Needed For Middle School

• New COVID, Flu, RSV guidelines

• Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan

• Asthma Action Plan

• Annual Health Form

• Backpack Awareness Page 1

• Backpack Awareness Page 2

• Concussion Fact Sheet For Parents

• Food Allergy Management & Education

• Head Lice - Public Fact Sheet

• Norovirus-Key Facts

• PANDAS

• The Flu- A Guide For Parents

Stay home when you have symptoms of any respiratory illness, like flu COVID-19, and RSV. Staying home when sick helps prevent the spread of germs.

Sick Calls

If your child is going to be absent, please call the school secretaries at 508-634-1590. If your child is absent for 3 days or more due to illness, please notify the school nurse. Please notify the school nurse if your child will be absent due to injury or hospitalization. If your child is seen by a physician while out of school, please ask for a note for school and the absence will be excused.

Immunizations

Most students are all up to date on vaccines during middle school until 7th grade. The Department of Public Health mandates that students may not enter 7th grade without the vaccines listed below.

Required vaccines to enter 7th grade:

Hepatitis B -3 doses

Tetanus/Diptheria- 1 booster dose of Td (this is the one that most students need)

Measles/Mumps Rubella- 2 doses of MMR

Meningococcal/ Meningitis

Varicella - 2 doses (chicken pox)

Recommended Vaccines for 7th graders

Hepatitis A- 2 doses

HPV- 3 doses

Please review the above requirements with your physician. Documentation of compliance must be in the health office by the first day of the 7th-grade school. These can be either mailed, faxed to 508-634-1576 or emailed to gfarquharson@mursd.org.

Physicals

Massachusetts state law requires all students to have a current physical on file prior to entering 5th grade. Please send a copy of your child’s most recent physical (within the 4th grade year) to the nurse’s office by the first day of the 5th grade school year. We understand that many children are seen during the summer months for their annual physicals. If this is the case, you may mail a copy of the physical to the school over the summer.

A sports physical is required for all school sports teams.  The physical must be submitted prior to tryouts or the first practice in order to participate.  The physical must be dated with 13 months prior to the start of the sport.  If a physical expires during the season then a new physical must be submitted to continue participating.   

Physicals can also be faxed to 508-634-1576 or emailed to gfarquharson@mursd.org.

Medications

All prescription medications must have a signed order by a physician, nurse practitioner, or dentist to be administered at school. Students may have Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Tums with their parent’s permission only. Cold and cough medicines will not be given at school. All medications, including over the counter must be hand delivered to the nurse by a parent.  Students are not allowed to carry medication. (Other than an Epipen or inhaler with physician orders.) All medication must be kept in the school nurse’s office.

Screenings

The following screenings are mandated by Mass General Law;

Grade 5 : Vision and Scoliosis

Grade 6: Scoliosis only

Grade 7: Hearing, Vision, Height, Weight and Scoliosis.  

Grade 8: SBRIT (substance abuse interview), Scoliosis

Screenings take place at various times during the school year. Parents will be notified when screenings take place, not just scoliosis screenings.  Students may be excluded from screening by submitting a note from parents and physician documentation that they have recently had the screening.