All athletes and cheerleaders must submit a sports physical form before practicing or playing with the team.  A school physical completed on the “Certificate of Child Health Examination” form may be used as a sports physical, but a sports physical can not be used as a school physical.

Vision/Hearing Screenings:  Each fall vision screening will be done, as mandated by the state of Illinois, for the following students:  PreK/ECE, Kindergarten, 2^nd grade, 8^th grade, all new/transfer students, all special education students, and any students referred by a teacher.  Hearing screening will be done for all PreK/ECE, Kindergarten, 1^st grade, 2^nd grade, 3^rd grade, all new/transfer students, all special education students, and any students referred by a teacher.  The screenings will be done free of charge by an IDPH certified technician.  Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor.  Your child is not required to undergo this vision screening if an optometrist or ophthalmologist has completed and signed a report indicating that an examination has been administered within the previous 12 months and that evaluation is on file in the student’s health record.  This notice is not for permission to test. 

Head Lice:  Our school has a nit-free policy regarding head lice.  The school nurse may conduct periodic head checks.  Students who are sent home with head lice or nits must be completely free of nits before they return to school in order to reduce the spreading of head lice to other students.  The parent is responsible for arranging with the school nurse a time to re-check the student’s head with a parent present prior to the student returning to school.

Request for Information:  Request for information concerning behavior/health observations from physicians or outside institutions will be processed by the school nurse.  The request for information will be brought to the school nurse.  A location to send the materials and a deadline must accompany the request.  The school nurse will distribute the forms to the appropriate teachers and collect the forms.  The school nurse will send the forms to the appropriate professional for evaluation. 

It's 7:30 am and I'm wondering if I should send my child to school today?  Generally speaking, keep your child at home if he/she has a fever of 100 degrees or more, has vomited or had diarrhea that morning, has not been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, has not been on strep throat medication, pink-eye medication, or other antibiotic for at least 24 hours.  

 My child uses an inhaler.  Can he/she carry it with him at school?  State law permits students to carry their inhaler with them at school, providing that the inhaler has the pharmacy label on it, the school's medication authorization form has been completed by the parent & physician and on file in the school nurse's office, and the inhaler has been checked by the school nurse.  A copy of the Ridgeview "Medication Authorization Form" can be obtained by contacting one of the school offices, the school nurse, or on the Ridgeview website.

 My child occasionally uses over-the-counter medications for a headache or other minor pain.   Can he/she just keep a bottle of that medication in his/her car, or even just run home for some and return to school if needed?  Medication administration at school will follow the prescription and over-the-counter medication policies.  Refer to those links on the Ridgeview website under “Health.”  Students will not be permitted to go to their cars during the school day for medication or go home for medication and return to school for liability reasons.    

 I'm on my way to the doctor's office/emergency room and I don't have Ridgeview's medication authorization forms with me in case the doctor wants my child to receive medications at school.  What do I do?  Ask the office nurse to go to Ridgeview's website at www.ridgeview19.org and click on "Health."  Ridgeview's "School Medication Authorization Form" can be downloaded from there, signed by your physician & a parent, and brought to school with the appropriate medication.

 My student's medication at home has been changed since the beginning of the year.  Does the school nurse need that information? Since the effects of medication taken outside of school are experienced at school, it is recommended that parents/guardians notify the school nurse of medications taken both at home & school.  Potential side effects of those medications can also be monitored.