Health

Student Absence Line: We are back to school! Please leave symptoms when a student is ill it is very important, this is partially how I track illness at school. If a student has been to a doctor and diagnosed with an illness, please leave that information. I check to see if multiple students are ill at the same time, with similar symptoms, and may be in the same classes or grades. If we are aware of potential contagious illness we can try to prevent spreading it further among our students!
* Certain illness require students to stay home a specific amount of time to prevent spreading it, if you have any questions after your student has been diagnosed please call me.
* All students should stay home until 24hrs fever free (with no fever reducing medications), and 24hrs without vomiting or diarrhea. It is also a good idea that students have a regular meal at home without diarrhea to make sure the illness has ran it's course.

Announcements:

Vision/Hearing Screenings:  Each fall vision screening will be done, as mandated by the state of Illinois, for the following students: PreK/ECE, Kindergarten, 2nd grade, 8th 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, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd 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.

Behavioral Assessments:  Request for 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. ( An example of these are Vanderbilt assessments for ADHD)

Immunization data is reported to ISBE by November 15th  annually. If you require this data please make a request directly to ISBE.  105 ILCS 5/27-8.1, amended by P.A. 97-910, eff. 1-1-13.

Frequently Asked Questions:

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 by clicking the link on the left side of this page.

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.