School Nurse

For the safety of all students, all medications, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, must be stored in the school clinic. Students may not carry medication on their person unless it has been approved as an emergency medication.

Students may carry and self-administer the following emergency medications with written authorization from both a parent/guardian and the student's physician:

• Insulin
• Asthma rescue inhalers
• Epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens)

All prescription and over-the-counter medications must:

• Be accompanied by a completed Medication Request Form
• Be submitted to the school nurse
• Be brought to school by a parent or guardian whenever possible

Controlled substances, including many medications prescribed for ADD/ADHD and certain prescription pain medications, must be delivered directly to the clinic by a parent or guardian and signed in upon arrival.

To help prevent the spread of illness, students should remain home when they have symptoms of a communicable disease. Students should be symptom-free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school, unless otherwise directed by a healthcare provider.

Students should stay home if they have:

• A fever of 100.4°F or higher
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• An unexplained rash accompanied by a fever
• Red, draining eyes
• Open or draining skin lesions
• Head lice or nits until appropriate treatment has been verified

Students may return to school when they:

• Have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication
• Have been free of vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours without medication
• Have completed any required treatment for a communicable illness
• Meet Plano ISD and local public health guidelines

In some cases, a healthcare provider's note may be required before a student may return to school.

Plano ISD follows guidance from local public health authorities and district health services to help protect students from communicable illnesses.

When a student exhibits symptoms of a contagious illness, the principal and school nurse will work together to determine whether the student should be excluded from school.

If a student is sent home for health reasons:

• A parent or guardian will be notified.
• The parent or guardian is responsible for arranging transportation home.
• A healthcare provider's note may be required before the student returns to school, depending on the illness.