A child who does not feel well will not do well in school.  Consult your physician if any of the following symptoms occur which may indicate the onset of a communicable disease:  fever, runny nose, watering or discharging eyes, sore throat, swollen glands, cough, skin rash or spots, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.  Children with fevers or experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, untreated pink eye and unidentified rashes should not be sent to school.

It is very important that parents send emergency information and any changes in address, telephone numbers, emergency contact persons, etc. to their child(ren)’s teacher.  The school must be able to contact someone who can take responsibility for your sick or injured child.  Please update this information as changes occur during the year.

Northwoods staff is unable to administer most medications without a completed form 1702 (Parents Request and Physician’s Order Form).  Cough drops are an exception.  If it is necessary for us to administer antibiotics or any other medications to your child during the last days of an acute illness, we can do so provided you send a note making such a request.  In this case, the pharmacist or physician’s label, which must be on the bottle, serves as the physician’s order. 

Cases of head lice may occur in our school community.  Fortunately, head lice do not pass any illness along.  They are not a real health hazard but are a frustrating nuisance.  Some tend to think that only people who are dirty get lice, but head lice can affect children and adults of all socioeconomic levels.

Please be assured that we will take all necessary steps to prevent infestation.  Should a case of lice be reported in our school, we will follow all the steps of our lice policy to prevent any further infestation.  We ask that you read this policy and discuss it with your family.  It is important that all families understand what will take place at school if a case does exist.

If you notice nits/lice in your child’s hair, you must report your findings to the school immediately.  You must begin treating your child at that time.  Your local pharmacist can help you with the treatment.  If the nits/lice are noticed during the school day, your child will be separated from others and you will be contacted to pick up your child, who may not return to school that day.  We reserve the right to enforce a “No Nit Policy” at Northwoods meaning that a child with visible nits, dead or alive, will not be allowed in the classroom.

When a case of lice is reported in a classroom, letters will go home immediately to the parents of the children in that classroom.  The letter will simply explain that a case of head lice has been reported.  It will also discuss what to look for when checking your child.  All students in that classroom will be screened when a case is reported.  We will also screen all siblings of the infested student.  Once three cases of head lice are reported in the school, every child in the school will be screened and letters will go home to all families.  We will also send letters to day care centers.

We ask that you bring your child to school upon his/her return after treatment.  This ensures that you are present when a school official examines the scalp to make sure no nits/lice are present.

We will do our best to maintain confidentiality in all cases.  No child will be made to feel embarrassed or singled out of his/her class.  Our main concern is that all children are healthy, safe and comfortable in their school environment.

We ask that parents periodically check their children at home.  Northwoods will offer assistance to parents who are interested in learning more about detecting head lice.  We also encourage parents to call the school with any questions.

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