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Welcome To Student Health Services
The District 205 Health Services Department provides an environment that promotes the well-being, academic success, and lifelong achievement of our students. Our School Nurse’s facilitate positive student responses to normal development, promote health and safety, intervene with actual and potential health problems, and provide case management services as needed.
Some of the more common health services include but are not limited to:
- Provide direct care and professional nursing service such as medications and treatments to students and staff
- Assess the overall system of care and develops a plan for ensuring that student health needs are met. Develops and maintains individual emergency plans
- Provides screenings and referral for health conditions
- Provides physical and emotional safety of the school community by monitoring immunizations, ensuring appropriate exclusion for `infectious diseases and reporting communicable diseases by law
- Provides environmental safety monitoring
- Provides health education by providing health information to students, staff and the parent community
- Provide health promotion and protection, chronic disease management, school wellness policy support, crisis management intervention, emergency medical condition management, mental health protection and intervention, acute illness management, and infectious disease prevention and management
- Serves as a liaison between school personnel, family, healthcare professionals and the community
- Participates as a health consult for all special needs teams to include: Pupil Personnel Services, Individual Educational Planning, and 504 plans.
The primary responsibility for the health of each child ultimately rests with the parent/guardian. The role of the health service is to supplement the efforts of the parents and/or guardians.
The District 205 Nurse’s Duties are performed in accordance with standards of professional school nurse best practice, district and state board of education policies and procedures, Pupil and Personnel Services Recommended Practices and Procedures for School Nursing, and Illinois State law regarding nurse practice.
“You cannot educate a child who is not healthy, and you cannot keep a child healthy who is not educated.”
-Jocelyn Elders, MD-former Surgeon General
Health Requirements
All students enrolled in District 205 must have Health Examination performed within one year prior to the date of entering 9th grade. The examination must be on an approved State of Illinois Certificate of Health Examination form and signed by a physician. The examination must also include a Diabetes Risk Assessment, Body Mass Index (BMI), and a Health History completed by the parent or guardian. Every student must meet minimum immunization requirements administered at the required intervals and to include the following:
- (3 doses) Polio with last dose after age 4
- (3 doses) DTP/DT/Tdap - the last dose given after age 4, and a Tdap given after age 10
- (3 doses) Hepatitis B
- (2 doses) MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) - First dose must be given on/after 1st birthday
- (2 doses) Varicella (Chicken Pox) - First dose must be given on/after 1st birthday (one dose for 12th grade)
- Along with the above requirements, students entering 12th grade must show proof of receiving the Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine after age 16, per Illinois State Board of Education requirements.
The law requires proof of adequate immunization signed by a physician, serologic proof of immunity or a valid medical or religious exemption. If the above requirements are not met prior to entrance of your student your student can be excluded from school by the principal.
Dental and Vision Examinations are recommended but not required for high school entrance at this time.
Medication Administration in School
School District 205, in accordance with The State of Illinois Recommended Guidelines for Medication Administration in Schools, recognizes that, in some circumstances, medication for individual students must be available during school hours. The taking of medication at school is discouraged unless it is necessary for the child to attend school. Parents must make every effort to give daily or regular doses of medication at home. A student may carry his/her inhaler or epinephrine auto-injector, if properly instructed on its use and a medication authorization form is on file in The Nurses' Office.
Guidelines for administration of prescription and over-the-counter medications:
- The school nurse must have a written request from the child’s physician that indicates the name, frequency, dosage, route, and side effects of the medication. In addition, the condition being treated and the length of time the medication is to be administered are to be specified by the physician.
- The nurse must have a written request from the parent to administer the medication as specified by the physician. A verbal or telephone request is not adequate.
- Both types of medication must be either in the container prepared by the pharmacist or the over-the-counter medication bottle. Both containers must include the name and strength of the medication, (the pharmacy label does not constitute a written order and cannot be used in lieu of a written order from a licensed health care provider. When having prescriptions filled, parents should request two containers for home and school.
- Medication orders must be renewed annually and where there is a change
- Medication will be kept in a locked, secure cabinet in the Nurses’ Office. Other than prescribed inhalers or epinephrine auto-injectors, students are not allowed to bring medication to school. If a student is found with medication, it will be confiscated by security. Parents will be given until the end of each semester to pick up medication or it will be disposed of.
Vision and Hearing Screenings
Vision and Hearing screenings are provided annually to District 205 students at the state mandated grade levels. Students routinely screened also include: Special Education, students transferring into the district that have not been previously screened, and teacher requests.
Emergency Services
Thornton Township High Schools District 205 maintains health offices in each of its schools, staffed with fully qualified, professionally licensed registered nurses. Students remaining for after-school activities such as sports are under the supervision of an adult. Professional registered nurses are not on duty after school hours.
When an emergency arises, either during or after school hours, every effort is made to notify parents of the emergency contacts provided. In extreme emergencies and when parents or their designee are not able to be contacted, the student’s health safety may necessitate transportation by ambulance to a hospital.
The district expects every family to provide the school with emergency phone numbers that are up-to-date and accurate. Also, an emergency contact form must be completed annually for each student.
Nursing forms can be found by clicking on the following link:
https://www.district205.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=79
Health Web Links-
Local
Aunt Martha’s Clinics
Cook County Department of Public Health Services
State
All Kids Program - State of Illinois
Illinois Department of Human Services
Illinois Department of Public Health
Other
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Academy of Pediatrics
Name | School | Phone | |
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Melissa Graham | Thornton | graham.melissa@district205.net | 708-225-4179 |
Ayesha Qaadir | Thornridge | qaadir.ayesha@district205.net | 708-225-4478 |
Kenya Moss | Thornridge | moss.kenya@district205.net | 708-225-4479 |
Mary Doggett | Thornwood | doggett.mary@district205.net | 708-225-4778 |
Teressa Kent | District Nurse | kent.teressa@district205.net | 708-225-4090 |
Lisa Harris | Thornton | harris.lisa@district205.net | 708-225-4109 |
Xochitl Rosas | Thornwood | rosas.xochitl@district205.net | 708-225-4779 |
Viola Willis | Outlook Academy | willis.viola@district205.net | 708-225-5867 |