• CDC Centers for Disease Control

• WHO World Health Organization

• NYSDOH New York State Department of Health

Your nurse’s are now using the remind app! This is a free app and an alternative way to communicate with the school nurse via text message throughout the school day.  If you would like to join please email your nurse the best number to contact you at and we will invite you. Contej@Hoosickfallscsd.org   – High School nurse

In an effort to help keep our school community healthy, the district wants to share some reminders:

1. Please do not send your child/children to school with any newly developed symptoms of illness/ COVID-19: (this list is continually being updated by the CDC-Please check their website for updates: cdc.org)

• Fever or chills (100F or greater)

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting, and/or

• Diarrhea

If your child/children has any of these symptoms please do not send your children to school, but contact the attendance office in your child’s/children’s school(s) and contact your child’s primary care physician for further directions. Your child/children will require written clearance from a medical provider or documentation of current negative COVID-19 testing to return to school.

If your child/children or anyone in your household is diagnosed with Covid-19, please do not send any family member to school, and contact your child’s school nurse. You will be advised by the department of health when your child/children may return to school.

2. If your family (individuals living together in the same location) is quarantined for any reason, children may not return to the school building until cleared by the health department.

3. If your physician is considering a Strep infection and a throat culture has been taken. Please do not send your child to school until the results are known. If the results are positive, your child must receive at least 24 hours of the antibiotic before returning to school. Written clearance from your child’s/children’s doctor and documentation of current negative COVID-19 testing before returning to school.

4. When your child/children have been diagnosed with an infection (e.g. pneumonia, bronchitis, strep) and your doctor prescribes an antibiotic, they must receive at least 24 hours of the antibiotic before returning to school. Written clearance from your child’s/children’s doctor and documentation of current negative COVID-19 testing will be required before returning to school.

5. If your child/children has red eyes and eye drainage in the morning or complain of one or both eyes itching and/or feeling sore, please keep them home and consult with your physician. If eye medication is prescribed, he/she must receive at least 24 hours of the medication before they return to school. Written clearance from your child’s doctor and documentation of current negative COVID-19 testing will be required before returning to school.

REMEMBER TO TEACH your child that good hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of disease. Hand washing reduces the spread of disease both to and from the student.

REMEMBER TO CALL your child’s school to report your child’s absence each day that they are out of school with an illness. Please report what symptoms your child is exhibiting.

With your help and cooperation we can make the school year a healthier one for your children. As always if you have any question, please feel free to contact your school nurse.

Parent Guidelines for Decreasing the Spread of COVID-19

What is the risk of my child becoming sick with COVID-19?
Based on available evidence, children do not appear to be at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults. While some children and infants have been sick with COVID-19, adults make up most of the known cases to date.

How can I protect my child from COVID-19 infection?
You can encourage your child to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by teaching them to do the same things everyone should do to stay healthy.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles).

• Launder items, including washable plush toys, as appropriate and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.

You can find additional information on preventing COVID-19 at Prevention for 2019 Novel Coronavirus and at Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities. Additional information on how COVID-19 is spread is available at How COVID-19 Spreads.

Are the symptoms of COVID-19 different in children than in adults?
No. The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in children and adults. However, children with confirmed COVID-19 have generally presented with mild symptoms.
Reported symptoms in children include cold-like symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported. It’s not known yet whether some children may be at higher risk for severe illness, for example, children with underlying medical conditions and special healthcare needs. There is much more to be learned about how the disease impacts children.

Symptoms & Testing

What are the symptoms and complications that COVID-19 can cause?
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

• Fever or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

2020-2021 Immunization Requirements 

The New York State Department of Health has updated immunization requirements for public school children. Download the complete list of the new state immunization requirements (pdf)

Emergency Contact Information

As the school year progresses, the Health Offices face a serious problem in the form of changes in Emergency Card information that are not updated by the parent or guardian. Changes in employment, home phone numbers and addresses, and other persons authorized to give care and provide transportation are vital pieces of information that need to be kept current. If a serious accident or illness occurs and the necessary information is not on hand to inform you of a problem in a timely manner, we will provide emergency care to the best of our ability after we have consulted with the administration. A phone call or note from you helps the Health Office meet the unexpected needs of your child.

The parent is always notified first when a student:

• has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher

• develops a rash of undetermined origin

• is suspected of having conjunctivitis (pink eye)

• shows evidence of head lice

• is suspected of having scabies

• is seriously injured or demonstrates abnormal behavior or symptoms

Conditions 1-5 listed above, which are potentially contagious to other children, are a basis for exclusion from school. A child so infected will be isolated and sent home as soon as possible. The child will not be sent home on a bus. Transportation arrangements will be made with the parent.

Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Information

Influenza, or the ‘flu’, is a severe respiratory illness that is easily spread and can lead to severe complications, even death. To protect your child from getting the flu, the NYS Department of Health says:

• Get the seasonal flu vaccine for yourself.

• Encourage your child’s close contacts to get seasonal flu vaccine, too. This is very important if your child is younger than 5 or if he or she has a chronic health problem such as asthma (breathing disease) or diabetes (high blood sugar levels). Children under 6 months can’t be vaccinated and so need to rely on those around them being vaccinated.

• Wash your hands often and cover your coughs and sneezes. Its best to use a tissue and quickly throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. This will prevent the spread of germs.

• Tell your children to:

  • Stay away from people who are sick;

  • Clean their hands often;

  • Keep their hands away from their face, and

  • Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others.

Download the Seasonal Flu Guide for Parents from the NYS Department of Health: What Everyone Should Know about the Seasonal Flu (NYSDOH website)

Medical Appointments

Please inform your child and your child’s teacher if you will be picking up the child for a medical appointment. If your child has a dental appointment, please do not bring him or her back to school until the Novocain has worn off.

Physicals

New York State Education law requires that a medical exam be done for all students in grades Kindergarten, first (1st), third (3rd), fifth (5th), seventh (7th), ninth (9th) and eleventh (11th) and a health certificate be presented to the district. The Hoosick Falls Central School District does provide this service by the school physician during the school year; however many parents prefer to have their own physician do the exam. A private physician provides the extra benefit of not only consulting with the parent on the child’s growth and development, but also can provide the needed immunizations and follow-up care. A health certificate must be based on an examination completed within the past 12 months. If a health certificate is not provided within 30 days of the start of school, the district’s director of health services must arrange for a health examination consistent with the requirements of Commissioner’s Regulations section 136.3.

Rules for Medication

The School Nurse is frequently asked to give internal medication such as over the counter medications or prescription drugs to children during school. Our Health Services Program functions under New York State Education law. To comply with the law, special procedures established by the State are required if a child is to receive medication during school:

The medication must be delivered directly to the School Nurse by the parent or parent’s designee.

The School Nurse must have a written request on file from the family physician indicating the frequency and dosage of prescribed medication. The prescription bottle label is NOT sufficient.

The School Nurse must also have a written request from the parents on file to administer the medication as specified by the family physician.

These regulations are developed for the protection of all pupils as well as school personnel, and it is hoped that parents will recognize their need and importance in spite of the inconveniences these procedures may cause.