Health Services

Regular school attendance is vital for your students’ academic success.  However, children do get sick.  The district has always asked parents to keep students at home if they are not well enough to participate in school activities not only for their own well-being, but to help prevent the spread of illnesses to others.
 
If your child is experiencing any of the following, they should stay home:

• Fever in the past 24 hours, without fever reducing medication
• Severe cold, runny nose or bad cough (especially if it has kept the child awake at night)
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Chills, Muscle or body aches
• Strep throat and pink eye (until they have been on an antibiotic for 24 hours)
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours
• Your child tests positive for COVID-19

If you are unsure if you should send your child to school, please contact our school nurse.
 

There is no longer a quarantining requirement for an exposure to COVID-19; however, if your child has any COVID like symptoms after a close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please keep them home and test for COVID 19.  Home Kits are available through the school’s Health Office. 

If your child has had a known exposure, they should wear a mask for 10 days and test on day 5.  

If your child does test positive for COVID-19, they are required to isolate for 5 days (1st day of symptoms or day of test if asymptomatic is counted as day zero).  Your child should wear a mask upon returning to school for days 6 -10. 

Resources: 
CDC Coronavirus Factsheet
CDC Coronavirus Factsheet-Spanish
NYSDOH Protect Yourself
Stop the Spread of Germs
Stop the Spread of Germs-Spanish
Talking to Children About COVID-19
Talking to Children about COVID-19-Spanish

Believing that regular school attendance and student success have a direct correlation, the district strongly encourages students to be present every day. Our goal is to have students participate in their education for the mandated 180 days a year, notwithstanding changes in instructional models, from in-person, to hybrid and remote. 

If a student is going to be absent from school, parents/guardians are asked to call or email the attendance/nurse's office by the start of the school day to report the reason for the absence. Otherwise, the school will make a reasonable attempt to contact the parents regarding the student's absence. 

Please refer to your child’s school Attendance pages for school-specific protocols:  High School Attendance Office / Middle School Attendance Office / Little Britain Health and Attendance Office / Round Hill Attendance and Health / Taft Attendance and Health

For more information, view the Board of Education’s Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy

New York state law requires a health examination for all students entering the school district for the first time and when entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. The examination must be completed on the Required New York State Health Form by a New York state licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, and provided to the school within 30 days of the students’ first day of school. 

The following screenings are also required for students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11:

• Vision screening for distance and near vision acuity
• Hearing screening within 6 months of admission to school

In addition, scoliosis screenings are required for girls in grades 5 and 7, and boys in grade 9.  

As part of the health examination, please take the time to review your child’s immunization records with their pediatrician to ensure vaccination requirements for their age and grade are up to date (more about Immunization requirements). 
 
State law permits schools to request an oral health assessment when requesting the health exam. It may be completed by a registered dentist or NYS registered dental hygienist. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s school nurse or pediatrician.

FORMS: 

• View the Required NYS School Health Examination Form
• View Health Information Parental Consent
• View a chart of NYS Health Screening Requirements 
• Visit the NYS Center for School Health website for more information

As per the NYS Department of Health, all students are required to have up-to-date proof of the following immunizations:

DTP or DTap
Pre-kindergarten: 4 doses
K-12: 4-5 doses

Tdap
Pre-kindergarten: N/A
K-12: 1 dose at sixth grade

Polio (IPV or OPV)
Pre-kindergarten: 3 doses
K-12: 3-5 doses

MMR
Pre-kindergarten: 1 dose
K-12: 2 doses

Hepatitis B
Pre-kindergarten: 3 doses
K-12: 3 doses

Type B influenza (HIB)
Pre-kindergarten: 1-4 doses
K-12: N/A

PCV
Pre-kindergarten: 1-4 doses
K-12: N/A

Varicella
Pre-kindergarten: 1 dose
K-12: 2 doses

Religious exemptions removed from vaccination law:

With the worst outbreak of measles in more than 25 years taking place in the United States and outbreaks in New York state primarily driving the crisis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on June 13, 2019, signed a bill into law that immediately removed the religious exemption for school vaccination requirements.

Per the amendment to Public Health Law Section 2164, children who attend child daycare or public, private or parochial school who previously had a religious exemption must now receive their first age-appropriate dose in each immunization series by June 28, 2019, in order to remain in daycare or school. All other children who do not have their required immunizations face a deadline of 14 days from the start of school in the fall for their first dose vaccinations. Parents/guardians of these children must show within 30 days of the first day of school that appointments have been made for follow-up doses.

An annual health examination is required for students participating in interscholastic athletics.  Students wishing to try out, practice or participate in a sports team must have a current health examination on file with the school nurse’s office. A current physical is one that has been completed within 12 months of the month when the sport starts. Prior to the start of the sports season, parents must complete registration and  health history form on Family ID.  This needs to be done for each sport your student competes in. 

Student-athletes who are injured during a sports season must have written clearance from their personal physician before they are allowed to return to regular practices or games.  Students who have been diagnosed with a concussion will need to complete a 5-day return to play protocol administered by the athletic trainer or school nurse prior to return to sport. View the district’s Concussion Management Board Policy #7515. 

Students ages 14-17 may obtain working papers for employment.  Parents/guardians must complete an application, and students must have a valid health examination, dated within one year of the application.  Application for Employment Certificate can be obtained in the main office and will need to be signed off by the school health office. Working papers may be obtained in the main office during July and August.

Students may not carry medications on their person on school premises with the exception of life saving medications (e.g., Epi-Pen and inhalers) accompanied by a physician-signed self-carry order. 

Students who require any medication at school--including over-the-counter items such as Tylenol, Advil, creams, or lozenges--must have a permission slip on file signed by their physician and parent.

In order for a school nurse to administer medication during school hours, be it prescription or over the counter, the following are required by the State of New York:
A written/signed authorization from the student’s physician including name of the medication, dosage and time to be administered;

• A parent/guardian permission to administer the medication;
• Parents/guardians must assume the responsibility to deliver the medication directly to the school nurse in the original, pharmacy-labeled container.
• All medication shall be safe and securely stored for the exclusive access of authorized personnel.
• No student shall be permitted to possess medication on school premises without appropriate documentation for emergency medications provided by the child’s physician. Please contact your child’s school nurse for the necessary forms. 

Authorization form for the administration of medication

If your child is injured during the school day, basic first aid will be rendered as needed. If the injury is extensive, a paramedic call may be necessary to transport the student for medical attention. The nurse will notify the parents/guardians of the incident that day. An Accident Report of all serious injuries will be kept on file. 

School district accident insurance covers students for accidents that occur during school activities. It is non-duplicating coverage, meaning the family must first file with its own health and accident insurance plan. Forms for medical expenses that are not thus covered may be obtained from the school nurse at the child’s school.

Secondary insurance policy

A limited accident insurance covers students during school hours as well as intramural and interscholastic athletics (also PE programs) and is provided by the Board of Education. This policy only supplements your own health insurance coverage. Please be aware that the school coverage is secondary. If you are injured while in school and have medical expenses, they must be submitted through your insurance. For more information, contact your school nurse.
 

Because New York state is interested in data about children’s health, schools are required to keep height and weight data and calculate students’ Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a way of checking for underweight or overweight children based on their height and weight. Every year, the state Department of Health surveys some school districts for the number of students in each of six possible weight status categories, based on students’ age and gender. If the state surveys Broadalbin-Perth, the district will only share group data (for instance, the number of second-grade boys whose BMI is below the fifth percentile); the district will not share individual names or information. Parents/guardians who wish their child’s data to be excluded from such group calculations, must contact their child’s school nurse annually by Dec. 15. More information: Student Weight Status Category Reporting

Faucets and drinking fountains at all schools in the State are mandated to be tested for the presence of lead as outlined in a September 6, 2016 law authorized by Governor Andrew Cuomo. New State health regulations mandate that drinking water in schools throughout the State be tested to ensure that lead levels do not exceed the “action level” of 15 parts per billion.
In 2016, the District had lead testing done in all of its schools. The results of the testing can be obtained by contacting Paul Nienstadt at the number (845)-497-4000 ext. 27111.