School Nurses Support Student Success

School nurses advocate for all children to promote optimal health. They provide health expertise to the entire school community. In addition to providing first aid and assisting students with medications, they conduct health assessments including vision and hearing screenings, participate as the health specialist on the IEP Team, provide health education on a wide variety of topics to all ages including parents and staff, provide health counseling and wellness programs for the school staff, acts as a liaison between home, school and the medical community, and help control communicable disease spread by assuring immunization law compliance. They also work with other school personnel to assure a school environment that is safe and conducive to learning.

All of our current nursing staff members are licensed to practice nursing in Ohio. To reach the nurse assigned to your child’s school, call the school office.

Additional Resources

    Medications at School

    If your child will be taking medication at school during the year, a Physician Request to Administer Medication form must be filled out and returned to the main office along with the medicine. All prescription medications require a prescriber’s signature. Visit the Family Resources page to locate the form for prescription medications.

    Students may not carry prescription or non-prescription medicine on their person. The exception to this rule involves students carrying their rescue inhalers and/or emergency Epi-pens. Please telephone the district-wide nurse (419-698-6000) or the nurse in your building to discuss criteria for self-carrying these two medications. State law requires that a Physician Request form be completed and signed by the prescriber and the parent.

    The school does not provide Tylenol, Advil, or other pain or fever reliever to students. If your child needs to take a non-prescription medicine on a regular or occasional basis, bring in the medicine in its original container. Visit the Family Resources page to locate the Non-prescription medicine form. Non-prescription medication does not require a prescriber signature.

    All medicine must be accurately labeled with the child’s name, medication and dosage instructions. The medicines are kept in a locked cabinet and administered from there. We attempt to keep accurate records of medication dosing with a log for each individual student. Remember that NO medication may be taken at school without a signed permission form.

    All medication must be collected by the parent/guardian at the end of the school year. Any meds left after the 15th of June will be destroyed, this includes epi-pens and inhalers. No medications may be held over for use the following school year. A new medication form is required each school year.

    Healthy Start & Healthy Families

    Healthy Start & Healthy Families offer free or low cost coverage to families, children and pregnant women. Coverage includes: doctor visits, hospital care, pregnancy related services, prescriptions, vision, dental, substance abuse, mental health services and much more. HS&HF are Medicaid programs administered by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. This insurance can be obtained free or at minimal cost by completing an application that is available at 1-800-324-8680 or from your school nurse

    Download Application Here.

    Physical Exam

    All kindergarten students as well as students entering school for the first time must submit a current medical examination report. This form must be completed by a licensed physician or certified nurse practitioner, dated not previous to one calendar year of entrance to school. In Oregon, we will provide the form or the medical practitioner may use their own.

    Download Physical Form Here

    Dental Exam

    It is recommended that all students have a dental examination within one year prior to entering kindergarten or school for the first time. A form is provided for the convenience of the dentist or dental clinic.

    Download Dental Form Here.

    Emergency Medical Authorization Forms

    It is imperative that the EMA be completed and returned to the school office annually. School personnel, including the nurse use these forms daily. The information you provide allows us to contact you or your designee in the event of an incident or medical emergency. Please provide reliable, current, local contact numbers for yourself and at least one or two other adults that can be reached during the school day in the event that you cannot be contacted. This form also allows you to inform us and/or Emergency Medical Services of any medical/health issues concerning your child. Without contact information and current health data, serious problems could potentially occur in the event that your child is injured or becomes ill at school. Asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, allergies, mental health issues, medication (taken at school or home), and cardiac problems are only a few of the medical issues affecting our students. This information must be provided annually to keep our records current about the things your child may be facing.

    EMA form for students in grades K-8

    EMA form for students in grades 9-12

    Specific Medical Conditions

    If your child has a diagnosis of diabetes, asthma, seizure disorder, or an allergy/food allergy please click on the appropriate button to print an Emergency Action Plan for that diagnosis. We ask that you, together with your child and health care provider review and complete the plan and return it to the nurse at school. Together we can work to ensure your child’s health and safety.

    Visit the Family Resources page to locate forms for diabetes, asthma, seizure disorder, and allergy/food allergy.

    Hearing and Vision Screening

    Annually the district-wide school nurse conducts hearing and vision screening. Usually done in October at the elementary level, the nurse screens all 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders for both vision and hearing. Kindergarten students are evaluated prior to entry, during Spring Kindergarten Screening week. The 7th grade students are traditionally screened for vision during schedule pick up in August. Any teacher or parent having a concern can request that their child be screened throughout the school year. Vision screenings performed at school are designed to assess a child’s vision clarity. Screenings may also pick up certain eye conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus (wandering eye). However, screenings are not designed to take the place of an annual eye exam as they cannot detect all eye conditions and may even miss some common problems. Children grow rapidly and their vision may change along with the growth. Waiting for your child to have symptoms or complain of vision difficulties may waste valuable time. Financial assistance for Vision Care may be available if your child is not enrolled in Medicaid or any other vision insurance program or the family income is no greater than 200% of the Federal Poverty level (i.e. $40,000.00/year for a family of 4).

    Important Telephone Numbers
    • Mercy Health Center at OCS 419-696-5533
    • Toledo-Lucas County Health Department 419-213-4209
    • Shots-4-Tots 419-213-4121
    • Healthy Start, Healthy Families 1-800-324-8680
    • Diabetes Youth Program 419-480-1796
    • NWO Lung Association 1-800-231-5864
    • Epilepsy Center of NWO 419-867-5950
    • Dental Center of NWO 419-241-6215
    • Bay Park Community Hospital 419-690-7900
    • Emergency Dept. 419-690-7911
    • St. Charles/Mercy Hospital 419-696-7200
    • Emergency Dept. 419-696-7500

School Nurses