4- Parental Role in Health Services
The family is the main responsible for maintaining and promoting their own health. Parents should keep the Health Unit informed about their children’s health, especially in case of chronic or acute diseases or any other medical oremotional condition that could affect the student's adaptation to the school or/and require special treatment or attention.
This way, the nurse can collaborate with the family to maintain, improve, and promote the good health of their children.
The Health Unit recommends all parents to:
- Please read all letters or emails sent by the Health Unit that inform about contagious conditions in the class and measures to prevent them from spreading.
- Keep the Health Unit informed and PowerSchool updated on all medical conditions, allergies, contagious diseases, medical treatments, etc.
- Keep your children at home if they present signs or symptoms of contagious diseases or sickness, such as fever (37.5 or higher), vomiting, diarrhea, and general discomfort.
- The Health Unit is not authorized to have any medication nor can the nurses administer medication without medical authorization. If your child needs to take any medication during school hours:
- This must be administered by the nurse in the Health Unit.
- The nurses will request a prescription from your doctor that includes the diagnosis and dosage. The prescription must be updated every six months.
- It must be delivered in its original container. According to your doctor's prescription, the medication will be kept in the school for the student's use. Please fill out the Google form with the name of the medication, dosage, and expiration date, and agree
to the terms and conditions.
- Students (MS and HS) and teachers (EYS and ES) are responsible for visiting the Health Unit and taking medicine according to the appropriate schedule.
All students must have their medical records up to date. At the beginning of each school year, the School will send several forms, including the health form. This must be completed even if there are no relevant medical conditions. This information will be available on PowerSchool.
5- Health Unit Rules and Procedures
1. All students from EYS (PK and K1) who require attention at any time of the day should always come accompanied by their teacher or assistant teacher.
2. All ES, MS, and HS students should always come with a nurse pass or note from their teachers authorizing the visit to the Health Unit unless it is an emergency. Students without a pass will be sent back to class to get one.
3. The Health Unit will only attend emergencies during recess or break. Students who would like to visit the Health Unit for any other reason should wait until recess/break is over to get a pass from their teacher authorizing the visit.
4. The school nurses will add all the visits for EYS and ES students in the Power School/Health/Office Visit section. Only these students will receive a Report of Attention (yellow form) to be shown to their teacher and then sent home for their parents if the nurse considers it necessary. Teachers should be responsible for sending the yellow report home through the student folder/backpack. Nurses will call parents to inform them about specific attention if they consider it beneficial for the student. Parents can check the office visit information from their child in PowerSchool at any time using their username and password.
5. A school nurse will add all the visits for MS and HS students in the Power School/Health/Office Visit section. Each student is responsible for communicating the visit to the Health Unit to their parents. If the nurse
considers it important, they will call parents to inform them about a specific visit to the nurse. Parents can check the office visit information from their child in the PowerSchool at any time using their username and password.
6. All students with a fever (37.5 or higher), vomiting, diarrhea, or general malaise will be sent home. The Health Unit does not have medications to be used for these conditions, nor can the nurses administer them without medical consent. The nurses should follow the evolution of the student's condition and inform the school if necessary.
7. Every student sent home by a school nurse will wait at the Health Unit until they are picked up, except for cases where it is not a risk for them or for the rest of the class that the student waits in the classroom. The nurse will contact the parents and coordinate the pick-up. If none of the parents can pick up the student, they can authorize a responsible adult to pick them up, or if necessary, parents can allow the student to leave in a taxi/Uber.
8. Students cannot call parents from their cell phones or other phones for medical reasons. Only a school nurse can send a student home for a medical reason and will request the parents’ pick-up confirmation.
6- Diseases and accidents during school hours
In case of disease:
- Every student who, during school hours, presents symptoms of a disease that requires medication or observation should be evaluated by a school nurse and treated in the Health Unit.
- If the student has a fever (a temperature of 37.5 or higher), gastrointestinal symptoms, excessive pain, respiratory symptoms, or any persistent symptoms, the nurse will contact the parents by phone to inform them of the situation. If there is no answer, the nurse will send an email informing them and requesting the pick-up. Any student sent home sick may return to school when symptoms are under control and when they do not have a fever for at least 24 hours.
- If a school nurse suspects any disease that needs a medical evaluation, they will suggest the parents take them to the doctor or the emergency room. A medical certificate confirming the visit should be sent to healthunit@nido.cl .
- The Health Unit is not authorized to keep medication in the nurse's station, nor can the nurses administer it without a doctor's prescription. In case the student is sick, the parents have the obligation to take the student home to treat them with the appropriate medication. If the student has a pre-existing medical condition, the nurses may treat the student with the medications prescribed by their doctor and provided by the parents in advance.
- In case of a medical emergency that needs medical evaluation, the nurses will call Clinica Alemana’s ambulance service and contact the parents. A school nurse or other staff from Nido will accompany the students to the clinic and stay with them until the parents arrive.
Traumatic Injuries
In case of traumatic injuries:
- School nurses should check every student who has had a traumatic accident at the Health Unit. If students can walk to the Health Unit, they will be evaluated in the office. If they cannot walk or the accident involves trauma to the head, back, or any part of the body that cannot be moved, a school nurse should go and evaluate the student in the place of the accident and move them according to her criteria.
- If a school nurse considers the trauma to be mild –no visible signs of contusion or TEC (bruise, bump, reactive pupils)–, the student will be evaluated in the Health Unit and sent back to their class as soon as they are ready to go with the proper slip informing parents.
- If a nurse considers that the trauma requires observation, rest at home, or medical evaluation, she will contact the parents so the student is picked up at the Health Unit. The student's transportation to the parking lot will be by their own means if possible, or the Health Unit may provide a wheelchair so
parents can transport the student to their car.
- In case of a moderate or severe traumatic accident that needs medical evaluation, a school nurse will provide first aid care and then coordinate the transportation to Clinica Alemana (+56 22 9109911). A school nurse will notify parents about the accident and request them to meet them at the clinic or the school. A school nurse or other staff from Nido will accompany the student to the clinic and stay with them until the parents arrive in case an ambulance or helicopter is used for their transportation.
7- General information
1. The Health Unit is only allowed to keep medications that have natural ingredients that may be used for the treatment of some conditions or to alleviate some discomfort (arnica gel and spray, propoleo/honey pills, artificial tears, digestive herbal teas, menthol lotions, etc.).
2. The school nurses cannot excuse the students from PE classes or any sports activity—only parental permission or a medical certificate excuses the student from that class.
5. As soon as a lice case is reported to the nurses in the Health Unit, we will conduct pediculosis checks in EYS and ES students of the affected class, if necessary. Parents will be notified if a new case is found so the student can receive the treatment at home. Students will not be sent home unless the nurse considers it a severe case. If a student is found with head lice recurrently, he will be sent home until treatment is done. A school nurse will send a memo to all parents in the class/grade affected, informing them about the case and giving the proper information about it.
6. Immunizations are done at school annually for first, fourth, and eighth graders, according to the Chilean Immunization Program. The Cesfam Lo Barnechea and its medical staff take care of the vaccination. The school head nurse will coordinate the permission for each student. Only students with written consent will be vaccinated in the school. Other campaigns for vaccination, such as influenza or Covid, may also be organized by Cesfam Lo Barnechea in the school.
7. The nurses can screen the students' vision and hearing if requested by the teachers or staff. Parents will be informed of the results of the screening, and a checkup with a specialist will be suggested if necessary. Nurses cannot make a diagnosis with the test results.
8. If a student requires any medical supplies or devices (arm sling, hot/cold compress, etc.), the school will lend them according to our availability, and they should be returned when the nurse instructs.
9. The Health Unit can lend wheelchairs during the day if they are available. However, it is the responsibility of the student and their family to provide assistance for their mobility and return the wheelchair in the same condition as when it was lent. In case of long-term need, the student must rent or bring a wheelchair from home since the school cannot lend them for long-term use.
8- Protocols
● Protocol Transportation Injured Students
● Protocol for Epileptic Students
● Protocol for Allergic Students
● Protocol for Care of Students with a Head Concussion
● Protocol for Emergency During Non-Sporting Activities Off-School
● Protocol for Emergency During Sporting Activities Off-School
● Protocol Air Quality
● Protocol for Diabetetic Students
● Protocol for the use of AED
Updated October 2024
