Documents and Forms

School Nurses provide the following services within a school setting:

Medication Administration

• Nurses administer regularly scheduled medications to students and can also administer medication on an as-needed basis. Please refer to the medication administration page for more information regarding the medication administration policies and download the required medication administration forms.

Health Assessment

• Nurses provide care to sick or injured students, staff and visitors. They will assist parents with referrals to physicians and other health care professionals, develop nursing care plans for children with chronic illnesses/disabilities, and participate in the team evaluation process.

Mandatory Screening Programs

• As state law mandates, nurses conduct mandatory screenings for vision, hearing, growth, scoliosis, and dental issues. Please click on the mandatory screenings page for more information regarding the screening process and yearly requirements.

Specialized Health Care Procedures

• Nurses provide skilled nursing care services for our students such as catheterizations, glucose monitoring, tracheostomy care, gastrostomy feedings, inhalation therapy, and other specialized health care procedures. If your child has special health care needs, please refer to our students with specialized health care needs page for further information and to download specialized health care procedure forms.

Education and Counseling

Nurses provide individualized parent/student/staff instruction related to health issues and collaborate with school adjustment counselors and other team members as needed. Educational programs commonly provided by nurses include:

• Asthma Education
• Child Development
• CPR/AED and First Aid Training Programs for Staff
• Diabetes Education
• Diet/Weight Management
• Epilepsy
• Food Allergies and Epinephrine Administration Training
• Hygiene and Handwashing
• Oral Health Promotion
• Scoliosis Screening and Treatment
• Specialized Training Regarding the Particular Health Care Needs of a Student
• Sun Safety Awareness
• Tobacco Education
• Universal Precautions Training

Maintenance of Student Health Records

• Nurses ensure that each student obtains state-mandated immunizations and physical exams. Please click on the physical exams and immunization requirements page for more state mandates and assistance with obtaining immunizations and physicals.

Communicable Disease Control

• Nurses always implement universal precautions. In an infectious disease outbreak, school nurses collaborate with local agencies and keep parents informed of any potential illnesses that could affect your child.

The New Bedford Public School’s Health Services Department encourages families to administer medication to students before or after school, if possible. If any medication (including over the counter) needs to be given during the school day, the following documentation must be provided:

• Medication Order completed by a licensed prescriber
• Authorization for dispensing medication form completed by a parent/guardian
  ​​​​​​​Medication will not be given at school without this completed documentation.
• You may obtain copies of these forms by visiting with your child’s school nurse or by downloading the forms listed below:
  • State Regulation Letter for Prescribed Drugs-English
  • State Regulation Letter for Prescribed Drugs-Portuguese
  • State Regulation Letter for Prescribed Drugs-Spanish
  • Medication Order Form (To Be Completed by a Licensed Prescriber)
  • Authorization for dispensing medication form (To be completed by a parent/guardian) -English
  • Authorization for dispensing medication form -Portuguese
  • Authorization for dispensing medication form -Spanish

Please note that medication must be delivered to the school by an adult in its original pharmacy-labeled container. Medications cannot be placed in a plastic bag and brought to school. NO child is permitted to bring their own medication to school or bring it home with them.

Mandatory Screenings

School nurses follow the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s requirements for screening children for growth, hearing, vision, and postural issues.

Vision and Hearing Screening

• Early detection of vision and hearing issues is essential because many vision and hearing deficits can be corrected if they are identified in a timely fashion. Vision and hearing issues can impact a child’s ability to learn in many ways. Poor vision can affect a child’s gross motor development, and hearing issues may affect speech. 
• According to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 71, section 57, students require vision screening “in the year of school entry, annually through grade 5, once in grades 6 through 8, and once in grades 9-12”. Students require hearing screenings “in the year of school entry, annually through grade 3, once in grades 6 through 8, and once in grades 9 through 12”.
• Therefore, New Bedford Public Schools will perform vision screenings on grades K-5, grade 7, and 10. Hearing screenings are done on students in grades K-3, grade 7, and grade 10.
• If you have any concerns, at any time, about your child’s hearing or vision, please contact your child’s school nurse for assistance.
• Parents/Guardians are always notified if their children do not pass the vision and/or hearing screens at school, and nurses can assist you with further referrals and plans for follow-up of abnormal findings.
• Please notify your childs school nurse if you do not wish for them to participate in this screening program.

Postural Screening

• The purpose of postural screening is to identify early signs of spinal problems. Most scoliosis and other spinal issues can be easily treated if they are detected early. Parents are notified before screening so that children are dressed appropriately. Girls and boys are screened separately, and privacy is respected at all times. It is requested that girls wear bathing suit tops under their clothes, a halter top or a sports bra, on the day of the school screening, as this type of clothing facilitates better examination of the back.

Postural screening is done in grades 5-9.

• Any suspicious findings are reported to parents/guardians, and, if necessary, assistance with obtaining a follow-up evaluation by a physician is given.
• If you do not want your child screened for postural issues, please contact your school nurse.

Growth and Development Screenings

• Assessment of a child’s growth and development is an important part of school-wide screening programs. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Comprehensive School Health Manual:
• “Poor growth patterns may result from systemic disorders (e.g., malnutrition, intestinal conditions), psychosocial conditions, congenital disorders (e.g., Turner’s syndrome, intrauterine growth retardation), or conditions of the endocrine system (e.g., hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency). Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia can result in serious long-term health problems and poor school performance. Children and adolescents who are overweight may be at a greater risk for serious health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
• Following Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 71, section 57, New Bedford Public Schools will screen students in grades 1, 4, 7, and 10 for growth-related issues
• Parents will be notified before the screening. If you do not wish to have your child screened, please contact your child’s school nurse.

Other Screenings

• School nurses also conduct periodic dental screenings to assess for dental decay in children and head checks on an as-needed basis for head lice.

Physical Exam & Immunization Requirements

New Bedford Public Schools must comply with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s regulations regarding documentation of physical exams and updated immunization records on all of our students.

According to Massachusetts General Law, physical exams should be performed on students “within one year before entrance into school, or within 30 days after school entry, and at intervals of either three or four years thereafter.”

Therefore, New Bedford Public Schools requires a copy of a recent physical exam on your child upon entry into the school system.

New Bedford Public Schools also requires physical exams in Kindergarten or grade 1 (depending on when your child entered New Bedford Schools) and grades 4, 7, and 10.

Under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 71, Section 57, school nurses may require a physical exam for:

• Children referred because of frequent absences due to unexplained illness
• Children are referred because of known physical defects that require a repeated appraisal
• Children referred from a teacher-nurse conference because the child is not making
  expected progress in school or because of signs of illness noted by the teacher or nurse
• Children planning to participate in competitive athletics annually, previous to such
  participation.

All School-aged children in Massachusetts are entitled to free or low-cost health and dental insurance. No child should be without a primary care provider and access to insurance. If you require assistance obtaining a referral for pediatric care for your child, or you need help with applying for MassHealth for your child, please contact your child’s school nurse.

Immunization Requirements

No child may attend school without documentation of immunizations following the current Department of Public Health recommended schedules. Lack of appropriate documentation of immunizations is a basis for exclusion from school. Please click Immunization Guidelines-ma-school-requirements to obtain the most current school year immunization requirements.

Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements

If a child is not immunized due to medical indications or religious beliefs, they must present written documentation to the school nurse yearly, meeting the standards for medical or religious exemption as outlined in Massachusetts General Law chapter 76, section 15.

In the case of measles, mumps, rubella, and Hepatitis B, laboratory proof of immunity is acceptable if proof of immunization is not available.

In the case of varicella (i.e., chickenpox), laboratory evidence of immunity or a statement signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant stating that the student has had chickenpox disease is acceptable in place of the required immunization.

School nurses make every effort to ensure that all children are immunized before the start of each school year. They send out notification letters throughout the previous school year informing parents/guardians of any required immunizations their child/children will need for the upcoming school year. Parents/guardians need to send all immunization documentation to the school nurse as soon as it is available to avoid unnecessary school absenteeism. If you need help obtaining immunizations for your child, please get in touch with your school nurse. They can assist you with obtaining immunizations in a timely fashion at either a clinic run by the local board of health or through your child’s pediatrician’s office.

• As a parent or guardian of a child with specialized health care needs, it can seem overwhelming to send your child to school for the first time. New Bedford, Public School nurses are well trained in working with children with specialized health care needs and perform many specialized health care procedures on students including, but not limited to: airway suctioning, catheterizations, glucose monitoring, insulin injections, and insulin pump management, tracheostomy care, gastrostomy feedings, inhalation therapy, and other specialized health care procedures.
• Nurses meet with families and develop individualized health care plans tailored specifically to your child’s special health care needs. Nurses will also train appropriate staff members on an as-needed basis on any special issues or accommodations that should be made for your child. Your child’s school nurse may request that you complete the “authorization to release information” form listed below so that your school nurse can speak directly with your child’s health care providers to obtain updated clinical information or medical orders.

Authorization to Release Information Form

• If your child requires any specialized procedures to be performed at school, such as suctioning, catheterization, or tube feedings, an “Authorization for Specialized Physical Health Care Service Procedures” form listed below should be completed by your child’s health care provider and also signed by a parent or guardian.

Authorization for Specialized Physical Health Care Service Procedures Form

• If your child requires the use of medical equipment such as nebulizers, catheters, glucose monitors, oxygen, etc., it is recommended that the nurse keep one complete set of medical equipment at school for your child instead of transporting equipment to and from school regularly.
• If you have any questions regarding your child’s special health care needs, you may contact your child’s school nurse. You may also contact Wanda Nunes, RN, MSN, Denise Wilkinson, RN, MSN, or Melissa Goncalves (508) 997-4511 extension 14432 for further assistance.

• Listed below are some helpful guidelines on when to keep your child home from school.
• If your child has:
• A contagious illness such as strep throat, flu, or chickenpox. Your child’s doctor will
• usually recommend how long your child should remain at home if you are uncertain,
• please call your child’s school nurse.
• A fever within the past 24 hours.
• Been vomiting or has diarrhea.
• Red/pink eyes or has drainage from their eyes.
• Live head lice. Your child must receive appropriate treatment before
• returning to school.
• Please note that this list is a guideline. The school nurse reserves the right to dismiss students who, in her professional opinion, are too ill to be in school.
• To comply with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, section 56, if a child is found to be suffering from disease, injury, or illness requiring treatment, the parent/guardian or emergency contact will be notified by the school nurse, principal, or designee to request dismissal of their child to seek proper care.
• Please report all student injuries and important medical information to the school nurse as soon as possible and notify her if your child will be out of school for an extended period of time.

Important Information to Share with your School Nurse
School nurses look forward to speaking to parents and guardians about any health concerns that they may have regarding their children. Good communication between parents and school nurses ensures the healthiest outcomes for all of our students. Please feel free to contact your child’s school nurse at any time. It is essential to contact your child’s school nurse if:

• There has been a change in your emergency contact information
• Your child has received a new medical diagnosis
• There has been a change in your child’s health
• Your child has been hospitalized
• Your child has been treated for an infectious disease
• Your child has been started on a new medication
• There has been a change in your child’s medication
•  Your child has allergies or has developed a new allergy
• Your child has received a recent injury that requires accommodations for gym,
• transportation, etc.

Your child has been absent for an extended period of time or may require excused
absences in the future for a health condition

• There has been a recent change in your family, such as a birth, loss, or serious illness.
• There has been a change in your child’s health insurance, or you need help with
• obtaining health insurance for your child

Contacting your Child's School Nurse

• You may contact your child’s school nurse by calling the main school system phone number (508) 997-4511 and dialing the following extensions: