Nursing Services

The school health offices are staffed full time to provide care to students who become injured or ill while at school. If further treatment is required or a student needs to go home, a parent/guardian will be contacted. Students who are ill or injured must be picked up in a timely manner. 

Parents must have arrangements in place to take their child home or have a designated person who is available to do so. In the event of an emergency, 911 will be called, and student will be transported to the hospital via ambulance.

Updating Emergency Contact Information

Parents/guardians are required to review and update their child(ren)'s contact, medical and emergency information prior to the start of each school year through the Skyward Family Access Center.

Through Skyward, parents/guardians will provide:

• Parent/guardian contact information
• Contact information for another individual that can assume temporary care of a child if a parent/guardian cannot be reached
• Physician information
• Dentist information
• Insurance Information
• Medications
• Health history
• Authorization for Emergency Treatment of Minor
• Permission to administer over-the-counter medication

This information is necessary in order to provide care and to respond in the event of an emergency. 

• All medications should be given at home, if possible. 

• Medication MUST be brought to school by a parent or guardian. 

• District policy requires a doctor's order for both prescription and over-the-counter medications (including herbal remedies).
• Doctor's orders are only active for one school year. A new order is required for a medication to be continued the following year. 
• In addition to a physician order, per District policy, written permission from the parent or guardian must be submitted to the school nurse for the administration of all medications (this includes oral, topical, and inhaled forms of medication during school hours.)
• All medications must be brought to school in the ORIGINAL container.

Cough Drops
All cough drops sent to school MUST be in the ORIGINAL bag with a note from the parent. Cough syrups, dissolving strips, lollypops, and Vitamin C drops are NOT to be sent to school with students.

End of Year
At the end of the school year, all student medication must be picked up by a parent or guardian. Medication left in the health room after the last day of school will be discarded. Medication orders and forms DO NOT carry over into the next school year. They must be updated and resubmitted to the school nurse each year. Forms are available online or from the school nurse.
 

Type 1 Diabetes Information

This type 1 diabetes information was developed pursuant to Pennsylvania School Code (24 P.S. 1414.12), and is for school entities and nonpublic schools to provide to parents and guardians of incoming elementary school students and students entering grade six, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

Type 1 diabetes in children is an autoimmune disease that can be fatal if untreated, and the guidance provided in this information sheet is intended to raise awareness about this disease.

Description

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children and young adults but can occur at any age

• Type 1 diabetes can appear at any age, but it generally appears at two noticeable peaks.
• The first peak occurs in children between 4 and 7 years old. The second is in children between 10 and 14 years old (Mayo Clinic).

Type 1 diabetes affects insulin production

• Normally the body turns the carbohydrates in food into glucose (blood sugar), the basic fuel
• for the body’s cells.
• The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone that moves glucose from the blood into the cells.
• In type 1 diabetes, the body’s pancreas stops making insulin, and blood glucose levels rise.
• Over time, glucose can reach dangerously high levels in the blood, which is called
• hyperglycemia.
• Untreated hyperglycemia can result in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a life-threatening complication of diabetes.

Risk Factors Associated with Type 1 Diabetes

It is recommended that children displaying warning signs and symptoms associated with type 1 diabetes described below, should be screened (tested) for the disease by their health care provider.

Risk Factors
Researchers do not completely understand why some people develop type 1 diabetes and others do not. However, having a family history of type 1 diabetes can increase the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes. Other factors might play a role in developing type 1 diabetes, including environmental triggers such as viruses. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by diet or lifestyle choices.

Warning Signs and Symptoms Associated with Type 1 Diabetes and Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Warning signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children develop quickly, in a few weeks or months, and can be severe. If your child displays the warning signs below, contact your child’s  primary health care provider or pediatrician for a consultation to determine if screening your child for type 1 diabetes is appropriate:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination, including bed-wetting after toilet training
• Increased hunger, even after eating
• Unexplained weight loss
• Feeling very tired
• Blurred vision
• Very dry skin
• Slow healing of sores or cuts
• Moodiness, restlessness, irritability, or behavior changes

DKA is a complication of untreated type 1 diabetes. DKA is a medical emergency. Symptoms
include:

• Fruity breath
• Dry/flushed skin
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pains
• Trouble breathing
• Confusion

Type 1 Diabetes Treatments

There are no known ways to prevent type 1 diabetes. Once type 1 diabetes develops, medication is the only treatment. If your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, their health care provider will be able to help develop a treatment plan. Your child’s health care provider may refer your child to an endocrinologist, a doctor specializing in the endocrine system and its disorders, such as diabetes. Contact your child’s school nurse, school administrator, or health care provider if you have
questions.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About Type 1 Diabetes
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Type 1 Diabetes
Mayo Clinic
Medline Plus: National Library of Medicine; Type 1 Diabetes

 

CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Department of Health | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

PA Navigate | PA Navigate is a statewide network that connects people in Pennsylvania with the health and social care services they need.  It is designed to help Pennsylvanians access community resources more easily.