School Immunization Requirements and Resources

The Proper Way to Cough and Sneeze

The step to disease prevention is to wash your hands frequently with soap & water or use hand sanitizers if no access to a sink. Also, you can prevent the spread of germs by watching a video about the proper way to cough and sneeze online from your home. Your children will be shown this video also at school. Click on the link to watch this short funny video and learn the polite and proper way to cough and sneeze!

Drink Up and Stay Hydrated!

Next, encourage your child to stay well hydrated during the day by drinking enough fluids. Up to 60% of our body weight is made of water and brain tissue is made up of 85% water. Water is important for all major functions in our body and not drinking enough to replenish your body’s water content will lead to many problems. The first few noticeable symptoms of dehydration are: a headache, followed by fatigue and an inability to focus and think clearly, and constipation. Students are allowed to get a drink from the water fountain during their bathroom breaks. However, I encourage that you send your child to school with his/ her own water container so that they can drink when they feel thirsty while in class. Please remember to write their names on the water bottle. Click on the link to learn more about keeping everyone in your family well-hydrated.

Concussions Facts

A bump, a blow, or a jolt to the head, how serious is it? Learn more about the signs and symptoms of a concussion, when to seek medical attention, and how to get better.

Bites, Stings, Poison & Drugs Information

Call Banner Health Poison Control Hotline 24/7:For poison emergencies or questions, call toll free:1-800-222-1222.If you are in Arizona and have an out-of-state cell phone, dial (602) 253-3334 to reach the poison center

Safe Snack Guide

Commonly Available Snacks Free of Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Eggs

Bike Safety

Important safety tips from Department of Transportation like wearing a proper fitting helmet and riding with the flow of traffic to keep you and your loved ones safe when riding your bikes.

Hearing and vision testing will be conducted annually for the students that fall into the following criteria:

• All preschool, kindergarten, first, third, and fifth grade students
• Any students new to the Deer Valley Unifed School District
• Any students that have failed a hearing exam in the past year
• Any students that is repeating a grade
• Any students that have an IEP or 504

     Also, the school nurse will test a student for hearing and vision per request by the student or student's parent/guardian, a teacher, the school nurse, the school psychologist, the speech therapist, a doctor or specialist, or the district audiologist. 

     Please let Nurse Ann know if you have any questions about these guidelines for hearing and vision screenings.

• Social distancing and monitoring the amount of people in the clinic at one time
• Asking only the person/s needing vaccine and or only one parent or guardian to accompany children. Everyone else is asked to remain outside of the Immunization Clinic while practicing social distancing.
• Ask families to maintain social distancing while waiting for your appointment
• Cleaning the area and items between families
• Asking families to avoid coming to the immunization clinic when you or your child is sick with COVID-19 symptoms, which may include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

• their own pen
• the immunization record for the person being vaccinated
• the insurance card if available

State laws and school district policy strictly regulate how any medications are given at school. When it is necessary for the nurse to dispense medication to a student during school hours, the following requirements must be met: 

 Medication: In compliance with ARS 15-344 and ARS 32-1901, over-the-counter medications are not available in the Health Center.  Tylenol, ibuprofen, Calamine, Neosporin, topical or oral Benadryl, cough drops, antacids or any like remedies are not stocked. Students are not permitted to have medication in their possession at any time without a specific prior written arrangement with the nurse.

 Prescription medications must be in an original prescription container labeled for the student with a current date. The label must state directions that coincide with the request being made by the parent. 

Over-the-counter Medications needed by students during the school day must be checked in to the Health Center by a parent/guardian.  Requests must be in agreement with the manufacturer’s directions or have a superseding physician’s order.  Herbal preparations must have a doctor’s order.  It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to pick up any unused or discontinued medications promptly from the health center.  At the end of the school year, any medication remaining in the Health Center will be discarded.

 Students are not to carry medications at school—not on their person or in their backpack or lunch box unless they have prior approval. Inhalers or Epipens are usually kept in the health office but some students may need to carry it in their backpacks if the following conditions are met: Medication must be kept in original container with pharmacy label at all times and Medication Administration form completed and on file in health office. Also, the "permission to carry inhaler" form should be signed by parent & school nurse and should always be kept with student's medication in the backpack.

Please read carefully the following information concerning the nurse’s office. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact me. As the school nurse, I hope to provide our students with a healthy environment so that our students can learn.

If a student needs medication while on a field trip, the medication must be furnished by the parent and given to the teacher prior to departure for the field trip. A signed field trip medication form must accompany the medication. The medication must be provided in the original container with only the number of doses needed for the field trip. Medications such as tablets and capsules cannot come from the school nurse’s supply. The school nurse cannot legally direct anyone other than another nurse to give medications.

PE Excuses: Students requesting to be excused from P.E. must bring a note signed by their parent to the Nurse. The Nurse will then write an “excused from P.E.” pass for the student to take to P.E.  Any request for an excuse for three or more PE classes must be accompanied by a Physician’s written order. All injuries requiring any type of orthopedic support or device on campus must be reported with a medical excuse and cleared through the Health Center.  

Hand Washing and Illness Prevention

Students, did you know that hand washing is the single most important thing you can do to prevent from getting sick? If everyone routinely wash their hands, particularly before and after certain activities, we would have a lot less students missing school. It is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. Hand washing is so easy and simple to do and requires only soap and water and if you don’t have that, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

So when do you wash your hands?

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After handling pet food or pet treats
• After touching garbage or dirty shoes

Here are the easy simple steps of washing your hands clean:

• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Another way to keep from spreading germs is cover your cough and sneezes. Do you cover with your hands? Let’s hope NOT! Cover your coughs and sneezes in your shirt sleeves. Your hands touch many surfaces and we don’t want the germs on your hands to contaminate surfaces that are shared by other people around you….surfaces like the doorknobs, the telephone, the computer, your desk, and so on. If you are already washing your hands regularly, keep up the good work!! Remember that routine hand washing should be an automatic everyday habit. You’ll be thankful that you do it and thankful for those that do the same.

Question:  Can carrying a heavy backpack cause back pain?

The answer is yes.  Carrying a backpack that is too heavy or carrying a backpack improperly can strain your muscles, cause pain in your back, neck, and shoulders, and also can cause poor posture.

How do you know if your backpack is too heavy?  If you are struggling to get the backpack on or off and you are leaning forward to carry your backpack, it might mean that it’s too heavy.  Most doctors and physical therapists recommend that kids carry no more than 10% to 15% of their body weight in their packs. 

How do you know if you are carrying the backpack properly?

1. Have one student carry the backpack correctly balanced on both shoulders using 2 wide padded straps and waist straps- The pack should rest evenly in the middle of the back and not sag down to the buttocks.
2. Have one student carry the backpack with straps really long and backpack hanging down past their lower back- To compensate, a child may bend forward at the hips or arch the back, which can cause the spine to compress unnaturally. The heavy weight might cause some kids to develop shoulder, neck, and back pain.
3. Have one student carry the backpack with only one strap on one shoulder- student may end up leaning to one side to offset the extra weight. They might develop lower and upper back pain and strain their shoulders and neck.

The solution: 

• Lighten the load- don't tote unnecessary items, remove items if too heavy
• Use and pick up the backpack properly, don’t forget that when you are carrying a heavy backpack, it’s harder to get in and out of vehicles.  Put the backpack in the car first before you climb in. 
•  Remember to talk to your teacher and your parents if you are having any back/shoulder pain if you think it’s related to carrying heavy backpacks and how to best lighten the load.

For more information about the proper way to carry a backpack, please visit KidsHealth.

Please encourage your student/child/ or children to be seated upright when eating and not to be distracted.  Encourage them to eat slowly, take small bites, and fully chew and swallow their food before talking or laughing.  If you pack a lunch and send it with your child, please avoid food items that could be difficult to chew or which could possibly cause choking.  Encourage them not to eat while walking, running, or engaging in other activities.  Encourage them to avoid children’s games that involve catching a food item in the mouth or putting large amounts of food into the mouth. Eating in the cafeteria should be fun and social, but eating in the cafeteria is a privilege.  For those who misbehave or fail to follow these directions, cafeteria privileges may be revoked.

Did you know? Your skin is the largest organ of your body. We take it for granted, don’t we? Yet it works hard, holding everything together, literally! When we’re hot, it excretes sweat to help cool us off. All of the millions of nerve endings in our skin send us signals that tell us about the world around us. But our skin can give us trouble when we fail to protect it from injury from the sun.

Too much sun can weaken your immune system. While the incidence of many cancers is falling, the incidence of Melanoma, deadly Skin Cancer, is rising faster than four of the most common cancers combined. In the U.S., one person dies every hour from Skin Cancer. The sun can cause eye damage like cataracts and melanomas of the eye area. Always wear wrap-around shades that fit close to your head with UV protection. Save your face with a wide-brimmed hat. Sun damage makes you look old before your time. Check the expiration date on your sun screen. Apply it to all exposed skin when outdoors. Re-apply if sweating heavily and/or in/out of water. Skin is about 70% water. Keep your skin and your insides in good shape; drink plenty of water.