Important – Consent Needed for School Health Services

Under Texas Senate Bill 12, the school nurse and staff must have written permission from a parent or guardian before providing a student with any health-related services—this includes things as simple as checking their temperature or giving first aid. The only time care can be given without written consent is in a life-threatening emergency. Parents are asked to complete the annual Health-Related Services Consent Form to ensure their child can receive care when needed. You will find this form on FOCUS

Medication at school

If your student requires medication at school, you will need to have their doctor fill out and sign a form allowing trained school personnel to administer the medicine at school. This is required for ALL types of medication, including over the counter medication such as pain medication and allergy medication. You can find the form for medicine HERE or the form for Epi-pen/Benadryl administration HERE.

Please make an appointment to see the nurse and bring the signed form with your child’s medication to school. You also need to make sure you sign the form.  DO NOT send medicine to school with your student. You can contact the School Nurse, Kelli Davis at 469-593-2048 or 

kelli.davis@risd.org to set up an appointment or if you have any questions. Leftover medication will need to be picked up by the end of the school year. 

Medication Guidelines

All medications to be given at school must be accompanied by a “Parent/Physician Request for Administration of Medication” form. A separate form must be completed for each medication. A new form is required at the beginning of each school year and any time medication dosages are changed. Please contact your school nurse to obtain medication forms.

What medications can be given at school?

• Only those medications which cannot be given outside of school hours will be given at school.
• Home remedies, plants, herbs, vitamins, supplements, and other non-FDA approved treatments may notbe administered in the school setting.
• The school will notadminister expired medication or medication at a dosage that exceeds the recommended maximum dosage in the Physicians Desk Reference.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) medications: Can be given at school (when accompanied by the medication request form) for up to 10 consecutive school days without a doctor’s permission. After the 10 days, doctor’s permission must be obtained to continue to take the non-prescription medication at school.
• School personnel must administer OTC medications according to the age/weight instructions on the package/bottle.

How should medications be transported to and from school?

• All controlled medications (e.g., Ritalin, Codeine, Tylenol 3) must be transported to and from the school by the parent or guardian. These medications will be counted upon arrival at the clinic. Documentation of the counts will be made with the parent and RISD staff.
• For student safety, parents/guardians should transport all medication (controlled and non- controlled) to and from school. Do NOT send medications in student lunches.
• Any unused medication that is not picked up from the clinic within 2 weeks after the last prescribed dose will be destroyed.
• The school can accept no more than a 30-day supply of medication at a time.

Acceptable containers and labeling for medication

• All medication brought to school, including over-the-counter medication, is required to be in the original, properly labeled container. Medications brought in a baggie or tissue, or out of their original container, will not be administered at school. If there is a change in the medication dosage a new pharmacy label must be obtained for the medication bottle.

Where are the medications kept while at school?

• All medications are to be kept in a locked cabinet in the school clinic.* The school nurse, health aide, and RISD personnel designated by the principal and trained to dispense medications will distribute all medications. The district will take reasonable measures to store medication at ambient room temperatures unless refrigeration is required. Parents must take home medications during school breaks to avoid exposing medications to extreme heat or cold. *Emergency anaphylactic medications are stored in a secure, but unlocked location per legislative requirements.

A student may self-carry and self-administer an inhaler or Epi-Pen only after a Parent/Physician Request for Self-Administration form has been completed by the parent and the physician."

Severe Allergies

If your student is severely allergic, please reach out to the School Nurse before the school starts so we can put accommodations in place and make sure your student is safe here at school. You can contact School Nurse, Kelli Davis at 469-593-2048 or kelli.davis@risd.org.  

Special diets/dietary restrictions

If your student has dietary restrictions and will be eating school cafeteria food, their doctor must fill out and sign a dietary request form together with your signature. Please submit this form to the School Nurse as she will also have to sign it and submit the form to Richardson ISD Special Diets. It will take a few weeks before the cafeteria system is updated, and they will be notified of your students’ dietary restrictions. The School Nurse does not have access to update the cafeteria system. Please pack your student's lunch while you wait for the system to be updated. If you do not submit a formal request, there is no guarantee that your student will be served cafeteria foods that are guaranteed free from allergens (including processed at a facility free from allergens).

You can find the special diets form HERE

The school is not responsible for foods brought in from outside sources, such as cookies, donuts, cupcakes or other students' school lunches. 

School meals are found HERE 

Temporary accommodations/needs

If your student has any restrictions or special accommodations due to illness or accidents (crutches, concussions etc.) Please provide the nurse with guidelines for restrictions/ accommodations from your student’s doctor. We want to make sure your student is safe while they recover. In some cases, a 504 plan might be required. The councilors oversee the 504 plans. 

Medical conditions 

If your child has a new diagnosis, allergy or medication, please notify the school nurse so that she can update the record on your child and best support your child.

If your student requires other accommodations at school due to a chronic medical condition, please contact the School Nurse so that accommodations and support can be in place for your student's medical needs. 

Clinic traffic

The clinic gets very busy daily with ill, injured students and students with other medical needs. School Nurse, Kelli Davis will notify you if needed. We will assess all students and contact parents when needed. Students are not to contact parents themselves for pick up when ill. ALL students who are ill will be dismissed through the clinic and parents will be contacted by clinic personnel. If you require us to notify you of your student’s clinic visits due to a medical concern, please let us know. 

Immunizations

Texas state law requires all students to be compliant with their immunizations or submit an updated Affidavit of Exemption every 2 years. Please make sure that you provide the School Nurse with an updated immunization record if you have not already. We will contact you if your student needs additional vaccinations and please make sure this is taken care of promptly. You may send vaccination records to kelli.davis@risd.org. 

You can find information about immunization affidavits of exemption HERE. 

Flu Prevention

The flu virus infection can spread quickly. Simple actions can prevent the spread of illness. Read more HERE.

Pediculosis (Head Lice)

Head lice are not a public health threat; they do not carry disease. Students with head lice do not need to be excluded from school and should begin treatment as soon as possible. If your student is symptomatic (itchy scalp) and you need assistance screening/treating your child for lice, please contact the nurse. 

Additional information from the CDC regarding prevention and treatment of head lice is available at https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html 

Please let us know how we can help in caring for your student!"