• AZ Dept of Health Services News Release – Re: Measles January 2015
• AZ Dept of Health Services News Release – Re: Measles January 2015 (Spanish)

Parents, make sure your child is ready for school! You will need to bring your child’s Immunization Record to register your child for school, and again when your child has been promoted to 6th or 9th grade. It must show the complete date your child was given each required shot. If you do not have an Immunization Record or your child has not received all required shots, call your doctor now for an appointment or call the local health department for the date and location of the next immunization clinic.

Before you are allowed to enroll your child in an Arizona School, you must show evidence of the following vaccinations:
SUSD Immunization Requirements
AZDH Immunization Reference

Hearing and Vision screenings are conducted annually at all Sahuarita Schools on the following students:

• Students in Grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
• All students receiving Special Education services or who have been referred for Special Education testing
• Students who are new to the district and who do not have evidence of a hearing/vision screening from the previous school year
• Any student (PreK-12) who is referred to the health office for a Hearing/Vision Screening

IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR CHILD’S HEARING OR VISION SCREENING DONE AT SCHOOL, YOU MUST NOTIFY THE SCHOOL HEALTH OFFICE IN WRITING BY THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL EACH YEAR!

If students fail a vision screening, we will send a Vision Referral form to the parent notifying them and referring the student for an eye exam.

If a student fails a hearing screening, state law mandates that a rescreening be performed in 4-6 weeks. At that time, if a student fails a SECOND hearing screening, we will send a Hearing Referral form to parents notifying them and referring the student for a hearing evaluation, preferably with an audiologist. However, if we suspect a child needs immediate medical attention, we will notify parents immediately regardless of whether it is the first or second screening!

The SUSD Health Offices have partnered with CareDox to provide accurate, real-time, health information for all students. CareDox is a secure web-based student health documentation system that adheres to both FERPA and HIPAA regulations to ensure the confidentiality of your child’s health information. CareDox can be accessed by parents via computers, tablets, and/or smartphones to provide maximum accessibility.

Caredox

SUSD is a “Drug-Free Zone”. All medications must be taken in the health office. This includes non-prescription medication.

• If your child needs to take medication during the school year, it is advisable that they are taken at home, before and after school, whenever possible.
• If you must send medications to school, students MAY NOT transport medications! All medications must be in original packaging with complete labels from the Pharmacy. Parents must complete a Medication Administration Consent form before we can administer any medication.
• For prescription medications that need to be taken both at home and at school, please ask your physician or Pharmacy to divide doses into two bottles. Taking medications to and from school daily is not permitted unless a parent drops it off AND picks it up!
• Prescription medication must be in the original container as prepared by a pharmacist and labeled, including the patient name, the name of medication, dosage, and times to be given. An over-the-counter medication must be in the original packaging, with all directions, dosages, compound contents, and proportions clearly marked. Parent instructions must match pharmacy label instructions.
• All medication administered by school personnel must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). No medications from outside the United States will be accepted. (No medications from Mexico will be accepted).
• The District reserves the right to circumscribe or disallow the use or administration of any medication on school premises if the threat of abuse or misuse of the medicine may pose a risk of harm to the individual student or to a member or members of the student population.
• Parents are responsible for supplying medication, and assuring that student does not run out of medication at school. Parents must also arrange for an adult to transport medications to/from school. Students may NOT transport medications to/from school. Students possessing medications at school may result in seizure of the medication and disciplinary action. School Health Offices must be notified in writing of any changes in medication, dosage, or times or if medication is to be discontinued. All unused medication must be picked up within 1 week of discontinuation and any medications remaining at the end of the school year or it will be destroyed by school health personnel.
• If your child’s medical condition requires they keep an Albuterol Inhaler, Epinephrine Auto-Injector, Diabetes Medications/Supplies, or other “Life Saving” Medications with them at all times, PLEASE SEE SCHOOL HEALTH STAFF! It is recommended that any child whose medical condition requires they keep these medications with them at all times, should also keep backup medications/supplies in the health office so they may always be available to health staff in the event your child is experiencing an emergency.
• Consent to Administer Medication to Students Forms may be obtained in your child’s School Health Office.

State and Federal Laws require that students with Food Allergies or Special Medical Needs Diets have a Medical Statement for Students with Food Allergy, Food Restriction, or Special Needs Diet form on file. This form is completed by a Parent/Guardian AND a Licensed Primary Care Provider/Physician and is to be submitted to the School Health Office upon enrollment or diagnosis and updated any time the child’s prescribed diet changes. If this form is NOT submitted to the School Health Office, then the cafeteria can NOT make accommodations for your child.

If your child has an Epi-Pen for food allergies, please also have your physician complete a Food Allergy Medical Management Plan.

• Please remember to notify your child’s teacher(s) of your child’s Food Allergies, Food Restrictions, and Special Needs Diet
• If your child’s medical condition requires they keep an Epinephrine Auto-Injector, PLEASE SEE SCHOOL HEALTH STAFF! It is recommended that any child whose medical condition requires they keep these medications with them at all times, should also keep backup medications/supplies in the health office so they may always be available to health staff in the event your child is experiencing an emergency.

Please click on the appropriate link below and submit the requested forms to the school health office. Each link provides a Parent Information Letter and all required documents. If your child requires medications at school, Consent to Administer Medication to Students Forms may be obtained in your child’s School Health Office.

• Milk Sensitivity-Intolerance Documentation
• Food Restriction or Special Needs Diet Documentation
• Food Allergies Documentation

If your child has Asthma, Diabetes, Seizures, Cancer, Life-Threatening Insect/Environmental Allergy, Heart Condition, Bleeding Disorder, or other serious or life-threatening condition, please be sure to communicate this information directly to the School Health Office Staff and your child’s Teacher(s)!

If your child has severe Asthma, Diabetes, a Seizure Disorder, or a Life-Threatening Insect/Environmental Allergy, School Health Office Staff will ask parents complete a questionnaire about their child’s condition and provide a Medical Management Plan for the child’s condition which is to be completed by a Licensed HealthCare Provider/Physician. Both documents must be updated at the start of each school year.

• Parent Questionnaires and Medical Management Plans from Licensed HealthCare Providers/Physicians are essential in helping us provide the best care possible for your child’s specific medical needs.
• Please note, it is the parent’s responsibility to provide these forms/documentation annually with appropriate Licensed HealthCare Provider/Physician signatures. Failure to do so means that the health office may not have the proper medical documentation and orders to follow in the event your child is having a health-related problem at school. This means we may need to send the student home from school more often, or even call Emergency Medical Services to treat a problem that may have been otherwise treatable at school if medical orders had been in place prior to the event. Our priority is ensuring your child is safe and healthy at school; however, we need physician orders to care for more serious health problems at school.
• If your child’s medical condition requires they keep an Albuterol Inhaler, Epinephrine Auto-Injector, Diabetes Medications/Supplies, or other “Life Saving” Medications with them at all times, PLEASE SEE SCHOOL HEALTH STAFF! It is recommended that any child whose medical condition requires they keep these medications with them at all times, should also keep back up medications/supplies in the health office so they may always be available to health staff in the event your child is experiencing an emergency.

Please click on the appropriate link below and submit the requested forms to the school health office. Each link provides a Parent Information Letter and all required documents. If your child requires medications at school, Consent to Administer Medication to Students Forms may be obtained in your child’s School Health Office.

• Asthma Documentation 
• Diabetes Documentation
• Seizure Documentation
• Insect-Environmental Allergies Documentation

Guidelines and Procedures to Support Local Wellness Policy

Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies

Nutrition Letter to Parents

Nutrition Calculator

SUSD #30 has developed a Return to Academics Concussion Management Team. The main goal is to ensure that students engage in a safe level of cognitive activity as their brain heals. The team systematically works with the student, family, teachers, administrators, athletic trainers, and physicians to manage symptoms and provide teachers ways to help students recover.

If your child sustains a concussion, you may refer him/her to Sarah Dachtyl, Ph.D., CCC/SLP ([email protected]; 625-3502 x1514) if you would like access to this team.

Does your child- entering or in Grades 6-12th- plan on participating in sports? If so, they are required to submit a valid annual sports physical to their school health office. Sports Physicals are valid for one school year and must be submitted on or after March 1st for it to be valid for the following school year.

Sports Physical Forms may be obtained from the school health offices or printed online. Sports Physical Forms can be completed at your Physician’s Office or other sports physical clinics throughout the area.

• AIA Sports Physical Form 15.7 A Annual Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (parent/guardian signature required)
• AIA Sports Physical Form 15.7 B Annual Preparticipation Physical Examination (physician/nurse practitioner must complete)
• AIA Sports Physical Form 15.7 C Annual Preparticipation Acknowledgement (parent/guardian and student signatures required)

Common Colds and Flu plague schools year-round. They are an unavoidable nuisance, however, teaching your children to cover their cough/ sneeze with their elbows or arm and to wash their hands frequently will help them stay a little healthier. If your child is coughing or sneezing a lot, they may need to be kept home from school. Generally, we do not notify parents that colds and the flu are going around since that occurs all year long.

Other common communicable illnesses to be on the lookout for include Chicken Pox, Conjunctivitis (“Pink Eye”) and Head Lice. You should check your child frequently for signs of these health problems, and if you suspect your child has one, then please DO NOT send them to school! They should be evaluated by a medical professional and receive treatment if necessary before returning to school. If your child IS diagnosed with one of these problems, it is very important that you notify the school so we can monitor for potential outbreaks. Please have your physician write a note about the diagnosis (even if they are diagnosed with another problem) and any treatments needed, and how long a student is expected to be absent.

These nuisances and others are present in very small numbers throughout the school year. When we suspect that a child has one of these health concerns, we do send them home for medical evaluation and treatment. If we see more than an isolated case or any unusual trend of illness, we will notify parents of classmates. Please do not be alarmed if your child says we checked his/her head for lice. We do periodic health concerns, we do send them home for medical evaluation and treatment. If we see more than an isolated case or any unusual trend of illness, we will notify parents of classmates. Please do not be alarmed if your child says we checked his/her head for lice. We do periodic random head lice checks throughout the year, it does not necessarily mean they have been exposed to head lice.

If your child has “eye allergies” it is very important you have your physician write a note that we can keep on file to document this. If we do not have medical documentation, then we do have to send your child home for possible “pink eye” anytime they are red/irritated and have tearing or purulent drainage. And in some cases, even with documentation, we may still send students home if their eyes look like “Pink Eye” as opposed to allergies, especially if other cases of “Pink Eye” have been identified in the school.

ANY UNCOMMON, SERIOUS OR LIFE-THREATENING (OR AN OUTBREAK) OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES WILL BE FOLLOWED UP WITH PARENT COMMUNICATION LETTERS. We work closely with the Pima County Health Department and will follow their guidance on any public health issue’s affecting our schools.

Should you have any questions and/or concerns about whether your child should return to school after an illness, please contact your school nurse or health assistant.

To maintain the health and well-being of your child and other students, the following information may be helpful.

• Mild Respiratory Tract Illnesses - Most children will not need to be excluded unless accompanied by fever or behavioral changes. Students may need to be excluded from school if they have multiple or severe symptoms.
• Flu-Like Symptoms – Students with aching accompanied by fever 100.0 or higher, sore throat, and/or headaches may need to be excluded from school until symptoms resolve or fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications.
• Fever 100.0 or higher – A student having a temperature of 100.0°F or higher and should be kept home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications.
• Vomiting - A student having active vomiting should be kept home until they are vomiting free for 24 hours unless vomiting is caused by a medically documented non-communicable condition. Students with a non-communicable condition may need to be excluded from school if they vomit 2 or more times during the school day OR if they have multiple symptoms of illness which may include fever/diarrhea.
• Diarrhea - A student having active diarrhea should be kept home until they are diarrhea free for 24 hours unless the student is known to have diarrhea from a medically documented non-contagious condition, documented by their medical provider. Students with a non-communicable condition may need to be excluded from school if they have diarrhea 3 or more times during the school day if diarrhea cannot be contained OR if they have multiple symptoms of illness which may include fever/vomiting. 
• Pink Eye - Students with “pink/red” eyes with tearing or purulent drainage should stay home from school and see their pediatrician. If diagnosed with Pink Eye and/or prescribed antibiotics, Students should remain home from school for a full 24 hours beginning with the FIRST DOSE of antibiotics.
• Strep Throat - Students having a “sore throat” with redness, swelling of the throat, and/or white exudates should stay home from school and see their pediatrician. If diagnosed with Strep Throat and/or prescribed antibiotics, Students should remain home from school for a full 24 hours beginning with the FIRST DOSE of antibiotics.
• Other Contagious Infections Requiring Antibiotics - Students should remain home from school for a full 24 hours beginning with the FIRST DOSE of antibiotics.
• Head Lice – Sahuarita Unified School District has a “nit free” policy. Any student who is found to have head lice and/or nits must be excluded from school until treatment is received and all lice/nits are removed from hair with a fine-tooth comb. Students returning to school will need to be checked for head lice/nits before they are permitted to return to class.
• Rash – A student should be kept at home for any suspicious rash or if the rash is accompanied by a fever or behavioral change until a physician has determined the illness is not a communicable disease. 

If a student has a medical condition that causes any of the symptoms outlined above or other symptoms that concern the Health Office Staff, we may request that you provide written documentation from your child’s medical provider. Your child may be excluded from school for any of the above symptoms or other symptoms that concern the Health Office Staff until written medical documentation is provided.

In the event your child is too sick to come to school, please call your school's attendance office as soon as possible to report the student’s absence. Please also notify the attendance clerk of any health problems that are contagious and may “spread” to the rest of the class, so that we may monitor the situation. Please refer to your school for their attendance policies.

ANY UNCOMMON, SERIOUS OR LIFE-THREATENING (OR AN OUTBREAK) OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES WILL BE FOLLOWED UP WITH PARENT COMMUNICATION LETTERS. We work closely with the Pima County Health Department and will follow their guidance on any public health issues affecting our schools.

Should you have any questions and/or concerns about whether your child should return to school after an illness, please contact your school nurse or health assistant.

Most children LOVE to visit the Health Offices. They visit the Health Office for many reasons. Most children come for minor illnesses or injuries such as a tummy ache, mild headache, a small bump, scrape or scratch, or even dress code issues. Some children come because they want to get out of class, perhaps because of a tough subject. With the younger children, they often want to come because “Johnny got to go to the Health Office”. Others just need a little “TLC” (Tender Loving Care).

When a child gets a pass to the Health Office, they will most often be seen by one of our capable Health Assistants. The Health Assistants will evaluate the child to see if they have a problem that can be easily remedied with rest, band-aids, icepacks (the kids LOVE icepacks whether they truly need one or not), a small snack, change of clothes, or even a “pep talk”. Whenever possible, children are returned to class as quickly as possible.

If a child soils clothing, he/she will be given a change of clothing if available, and the child will go to the bathroom alone to clean up and change. If students require assistance cleaning up, parents will be called immediately. Soiled clothing will be bagged and placed in child’s backpack to be brought home and washed. If your child has frequent bathroom accidents, or you do not wish for your child be given our clothing, please keep extra clothing in your child’s backpack and let your child’s teacher know. Most schools appreciate donations of gently used dress code clothing. Schools are also in need of new underwear to give to students in the event of bathroom accidents. Any clothing loaned to your students should be washed and returned to school in good condition.

When a child’s symptoms are out of the ordinary (head injury, facial injuries, etc) or the child appears to be too sick to remain in school, the Health Assistants will call parents and either ask for guidance as to what to do next or request that the student be picked up from school. Sometimes they will refer the parent to take the child to a doctor for further evaluation.

Please remember, Nurses and Health Assistants CANNOT DIAGNOSE children. We can only tell you what we see, and determine whether or not the child is well enough to remain in school. If we suspect that the child MIGHT have a more serious health concern or potentially contagious illness, we may exclude the child from school and ask that the child is seen by a physician for a diagnosis.

Students who are too sick to remain at school will be kept in the Health Office and parents will be contacted to pick up their sick child. Please make sure your emergency contact numbers are always up to date at the school. If you are called to pick up your child, please do so in a timely manner to avoid the possibility of passing illnesses to others.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your School Health Assistant. If you have concerns they are unable to address, please contact the school administrator or district nurse.