School Health Requirements

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Helpful School Nurse Tips: Did you know that school nurses are responsible for making sure their students have met the compliance for the health requirements required by their state? Read on for some hopefully helpful tips...

What health forms are required for school?

So you landed your dream job as a school nurse; now what? Well, one of the first “things” to do will be gathering and reviewing all of your students state required health forms. These forms are typically a physical exam, dental exam, and even an eye exam. The specific requirements are determined by individual states- check with you state department of health. Most of the required health forms are completed outside of school with a doctor licensed to practice medicine and then turned into the school nurse; but why?

History of School Health Forms

Well, since the late 1800s school nurses have been promoting health among students, their families, staff members, and their communities. Requesting, gathering, tracking student health records is one way school nurses help ensure students are healthy and ready to learn. Although this may seem like a daunting task; it is a task worth spending time on- after you know which students have ongoing health conditions and which ones take daily and/or as needed medications.

Why are health forms required for school?

Many school nurses, students, and parents have wondered and even asked WHY? Why are these forms required? Why do we need to turn them in to the school? Why do you keep calling me about this? Those are all great questions and the easy, short answer is because having student health requirements met not only protects each individual student, they also offer protection to the entire student population.

Since most children attend school, it makes sense that the schools (especially the school nurse) help the states track the compliance of these school health requirements. Since I’ve only worked in Illinois as a school nurse, my specific examples will be based around Illinois. I know each state varies slightly with the requirements, but many are the same; you’ll have to search out specifics for your state.

Staying Organized with Required School Health Forms

Now what? You need to find out what the state health requirements are for students enrolled at your school/s and come up with a plan to track compliance. For me, that means using a Google sheet that I’ve created in addition to running Skyward reports. I also keep my non-compliant health charts in a plastic banker’s box in my office so I have easy access. What does this mean for you? How will you keep track of all of your students? Try something and if it works, great! If it doesn’t work, then try something else, but keep trying until you find a system that works for you and your students. Pre-COVID I strived for 100% compliance every school year and made it! Not the case this school year, but I am still trying to collect needed forms and will keep trying too :)

Using Google Email Templates has been a HUGE time saver! Do you use them?

Email Template Wording Available on TpT

Also, think about how you will store individual student records? I use a hybrid combination of digital (Skyward) but mostly paper copies kept in manila folders. Each student has their own folder complete with a label which has last name, first name DOB and school ID #. I file the most current physical and immunizations in the front and all other forms behind. Check out this DOASN blog post on organizing school health charts HERE.

Hopefully this was a brief and easy to understand explanation.

ILLINOIS REFERENCES:

Illinois General Assembly (Full Article)

https://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=010500050K27-8.1

Illinois General Assembly Codes (Child Health Examination Code, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 665) https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/077/07700665sections.html

Illinois State Board of Education: Health Requirements

https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Health-Requirements-Student-Health-Data.aspx

Each state has rules listing the minimum health requirements students must meet in order to attend school. Try searching your state + school health requirements to locate your specific state school health requirements.

OTHER REFERENCES:

2015 DOASN Lillian Wald Blog Post: http://diaryofaschoolnurse.blogspot.com/search?q=lillian+wald

Complete List of Department of State Health Websites: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/healthdepartments.html

Lillian Wald - Henry Street Settlement https://www.henrystreet.org/about/our-history/lillian-wald/

NASN School Health Documentation https://www.nasn.org/nasn/nasn-resources/professional-topics/school-health-documentation

NCSL State Vaccination Policies: Requirements and Exemptions for Entering School https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-vaccination-policies-requirements-and-exemptions-for-entering-school.aspx

Schools & Health: Our Nation's Investment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK232693/

State School Nurse Associations

https://www.nasn.org/nasn/about-nasn/affiliates

Check out these other popular DOASN blog posts & product links.

Teachers Pay Teachers for The School Nurse

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Hopefully Helpful School Nurse Tip: As a school nurse, knowing how to communicate with teachers is just as important as knowing what to communicate. Use these digital Teacher Tips to keep school staff informed about a variety of health needs in the school setting. Get organized today—you’ll thank yourself tomorrow!

Digital Teacher Tips for School Nurses: Simplify Communication and Educate Staff

But first, let me introduce Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)- one of the most popular online marketplaces with educational resources for teachers and other school staff.

What is Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT)?

Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) is one of the most popular online marketplaces for educational resources. While it was initially created for teachers, it has become a valuable resource for anyone working in a school. TpT offers thousands of affordable, thoughtful, and useful resources available with just a few clicks.

Most items are priced less than a cup of coffee, making it an accessible tool for school staff. Learn more about TpT Most are available for less than a cup of your favorite coffee. Learn more about the Teachers Pay Teachers marketplace HERE.

Products created and used by an actual school nurse!

The School Nurse has been part of the TpT marketplace since May 2014. My goal has always been to share digital products with other school nurses to make their day-to-day routines easier and more consistent across students. Initially, my products were PDF-based, but now most items are available as Google Drive files since my school—like many others—uses Google for almost everything.

The products in The School Nurse TpT store are the same ones I use in my own practice. Of course, I’ve edited out specific school or student details, but the concepts are transferable between schools and states. Even better, the items are editable, so you can adapt them to meet your specific needs. What works for me might be the jumping-off point you need to tackle your next task!

Overview of Teacher Tips Digital Health Information Cards

Digital health information cards were one of the very first products created and posted for sale within The School Nurse TpT Store! Today there are many updated versions of the originals AND many now have editable portions too!

Why Use Teacher Tips Digital Health Information Cards?

One of the roles of a school nurse is to educate teachers and staff about medical conditions they may encounter in the classroom. As the medical expert in the school setting, you have knowledge that others may not, and Teacher Tips cards help bridge that gap.

Teacher Tips cards provide:

Broad health information about a specific condition.
An invitation for staff to ask follow-up questions if they need more details.
A consistent communication tool to educate multiple teachers quickly and effectively.

Teacher Tips cards empower teachers with the knowledge they need to better support their students while freeing up your time for other responsibilities.

How To Use Teacher Tips Digital Health Information Cards

Way back when, I used to print information sheets and hand deliver them to teachers or put them inside their teacher mailbox; I’m dating myself, right?! Now, I include these digital Teacher Tips Health Information Cards within the body of an email message to teachers and/or add them as an IHP attachment in Skyward for a specific student.

Email Communication

The easiest way to share Teacher Tips cards is through email. Since the cards offer broad health information, you can:

Include student-specific details directly in the email body.
Attach the student’s 504 Plan or reference it for more specific information.

Skyward Integration

If your school uses Skyward Student Management, take advantage of its Health module to upload Teacher Tips cards:

Open the student’s profile in Skyward.
Navigate to the Health tab.
Select the IHP (Individualized Healthcare Plan) section and click “Add File.”
Download the Teacher Tips card as a PDF and attach it.
Use the comment box to include additional student-specific details or information you want teachers to know.

This is an excellent tool for grade levels where schedules change frequently, such as middle or high school. Don’t forget to utilize the Health Condition tab in Skyward, too (sign up here for more info on the topic of Skyward!).

Benefits of Teacher Tips Cards

Digital Teacher Tips cards:

Save time by streamlining communication.
Ensure consistency in how health information is shared with staff.
Empower teachers to better understand and support students with chronic health conditions.
Provide editable templates so you can customize the information to your school’s needs.

Closing Thoughts

The items in my TpT store are designed to make life as a school nurse a little easier. They help ensure consistency, save time, and provide valuable tools for educating staff. If there’s a specific health concern or school nursing task you’d like to see turned into a digital resource, drop a comment! Your feedback helps me create products that truly meet the needs of school nurses everywhere.

Ready to simplify communication and enhance staff education? Explore the Teacher Tips Digital Health Information Cards today!

The School Nurse LLC has many free items posted HERE.