HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION: The Health Office is open during classroom hours. It is staffed by two Registered Nurses, a School Social Worker, and a Clerk. Students with any physical or emotional health problem may come to the Health Office with a written pass from his/her teacher. The parent/guardian will be called if the student needs to go home. When picking up an ill student, the parent or guardian must come into the Health Office to sign the student out. If a student goes home due to illness, he/she may not return the same school day. Current emergency information MUST be on file at the school so that parents can be notified promptly in case of an accident or illness involving their child. No student will be released to any person not listed on the emergency card. Parents are encouraged to update their emergency information using the Home Access Center.
Required Readmits
Conditions that require students to readmit through the Health Office with a doctor’s note, are as follows:
A student returning to school with stitches, cast, crutches, brace, splint or sling.
A student returning to school after an injury, surgery, hospitalization, contagious illness, a mental health emergency.
A student returning to school after an absence for any prolonged illness which is defined as more than five days. Parents must inform the Health Office for any absence days due to long term hospitalization, Drug/Alcohol Treatment Facilities, Eating Disorder Treatment Facilities, and Mental Health Facilities.
Immunizations
New students will not be enrolled unless a written immunization record, provided by a physician, previous school or the health department, is presented at the time of enrollment and immunizations are up-to-date. Students who require additional vaccine doses or who lack a written record are not allowed a grace period. The immunization status of all students will be reviewed periodically. Those students who do not meet the State guidelines must be excluded from school until the requirements are met. Students who have been exposed to a communicable disease for which they have not been immunized may be excluded from school at the discretion of the health department.
A doctor, because of a medical condition, may exempt a student from some or all immunization. See the school nurse for details.
Physical Examinations
Students enrolling for the first time in secondary schools are encouraged to provide the school with a report of a recent physical examination. Forms for this purpose may be obtained from the school nurse and the GHC website under Athletics.
Each student in grades 9-12 planning to try out for or participate in interscholastic athletics must pass a yearly physical examination by a licensed physician to comply with school policy and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Athletes will receive instruction for meeting the requirements from the coach and/or Athletic Director. Athletes are strongly urged to have this examination by their private physician. The completed form, signed, dated and stamped by a licensed physician, is to be returned to the school nurse for review at least 48 hours before tryouts. Approval by the school nurse is required before a student may participate in tryouts, practice and/or competition. A physical must be completed yearly for continued participation in athletics.
Screening of the student's vision and hearing, and for scoliosis will be done at the school site in accordance with state mandates. Parents/guardians will be notified of any findings in these mandated screening tests that require further attention. A parent/guardian may submit a statement in writing, signed by the parent or guardian, stating that he/she will not consent to a physical examination of his child. This will exempt the child from any physical examination, but whenever there is a good reason to believe that the child is suffering from a recognized 69 contagious or infectious disease, he/she shall be sent home and shall not be permitted to return until the school authorities are satisfied that any contagious or infectious disease does not exist.
Medication
Students may not carry or use any medication, including over the counter or prescription, at school without a written physician's order and parent/guardian consent and until cleared through the Health Office. It is the policy of Granada Hills Charter that any pupil who is required to take medication prescribed (prescription or over the counter) during the school day may be assisted by the school nurse or designee when the school receives:
- A written statement from the physician stating the method, amount and time that the medication is to be taken and
- A signed consent of the parent or guardian of the pupil. The required form is available in the Health Office or on the GHC website under Health Office Forms.
School staff, other than Health Office personnel, is not permitted to administer any medication at any time, with the exception of the emergency administration of epi-pens for severe allergic reactions. Students are allowed to carry and self-administer asthma inhalers and epi-pens for severe allergies once the required paperwork is received by the school nurse. A student’s parent/guardian is responsible for picking up any remaining medication at the end of the school year. If left in the Health Office after the last day of school, the medication will be destroyed.