Allergies The Board of Education recognizes that pupils may have allergies to certain foods that may be life-threatening, and has developed a policy (5531 – Management of Life Threatening Allergies in Schools) to provide guidance to school personnel and parents. Because of the increasing number of students in our schools with severe allergies to certain foods, we have to continuously examine our procedures for providing food in school. In some cases it has been necessary to curtail the serving of snacks and foods for celebrations. In other cases, we have been able to work with parents to provide snacks that are safe for ALL of the children in the classroom. Your child’s teacher will notify you if there are severe allergies in their classroom. All snacks sent to school for in classroom eating must be from this list.
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Health IssuesAudiometric Screening
Each child in grades K-3, and 7 is given an audiometric screening to assess his/her hearing. The school nurse will notify you if your child has hearing difficulty. Health Examinations Upon entering kindergarten, students are required to present evidence of a physical examination by their private physician. This physical must be done after January 1 of the kindergarten registration year. This examination shall include all immunizations necessary to enter school. Every student must be examined upon entry into the school district. This examination must be done no more than 365 days prior to entry and must state what, if any, modifications are required for full participation in the school program. The district Board of Education must notify parents/guardians of the importance of obtaining subsequent examinations at least once during each of the student’s developmental stages. In Little Silver, it is requested that all pupils in grades 4 and 7 have a complete physical administered by a physician or nurse practitioner. The results of that physical should be sent to the school nurse. The school physician shall provide athletic physicals, if requested. Height and Weight The height and weight of each child is recorded annually during the visual and auditory screening. Visual Screening The Keystone Telebinocular is used annually to test all students for distance and near vision. Referral notices are sent home if a child has a vision problem. If your child receives follow-up treatment as a result of this referral, please notify the school nurse. Scoliosis By law, every NJ Board of Education must provide scoliosis screening of every student between the ages of 10 and 18. The goal of this mass screening program is early identification, because curvatures can often be controlled if detected early. Students diagnosed with scoliosis should be under the care and supervision of a family health-care provider or clinic. Referral to an orthopedist or orthopedic clinic may also be indicated. Screenings must be conducted by a school physician, school nurse, physical education instructor, or other school personnel properly trained in the screening process or by the students’ family physician. Immunizations The following must be provided before school starts in September:
Parents do have the right to opt out of the new requirements based on religious convictions or medical necessity. In order to get a medical waiver, your child’s doctor must certify in writing that the immunizations would harm your child. To obtain a religious waiver, you must certify in writing that the vaccination will “conflict with the pupil’s exercise of bona fide religious tenets or practices.” You cannot avoid the vaccinations based only on philosophical or moral grounds. For more information on vaccine-preventable diseases, or the new vaccination requirements for your entering sixth grader, you can visit the website of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services at http://www.nj.gov/health/cd or the Federal Center for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/nip. The new state administrative code requirements can be found at http://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/chap13.pdf. If you have questions, contact your child’s doctor. You can also call the Family to Family Health Information Resource Center at the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network at 800-654-SPAN x 110. SPAN is partnering with the Pediatric Council on Research and Education (PCORE), the foundation arm of the American Academy of Pediatrics-New Jersey Chapter, on their Adolescent Immunizations Community Partnership. To find out more about PCORE, go to http://www.njpcore.org/about.html. |