Health Services

Immunizations Information | When to Keep Your Child at Home | Health Forms | Screenings | Medications | Body Mass Index Information

Immunizations Information

Children attending day care and pre-K to Grade 12 in New York State must receive all required doses of vaccines on the recommended schedule in order to attend or remain in school. This is true unless they have a valid medical exemption to immunization. This includes all public, private, and religious schools. A medical exemption is allowed when a child has a medical condition that prevents them from receiving a vaccine.

• 2024-25 Immunization Requirements for Schools (via NYS Department of Health)
• Information about NYS School Immunization Requirements (via NYS Department of Health)

There are no non-medical exemptions to school vaccine requirements in NYS.

Back to top

When to Keep Your Child at Home

Checking on your child’s health/wellness every morning is beneficial for keeping a safe environment at school. If your child/a child in your care is feeling unwell, we ask that you keep the student home. When ill symptoms are present, we ask that you keep your child out, until the student has been free of ill symptoms for 24 hours.

Keep your child at home for treatment and observation for the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Vomiting (even once)
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
• Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough
• Nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
• Complaints of sore throat; pain when eating or drinking
• Red, itchy/painful eyes, especially if accompanied by drainage
• Unknown rashes

Please contact your nurse’s office if you are unsure whether you should keep your child home.

COVID-19:

The district is no longer isolating/excluding students with positive COVID tests from attending school. If student is fever free for 24 hours without medication and symptoms are improving, the student may attend school.

Our offices do still carry at-home rapid antigen tests. Please reach out if you are in need of a test.

Back to top

Health Forms

New York State schools are mandated by the Commissioner of Education to require each student enrolled in a public school to have a satisfactory health examination conducted by the student’s family physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner upon the student’s entrance into Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten and grades 2, 4, 7, 9 and 11.

Access all health exam forms on the Forms, Plans, & Notifications page.

If your child will be entering a mandated grade in the fall, you are required to provide the district with a copy of a physical exam within 30 days of the start of the school year. This physical cannot be any more than 12 months old. If your child plans to play a sport, this exam will serve as a sport’s physical too. The Required NYS Health form should be completed by the student’s family physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner.

A dental certificate which states a child has been seen by a dentist or dental hygienist is also asked for at the same time. A list of dentists and registered dental hygienists who offer dental services on a free or reduced cost basis is available from the school upon request. Communication between private and school health staff is important for safe and effective care at school. Health care providers may not share health information with school health staff without a parent or guardian’s signed permission. Parents are asked to talk to their child’s healthcare provider about signing a consent form for the school at the time of the child’s appointment for the examination.

Back to top

Screenings

The following screenings are also required for students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11:

• Vision screening for distance and near vision acuity
• Hearing screening

In addition, girls in grades 5 and 7, and boys in grade 9, will require scoliosis screenings.

If our office notices any concerns with the routine screening, we will reach out to parents/caregivers and notify them that the child needs to follow up with a physician for further evaluation.

Back to top

Medications

The following is the policy for the administration of medication(s) at HCSD:

1. Prior to the administering of medication (including over-the-counter medication, creams, or lozenges) to any student, the school nurse shall have on file a written, signed authorization from the student’s physician.
2. Prior to the administering of medication to any student, the school nurse shall have on file the authorization by the student’s parents/guardians.
3. All medication shall be stored in a safe and secure fashion to assure that only authorized personnel have access to such medication. Medications shall be delivered directly to the school nurse by the student’s parent/guardian.
4. No student shall be permitted to possess medication on school premises without appropriate documentation provided by the child’s physician.
5. All medications must be in the originally labeled pharmacy bottle.

Access the Permission to Administer Single Medication Form on the Forms, Plans & Notifications page.

Back to top

Body Mass Index (BMI) Information

As part of a required school health exam, a student is weighed and his/her height is measured. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index or ‘BMI.’ The BMI helps the doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range, or is too high or too low. Recent changes to New York State Education Law require that BMI and weight status group be included as part of the student’s school health exam. Our school district has been selected to take part in a survey by the New York State Department of Health. We may be reporting information about the weight status groups for students who were in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and in grades 2, 4, 7 and 10 during the school year. Only summary information will be sent. No names and no information about individual students are sent. However, you may choose to have your child‘s information excluded from this survey report.

If your child is in one of the grades which will have BMI information reported on the state survey, and you do not wish to have your child’s weight status group information included in the survey, please submit a letter to the school nurse stating this. If you have any questions, contact the school nurse for more information.

Back to top