Nursing Services

Please contact the school nurse if your child requires care during the school day to manage a health condition. For students with asthma, diabetes, food allergies, and seizures, please see the Nursing Services Forms tab for forms to communicate these needs. For students requiring medication during the school day, please see the Nursing Service tab page for the order form to be completed by your child's medical provider.   

Spring Grove Area School District does not allow food and drinks from outside of the school building to be brought in for the purposes of birthday celebrations and snacks for the classroom. Instead, the Nutrition Services Department provides a convenient and stress-free way for parents to provide food and snacks in the classroom through the Birthday Baskets and Classroom Snacks services.

Both services can be easily purchased using MySchoolBucks and meet the federal Smart Snack nutritional and allergy requirements/guidelines.

If a student is found to have live lice on their scalp, they will be sent back to their classroom, and the parent will be notified. The student may stay in class for the remainder of the day, or the parent may choose to come and pick up their child. The student is expected to be treated at home that day with a medicated shampoo or lotion. Upon returning to school the next day, the student may again be checked for lice if the parent/student desires. If the student has live lice, they may be excluded from school until they have received treatment.

Classroom checks are not performed. By the time a child with an active lice infestation has been identified, they may have had the infestation for one month or more, posing little additional risk of transmission to others. Please see the link below for more information on handling an infestation.  

PA Department of Health Head Lice Fact Sheet  

The school nurse will check height, weight, growth, vision, and hearing during the school year. The extent of the routine screening will depend on the student's grade level. If a parent/guardian or teacher is concerned, the school nurse will follow up with appropriate screening and refer for further evaluation if warranted.

Students who have a temperature of 100 degrees or more, a contagious illness, or have had repeated episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours should not attend school. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. Parents/guardians will be contacted if your child becomes ill or injured at school. For this reason, the current home, work, and emergency phone numbers must be maintained in the main office. Please inform the school secretary whenever your contact information changes. Please refer to the following if you are unsure if your child should attend school today.  

I Need To Keep My Child Home If They Have:

• A temperature of 100 degrees or higher
• Vomited within the past 24 hours
• Had diarrhea within the past 24 hours
• A body rash with itching or fever
• An itchy head active with head lice
• An eye infection or presenting redness, itching, and/or crusty drainage from the eye(s)

My Child Is Ready To Go Back To School When They Are:

• Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, i.e., Tylenol, Motrin
• Free from vomiting for at least two solid meals
• Free from diarrhea for the last 24 hours
• Free from rash, itching, or fever/have been evaluated by a doctor if needed
• Treated with the appropriate lice treatment at home, and the proof is provided to the school nurse
• Have been evaluated by a doctor and have a note to return to school

Before enrollment in our school district, parents must provide an immunization record showing the dates of required immunizations.  

• School Vaccination Requirements
• Requisitos de Vacunacón Escolar

If there are medical or religious reasons a child cannot be vaccinated, call the school nurse for further information regarding exemptions in Pennsylvania.

Medications given at school are limited to those the child requires to improve or maintain student health and participate in the school program. Whenever possible, medications should be administered before or after school hours. The physician and parent must complete a request for the administration of medication form for all prescribed and over-the-counter medications to be administered at school. Please see the Forms tab to print a copy. 

Physical exams are required for students entering into school, grade 6, grade 11, or entering a Pennsylvania school for the first time.  

Dental examinations are required for students entering into school, grade 3, and grade 7. Children transferring from other school systems must submit a dental exam form if the original school does not provide an adequate health record. If your child has received a dental examination, please have your dentist complete the Dental Form and submit it to your child's school office. 

Students who are well enough to attend school are well enough to play outside unless the school receives a note from their medical provider. Please send appropriate outerwear for the season to school with your child.

From the Pennsylvania Department of Health

This type 1 diabetes information was developed pursuant to Pennsylvania School Code (24 P.S. 1414.12), and is for school entities and nonpublic schools to provide to parents and guardians of incoming elementary school students and students entering grade six, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

Type 1 diabetes in children is an autoimmune disease that can be fatal if untreated, and the guidance provided in this information sheet is intended to raise awareness about this disease.

Description

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children and young adults but can occur at any age.

• Type 1 diabetes can appear at any age, but it generally appears at two noticeable peaks. The first peak occurs in children between 4 and 7 years old. The second is in children between 10 and 14 years old (Mayo Clinic).

Type 1 diabetes affects insulin production.

• Normally the body turns the carbohydrates in food into glucose (blood sugar), the basic fuel for the body's cells.
• The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone that moves glucose from the blood into the cells.
• In type 1 diabetes, the body's pancreas stops making insulin, and blood glucose levels rise.
• Over time, glucose can reach dangerously high levels in the blood, which is called hyperglycemia. 
• Untreated hyperglycemia can result in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a life- threatening complication of diabetes.

Risk Factors Associated with Type 1 Diabetes

It is recommended that children displaying warning signs and symptoms associated with type 1 diabetes described below, should be screened (tested) for the disease by their health care provider.

Risk Factors

Researchers do not completely understand why some people develop type 1 diabetes and others do not. However, having a family history of type 1 diabetes can increase the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes. Other factors might play a role in developing type 1 diabetes, including environmental triggers such as viruses. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by diet or lifestyle choices.

Warning Signs and Symptoms Associated with Type 1 Diabetes and Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Warning signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children develop quickly, in a few weeks or months, and can be severe. If your child displays the warning signs below, contact your child's primary health care provider or pediatrician for a consultation to determine if screening your child for type 1 diabetes is appropriate:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination, including bed-wetting after toilet training
• Increased hunger, even after eating
• Unexplained weight loss
• Feeling very tired
• Blurred vision
• Very dry skin
• Slow healing of sores or cuts
• Moodiness, restlessness, irritability, or behavior changes

DKA is a complication of untreated type 1 diabetes. DKA is a medical emergency. Symptoms include:

• Fruity breath
• Dry/flushed skin
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pains
• Trouble breathing
• Confusion

Type 1 Diabetes Treatments

There are no known ways to prevent type 1 diabetes. Once type 1 diabetes develops, medication is the only treatment. If your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, their health care provider will be able to help develop a treatment plan. Your chid's health care provider may refer your child to an endocrinologist, a doctor specializing in the endocrine system and its disorders, such as diabetes. 

Contact your child's school nurse, school administrator, or health care provider if you have questions.

References

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention: About Type 1 Diabetes

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Type 1 Diabetes

Mayo Clinic

Medline Plus: National Library of Medicine; Type 1 Diabetes