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Nurse / Medical

School Nurses:  

Ball Elementary School - Michelle Lowy, RN, besnurse@bcsd5.org

Chatham Elementary School - Lisa Whitten, RN, cesnurse@bcsd5.org

Glenwood Elementary School - Emily Kwedar, RN, PEL-CSN gesnurse@bcsd5.org

Glenwood Intermediate School - Paige Ruyle, RN, gisnurse@bcsd5.org

Glenwood Middle School - Crystal Douglas, RN, gmsnurse@bcsd5.org

Glenwood High School - Ashlee Leahy, RN & Jaimie Miller, RN, ghsnurse@bcsd5.org

 

State of Illinois Medical Requirements for School-Age Children

Parents may access their student’s health records via Skyward in the browser setting in the Health Info tab. Next to your student’s name in the Health Info window, there is a “Display Options” menu where you can see the dates of vaccinations, dental exams, physicals, etc. 

CDC and IDPH Required Vaccinations Schedule

Medical Requirements for Pre-Kindergarten

Medical Requirements for K-12 Students Transferring to BCSD

 

Medical Requirements for Kindergarten

  • PHYSICAL - An Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination must be completed within one calendar year before beginning the Kindergarten school year. The exam must include up-to-date immunizations and medical history completed and signed by the parent. Sports physical forms do not meet this requirement. 

  • VACCINATIONS - Kindergarten students must submit full vaccination records. Please consult the CDC and IDPH School Required Vaccination Schedules for more information. 

  • VISION EXAM - Kindergarten students must submit a Vision Examination, completed by an Illinois Optometrist, before October 15 of the current school year. Vision exams may be completed within 12 months before the start of the school year.

  • DENTAL EXAM - Kindergarten students must submit a Dental Examination, completed by a licensed dentist, before May 15 of the current school year. Dental exams may be completed within 18 months before the May 15 deadline

 

Medical Requirements for 2nd Grade 

  • DENTAL EXAM - 2nd grade students must submit a Dental Examination, completed by a licensed dentist, before May 15 of the current school year. Dental exams may be completed within 18 months before the May 15 deadline.

 

Medical Requirements for 6th Grade

  • PHYSICAL - An Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination must be completed within one calendar year before beginning the 6th grade school year. The exam must include up-to-date immunizations and medical history completed and signed by the parent. Sports physical forms do not meet this requirement. 

  • VACCINATIONS - 6th grade students must submit documentation of one dose of Tdap/DTaP vaccine and one dose of MCV4 (meningococcal conjugate vaccine) vaccine on or after the 11th birthday

  • DENTAL EXAM - 6th grade students must submit a Dental Examination, completed by a licensed dentist, before May 15 of the current school year. Dental exams may be completed within 18 months before the May 15 deadline

 

Medical Requirements for 9th Grade

  • PHYSICAL - An Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination must be completed within one calendar year before beginning the 9th grade school year. The exam must include up-to-date immunizations and medical history completed and signed by the parent. Sports physical forms do not meet this requirement. 

  • DENTAL EXAM - 9th grade students must submit a Dental Examination, completed by a licensed dentist, before May 15 of the current school year. Dental exams may be completed within 18 months before the May 15 deadline. 

 

Medical Requirements for 12th Grade

  • VACCINATION - BEFORE the start of the 12th grade school year, students must submit documentation of two doses of MCV4 vaccine (meningococcal conjugate) vaccine with the last dose received on or after the 16th birthday. Only one dose is required if the first dose was received on or after the 16th birthday. Please note that the MCB vaccination (meningitis B) is now being recommended. It is not a required vaccination for school.

 

Sports Physicals

Students involved in athletics through the school must submit a physical examination each year. A physical for athletic participation may be submitted on a Certificate of Child Health Examination form with the interscholastic sports box marked yes, or on an Illinois Sports Physical form. Sports physical examination authorizations are good for 395 days from the date of the exam. Students will not be permitted to practice or participate in sports if they do not have a current physical on file at the school.

 

Medical Waivers

  • A waiver may be submitted in place of an eye exam by completing the State of Illinois Eye Examination waiver form.

  • A waiver form may be submitted in place of a dental exam by completing the State of Illinois Dental Examination waiver form.

  • Medical Objection: A statement from the MD, DO, APN or PA indicating that an immunization is medically contraindicated is acceptable and needs to be attached to the student’s physical exam form. In case of a disease outbreak, the student may be excluded from school for 14-21 days.

  • Religious Objection: Religious exemption for immunizations requires an Illinois Certificate of Religious Exemption to Required Immunizations and/or Examinations Form completed by the parent and student’s MD, DO, NP, or PA and must be dated within one year prior to the first day of school. In case of a disease outbreak, the student may be excluded from school for 14 to 21 days of school. Parents or legal guardians who are requesting a religious exemption to immunizations or examinations This form must be updated for students entering kindergarten, sixth, or ninth grades.

 

Vision and Hearing Screenings

Vision and hearing screenings are conducted annually for all students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Any student referred by a teacher or parent/guardian will also be tested. 

  • Annual vision screenings are mandated per IDPH and ISBE for preschool, kindergarten, 2nd grade, 8th grade. In lieu of the screening services required, a completed and signed report form, indicating that an eye examination by a doctor specializing in diseases of the eye or a licensed optometrist has been administered within the previous 12 months, is acceptable. 

  • Annual hearing screenings are mandated per IDPH and ISBE for preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade. In lieu of the screening services required, a completed and signed report form, indicating the child had an ear examination by a physician and an audiological evaluation completed by an audiologist within the previous 12 months, is acceptable.


 

These screenings are not a substitute for a complete examination by a physician. If your child has had a vision and/or hearing exam at a physician’s office within the past school year, please submit an exam form to your student’s school nurse. If an exam is on file at school, your child will not be required to undergo screenings.  Parents will be notified if the student fails a screening and given a referral form to seek further assessment by an audiologist or optometrist. For further information or questions, please contact the school nurse.

A parent or legal guardian of a student may object to hearing or vision screening tests for their children on religious grounds. If a religious objection is made, a written and signed statement from the parent or legal guardian detailing such objections must be presented to the local school authority. 


Illness and Injuries

​Ball Chatham School Nurses are available during school hours for emergencies and daily health or wellness needs. Children who do not feel well or become injured are directed to the nurse’s office for evaluation. The nurse will determine if the child needs to be sent home or if they can remain at school. 

If your child contacts you from their cell phone or via email asking to go home, please instruct them to visit the building’s nurse before committing to coming to pick them up. The school nurse will assess your student and call you to discuss your student's symptoms and associated assessment findings. It is the goal to limit missed instructional time if a child is medically able to remain at school. 

Guidelines for Keeping Children Home from School

  • Student has had a fever of 100 degrees or higher within the past 24 hours. A student must be fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours before returning to school.

  • Student has vomited within the past 24 hours

  • Student has had diarrhea within the past 24 hours

  • Student has a persistent cough or chest congestion

  • Student has a rash of unknown origin

  • Student has red swollen eyes that are draining, painful, and/or itching

  • Student has been prescribed antibiotics for a contagious illness such as strep throat or pink eye. The child needs to have been on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.

  • Student has head lice

 

Medical PE Waiver Policy

A student must present a physician’s note to the nurse to be medically excused from PE.  A note from a parent will be honored for one day only. A note from an administrator or nurse shall be honored for up to one full week.  After that time, a licensed physician’s excuse shall be required. Please see your building’s handbook for specifics on medical PE guidelines as these may vary from building to building.

 

Medication Procedures

Undesignated Emergency Medications

 

Over the Counter Medications

To assist parents, students, and medical providers in our community, Ball Chatham School District has revised the over-the-counter medication authorization form that is required for district nurses to dispense medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. A doctor’s authorization will still be required for all medications that are dispensed at school. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, a new form will be used to cover doctor’s authorizations for multiple years rather than needing to be completed annually. For any regularly scheduled medications, physician orders will still be required annually.

 

This new authorization form will be effective until the next state-mandated physical is due. Any physician authorizations for over-the-counter medications that are submitted between kindergarten and the end of fifth grade will be in effect until the sixth grade physical is due. Authorizations submitted any time between the start of sixth grade and the end of eighth grade will be in effect until the freshman physical is due. Any authorization submitted to the high school will cover students for the remainder of their high school career. 

 

Parental authorization will still be completed annually during online registration. Parents and guardians may rescind permission for over-the-counter medications at any time with written notice to the BCSD nurse in their student’s school. We hope that this will simplify this requirement for all parties involved while maintaining student safety when it comes to over-the-counter medications at school. 

 

The new form can be found at the following link.

2024 OTC Physician/Parent order form


Concussions

 

Concussion Information Sheet

 

The BCSD concussion protocol is in place for any BCSD student regardless of whether they participate in school-related athletics. If a school staff member places a child in concussion protocol based on reported or observed symptoms of a concussion, they must complete the return to play component of the protocol even if a physician states that they are cleared for all activity. 

 

Revised BCSD Concussion Protocol 1.2024.pdf

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