Does your child have a health condition?

School staff recognizes there are students with health conditions that may impact the student’s ability to function while at school. If your child has such a health condition, it is your responsibility to inform both the homeroom teacher and school secretary so we can support your child.

Life threatening health conditions

Please let the school staff know if your child has a life threatening health condition that may require emergency assistance while at school such as:

• Diabetes
• Serious heart conditions
• Blood clotting disorders
• Anaphylactic or severe allergies to food or insect stings
• Asthma that has resulted in hospitalization in the past year
• Epilepsy with a history of tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures in the past two years

School staff in partnership with you and the public health nurse will develop a plan to ensure the safety of your child at school. This includes determining how best to respond to an emergency situation, ensuring school staff are aware of your child’s health condition and emergency care, delegating staff to administer emergency medications, and providing education to other students.

The school public health nurse will contact you every year to review your child’s health condition, emergency treatment and to update the “Medical Alert” card that notifies staff of the appropriate response in an emergency. It is your responsibility to inform school staff, discuss your child’s health condition with teachers and notify school staff if your child’s health condition changes.

Non-life threatening health conditions

If your child has a non-life threatening health condition (i.e. vision problem, hearing problem, activity limitation, mental health disorder), which may affect his/her ability to function at school, please inform school staff. The school may not keep this information from year to year. It is your responsibility to inform school staff and teachers at the beginning of each school year.

Assistance required with medications

School staff will give or supervise medications under the following conditions (1) they are required in emergency situations, or (2) they are required for one month or longer and must be given during school hours. If your child requires assistance or supervision of medications under these conditions, you need to obtain a “Medication Administration Card” from school staff and complete it in conjunction with your physician. You must return the signed card along with the prescribed medication before school starts in September. These steps must be followed before medication will be given to your child. No medications will be given without authorization from a physician.