Vancouver Montessori School Parent Handbook: Illness and Medication Policy

Illness & Medication Policy

The classroom teachers will be responsible for observing signs of illness in each child each school day. Children cannot be permitted at school with any of the following:

Fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
Vomiting on two or more occasions within the past 24 hours
Diarrhea - in a 24 hour period
Draining rash
Eye discharge or pink eye
Fatigue or irritability that prevents participation in regular activities
Sore throat
Communicable disease such as head lice, scabies, etc., which require treatment

Children who are not well enough to go outside for playtime are not well enough to come to school. The office staff will notify the parents. The parents are responsible for arranging for or picking up the child from school soon after notification. Children may return to school when:

Vomiting & diarrhea have subsided for 24 hours
Symptoms are decreasing
They can tolerate full activities
They have been on medication for at least 24 hours
There is no discharge from rash

Medications

Medications may be administered at school under the following conditions:

All medications must be in their original container and labeled with the child's first and last name, the medication's expiration date, and legible instructions for administration, i.e., manufacturer's label or prescription label.
All medications must be accompanied by a parent's permission slip. These forms are located in a wall basket on the front hallway bulletin board. Non-prescription medication is limited to the following items:

Antihistamines
Non narcotic liquid cough suppressants
Decongestants
Anti-itching ointments or lotions intended to relieve itching
Sun-screen

Deliver the medication and permission slip to the staff member who first receives your child.

Vitamins, Cough Drops, Life Savers

Do not send these items to school with children for the following reasons:

State law prohibits our dispensing such items without a doctors prescription.
When small children are in a social group, these objects can easily be lodged in the throat or inhaled into the lung.
Parents are often unaware of small things tucked away in children's pockets. Staff cannot be sure of the identity of such items or if the parent is knowledgeable of their possession.