Department of Education of the City of New York

Department of Education of the City of New York

The Francis J. Murphy, Jr. School

Public School 39

Tracey A. Wright, Principal 71 Sand Lane

Keena Flournoy-White, Assistant Principal Staten Island, New York 10305

718-447-4543 – Fax 718-447-0500

PROCEDURES AND INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL 39’s SCHOOL NURSE

This information is provided to make you aware of the procedures that will be followed if your child needs to visit the nurse’s office. Additionally, I have given you some health tips and alerts that you will find helpful.

1. Blue Emergency Home Contact Sheets – Please keep them updated. If you change your home, cell or work number, get a beeper, or would like to add or remove a contact name or number, please send these changes to the general office. Please include only the names of those emergency contacts that are actually available to pick up your child in the event we cannot reach you. If a person's name is NOT on the Emergency Contact Card, we cannotrelease your child to that person without your written permission.

2. Telephone Calls from the Nurse – The nurse will try to contact all parents when their child is seen in the medical room. However, sometimes this is not always possible. You will be called if your child gets a serious head or facial injury, severe cut or illness (vomiting, fever, rash, etc.) If your child gets a minor scrape or cut, or has a nonspecific complaint and appears well, you may receive a note instead. Frequently, due to the number of children using the medical room or the severity of an illness or injury, it is not always possible to call every parent.

3. Medication – No medicine can be dispensed by the nurse unless there is an approved 504 order on file. A 504 order is a doctor's written order on a form provided by the N.Y.C. Department of Health and is used for the administration of medications and treatments for children with long-term (chronic) health problems. Therefore, antibiotics, cough/cold medications, medicated skin creams, etc. will not be approved by the Department of Health Medical Doctor. Also, please DO NOT send your child to school with any of these items to self-administer. They can easily be lost or picked up by another child who could be harmed. If you need more information on 504 services, please contact me at 718-720-7787, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

4. The following 'Clues for Keeping Child Home' can be used to help parents in their decisions about school attendance:

*Evidence of infection-red or sore throat, swollen glands.

*Temperature over 100 degrees (hot and flushed) within 24 hours before that school morning. (Child should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school).

*Rash of any kind not identified by your doctor (please bring doctor's note), except for poison ivy.

*If a child is asthmatic – wheezing that continues one hour after medication is taken.

*Vomiting during the night.

*Child is too weak or tired to take part in routine daily activities.

5. Asthma – As you know, asthma has become quite prevalent among our children. It is important to let me and the school know if your child has been diagnosed with asthma. You may also want to have your doctor complete a 504 order for medication that has been prescribed to be kept at school.

6. New Admissions for Kindergarten– If you have not already done so, please submit your child's physical exam form (issued to you at registration) as soon as possible. Forms are also available in my office if you need one.

7. Medical Alert and Health Information-The form, included with these letters, must be completed and returned to your child’s teacher. Please be sure to include any and all food allergies that your child may have.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation,

Nurse Elaine Parisi