School Health
Catawba County Public Health’s School Health team ensures that children in grades K-12 have access to preventive and acute health care. Routine health care promotes physical, social and emotional growth of children through the early detection, treatment and referral of health problems, illness prevention and anticipatory guidance.
Healthy children learn better. Public Health’s school nurses work to eliminate chronic health conditions as a barrier to achieving school success. It is their goal to promote the maximum physical, social, emotional and educational growth of children by competently and consistently managing these conditions at school through cooperation between the school staff, physician, parents, student and school nurse.
The primary role of the school nurse is to support student learning. The nurse accomplishes this by implementing strategies that promote student and staff health and safety. The nurse takes a leadership role in serving as the coordinator of all school health programs in the following manner:
- Health Services: Serves as the coordinator of the health services program and provides nursing care
- Health Education: Provides health education to students, staff and parents
- Healthy Environment: Identifies health and safety concerns in the school environment and promotes a nurturing social environment
- Nutritional Services: Supports healthy food services programs
- Physical Education/Activity: Promotes healthy physical education, sports policies and practices
- Counseling: Provides health counseling, assesses mental health needs, provides interventions and refers students to appropriate school staff or community agencies
- Parent/Community Involvement: Promotes community involvement in assuring a healthy school, serves as school liaison to a health advisory committee
- Staff Wellness: Provides health education and counseling, promote healthy activities and environment for school staff
School nurses work within the Catawba County Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, and Hickory Public Schools systems. School nurses can be reached through your child's school.
Here are school health forms that parents and physicians may need:
- NC Health Assessment: A requirement for all children entering kindergarten and children who are entering a school in North Carolina for the first time. A similar Pre-K Assessment form is also required for students entering Pre-K.
- Form for medicine needed at school: A form required for medication that must be given during the school day, for both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Form in Spanish.
- Special Diet Orders: Students requesting a change from the standard lunch for allergies, gluten-free diets, or medical conditions are required to have this form filled out.
- Individual Care Plan: Creates a plan to manage and lessen the impact of a child’s existing health condition on his or her ability to learn.
Please obtain a physician’s signature on documents, as applicable, and then turn the documents in to the child’s school nurse.
A record of each child’s required immunizations should be given to the child’s school or to the child’s school health nurse.
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