Health Services

Deciding to keep your child at home can be a difficult decision. Below is some information to help you decide what is best for your child.
If a child stays home and has the care they need when first sick, they will often get better faster. Staying home and resting will help the body fight the sickness. Staying at home is also one of the best ways to keep others from becoming ill.

Reasons why children should stay at home:

• Severe colds, coughs, or sore throats.
• Eye infections, especially if discharge is present.
• New skin rashes, especially if draining – unless medical opinion states rash is not contagious.
• Temperature of 100 or more with or without symptoms of an illness.
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain.

Children may return to school when:

• Well enough to participate in normal school activities.
• Free of all symptoms for 24 hours (especially vomiting, diarrhea and fever).
• Temperature remains normal for a 24-hour period without the use of fever reducing medications..
• On an antibiotic for at least 24 hours.

Your health care provider states your child can return to school.

Red Wing Public Schools strongly recommends again this year that people follow CDC best practices for COVID-19, which include:

Test when showing symptoms or after exposure. Tests will be available in the nurse’s office free of charge. The symptoms include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle pains
• Congestion

Staff and students may be sent home if coming to school ill and after evaluation by the school nurse.

Stay home for 5 days after testing positive, until fever-free for 24 hours and symptoms have greatly improved.

Wear a well-fitting mask for an additional 5 days after returning to school.

When keep your child home from school for health reasons, please remember to contact your school attendance line. Be prepared to give the following information:

Student’s name:
Grade:
Teacher’s name:
Nature of the illness:
If your clinic has given an estimation of how long they will be absent:

Sunnyside: 651-385-4580 SESattendance@rwps.org
Burnside: 651-385-4715 BESattendance@rwps.org
Twin Bluff Middle School: 651-385-4550 tbmsattendance@rwps.org
Red Wing High School: 651-385-4660 rwhsattendance@rwps.org

Parents and guardians must complete emergency cards annually to ensure student information is current and accurate.
Cards are sent home at the beginning of the school year. They should be filled out updating requested information, newly diagnosed medical information, and any medications that their child takes. When complete, they should be returned to the school health office.

Red Wing Public Schools conducts grade level vision and hearing screening at the elementary sites and vision screening for grade 7 students.

The Minnesota Department of Health recommends screening due to the significant impact of hearing and vision status on student learning. As with any school screening, you have the option to opt out of your student participating. If you have questions or wish to opt out, please notify the health office.

• Students are screened in the following grades:
• Vision: Kindergarten and grades 1, 3, 5, 7
• Color vision deficiency: 3rd grade males
• Hearing: Kindergarten and grades 1, 3

Any additional screening will be done by request. Parents will be notified of students who do not pass screening.

State law
Minnesota statute 1980, Section 123.70 requires that all children who are enrolled in a Minnesota school be immunized before starting school. Parents/guardians should provide an updated immunization record upon enrollment regardless of grade.

These requirements can be waived only for medical reasons or if you are conscientiously opposed to a particular immunization. Student schedules will be withheld and students will not be allowed to start school without a proof of immunization on record with the school health services.

The annual deadline is Oct. 1, but we request that you provide a copy of any new immunizations to the building nurse as soon as possible.

Up-to-date vaccination information is due those students entering kindergarten, grade 7 and grade 12. Required vaccinations:

Kindergarten

• DTaP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
• IPV (Polio)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
• Varicella (Chickenpox)

Grade 7

• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
• Meningococcal (Meningitis)

Grade 12

• Meningococcal (Meningitis)

An IHP is developed for students with chronic health concerns when the district nurse determines that the condition could affect a student’s education. This plan becomes part of the student’s Health Record.

At no time should a child bring and/or take any medication without the supervision of the school authorized personnel.

Any prescription medication must be brought to the nurse’s office in its original container with the appropriate label on it. Over the counter medications (Tylenol, Advil, Ibuprofen, etc.) also must be in the original container labeled for that medication.

A permission form signed by the parent/guardian is necessary for all medication:

Medication Permission Form

A doctor’s authorization form is necessary for prescription medication. This doctor’s authorization form must be renewed each school year.

The school will dispose of any left over medication that remains unclaimed at the end of the school year.

A pupil health record is maintained for all students attending Red Wing Public Schools. The district requests pertinent health information about each student upon enrollment in the district to help ensure a student’s safety in school.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to notify school health personnel when their child has experienced a medical condition that would affect the student’s safety in school or the ability to learn. Information is considered confidential and shared with school personnel only on a need to know basis.

The Minnesota Department of Health has many helpful links. For general information, visit www.health.state.mn.us

Educational resources of interest to school families include:

• COVID-19
• Hand washing
• Healthy schools and child care
• Influenza facts