St. Bernadette School
80 University Blvd East
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Tel: (301) 593-5611
Fax: (301) 593-9042

Health Room

 

• St. Bernadette School adheres to the policies and procedures of the Montgomery County Department of Health.
• Our health room is staffed by a nurse from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• An immunization and health inventory form must be on file in the health room. These forms are distributed at the time of registration and must be current.
• Students must ask permission of the classroom teacher before going to the health room.

 

 

If it is determined by the nurse that the child is too ill to remain in school, then the Parent/Guardian will be notified according to the instructions on the Emergency Procedure Card.

 

• Students are not permitted to return to school for 24 hours after a fever has broken or vomiting ends.
• Parents are asked to inform the school nurse when a child has a contagious illness so that classmates can be informed.
• Medications, both prescriptions and over-the-counter, cannot be administered by the nurse without an "Authorization to Administer Medication" form on file. These forms can be obtained from the nurse.
• All medicines must be hand delivered by the parent/guardian to the school office personnel or the nurse. All medicines must be taken in the health office only.
• When there is an incidence of head lice, the parent must report it to the school office/health room immediately. The school will then notify parents of the children who were exposed to the condition. If a child is found to have head lice at school, the school nurse will notify the parents/guardians who must pick the child up immediately. The school office must be provided with "proof of treatment" before the child will be permitted to return to school.
• A Montgomery County public health official visits St. Bernadette School annually to check medical records and conduct vision and hearing tests.

 

Food Allergies

 

St. Bernadette School recognizes that life threatening food allergies (LTA) are an important condition affecting many school children and will work collaboratively with the parents and primary care physician to address these allergies. It is imperative that the parent inform the school nurse in writing that his/her child has a food allergy. This annual notification should include the type, severity, warning signs and symptoms of the allergy. The school nurse will be responsible for informing the classroom teacher of this condition. If the parent is in agreement, the information about a child's LTA will be shared with designed staff members and the parents of his/her classmates. As with all medical conditions, confidentiality will be ensured for all students.

 

Classroom and Lunchroom procedures will be established to ensure the safety for students with LTA. Procedures will also be established to ensure the safety of children with LTAs participating in St. Bernadette sponsored after-school activities.

 

A parent or guardian of a student with food allergies is responsible for providing all food for his/her own child. This food will be kept in a separate snack box provided by the parent. Parents of allergic children may send a list of "safe snacks" as a guideline for other parents of students in the classroom.

 

Sharing or trading food during snack or lunch will be prohibited.

 

Every effort should be made to provide "nut-free" items for school bake sales and celebrations. For the safety of our children with LTAs, we request that a list of ingredients be provided for any home baked item for these events, particularly bake sales. Please note that many bakery items are prepared with utensils that are used for products containing nuts. This information is often provided on the label or by the retail personnel. Please be sure that this information is included when sending these items to school.

 

Counselor

 

School counseling and guidance services are available to the students of St. Bernadette School. Counseling with the children may include individual, group work classroom observation and discussion, as well as collaboration and consultation with families. Requests for these services my originate with the student, a teacher, the principal, or the parent/guardian. Should more than one counseling session be necessary, written parental/guardian consent is required.

 

As a member of the school faculty, the counselor serves as a mediator in conflict resolution, classroom instruction for our anti-bullying curriculum and other social skills training as requested by the school principal.

 

Child Abuse Policy
 

The welfare of each child is important to our parents/guardians as well as to the faculty and staff of St. Bernadette School.  Parents/guardians are reminded that the school is required by law to report any suspected case of abuse or neglect, even if there is no definite proof.  (Archdiocesan Regulation #5000.2)

 

Buckley Amendment
 

The school abides by the provisions of the Buckley Amendment.  Therefore, on request, non-custodial parents will be given access to the academic records and to information regarding the academic progress of their children unless there is a court order specifically stating that the non-custodial parent is denied access to such information.

 

Child Custody Issues
 

Parents should provide the school with any information and documentation regarding child custody, if applicable.

 

Sexual Harassment
 

The school recognizes that harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of both federal and state employment discrimination laws and Board of Education policies.  Further, the school believes that sexual harassment is both morally wrong and offensive and will not tolerate such conduct on the part of any employee, supervisor, manager, administrator, student, or visitor.  It is the school’s intent to provide all employees and students a work and learning environment free from sexual harassment.

 

Insurance
 

There is a student accident insurance plan which has Archdiocesan approval.  It is completely voluntary on the part of parents/guardians.  When forms are made available for insurance, the school office will send them home in the Thursday folder.  In the event that it is necessary to file a claim, the parent/guardian should file the claim within 48 hours.

Fire Drills
 

• We follow the Montgomery County Fire Regulations.
• Periodic fire drills are conducted during the school year.
• Emergency exit procedures are posted in each classroom.
• Students must walk in silence to the outside area designated for their classroom.

 Transportation Safety
 

• Bicycle riding, skate boarding or riding other similar vehicles to school is prohibited.

• Transportation of students to and from school other than by parent or guardian is strictly voluntary.  All should be aware that heavy liability is incurred in the transportation of students to and from school under the provisions of Maryland State Law.