Each year, students enter Fonda-Fultonville Central School in grades Pre K-12 with their own unique personalities and individual needs. The nurse’s office, located in the Elementary School, serves all students health care needs from basic first aid to any long term illness/conditions. It is vital for the health and well being of the students to inform us of any change in your child’s health, any recent injury, infection, illness, or newly diagnosed condition. It is important to make us aware of any new medications, or treatments, needed by your child with a chronic condition, even if not being given or treated at school.
In order to best serve your child, we are asking that you provide the school nurses with the background health information about your child, such as allergies, or medications he/she may take, so that we can provide appropriate care to your child:
Please fill out our Health Needs Form and return it to the Nurse’s Office in a sealed envelope. In addition, please take a moment to review the Nurse Introduction Letter to Families & Caregivers.
Navigate to information about:
- Athletics Participation
- Body Mass Index Information
- Dental Certificates
- Districtwide Safety Plan (Updated July 2022)
- Fire Drill Protocol for Parents/Guardians
- Health Screenings at School
- Immunization Requirements
- Life-Threatening Health Conditions
- Medication Information and Administration
- Physical Exam Requirements
- Water Testing
Immunization Requirements
- Please read the this page for all current immunization requirements.
- Immunization Letter from the Health Services & Safety Department
The district needs proof of compliance with Public Health Law 2164 before your child may attend school. Please be advised that students that don’t have these required immunizations/records will be excluded from attending school until adequate proof is submitted.
Immunizations may be permitted a grace period to attend school for not more than 14 calendar days, or for an individual who is transferring from out of state for not more than 30 days, or by showing proof of appropriate appointments to complete the series.
Adequate proof is a certificate or record from the physician’s office or health care provider. Transcript records from other schools are not acceptable proof of immunization. Documented diagnosis by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner that a child has had varicella disease (chicken pox) is acceptable proof of immunity to varicella.
Please fill out the below forms and return them to the school nurse if you need a medical exemption from any immunization:
Physical Exam Requirements
New York State requires that all students who are new to the school district, and all students in grades Pre-K or K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 have a physical examination. The required physical exam form is available on the NYS Department of Education website for the Health Care Provider to complete. A parental permission form for authorization for use or disclosure of protected health information (HIPAA) is also below. Please return these forms to the health office, as this allows the nurses to share information with others on a need to know basis. If the forms are left at the doctor’s office, please have a stamped envelope with the school’s address so the physical may be sent to the school nurse. Your physician may also fax the physical to our private fax number at (518) 853-4426 (only school nurses have access this).
If your child has a physical scheduled during the school year, please notify the Health Office with the date of the scheduled physical exam. If by October 1 we do not have knowledge of this scheduled physical when one is required, we will schedule it to be done at the health office at school.
- Physical Exam and Health Appraisal Form
- Authorization Form for Use/Disclosure of Protected Health Information (HIPAA)
Participation in Athletics
Students interested in playing athletics at school must have a current physical exam and submit a pre-participation and interval athletic health history before each season. The below form will need to be submitted to the school nurse, please coordinate with the athletics department and school nurse to find out the deadlines for this information depending on the athletics season.
Concussion Information
On July 1, 2012, New York State enacted the Concussion Management and Awareness Act. The Commissioner of Education worked with the Commissioner of Health to produce guidelines for school districts to follow in protecting the health and well-being of concussed students. Please visit our Athletics webpage for more information on concussion protocols, symptoms, and contact information for our Concussion Management Team.
Health Screenings at School
The district’s School Health Services program supports your student’s academic success by promoting health in the school setting. One way that we provide care for your student is by performing the health screenings as mandated by the State of New York. New York State Education Law, (Article 19, Section 905), and the Commissioner’s Regulations, Section 136.3, requires that schools provide the following health screenings during the school year:
- Vision:
- Distance and near vision acuity for all new entering students and students in Prekindergarten or Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11.
- Color perception screening for all new entering students.
- Hearing:
- Hearing screening for all new entering students and students in Prekindergarten or Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11.
- Scoliosis:
- Scoliosis (spinal curvature) screening for girls in Grades 5 and 7, and boys in Grades 9.
A letter will be sent home if there are any findings on the screening done at school that would cause concern or need medical followup. Please call the school’s Health Office if you have any questions or concerns.
Medication Information and Administration
New York State Education Department Guidelines state that ALL medications, including over-the-counter medications, given at school, require the following:
- A written statement from the parent or guardian requesting administration of the medication in school (use the form below to do this);
- A written order from your child’s physician stating the name of the medication, dosage, frequency and time of administration;
- Delivery of the medication to the health office by parent or guardian in a properly labeled pharmacy container or the original packaging if it is an over-the-counter medication.
Please note: A new medication order will be required at the beginning of every school year.
Elementary students are NOT allowed to carry medications to and from school. At the secondary level, emergency medications such as epi-pens and inhalers can be carried by those students who are determined to be self-directed with written orders from the student’s medical provider. A form is provided below to submit this information to the nurse’s office.
Life-Threatening Health Conditions
A life-threatening health condition is a condition, including a known allergy, that will put the child in danger of death during the school day if a medication or treatment order is not in place (for example, a food or substance allergy, insect sting allergy, asthma, diabetes, seizure disorder, etc.)
If your child has a life-threatening health condition, please immediately contact the health office for a “Life-threatening Health Condition Packet” which includes a Student Emergency Care Plan for the student’s specific health condition; Authorization for Administration of Medication in School; and a Self-Medication Release Form.
The appropriate forms and any additional information you or your licensed health provider would like to share must be completed and returned to the School for review and approval by the School Nurse as soon as possible.
Reminder: It is the parent/person in parental relation’s responsibility to alert other school programs that their child has a health condition and/or a care plan in place. Please report any changes needed in emergency contact information, medication, health status, etc. to the school office immediately. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the principal or school nurse assigned to your child’s school office.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Principal or the School Nurse.
Body Mass Index Information
As part of a required school health examination, a student is weighed and his/her height is measured. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index or ‘BMI’. The BMI helps the doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range, is too high or too low. The number is used as a way to improve the health and well–being of children. Recent changes to the New York State Education Law require that BMI and weight status group be included as part of the student’s school health examination. District schools are at times required to take part in a survey by the New York State Department of Health. The information sent to the New York State Department of Health will help health officials develop programs that make it easier for children to be healthier.
As part of the survey, we will be reporting to the New York State Department of Health information about students’ weight groups in grades Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, 2, 4, 7 and 10. Only summary information is sent for the school district. No names and no information about individual students are sent, only numbers for groups of students that are collected from their health examination. However, you may choose to have your child’s information excluded from this survey report.
If you do not wish to have your child’s weight status group information included as part of a Health Department survey, please complete the opt-out form and submit it to your child’s school nurse: Jolyn Giardino-Bloom jgiardinobloom@ffcsd.org.
Dental Certificates
New York State Education Law 903, Chapter 281, permits schools to request a dental examination report for all newly enrolled students, and for students in grades Pre-K or K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. Dental Health Certificates are to be completed by parent or guardian and the child’s dentist. Completed certificates should be sent to your school nurse. It is recommended and encouraged but, not required, to have the dental certificate completed.
Fire Drill Protocol for Parents/Guardians
If you are on the premises during a fire drill the following is the district protocol:
- In the building: if you are in the building during a fire drill, follow the instructions of staff members who will direct you to a safe location
- In your vehicle in the school parking lots: if you are parked in your vehicle during a fire drill, for the safety of students and staff do not exit or move your vehicle until the students have returned into the building or directed by an administrator.
- If you approach the building and see a fire drill in progress, please do not enter the parking lots until the students have re-entered the building.
Water testing in New York schools
State law requires all public school districts in New York to test water for lead. The law requires school districts to sample all water outlets currently or potentially used for drinking or cooking purposes in buildings that may be occupied by students and to submit those samples to a state-approved lab for analysis. Regulations call for testing to take place every five years, unless the state Commissioner of Health requires testing sooner.
Learn more about water testing regulations and view Fonda-Fultonville’s test results