Clinic
Information about clinic hours, common questions, and medication forms
Greetings from the Stone Health Room!
Our goal is to ensure that your student enjoys a safe and healthy school year while balancing the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies. To help us achieve our goal, please read the following information carefully:
To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at school, FCPS has developed the Health and Safety Guidance Document for 2021-22 | Fairfax County Public Schools (fcps.edu) for all school staff, parents/guardians, and students to follow. These guidelines will be updated before the start of SY 22-23 and throughout the school year to follow the most current CDC guidance on COVID mitigation. Please review the guidelines periodically to stay up to date with them.
The most important thing we can all do to keep our schools safe is to have your student get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible. Vaccines are safe, effective, available, and free. To make an appointment for your student, visit the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS).
If you have any questions regarding the above guidelines from FCPS, please contact your school administrators.
Your school health room services include:
- Care of sick (except COVID-like symptoms/illness) and injured students according to the FCPS School Health Emergency COVID Temporary Care Guidelines.
- Administration of medication provided by parents/guardians with proper authorization completed by their health care provider.
- Coordination of care for students with chronic health conditions during the school day.
- Hearing and vision screening (grades K, 3, 7, 10, new to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), and those students referred by teachers and parents/guardians).
How can you help your school health room provide the best possible care?
- Keep your student home when they are sick.
- Advise the School Health Aide or the Public Health Nurse of any special health concerns.
- Immediately notify the physical education (PE) teacher if your child has any PE restrictions.
- Provide current home, work, and alternate telephone numbers for the Emergency Care Information form.
- When medication must be administered during the school day, please follow the guidelines established in the current version of FCPS Regulation 2102:
- Complete the FCPS Medication Authorization forms
- Provide the school with properly labeled containers (your pharmacist will usually provide an extra container if you request it). Only a 30-day supply of medication should be brought into school at a time.
- Medications must be transported to and from school by a parent/guardian; except, with parent/guardian approval, a high school student may carry over-the-counter (OTC) medications to and from the school health room.
- Medications must be kept in the school health room or other school-approved location unless approved for the student to carry it during school hours. If a student carries his or her own medication, a backup may be kept in the school health room.
- OTC medications may be given up to ten consecutive school days with the parent’s or guardian’s signature on the FCPS Medication Authorization form before a physician’s authorization is required.
- OTC medications that are pain relievers may be given as needed throughout the school year with only the parent’s or guardian’s signature on part I of the FCPS Medication Authorization form.
- Cough drops and throat lozenges may be carried and used by students in kindergarten through grade 12 as needed throughout the school year, provided that they are in the original container or packaging. Students must not share cough drops or throat lozenges under any circumstances.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in helping to make this a safe and healthy school year for all FCPS students.
If you have any questions regarding the health room services, please feel free to call either your School Health Aide, Brenda Smith at 703-631-5530 or your school Public Health Nurse, Karin Heller, RN, at 571-595-6439 or [email protected].
Staff
Karin Heller, BSN, RN
Public Health Nurse, @email, 703-631-5592
Brenda Smith
School Health Aide, @email, 703-631-5510
Additional Health Informaiton
Prescription Medications
Children who need to take medication during school hours must have a signed Medication Authorization, Release, and Indemnification Form. Prescription medications require the signature of both the parent and the physician. Inhalers and EpiPens require authorization forms.
Over-the-counter Medications
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are drugs that can be purchased without a doctor's prescription and are used for the relief of symptoms on a temporary basis. With parent and physician authorization, OTC medications may be given on an "as needed" basis throughout the school year. Parents may authorize limited use for 10 consecutive days with a completed Medication Authorization Form. Examples include antihistamines for allergic reactions.
With parent permission using the Medication Authorization Form, certain OTC medications may be given on an "as needed" basis throughout the school year only as a pain reliever for headaches, muscle aches, menstrual cramps, or orthodontic pain. The medication must be supplied by the parent in its original container. Examples include Tylenol, Advil, Pamprin, and Aspirin.
Transport of Medications to and from School
Parents must transport medications to and from school. All medications must be kept in the clinic and taken under adult supervision. Middle school children are not permitted to carry medications, including OTC medications, except for prescription inhalers or EpiPens with the authorization of their parent(s) and physician.
Scheduling Medical Appointments
Please make every effort to schedule appointments outside of school hours. When this is not possible, please send a note to the school on the morning of the appointment stating the time the child will be picked up. Children should bring appointment notes to the attendance secretary before homeroom. The student's name will then be shown on an early dismissal list so teachers will know the student is not cutting class. For safety reasons, parents must sign out children in the office.
Release of Student from School
Only those individuals designated on the Emergency Care Information form will be contacted either to excuse or take your student home. If the clinic contacts you to excuse your student from school, the clinic must have voice contact with the responsible adult to dismiss the student from school grounds. In an emergency, 911 will be called prior to contacting the parent.