· To protect your child and others, when your child is showing symptoms of illness, please do not send him/her to school. A child will be sent home if he/she has a temperature of over 100.0 with symptoms, or suspicion of a contagious disease. Please note that if your child has a fever or was sent home with a fever, they need to be “fever free” without fever reducing medication for 24 hours prior to returning to school. If they have vomited, they should also not return to school for 24 hours.
· The school nurse maintains all health records and conducts routine screenings. The school will contact the parent/guardian in the event of a child's illness or accident.
· Please be sure to include emergency numbers to call when filling out the emergency card; a work number and a neighbor's number would be helpful. Please notify the school office of any changes during the school year.
· A doctor’s note is needed for a child to stay in from recess or physical education classes due to illness.
Health and Hygiene
Wells Elementary School is taking a variety of steps to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for our students. These include ensuring that all children wash their hands prior to attending lunch. Hand sanitizing dispensers are located in each classroom. Custodial staff clean and disinfect our building consistently. They use a cleaner/disinfectant product which is utilized on surfaces such as desktops and door handles to inhibit the spread of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms.
Between our many lunch periods, cafeteria tables are cleaned and disinfected.
Classroom teachers address proper hand washing and hygiene with their students such as knowing what to do when sneezing or coughing.
During the school year, air exchange filters are changed regularly.
Insurance
The school does not insure students for accidental injury or death. Therefore, a low cost insurance policy is offered whereby parents can pay the premium directly to the insurance company. Forms to purchase insurance are available through the school office. It is the parents' responsibility to provide medical insurance for their children.
CPR and Defibrulator
Wells Elementary School has several staff trained in CPR and use of the Automatic Electric Defibrulator (AED) device. Three AED's are located at Wells Elementary.
Safety at Wells Elementary School
To ensure the safety of our students, all visitors are asked to stop and sign in at the main office prior to entering the building and to wear a visitor badge while in the building. Students are asked to report all incidences which involve a safety concern to their teacher, principal, or assistant principal.
Wells Elementary School takes several steps to maintain a safe environment for our community. Our school has a safety committee that is comprised of representative staff members, administrators, and area officials. This committee has developed a detailed safety plan which is consistently reviewed and revised to meet the changing needs of our community. During the school year our safety committee participates in crisis role playing situations working directly with first responders and area officials in York County to prepare for unsafe situations.
Evacuation Procedures
The Wells-Ogunquit CSD has a comprehensive safety plan in place to ensure the well being of students and staff. Each school conducts 10 evacuation and 10 lockdown drills annually. During these drills, no parents or others are allowed into the building with the exception of public safety personnel (Police and Fire Departments). Evacuation drills may include relocating students to a safe location more than 1000 feet from school grounds. Plans are in place to evacuate students to safe locations off campus should an emergency arise. Parents will be notified and students will be dismissed from these locations.
Bomb Threat
In the event of a bomb threat, we would follow the procedures outlined in our safety plan in accordance with School Committee Policy EBCC. All threats will be reported to the police and local authorities for the purposes of investigation and prosecution. Individuals involved in a bomb threat face criminal prosecution.
Smoking Policy
The Wells-Ogunquit C.S.D. School Committee recognizes that smoking tobacco or otherwise using tobacco products is injurious to the health of both those who use such products and those who must come in contact with the residue of tobacco use. Further, the school curriculum teaches the health risks associated with the use of tobacco. Therefore, effective September 1, 1991, any use of tobacco will not be permitted in Wells-Ogunquit C.S.D. buildings or on school grounds at any time.
(W.O C.S.D. Policy GBK/KGC 6/29/91)
Immunization Law
Maine State Law requires the documentation of immunization status for all students. Please have your health care provider send proof of immunization to the school.
Asbestos
As required by law, notice is given that all Wells-Ogunquit CSD facilities have been inspected for the presence of asbestos containing materials. A written plan for the management of these materials is available for inspection at the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, 1460 Post Road, Wells, Maine 04064 during regular business hours.
Administering Medicines
The Wells - Ogunquit School Committee believes that responsibility for administering medicines to children belongs with the parent. The Committee also recognizes that it is not always possible for the parent to administer medicine to their children during the school day.
The administration of medication in schools is limited and controlled by law – title 20-A.M.R.S.A. 254 (5), 4009 (4). The Wells-Ogunquit C.S.D. School committee has approved the following medication policy:
ALL MEDICATION, whether prescription or over-the-counter is to be submitted to the school nurse accompanied by written directions from the parent/guardian AND the health care provider.
In the event that no reasonable alternative exists, the parent/guardian may request that medication be administered at school. A parent request/health provider order form is available from the school nurse. The medication must be in the original container or prescription vial from the pharmacy and brought to school by a parent/guardian or other responsible adult.
Pharmacies are willing to provide a separate container for school use.
Exceptions to the above statement include the following:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen, weight/age dose, may be administered at the discretion of the school nurse after appropriate evaluation and in accordance with the order of a school physician who provides this standing order to district nurses. A consent form must be signed by parent/guardian and on file in the nurse’s office.
Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen may also be administered by trained unlicensed personnel.
Emergency medication (Epi-pens and inhalers) are allowed to be carried by the student, according to Maine State Law and district policy, when appropriate paperwork has been completed by the parent and prescribing provider, and is on file in the nurse’s office. Students must show competency using these medications prior to carrying them during school hours.
All medication orders are valid for the current school year and must be renewed annually.
For further information contact the principal to obtain a copy of the School Committee Policy JLCD.
**COUGH DROPS: **Students may have cough drops if the parents or guardians send a note to school with the cough drops. The Maine Board of Nursing decided that cough drops that contain medication (if they contain Robitussin, DM (Dextromethorpan), menthol or similar) should be considered medication and would therefore need a health care provider order to administer. Cough drops that are flavored lozenges would not be considered medication and therefore would not need a provider order. The cough drops are to be given at the discretion of the classroom teacher. This is to ensure that they are not consumed like candy. Cough drops are not allowed at recess or during physical education. Thank you for your cooperation.