Health Services

Please encourage your child to practice good health habits that will contribute to growth, development, and well-being. These should include a balanced diet, adequate sleep, regular exercise and study. When there are signs of illness, your child should stay at home. A physician’s excuse is necessary after an absence of three (3) days.

Is your child sick?  If yes, your child should stay home until wellness returns (which is the case for all illnesses), and the district strongly recommends testing for COVID-19.

Has your child tested positive?  If yes, the district strongly recommends that your child stay home for five days after symptoms began.

Are the five days over? If yes, and if your child has improved symptoms, the district strongly recommends your child return to school wearing a properly fitting mask during Days 6-10.

Has your child tested positive for COVID-19 but has no fever or symptoms? If yes, the district strongly recommends that your child stay home for five days from the test date and then wear a mask during Days 6-10 (since the virus can be transmitted to others regardless of whether or not symptoms are present).

Is your child worried about missing instruction and/or schoolwork while home? If yes, consult with your child’s teacher, as our teachers will (as always) work with you and your child to ensure your child’s educational needs are being met.

What should I do if somebody in my household tests positive?  If one person in your household tests positive for COVID-19, the district strongly recommends everyone in the household be tested for COVID-19, even if they are asymptomatic.  Any children who test negative and don’t have any symptoms may attend school right away, and the district strongly recommends having them wear a properly fitting mask during their household member’s COVID-19 infection window (i.e., during their member’s Days 1-10 period).

For additional information and guidance, please consult the Center for Disease and Control Prevention’s website (CDC).

CDC Website

In order to protect our school children from serious and sometimes fatal diseases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health regulations require that all children entering school for the first time must be immunized.

Immunization Information - English

Immunization Information - Spanish

All the required doses of immunizations must be completed and verified by your health care provider prior to the student’s entry into school. We ask your cooperation with your school nurse in the process of providing proper record of any immunization already completed and in securing those that are lacking. The only current exemptions to the regulations for immunizations are medical reasons and religious beliefs with proper documentation from your health care provider submitted to school. Please note that if your child is exempt from immunizations, he/she may be removed from school during a communicable disease outbreak.

Medical care in the schools is limited to first aid for accidents and illness until the parent can be contacted to take the child home or to their personal health care provider or hospital. Emergency information completed by you will give us the information to locate you when needed. It is important to keep this information updated each school year. School nurses are permitted by law to perform only those services written on the Standing Orders of the consulting school physician. Do not expect the school nurse to diagnose or treat illnesses. This is the proper function of your family health care provider.

The Pennsylvania School Health Law requires all students on entry to Wissahickon School District, 6th and 11th grades have a physical examination.

Students entering Wissahickon School District as well as those entering the 3rd and 7th grades are also required to have a recent dental examination. Recent examinations means an exam done no earlier than one year prior to the school year it is required. We urge you to have these examinations performed by your child’s own health care provider.

Dental Private Report

Physical Private Report 

 If necessary, you can also contact your school nurse to secure these forms. The completed forms must be returned to the school nurse by October 15th or no later than two months after your child enters the Wissahickon School District.

Each child will have state mandated screening which includes growth (body mass index), and vision. Hearing is tested in kindergarten, grades 1,2,3,7 and 11 and those in special ungraded classes. We will report deficiencies to you in these tests. These reports should be rechecked by your family health care provider and returned to the school nurse when problems are corrected.

The Wissahickon School District will continue to follow the guidance of the Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH) and the Center of Disease Control (CDC).

More information about COVID-19 guidance from the Montgomery County Office of Public Health 

HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN - BOARD APPROVED June 5, 2023

At the public Board meeting on June 5, 2023, the WSD School Board approved the revised District Health and Safety Plan to reflect the revised COVID-19 mitigation procedures and protocols. 

Wissahickon School District Health and Safety Plan, Board-approved June 5, 2023

The Wissahickon School District recognizes that parents have the primary responsibility for the health of their children. Although the District strongly recommends that medication when necessary should be given at home, it realizes that the health of some children requires that they receive medication / treatment while in school. Parents should confer with the child’s primary care provider to arrange medication / treatment time intervals to avoid school hours whenever possible. When medication / treatment absolutely must be given during school hours, certain procedures must be followed:

 Any medication to be given during school hours must be delivered directly to the School Nurse. The medication must be brought to school in the original pharmaceutical dispensed and properly labeled container. All controlled medications must be delivered to the School Nurse by an adult, counted and recorded on the student’s medication log. As per the PA Controlled Substances Act, no more than a thirty school day supply for any one medication should be stored at school.

All Medication / Treatments must be accompanied by authorization in writing on the WSD “Prescription Medication Dispensing Form” by a board certified prescribing provider (i.e., physician, advanced practice nurse, psychiatrist, or dentist).

Print the Prescription Medication Dispensing Form

You may also request a copy in the school health office.

This form must contain the following information:

1. Student name and grade
2. Name of medication to be given
3. Reason for medication/treatment
4. Dosage (amount to be given may not exceed manufacturer’s recommended dosage); total dosage within 24 hours
5. Route of medication/treatment f. Exact time medication/treatment is to be given
6. Possible side effects and treatment of possible side-effects

• The “Prescription Medication Dispensing Form” must also be signed by a parent/guardian for ALL medications/treatments. (Note: this form is renewed annually.)
• No emails or telephone requests will be accepted.
• Students in grades 6 through 12 will be responsible for reporting to the Nurse at the time the medication / treatment is to be given. In grades K through 5, individualized plans will be made for the administration by the School Nurse.

1. Prescription medications, including inhalers and Epi-pens/Auvi-Q, must be brought to school with the pharmaceutical label on the container that includes the student and prescribing health care provider names. The prescribing health care provider may fax written orders to the School.
2. In order for a student to carry an inhaler or Epi-Pen/Auvi-Q for self-administration, a form requesting such must be signed by the physician and parent/guardian stating the student has been given instruction regarding the medication and direction to report to the School Nurse if self-administered as per Policy 210.1. (Obtain form from the School Nurse or print by clicking the links below.) 
   Epi Pen Permission to Carry M6 Form

     Inhaler Permission to Carry M5 Form 

3. If there is a change in medication or dosage, a new form must be completed by the physician and signed by the parent.

1. Over–the-counter (OTC) medications must be provided by the parent/guardian and accompanied by a written note with the information outlined above. No OTC medication will be administered without a written note. No homeopathic or herbal product will be administered without a primary care provider order. 

Parent/Guardian Request for Administration of Over-the-Counter Medication During School Hours Form

1. The Wissahickon School District Consulting Physician allows for administration of certain OTC medications including acetaminophen, ibuprofen and caladryl lotion. In the event of an unexpected allergic reaction in your child, liquid diphenhydramine and Epi-Pens/Auvi-Q are also available. The parent/guardian must continue to provide Epi-Pens/Auvi-Q for children with known severe allergic responses.
2. The School Nurse reserves the right to withhold administration of an OTC medication within the first two hours and the last one hour of the school day to protect the student from excessive medication ingestion. All medication, both prescription and OTC, must be kept in the Nurse’s Office other than medication covered under Policy 210.1.

The Pennsylvania Public School Code, Section 1414.2 (g) allows parents/guardians to request an exemption to the administration of an epinephrine auto-injector for their student. In order to request this exemption, contact the school nurse to make an appointment to discuss this decision, review and sign the opt-out form.