District 67 Health Services

(REf. Board Policy 7:270)

District 67 policy authorizes the administration of “only those medications which are necessary to maintain a
student in school and must be given during school hours or school activities.” With few exceptions, medications
given at school, prescription or non-prescription, must be accompanied by a written authorization signed by a
licensed prescriber and a parent/guardian.

Please view the Medication Authorization Form for more information.

To ensure that holiday parties and other classroom celebrations are safe for all students, please review the following expectations for classroom parties carefully.

The main focus of classroom parties should be on the activity or game that students are participating in. Please do not make the focus of a party the food and drinks.

It is imperative that allergens are NOT brought into classrooms of students who have known food allergies! Please note that allergens are not limited to peanuts or tree nuts, there are many other food allergies. Check with the teacher if you are unsure of the allergens in your child’s class.

If food will be available at a party, please adhere to the following. All food and drink donations have to:

• Be communicated to room parents and the teacher who is sponsoring the event two weeks in advance

• Be store bought (nothing homemade)
• Contain no allergens
• Have a detailed ingredient label submitted via photo or weblink to the school nurse (in classes where an allergen is prohibited)

Last minute food and drink submissions will not be accepted due to insufficient time to review them. Please contact your school nurse if you have any questions.

Does your child have a potentially life threatening allergy? If so, it is important that you read this notice.

The Illinois Emergency Epinephrine Act, PA97-0361, allows schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine auto-injectors. The supply is intended to benefit children who don’t know they have an allergy (i.e., for first time occurrences). For students with a known allergy that may require the rapid use of epinephrine, parents need to supply the school with an up-to-date injector.

Statistics indicate that up to 6% of school age children have known, serious allergies (especially to certain foods). This equates to roughly 100 students in District 67. We are allotted a very limited supply of injectors and when the school supply is exhausted, we cannot obtain additional Epis through the manufacturers until the following school year.

We need to reserve use of the school’s supply for students who do not have a prescription because they are unaware of the allergy. Please partner with us in keeping all of our students as safe as possible.

Provide your child’s emergency medication, along with proper documentation and a “Medication Authorization Form,” completed and signed by parent/guardian, to the School Nurse.

Illinois State law requires that students in kindergarten, second, and eighth grades, all new students, teacher or parent referrals, plus any students receiving special education services be screened annually for vision problems. Hearing screening is required for students in kindergarten, first, second and third grades, all students receiving special education services, new students, and teacher or parent referrals. Screening begins in the fall and continues through the year. You will be notified if the results indicate further evaluation is needed.

Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision examination by an eye doctor. Your child is not required to undergo this vision screening if an optometrist or ophthalmologist has completed and signed a report form indicating that an examination has been administered within the previous 12 months.

Telephone the school office within one hour of the start of school if your child will be absent. Please report any communicable childhood diseases (e.g., chicken pox, impetigo, “strep” throat, conjunctivitis, etc.). The school will respect the privacy of the individual child, and may notify families of exposure to infectious disease.

• Cherokee: 847-234-3805
• Everett: 847-234-5713
• Sheridan: 847-234-1160
• DPM Grades 5/6: 847-615-4470 (press "1" to report an absence)
• DPM Grades 7/8: 847-604-7400 (press "1" to report an absence)

How do I know if my child is sick enough to stay home from school?

Please use your best judgement or contact your child's physician. Children who appear ill before school should not be sent to school so that your child will be available for learning, and to control communicable disease in school. It is also very important for you to keep your child at home for the following reasons:

• A temperature of 100 or more. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school, as many children experience a recurrence of fever.
• Your child should be on antibiotics for 24 hours after a bacterial infection (such as strep throat, impetigo, conjunctivitis).
• Has vomited or has had persistent diarrhea during the night or in the morning.

Sports Physical Examinations

Physical exams are required each year for students who are participating in any after-school sport. Students must submit the completed physical exam form to the middle school office prior to the first day of tryouts or practice. Sports physical exams are good for only one year from the date of the exam. Exams must be on file in the school nurse’s office before the student will be allowed to participate.

District 67 does not offer sports physicals through the school. If your child is planning to participate in any sports program during the school year, it is important that a sports physical exam be scheduled as soon as possible. Please have your child's physician complete and sign the Certificate of Child Health Examination form.This form can be downloaded from the DPM Athletics page. You may also visit the District Office or DPM Office for a copy.

Physical Education Restrictions

If a student’s activities must be restricted for any reason, it is necessary to inform the school nurse. The Principal, or the school nurse, upon written request from the parent, may excuse the student from regular activity for up to two days. If the restriction is for more than two days, you must present a written physician’s statement, which describes the length of time and reason for the student’s inability to participate in the regular program. When these restrictions are modified, the school nurse must again be informed by a written physician’s statement.

District 67 has adopted a Local Wellness Policy. The policy includes goals for:

• Nutrition education to support and promote good nutrition,
• Physical activity to support and promote active lifestyles and provide physical education instruction to foster development of movement skills, have students participate daily in a physical education class, enhance health-related fitness, and promote community partnerships,
• Nutrition guidelines for foods available on school campuses that:
  • Promote nutritious food offerings and choices,
  • Encourage parents to make healthy choice selections for classroom snacks and celebrations, and
  • Requires District 67 to avoid offering or selling foods that do not meet minimal nutritional value or other established guidelines.

View the Dietary Guidelines’ Key Recommendations for healthy eating patterns