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GATESVILLE ISD MEDICATION POLICY

Over the Counter Medication - (acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, cough drops, etc.)  All medication must be in the original container and must be accompanied by a written request from the parent.  Example: “Please give ‘Jane Doe’ one Tylenol every 4 hours as needed for pain. Please keep this medication at school.”  Parent signature and date is required.   Forms available in nurse’s office for you to fill out, if you prefer. Please label the bottle with your child’s name, without covering the name of the medication or dosage instructions.  Individual medication sent in baggies, foil, Kleenex or containers without original labels will not be given.

 

Short Term Prescription Medication - (antibiotics, eye drops, etc.)  Medications must be sent in the original container labeled with the student’s name, doctor’s name and directions.  These medications must be accompanied by a written request from the parent including date, parent’s signature, and the time to administer the medication. Your Pharmacy will make a “school bottle” at your request to prevent parents from having to transport medications back and forth from home to school every day.

 

Short Term Sample Medication - from a doctor should be accompanied by written directions from the doctor on a prescription form, and a written request from the parent including date, parent’s signature and the time to administer the medication.

 

Medication for Chronic Conditions - (Asthma, ADD, ADHD, Diabetes etc.)  A doctor’s order is required before medication can be given at school.  This order should include the child’s name, medical condition, medication name, dose, and the time to be given at school.  The doctor’s signature, parent’s signature and date are also required.  A new order is required at the beginning of each new school year.  If your child has any medication or dosage changes during the year, a new medication order form is required with doctor and parent signatures.  In accordance with Texas HB 1688, certain students with asthma may be allowed to carry and self administer asthma medicine when all criteria are met as outlined in the Gatesville ISD Asthma Medication Self Administration Policy. 

  • Parents must transport all medications to the nurse’s office. 
  • Parents are to pick up all medications when discontinued or at the end of the year.   
  • No medications of any type will be sent home with students.
  • No student may have in their possession any substances (pills, capsules, liquids, sprays, vitamins, patches, herbals or natural substances) that are primarily used as medications, enhancers, or sedatives even though they may be legally purchased without a prescription.
  • We do not provide a supply of any medication for students. Each student must have their own medication, and if it is prescription medicine, it must be prescribed to the student.
  • Medications may be administered by a medically untrained designate of the school district.
  • Medications ordered three times a day can be given before school, after school, and at bedtime unless specific times are ordered by a doctor.
  • In order to assure that your child receives the best possible care, we ask that you read and comply with the Medication Policy. Forms for over the counter, short term prescription, and long term prescription medications are available in the nurse’s office & on the GISD webpages. 

  • Gatesville ISD Head Lice Policy, Facts & Treatment

    Based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the 2013 update to the Texas Administrative Code, Gatesville ISD has updated its Lice Policy to reflect the most current guidelines in the control of lice.


    The most important finding from the agencies listed above is that students should NOT be routinely excluded from school due to head lice. The CDC, AAP, and Texas DSHS support that there is little evidence that exclusion from school reduces the transmission of head lice (Texas DSHS, 2007, 2014). Head lice are common for children ages 3-12. Head lice are not a health hazard and are not responsible for the spread of any disease. They are the cause of much embarrassment, misunderstanding, and many unnecessary days lost from work and school. “No-nit” policies which keep students with lice at home do not benefit these students or their classmates and “should be abandoned” (AAP, 2015). The goal of lice prevention and control in schools is to limit the spread of lice from one student to another through accurate diagnosis and meaningful and consistent communication and education (AAP, 2015).

     

    What will the school do if a case of lice is reported or found?

    • The nurse’s office will check any student reported to possibly have lice. If active lice or nits (eggs) are found, the parent will be notified. The nurse’s office will provide information to the parents about proper treatment.
    • A lice check will be conducted by looking closely through the hair and scalp for viable nits or live lice. Lice and nits (gray colored eggs attached to the hair shaft) are visible to the naked eye. Nits which are further than ¼ inch from the scalp are not considered viable because eggs are laid at the scalp and the lifecycle is short (Nits take 6-9 days to hatch, CDC 2015).
    • If no lice or nits are found but the parent or the student reports he or she has recently been treated for lice, the student may be checked again in one week.
    • Household members of the student with lice may also be checked at the request of the parent (though parents are encouraged to routinely check their student at home).
    • Parents of students in the classroom in which a student was found to have lice will receive written or electronic notice according to Texas Education Code Section 38.031 (updated by 2017 Texas Senate Bill 1566).
    • If a student is heavily infested or proper treatment of live lice infestation has not been completed at home, the student may be excluded from school until proper treatment has been completed, at the discretion of the campus nurse.

     

    Tips for Staying Ahead of Head Lice:

    • Watch for signs/symptoms of head lice: excessive itching or scratching of the head especially behind the ears and nape of the neck.
    • Check family members for lice and nits/eggs at least once a week. It helps to use natural light and a magnifying glass.
    • Treat ONLY family members who have lice. Over the counter medications (pediculocides) that kill lice and nits are recommended. Most of these chemicals require 2 treatments 7 -10 days apart.
    • Use these specialized shampoos exactly as instructed to be most effective. Use the product over a sink and use a washcloth to protect your eyes.
    • Removing all nits (eggs) with a special fine-toothed comb is the most effective way to get rid of all of them. This may be a tedious job.
    • Wash infested articles that can be laundered at 130F and dried on the hot setting. This includes hats, bedding, pillows, and clothing.
    • Toys, personal articles, bedding, other fabrics, and upholstered furniture that cannot be laundered with hot water and a dryer or dry-cleaned should be kept away from people (in a plastic bag) for more than 2 days if there is a concern of infestation.
    • Head lice can live for 1 – 2 days away from the scalp but chemical treatment of the environment is not necessary. Instead vacuum floors, carpets, mattresses, and furniture.
    • Continue to check the head daily for 2-3 weeks after discovery. Removing nits EVERY day for 3 weeks is the MOST effective treatment.
    • Help prevent lice infestation by encouraging your child not to engage in activity that causes head-to-head contact (ex- sharing hats, hoodies, brushes, etc).


    References:
    American Academy of Pediatrics

    Head Lice PEDIATRICS 2015; Vol. 135 published online April 27, 2015, 31355-1365; DOI: 10.152/peds.2015-0746
    Center for Disease Center for Disease Control

    Parasites-Lice-Head Lice - Page last reviewed: September 24, 2013

     

    National Association of School Nurses Head Lice Management in the School Setting (Position Statement). Adopted: 1999; Revised: 2004, January 2011, January 2016


    Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 97, Subchapter A, Rule 97.7, Update 2013


    Texas Department of State Health Services

    • Recommendations on “No-Nit” Policies in Schools, September 2007
    • Managing Head Lice in the School Setting and at Home, November 2014

     

    Head Lice Facts & Treatment

    Headlice Classroom Letter