Health Services

Major goals of our Student Health Services program include:

• assisting with access to primary health care.
• providing a system for dealing with crisis medical situations.
• providing health screening and immunization monitoring.
• identification and care of student health concerns.
• promotion of appropriate health education.
• promoting a healthful and safe school environment that facilitates learning.
• providing a system of evaluation of the effectiveness of the school health program.

Student Health Services staff strive to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for students. We request that parents notify us of any health condition that may affect their child’s educational progress, especially any that may result in an emergency or require our assistance during the school day. Our staff is available to assist students and their families in planning any needed school accommodations.

At Winona Area Public Schools, we believe learning and teaching is maximized in a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment. Every student's physical and emotional well-being is a priority. 

In order for our students to achieve the best of their ability, we need to keep our schools healthy. This is a shared responsibility between families, staff and students. 

Please monitor your child for any symptoms of illness and make sure you follow the guidelines listed below before sending them to school. We realize the inconvenience of needing to stay home with an ill child, but we all need to play our part in helping our schools remain healthy and safe.

• Fevers (100 degrees F or higher): Students must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before returning to school
• Vomiting: Students may return to school 24 hours after vomiting has stopped
• Diarrhea: Students may return to school 24 hours after diarrhea has stopped
• Coughing: Coughs need to be controlled and noncontinuous in order to come to school
• Rashes: Undiagnosed skin sores or lesions must be completely covered by clothing or bandages, and students cannot have any other illness symptoms (like a fever) in order to come to school. Diagnosed rashes must follow infectious disease guidelines.
• Conjuctivitis (pink eye): Students can come to school unless they have a fever or other illness symptoms.

Screening Location:
Goodview Elementary School
5100 West 9th Street
Winona, MN 55987

More Information & Registration

School nurses and health staff follow Minnesota state laws, public health policies, and medical infectious disease guidelines regarding communicable diseases with regards to admittance, attendance, and elimination from school. General information regarding a variety of those diseases is available through the link below. Please contact your school nurse or health office with any specific questions.

MDH INFECTIOUS DISEASES FOR SCHOOLS MANUAL

Minnesota Statutes Section 121A.15 requires that all children who are enrolled in a Minnesota school be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella, Hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella, allowing for certain specified exceptions. Additionally, Meningococcal (Meningitis) vaccine(s) and a Tdap at age 11 years or later are both required for students in grades 7-12.

Exemptions to these requirements can be met by:

* A statement signed by a qualifying health care provider stating that the student has commenced a schedule of the immunizations, and the dates of the initial immunizations and planned dates for further immunizations are included.
* A statement signed by a physician stating that the immunization is contra-indicated for medical reasons, or that laboratory confirmation of the presence of adequate immunity exists.
* A notarized statement signed by the student's parent or legal guardian stating that the prescribed immunizations are contrary to conscientiously held beliefs of the parent or guardian.

Is your child protected? Not sure your child has had all the shots required for school?
Talk to your health care provider or contact your school nurse.

Please notify your School Health Office with any new immunization dates.

Resources:

• Immunization Form
• MN Department of Health

"No Shots and No Exemptions..No School"

Influenza is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. Symptoms include fever, dry cough, sore throat, headache, and body aches. Influenza is not the same as the “stomach flu”. Students who have a fever of at least 100 degrees with a cough or sore throat should stay at home, rest, and drink plenty of fluids. Students can return to school 24 hours after the fever is gone (without fever-reducing medication) if they are feeling well enough to participate in school. Check with your child’s doctor if you are concerned about your child’s illness.

At school, we work to prevent the spread of influenza by promoting handwashing and covering coughs; encouraging influenza vaccination for students, families, and staff; and supporting staying home when sick for both students and staff.

• Influenza in Schools

Medications should be administered at home under the supervision of the parent/guardian whenever possible. However, some students require administration of medications or provision of medical procedures during the regular school day. In those situations, specific procedures will be followed. Additionally, if you have concerns about your child's health, it is not the responsibility of our school staff to recommend any medications, drugs, or health remedies. Please contact your health care provider for advice.

Students who need medication, including over the counter medication, during the school day must have a written order of a licensed physician AND a written authorization of a parent/guardian on file. A form for this is available online or from any school health office. Medication provided to school must be in a pharmacy labeled container. For safety reasons, the medication must be brought to school by a parent or an adult. By law, schools cannot dispose of any unused medications at the end of the school year. Therefore it is parents' responsibility to pick up all medications by the last day of school.

If you need further information about medication administration at school, please contact your school nurse or the District Health Office.

• Medication Form
• School Board Policy on Medication Administration

Student Health Services staff provide health screening programs as noted below and in accordance with recommendations from the Minnesota Departments of Health and Education. Parents are always informed if screening results for any program indicate there may be a concern. School nurses can provide assistance seeking resources if needed. Please contact your child’s school nurse if you need assistance or would like a screening of your child at any other grade level.

Vision and Hearing: Screening occurs each year all students in Grades 1, 4, 7, and 10. Individual school screening dates are available by contacting the school health office.

Color Vision: Screening occurs each year for all males in Grade 1

Scoliosis Screening: Screening occurs each fall for all females in Grade 5 and each spring for all females in Grade 6

Height and Weight: Screening as requested by parents

Anyone can get head lice. Although they are a nuisance, head lice do not transmit disease. Head lice are most often spread through head-to-head contact. School transmission is rare. Some common symptoms of head lice include itching and scratching of the scalp and neck, feeling that something is ‘crawling’ in the hair, sores from constant scratching, and seeing lice on the scalp or nits attached to the hair shaft. If your child has any of these symptoms, please check your child’s head for lice. 

Should your child be found to have live lice in their hair during the school day, a parent/caregiver will be contacted by a health office staff member. The students may remain in school until the end of the school day and return to school after the first application of treatment has been completed per directions sent home with the student.

(From Rochester Public Schools)

• Head Lice Parent Fact Sheet (from Hennepin County Health Services)