Health Services
The Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO) is a special education cooperative which services six elementary and two high school districts in the northwest area of Cook County.
The purpose of this Student Health and Safety Information Handbook is to provide information regarding the school health services that are designed to support the special education placement by helping the student maintain an appropriate state of health and well-being as determined for each individual student.
School health services are based on the Illinois School Code the Illinois Administrative Code, and board policies of the school districts and special education cooperative.
It is not the intent or the desire of NSSEO to relieve parents/guardians of their responsibilities for the health and well-being of their children. School health services supplement, rather than substitute for, parental care and concern for the health of the child. Parents/guardians are advised of health problems, advised to secure needed medical and dental care, provided information about health evaluations conducted by the school, and made aware of the community resources available to them. The achievement and maintenance of good health can be seen as a joint responsibility of the home, the school and the community.
Physical Examination
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of the student are required to present proof of health examination by a licensed physician, APN, or Physician’s Assistant within one year prior to the student…
Entering preschool or early childhood programs
Entering Kindergarten or 1st Grade
Entering 6th Grade
Entering 9th Grade
Enrolling in an Illinois school, regardless of the student’s grade (including early childhood, special education, and students transferring into Illinois from out-of-state or out-of-country
All required school physicals and immunizations must be on file at the school of attendance prior to the -first day of the school term. Failure to provide the required information will result in the student’s exclusion from school.
These health examinations shall be documented on an official “Certificate of Child Health Examination”. No other form will be accepted from your physician. Your child’s certificate must indicate the month, date, and year of the immunizations and be signed by the examining physician, APN, or Physician’s Assistant. This form must be returned to the school office on or before October 15th of the current school year or the student will be excluded from school starting October 16th until proof of the health examination is properly submitted.
Transfer Students
Health records will be requested from previous Illinois school districts. For transfer students from out of the State or out of the country, or from a federal Head Start program, a health form that is comparable to the Illinois requirements may be accepted only at the time of first entry into an Illinois school.
Forms
Certificate of Child Health Examination
Certificado de Examen de Salud del Nino/a
Interscholastic Sports Physical
– Under construction –
Immunizations
Proof of Immunity
Illinois state law requires specific immunizations for students enrolled in school. NSSEO is required to follow the Illinois Department of Public Health requirements for immunizations. Refer to your school’s nurse and the IDPH website for specific immunization requirements and review with your child’s doctor regarding required immunizations.
Immunization Clinics
Immunization Clinics at Village Hall in Arlington Heights
(847) 368-5760
Children’s Clinic in Hoffman Estates
(847) 781-4850
Cook County Department of Public Health
(847) 818-2860
Form
Dental Examinations
Required for students entering Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 6th grade. Recommended annually for all students.
| Dental Clinics | |
|---|---|
| Skokie Dental Clinic Cook County Department of Public Health | Carpentersville Community Health Center |
| Ste 156 5600 Old Orchard Road, Skokie IL 60077 (847) 470-7398 |
3003 Wakefield Drive, Carpentersville IL 60110 (847) 851-8600 |
| Rolling Meadows Dental Clinic | Illinois Masonic Medical Center Dentistry Program |
| Ste 250 2121 E Euclid Avenue, Rolling Meadows IL 60008 (847) 818-2860 |
811 W Wellington Avenue, Chicago IL 60657 (773) 871-1461 |
| Northwest Community Hospital Mobile Dental Clinic | The Mobile Dentistry Program |
| 800 W Central Road, Arlington Heights IL 60005 (847) 618-5572 |
(773) 450-8857 |
Provides dental services to under-served individuals in the Chicagoland area. It reaches senior citizens, people with disabilities, homeless, immigrants, and others who face difficulty accessing adequate dental care.
Forms
Proof of School Dental Examination
Formulario Comprobante del Examen Dental Escolar
Formulario de Renuncia Voluntaria del Examen Dental Escolar
Eye Examination
Required Vision Examinations
All kindergarten‐aged students and those enrolling for the first time in a public, private, or parochial school after January 1, 2008, are required to undergo a vision examination by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Completed vision exam reports must be submitted to the school no later than October 15. Parents who are eligible may sign a waiver exempting their child from this requirement if they qualify. The vision exam waiver must be signed and returned to the child’s school by October 15. Parents may also provide a written religious objection including a brief explanation to have their child religiously exempted from undergoing an eye examination. Signed and dated religious objections must be submitted to the child’s school by October 15. If a vision exam form, waiver, or religious objection is not on file with the child’s school by October 15, the school may hold the child’s report card but may not deny school attendance to the child.
Vision Screening
All students in special education placements are mandated by the State to receive an annual vision screening. The certified school nurse or other personnel who are certified by the Department of Health in vision screening will provide this service. The screening is designed to identify students who require a complete eye exam in order to rule out vision problems or the need for eyeglasses. Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye exam performed by an eye doctor. Your child can be exempt from the vision screening if an eye doctor has completed and signed the eye exam form indicating that the exam was administered within the last 12 months. Parents may also provide a written religious objection including a brief explanation to have their child religiously exempted from vision screening. If a current vision exam report or religious objection is not on file at school, your child will be screened. Students wearing glasses should be re‐examined by their eye doctor according to the eye doctor’s recommendation.
Forms
School Hearing Screening
All students in special education placements are mandated by the State to receive an annual hearing screening. The certified school nurse or other personnel who are certified by the Department of Health in hearing screening will provide this service. Students who fail hearing screening will be referred to their doctor for examination. A treating physician’s report should be completed by the doctor and returned to the school nurse. Depending on the doctor’s findings, the student may then be referred to the NSSEO Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, for further audiological evaluation. Students wearing hearing aides and those with a known hearing loss will not be screened but should be monitored by their physician or private audiologist. Parents may also provide a written religious objection including a brief explanation to have their child religiously exempted from hearing screening.
The NSSEO Governing Board believes that each student should receive necessary medication in a safe, effective manner if the required medication must be administered during the school day. Only medications, prescription and non-prescription, which are necessary to maintain the student while in school and only those that must be given during school hours will be administered.
After School Activities and Medications
Forms
Authorization for Administration of Medication
Autorizacion para la administracion de medicina
Authorization for Administration of Treatment
Autorizacion para la Administracion de Tratamiento
EPI Pen and Inhaler Emergency Consent
NSSEO follows the CDC/IDPH/ISBE regulations regarding reported illness/communicable diseases and exclusion policies. Nursing staff alert families of reported illness/communicable diseases within the school as advised by the health department. Please notify the school if your child contracts an illness/communicable disease.
Exclusion from School
The following link is used to help determine exclusion criteria, notification, duration of exclusion, etc. for most reported illness/communicable diseases.
IDPH School Health Listing of Communicable Diseases
Keep your child home from school when
They have a fever of 100 degrees (oral) or higher. Your child must be fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication before returning to school.
Vomiting more than two times in the previous 24 hours.
Skin rash until the medical care provider determines that the rash is not infectious.
Diarrhea (watery stools or loosely formed stool) three times in the previous 24 hours.
Loss of taste or smell.
If your child experiences any of the above symptoms during the school day, you will be contacted to pick them up immediately. It is important that the school has accurate phone numbers for parents and emergency contacts. Please notify the school office immediately with any changes in contact information.
Your child must be free from fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for 24-hours before returning to school. A note from your child’s medical care provider indicating the child is medically cleared to attend school may be required. For high clinical suspicion of COVID-19 (i.e. loss of taste or smell) a COVID-19 test or exclusion from school may be required.
Absences
If a student is absent, the parent/guardian should call both the school and the bus company to report the absence. In the event that no phone call is received, the school is mandated to contact a parent or legal guardian to find out why the student is not in school.
Under some circumstances, the nurse may require a written note form a physician before allowing re‐ entry to school. Schools must adhere to the truancy ordinances of the community in which they are located.
Exposure Control
Any of the procedures listed below or any medical procedures require physician and parent authorization. A Physician Authorization for Administration of Treatment form needs to be completed. It is the parents’/guardians’ responsibility to provide the needed supplies for each procedure and to clean, disinfect, and maintain supplies as necessary.
Catheterization
When intermittent catheterization is necessary during the school day, the procedure will be performed by a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN) with the LPN working under the direction of the RN.
Gastrostomy Tube Feedings
When gastrostomy tube feedings for the administration of nutrition, hydration, or medication is necessary during the school day, the procedure will be performed by an RN or LPN, with the LPN working under the direction of the RN. If a parent or guardian prefers a classroom staff member to administer gastrostomy tube feedings, the parent or guardian may directly train the staff member.
Tracheostomy Care
When a student has a tracheostomy, care is necessary during the school day. This care will be provided by an RN or LPN who is trained and familiar with tracheostomy care. The LPN providing tracheostomy care will perform duties under the direction of the RN.
Deep Suction
When a student requires deep suctioning throughout the school day, it will be performed by an RN or LPN.
