School Nurse Procedure Manual - The School District of Philadelphia

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIASCHOOL NURSE PROCEDURE MANUALSUBJECT: GENERAL PROCEDURES NUMBER 511.2CLASSIFICATION:RELEASE FROM SCHOOL FOR ACCIDENT / ILLNESS(SEP. 01)I. RELEASE FROM SCHOOL FOR ACCIDENT / ILLNESSThe professional judgment of the School District of Philadelphia Certified School Nurses, and the“FIRST-AID AND EMERGENCY CARE CHART” (MEH 50) are to assist the principal in thecare of the ill or injured person. No ill or injured student is to be permitted to go home or to the hospitalwithout being accompanied by a member of the school staff in the absence of a parent or guardian. Nostudent is to be left at home unless there is a responsible adult to receive him/her.A. EARLY DISMISSAL OF ILL OR INJURED STUDENTS TO HOME1. It is advisable to send an ill or injured student home provided:a. The illness or injury warrants dismissal in the opinion of the Certified School Nurse or theindividual designated by the principal.b. A responsible adult is at home to receive the student.2. When a student needs home care, every effort is to be made to have the parent/guardian (or ifunable to do so, the person designated as emergency contact) come to school to pick up thestudent; if a taxi is required, the parent/guardian is to request the taxi, as they are responsiblefor the fare.3. If no responsible adult can come to the school for the student and if, in the opinion of theprincipal, the illness or injury is sufficiently serious to warrant an escort, such service is to beprovided.a. A student who is ill or injured may not be sent home without an escort.b. The escort may be school staff or the principal; students are not to be used for thispurpose.c. The escort is to report to the principal the disposition of the case, and a record is to bemade.d. In cases of serious injury a serious incident report should be completed.e. Under Pennsylvania law, the School District assumes no responsibility for thetransportation of students or employees in private automobiles; insurance coverage isprovided only by the escort’s own automobile insurance.B. STUDENTS SENT TO THE HOSPITAL1. It is advisable to send an ill or injured student to a hospital emergency room as soon aspossible in any case in which:a. The parent/guardian and other responsible persons concerned with the incident agree thatthe illness or injury is not compatible with home care.b. The parent /guardian of a student whose condition apparently demands prompt medicalcare cannot be located within a reasonable time.c. Extreme emergencies may demand immediate action without preliminary attempts to locateresponsible adults; however, these adults are to be notified as promptly as possiblethereafter.2. Transportation to the Hospitala. The Emergency Medical System (EMS) should be activated by calling 911.b. A member of the school staff must accompany the student in the emergency vehicle, and isSeptember 1, 2002 Page 42