Immunizations & Health Room Forms - North Thurston Public Schools

When is my child too sick for school?

Use these tips to tell when your child is too sick to attend school.

Send your child to school if they…

Don't feel great, but are able to participate in normal activities.

Keep your child home if they…

Feel sick and have a fever of 100.4°F or higher, test positive for flu or COVID-19, or can't participate in normal activities.
Have thrown up in the past 24 hours.
Have diarrhea and increased stool frequency.
Have a rash of unknown origin. They can return to school when a healthcare provider says it's okay.
Have an oozing sore or wound you can't cover or contain.

They can return to school/normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true...

Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

Call a healthcare provider if they…

Have a fever of 100.4°F or higher for more than 2 days.
Throw up or have diarrhea for more than 2 days.
Have had the sniffles for more than a week and aren't getting better.
Have asthma symptoms after using asthma medicine. If they have trouble breathing after using an inhaler, call 911.

This is general guidance. Your healthcare provider may advise differently based on individual circumstances.

Please be sure to keep your contact information and any emergency contacts current with the office in case your student becomes ill at school.Questions? Reach out to your school nurse!

Alerts

Immunization Alerts

The Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) form is now required to have a parent signature.
Per Procedure 3413P, the district cannot accept a personal/philosophical exemption for the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunization requirements.
All students must be compliant with updated state immunization rules in order to attend the first day of school. There is no longer a 30-day conditional status as of August 1, 2020.

COVID-19

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus that was not identified in humans before December 2019. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually cause mild respiratory illnesses such as the common cold.

Most people will recover on their own, but some people can develop more serious complications, such as pneumonia, and require medical care or hospitalization. Older people and people with chronic illnesses are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.

Department of Health COVID-19 Information

Thurston County COVID Dashboard

What are the rules for masking at school?

Masks are currently optional in our schools and school buses. Students, staff, and volunteers may choose to wear masks based on their individual and community health needs. Individual mask choices should be respected.

Please note that masks will be required in certain school areas, such as in school health and isolation rooms.

Flu

Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk of serious flu complications.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months of age or older should get a flu vaccine every season.

Department of Health Flu Information

Head Lice

Head lice can be found on the hairs of the head, behind the ears and back of the neck.
Lice can live up to 24 hours off the body.
Lice lay oval, whitish nits (eggs), not to be confused with dandruff which is flaky, or droplets of spray. The nits are usually found attached to hair at the back of the neck. Usually the live nits (eggs) will be found within ¼ inch of the scalp.

Department of Health Lice Information

How are lice spread?

Head lice cannot hop or jump, but are transmitted by close contact with infected articles such as hats, brushes, combs, pillows, backs of chairs, car seats or head-to-head contact with people who have lice. School children should not share clothing or other personal articles to prevent the transmission of head lice.

Myths about lice

MYTH: Lice prefer long hair.
FACT: Short-haired people are equally vulnerable.

MYTH: Infected persons always experience persistent itching.
FACT: A person may feel no discomfort whatsoever.

MYTH: Classroom contacts are the highest risk of infestation.
FACT: Although classrooms are a source of spread, a higher risk is in the home.

MYTH: Lice generally affect only children under 15 years of age.
FACT: Head lice can and do affect anyone, child or adult.

MYTH: The incidence of head lice is higher in low social-economic groups.
FACT: Lice do not respect income levels.

MYTH: Lice infestation is proof of poor personal hygiene or a dirty home environment.
FACT: Cleanliness is important, but lice infestation is a communicable pest, against which personal cleanliness is no safeguard.

Procedures for Treating Head Lice

Examine and treat all household members at the same time.
Use medicated rinse or shampoo for lice (Pediculocidal). If using NIX crème rinse, use after hair has been washed with shampoo, rinsed with water and towel dried. A sufficient amount should be applied to saturate hair and scalp. Leave on hair for 10 minutes. Rinse with water. If using a shampoo, apply a generous amount to dry hair, rub vigorously for 5-10 minutes, then add warm water, lather and rinse with water.
Use only a lice comb or long-toothed comb approved by your health room staff to remove all nits from hair. Additional removal by hand is usually necessary. Continue to comb nightly for two weeks.
A solution of warm water and vinegar (1:1) may be used to help loosen nits.

Personal Articles and Environment

Wash all bedding, clothing and towels in the hottest water and/or air dry in a hot dryer (20 minutes). Toys that are slept with should also be cleaned.
Non-washables should be dry-cleaned or sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks.
Soak all combs, brushes, etc. in hot (150° F) water and disinfectant (may use medicated shampoo or ammonia, Lysol, or other such cleansing agents) for 1 hour.
Vacuum carpets, upholstered furniture, bed mattresses, car seats and headrests and dispose of vacuum bag immediately.

Notify Others

Parents of children that have been in close contact with your child should be notified, especially if the children have had a sleepover or participated in activities involving body contact.

HIV / AIDS

NTPS follows the state guidelines for AIDS education in schools. See RCW 28A.230.070 - AIDS education in public schools for more information.

What is HIV?

The virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) causes AIDS by damaging the body's immune system, which normally protects people from disease.

What is AIDS?

A viral syndrome which affects the immune system, making HIV infected persons susceptible to various diseases that would not harm a healthy immune system. It may take an HIV infected person up to 10 years before showing symptoms of AIDS.
AIDS has a very high death rate. Currently, there is no cure.

Department of Health HIV/AIDS Information

Meningitis

Students age 11-18 years old are at increased risk for a potentially fatal bacterial infection called meningococcal disease. This bacterial infection can lead to meningitis, which causes swelling of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, or to a serious blood infection.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends meningococcal vaccination at:

11 to 12 years old during the pre-adolescent doctor's visit
High school entry
College freshmen living in dormitories

Up to 83 percent of meningococcal infections among this age group are potentially vaccine-preventable. Vaccination is safe and effective, and can protect individuals against four of the five serogroups (A, C, Y, and W-135) of N. meningitides, the bacterium that causes meningococcal disease.

We encourage you and your adolescent or college-bound child to learn more about this disease and to speak with your physician about vaccination.

Department of Health Meningitis Information

Whooping Cough

Information about HPV and Meningococcal Disease

As a parent there is nothing more important than safeguarding your child’s health. The Washington State Legislature requires us to make information available to you about and human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal disease. Know the facts about these diseases and the vaccines available to protect your child.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Prevention

What is HPV?

HPV is a very common virus that can cause cancers later in life. Nearly 42 million people are currently infected with HPV in the United States. About 13 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. In the U.S., an estimated 36,000 people are affected by a cancer caused by HPV infection each year. While there is screening for cervical cancer that can detect cancer early, there is no recommended screening for the other cancers caused by HPV infection, like cancers of the back of the throat, anus, penis, vagina, or vulva.

How can I protect my child from HPV?

HPV vaccination provides safe, effective, and lasting protection against the HPV infections that most commonly cause cancer. HPV vaccination works extremely well. HPV vaccine has the potential to prevent more than 90% of HPV-attributable cancers. Since HPV vaccination was first recommended in 2006, infections with HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 88% among teen girls and 81% among young adult women.

Who should get the vaccine and when should they get it?

Because the vaccine is more effective when given at younger ages, two doses of HPV vaccine are recommended for all children starting at ages 9 to 14. If children do not get the first dose of HPV vaccine before age 15, they will need three doses.

For more information on HPV, the vaccine, and cervical cancer:

Meningococcal Disease and Prevention

What is meningococcal disease?

Meningococcal disease is a serious illness. It spreads through close contact by coughing, kissing, or sharing anything by mouth, such as water bottles, eating utensils, lip balm, or toothbrushes. It can cause pneumonia, blood infections, and swelling of the covering of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). Severe disease can cause brain damage, loss of hearing or limbs, and death. Fortunately, this life-threatening infection is rare – we usually have only about 20 to 30 reported cases each year in Washington. Adolescents and young adults are more likely to get meningococcal disease, especially if they live in group settings like college dorms.

How can I protect my child from meningococcal disease?

The meningococcal conjugate vaccine, or MCV4, prevents against four types of the disease. It is a 2-dose series recommended for all children between 11 and 12 years of age, and again at 16 to 18 years of age. The meningococcal B vaccine, or MenB, is recommended during a meningococcal B disease outbreak or based on shared decision making with your health care provider.

For more information about meningococcal disease and how to prevent it:

Where can I find the meningococcal and HPV vaccines?

Talk to your health care provider about the vaccines your child needs. In addition to meningococcal and HPV vaccines, your preteen should receive Tdap. Washington offers vaccines at no cost to kids through age 18 through the Childhood Vaccine Program. Participating providers may charge an office visit fee or administration fee to give the vaccine. If you can’t afford these fees, you can ask to have them waived. This provider map can be used to find providers in the Childhood Vaccine Program.