The school nurse can be an excellent resource for students and parents, as well as a partner in keeping your child healthy! Following is some basic information for parents to use as a guide to school health services.

First Aid/Emergency Treatment

The school nurse or designated WVISD personnel will administer first aid and/or initiate emergency procedures for those students in need of medical attention. Parents will be telephoned immediately in the event of a serious injury. In the event that parents cannot be reached, the school district will attempt to contact those persons whom the parent(s) or guardian(s) have designated as emergency contacts. Should a student experience a minor injury that is treated at school and does not require further medical attention, the nurse may contact the parent either by telephone or written note. Parent notification processes vary among campuses and age level of the student involved. Mrs. Gilstrap R.N. and our coaching staff holds current CPR/ First Aid/AED  certification and have developed an emergency action plan for each campus. Emergency supplies and equipment are available to each campus .

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Temporary Care of Ill Students

Parents are asked to keep ill students at home until they have been fever free (temperature less than 100) for 24 hours. Students, who become ill during school hours, will be evaluated by the school nurse. Treatment may be provided with written parental authorization as found on the student’s emergency/health information record. If the student is found to be contagious or too ill to remain at school, parents will be contacted.  Mrs. Gilstrap R.N. follows the Texas Department of Health guidelines for schools and child-care centers. Children with symptoms indicating communicable disease will be sent home.

 The school nurse can be a resource for information related to common childhood illnesses, and can also be a referral source to area doctors and clinics. 

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Health Screenings

Throughout your child’s educational journey, he or she will have many contacts with the school nurse. Some of the more positive contacts are made during routine health screenings. These include vision, hearing, dental, Acanthosis Nigricans, Scoliosis and growth and development screening. These screenings are performed at various grade levels. You will receive a letter or telephone call from your child’s school nurse if there are any abnormalities. "No news is good news!"

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A Lousy Deal...

Head lice, is one of the nuisances that parents of school age children occasionally find themselves dealing with. The head louse has been around for thousands of years and affects between 6 - 12 million people in the U.S. each year. It is the second most common childhood affliction, after the common cold. Classroom head checks are performed routinely and as needed at the elementary level. At the intermediate and secondary levels, head checks are primarily performed individually, unless a classroom check is warranted. Parents are encouraged to periodically check their student for nits (lice eggs), which would indicate the presence of an adult, egg- laying louse. Nits appear as small, clear-whitish ovals attached firmly to the hair shaft. The eggs are usually laid on the hair behind the ears or at the nape of the neck. Adult lice may be found scurrying about at the crown of the head. Many over the counter treatments are available. If you have questions, please contact your doctor, a pharmacist or the school nurse. Don’t let these pests get you BUGGY

                                 Pediculosis Management

It is the position of the Water Valley ISD health services staff that pediculosis, represents a social issue, not a medical or health threat. It is recommended that the School Nurse continue to prioritize student health needs according to professional judgment and standards of care. Head lice activities should not utilize a disproportional amount of public school resources. Individual and classroom head checks are to be done as cases are identified and as warranted.

It is further recommended that parents, especially of younger elementary students, check their child’s head at home on a regular basis, such as every 2 weeks or at anytime the child complains of an itchy head. The school nurse is available to instruct parents on proper head check techniques on an individual basis, or as a group, such as PTA/O.

These recommendations are in line with the National Association of School Nurses position statement on "Nit Free Policies in the Management of Pediculosis", as well as recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and the Texas Department of Health.

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