Spencerport Central School District

Students should not carry medication of any kind to school. If it is necessary for a child to receive medications while in school, the following guidelines apply:

• All medication taken in school, including over-the-counter drugs (pain medication, cough syrups, lozenges, etc.), must be prescribed by a physician. The written order must include the student's name and date of birth, name of medication, dosage and route of administration, frequency and time of administration, date written, prescriber's name, title, signature and phone number, and for as needed medications, conditions under which medication should be administered.
• The school nurse must have on file a written request from the student's physician and a written request from the parent to administer the medication; and
• All medication must be brought to school in a properly labeled original container by the parent or person in parental authority and delivered to the school nurse. Parents are advised to ask the pharmacist for two containers, one to remain at home and one at school.
• All prescription medication should be in original prescription bottle with student name, physician name and dosage.
• In some cases, exceptions are made with prior approval. For life threatening issues, students may be allowed to carry and/or self-administer medication. Specific regulations are outlined in SCS Regulation 7513R. Any parent or person in parental authority seeking permission for their child to self-carry and/or self-administer medication needs to fill out and have their physician complete Form 7513F and Form 7513 F.2.  These forms can be found on the Forms and Documents page.

Health Records Confidentiality

The Spencerport Central Schools maintains accurate and up-to-date health records for its students. Health records include confidential disclosures or findings, and as such, shall be kept confidential. Individual records may be interpreted by the nurse to administrators, teachers, counselors and other school staff, on a need to know basis, consistent with law.

Emergency Information

Annually, school nurses ask parents and persons in parental authority for updated emergency medical information, including emergency contacts, physician's name and telephone, preferred hospital and permission to transport children via ambulance. If any of this information changes during the school year, please notify the nurse at your child's school.

Parents may request that their child's health information is not shared with school staff by making a written request to the school principal.

This COVID-19 page of our website is devoted to providing resources and updates during the school year.

NYS COVID guidance

Illness and Communicable Disease Exclusion Guidelines

Please find a list below of common childhood illnesses and conditions and the parameters for exclusion from school and what is necessary a student to return to school. Spencerport Central School District utilized recommendations created by the New York State Department of Health, Monroe County Department of Public Health, New York State Education Department, and our district medical director when adopting these guidelines.

Chicken Pox – Student may return when fever free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication, feels well enough to participate in learning, and after lesions are scabbed over (which takes approximately 5-7 days).

Conjunctivitis - Student should be evaluated by a healthcare provider when student is too ill to learn, has significant irritation or pain, reduced vision, light sensitivity and/or redness, swelling or lesions on the eyelid. If evaluated by a physician and prescribed medication, student may return to school once medication has been started.

COVID 19 - Students may return to school and normal activities when symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours and if a fever was present, they should be fever free without fever reducing medications. Once resuming normal activities, students are encouraged to take additional steps for the next 5 days to decrease the risk of spread, such as wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping distance from others, and enhancing hygiene practices. 

Emesis/Vomiting - If cause of vomiting is determined to be from illness, student should be sent home. If no fever develops, student may return the following day if feeling well.

Fever – If temperature is greater than 100, student will be sent home. Student may return to school when fever free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication and feels well enough to participate in learning.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease - If suspected, student will be sent home from school with recommendation to be evaluated by a healthcare provider. Student may return to school when fever-free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication, feels well enough to participate in learning.

Influenza - Student may return to school with improved symptoms and when fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and feel well enough to participate in learning.


Impetigo – If lesions are small and on an exposed surface (face, arm), the nurse will cover area and contact parent to schedule a same-day medical appointment. Student can stay in school if area is able to be covered until treated or evaluated by a medical provider. If student has multiple lesions that are weeping and/or are unable to be covered, the student will need to be sent home and may not return to school until evaluated by a medical provider. Student may return after 24 hours of oral and/or topical treatment. Swimming is not allowed until area is healed. If student is on the wrestling team, see sport guidelines and notify coach.  Athlete must have a medical clearance to return to wrestling.

Lice – If head lice in a student is identified they should remain in class but be discouraged from close direct head contact with others. It is important to maintain confidentiality. The student’s parent or guardian will be notified by telephone stating prompt and proper treatment of this condition is in the best interest of the student and their classmates. In summary, no healthy student will be excluded from school or miss school time due to head lice or nits.

Mononucleosis –Student may return to school when fever free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication and feels well enough to participate in learning. If student has activity restrictions, the medical note should be submitted to the student's health office.

Pinworm – No exclusion is required.

Rashes – If rash is generalized and cannot be connected to allergy, medications or contact dermatitis, student may need to be sent home to be evaluated by a medical provider to determine contagiousness. If Fifths Disease is suspected (slapped cheek pattern), student is not contagious once the rash is present.  Student may remain in school if fever free and feels well enough to participate in learning.

Ringworm - Student will be referred for medical evaluation and excluded from school until treatment has started. A note from the provider stating when the student may return to school is required. The lesion must be covered by clothing, gauze, or dressing when the student is in school until all signs of infection are gone. No swimming until area is healed completely. If student is on the wrestling team, see sport guidelines and notify coach.  Athlete must have a medical clearance to return to wrestling.  Lesions on head normally require oral anti-fungal medication.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) - Student may return to school with improved symptoms and cough is manageable, and when fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and feel well enough to participate in learning.

Shingles - Lesions must be able to be covered in order to return to school. Student must also be fever free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication and feel well enough to participate in learning. No swimming until area is healed. If student is on the wrestling team, see sport guidelines and notify coach.  Athlete must have a medical clearance to return to wrestling.

Strep Throat – Not all sore throats are strep throat.  The only way to determine is by throat culture. Student will be sent home if temperature is greater than 100 and/or if strep throat is strongly suspected by the school nurse. If throat culture is negative (rapid test included), student may return to school if fever free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication. If culture is positive, student must receive at least 24 hours of antibiotics, be fever free for at least 24 hours without the assistance of fever-reducing medication and feel well enough to participate in learning before returning to school. Please notify the school nurse if your child has strep throat.

Whooping Cough - Student must be treated with antibiotics for 5 days before returning to school. Student must also be fever free for at least 24 hours without assistance from fever-reducing medication and feel well enough to participate in learning.

Please contact the school health office with any further questions or concerns.

References:

Guidelines for managing emergency health care and communicable diseases in the school setting November 2022, Guidelines for managing emergency health care and communicable diseases in the school setting
 

Monroe County Department of Public Health Website, Epidemiology and disease control, accessed 6 January 2023, Monroe County Department of Public Health
 

New York State Department of Health Website, Communicable disease fact sheets, accessed 6 January 2023, NYS Dof Health NYS communicable index

• Health exam form (NEW effective March 31, 2023)
• 7513F.2 - Self-Medication Attestation Form
• 7513F - Parent and Prescriber's Authorization Form
• Over-the-Counter Medication Authorization
• Student Health Hx from NYSCSH
• 7240F.7 HIPAA form
• Sunscreen Permission

As required by New York State, our district’s schools will be completing health screens for vision, hearing, and scoliosis for certain grade levels in the Health Office.

Screening Memo (Printable)

The district’s Health Services program supports your student’s academic success by promoting health in the school setting.  One way that we provide care for your student is by performing the health screenings as mandated by the State of New York.

During this school year, the following screenings will be required or completed at school:

Vision

• Distance and near acuity for all newly entering students and students in Pre-K or Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11.
• Color perception screening for all newly entering students.

Hearing

• Hearing screening for all newly entering students and students in Pre-K or Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11.

Scoliosis

• Scoliosis (spinal curvature) screening for all girls in grades 5 and 7; boys in grade 9.

 A letter will be sent home if your student needs follow-up with your health care provider. For vision screenings only, parents will be notified of all results.  Please call the school’s health office if you have any questions or concerns.
 

Body Mass Index and Weight Status Category                                        

As part of a required school health examination, a student is weighed, and his/her height is measured. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index or ‘BMI’.  The BMI helps the doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range or is too high or too low.  Recent changes to the New York State Education Law require that BMI and weight status group be included as part of the student’s school health examination.  A sample of school districts will be selected to take part in a survey by the New York State Department of Health.  If our school is selected to be part of the survey, we will be reporting to New York State Department of Health information about our students’ weight status groups.  Only summary information is sent.  No names and no information about individual students are sent.  However, you may choose to have your child’s information excluded from this survey report.

If you do not wish to have your child’s weight status group information included as part of the Health Department’s survey this year, please contact the district medical director at 349-5157.

All children who attend the Spencerport Central Schools must be immunized against measles, polio, diphtheria, mumps, rubella, varicella (Chicken Pox) and hepatitis B. Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) upon entering 6th grade or turning 11 years old.
 

1. Public Health Law Section 2164 says all students born on or after 1-1-94 AND entering Kindergarten through 12th grade must have proof of immunity to Chicken Pox (Varicella) before attending school.
2. Public Health Law Section 2164 says all students entering Pre-K, K, 1, 2 AND all students born on or after January 1, 1994 who are 11 years of age, AND entering grades 6-11 on or after September 1, 2011 are required to have a booster shot of age appropriate DTaP or Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis)
3. Public Health Law Section 2164 says all pre-schoolers born on or after 1/1/08 who are entering an age 3 or 4-year-old program on or after January 1, 2011 are required to have four doses of pneumococcal vaccine.

Please check with your doctor and make sure that your child has these immunizations before the start of the new school year. If the requirements are completed during the previous school year, please send the completed immunizations record to the current school Health office. After last day of school, send the immunization record to the Health office of the school your child will attend next year.  If your child comes to school on the first day without proof of immunizations or Central Office written approval for an exemption, he/she will not be allowed to go to class, and you will need to take your child home to get proper immunizations. 

*The proof of Varicella (chicken pox) may be one of the following:

1.    A note from the doctor saying your child got a valid dose of vaccine after one year of age, OR
2.    A blood test report that proves your child is immune to the disease (a blood titer), OR
3.    A note from the doctor saying your child had the disease. 

*The proof of Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis (age appropriate DTaP or Tdap) vaccination is a note from your doctor or the clinic where the shot was given that your child either received the vaccine or the date when your child will be getting the vaccine. Prior disease with Pertussis does not qualify as a reason for not getting Tdap.

If a child is entering from out-of-state, a parent or person in parental authority who can show an effort to obtain the necessary evidence or certification may be allowed, with permission of the school principal, to have their child attend school for 30 days. A child denied attendance based on lack of immunizations must be reported to the Monroe County Health Department.

If there are questions regarding immunization requirements, parents or persons in parental relationship should speak with the school principal.

Important forms and information:

Physical and immunization requirement letter 2025-26

2025-26 immunizations for students in grades 6, 7 and 12

2025-26 NYS immunization requirements

Health appraisal

• All new students and students in grades preK, Kindergarten, 1st , 3rd ,5th , 7th , 9th and 11th are required by New York State Law to have a physical examination (effective July 1, 2018). In addition, students participating in sports, being reviewed by the Committee on Special Education , or seeking eligibility for a work permit must have a current physical examination on record in the health office. Exams are considered valid for twelve months and good through the last day of the month in which the exam was conducted.
• Every student deserves a private physician who can provide continuity of care, and most physicians recommend that you schedule exams around your child's birthday. In the event that a physical with a private physician cannot be arranged, the district will ensure that the child receives a physical.

Sports appraisal

Children participating in sports programs must have a current physical on record in the health office. Exams are considered valid for twelve months, good through the last day of the month in which the exam was conducted, and are good through an entire season, even if the exam runs out during that season.

Sports recertifications

All school athletes are required to have a sports recertification prior to the beginning of each sports season. The recertification consists of an interim health history and parent permission for participation in the sport. A student may not participate in any practice or game without first receiving this recertification from one of the school nurses.