Mission: The Marana Unified School District Health Services, in collaboration with parents, medical community, and staff will promote wellness and safety for all students.

• Health Services offices are established at each school site to keep all students in school by removing health barriers thereby freeing the path to academic and personal excellence.
• Health offices at each site promote the health of students through health education, disease prevention and monitoring, referrals for health care intervention, and facilitation of staff training.
   

Health services staffing: Registered nurses and health assistants work as a team in providing health care to all students.

Health Assistants provide:
Emergency care for students who become sick or injured while attending school.

• • Provide information for students returning to school following an accident, illness, or hospitalization. 
  • Serve as liaisons for staff, parents, and nurse.
  • Administer medications, provide daily first-aid care, maintain immunization records, and provide health care resources. 

Nurses and Facilitators provide:
A direct link between physicians, families, and community health care for all students

• • Consultation, instruction, counseling, and guidance to students, health assistants, staff, and parents.
  • Individual and Emergency Health Plans.
  • Health instruction and training for staff.
  • Health intervention, management and/or medical referrals.
  • Assessments and written health care instructions for students with IEP or 504 plans.
  • Health Assistant guidance for monitoring immunization compliance.
  • Information related to the most current Arizona/Federal laws, professional standards, and district policies & procedures pertaining to student health. 
  • Medical guidance for health assistants.

Daily Medical Care

• Asthma
• Cardiac
• Diabetes
• Allergies with anaphylaxis
• Seizures
• Fractures
• Other conditions 

Vision and Hearing Screening

• Specified grades
• New to district
• Special education
• Per parent or staff concern
• Vision assistance for uninsured student

Reintegration

• Students returning to school after treatment of an injury or hospitalization
• Safety evaluation
• Assessment for crutches, wheelchair, cast, braces, and other medical equipment
• Liaison with medical providers

Medication Management

• Daily administration and monitoring for proper dosage, administration time and potential reactions

Immunization

• Compliance monitoring
• Resource information and referral

What is the procedure for my child to return to school after an illness, injury, or hospitalization?

To provide a safe environment for all students, it is district procedure that any student returning after a health event provides clearance from a medical provider. A health event may include, but are not limited to medical and behavioral hospitalization, surgery, and any condition affecting mobility (crutches, wheel chair). If your child was seen by a primary care physician, you may contact their office and request them to fax a medical release with information about any restrictions including weight bearing, P.E. and recess participation, equipment needed (i.e. crutches, wheel chair), date of return and end date. As an alternative option, you may complete a parent release form and give the form to the Health Assistant. The RN will contact the medical provider directly to get orders. If your child was not seen by a medical provider, please contact the Health Office at your child’s school and the staff will assist you. 

How can I be sure my child receives all the necessary support after returning from a health event?

If your child is at an elementary school, please contact the health office in advance and the health assistant will arrange for the child to meet with the District nurse for a safety evaluation. The RN will assess any needs your child will have due to the child’s condition. Special arrangements such as preferred seating and additional assistance can be provided. If your child is in secondary schools, there is an RN on site. Please contact the RN in advance, arrangements can vary from getting a second set of books to using the elevator and requesting longer passing time between classes.

My child has a chronic condition and needs to be absent during school days, do I need doctor orders?

Your medical provider may complete a medical certificate of students with chronic health conditions, addressing medical diagnosis and prognosis, physical limitations and special equipment needed. This form needs to be renewed every school year.

When should my child stay home and can they return to school?

• A child with a temperature of 100.4° or more should remain home until the temperature has returned and remained normal for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.  This is for your child’s health as well as preventing spread of possible viruses conditions such as flu.
• If diarrhea or vomiting occurs, your child should stay home until symptom free for 24 hours.
• Pink eye is very contagious. For precaution, a child with redness of one or both eyes should be kept home until their eyes have cleared or given a prescribed medication for 24 hours.  A doctor’s written release stating the condition is no longer contagious is required to return to school.  A medical note can be kept on record for non-contagious conditions which may result in eye redness.
• Rashes can be difficult to identify.  A student with an unidentified rash should be kept home until the rash disappears or your child’s school has received a written medical diagnosis stating the rash is not contagious.

I found lice in my child’s hair, what do I need to do?

Please call your school and inform the Health Assistant or RN about the issue. Lice are a common problem, particularly in elementary school children. Please be assured, it is not a hygiene issue! Reporting lice to the health office is the only way we can avoid any school wide outbreaks. The Health Assistant will check all other students in the classroom. Students that have the same condition will be sent home for treatment. Please be assured that our Health Assistants are well trained in keeping all this information confidential. Your child should stay home until a treatment with a lice shampoo has been done, and there are no live lice found. It is recommended that the child’s hair be combed with a nit comb (usually a comb is included with the shampoo) every other day until all nits are removed. The Health Assistant will recheck all students that had active lice after they were treated. A second check will be done after 10 days to confirm there is no new infestation. For further information, please call Health Services at District.

Please feel free to call Health Services at 616-3013 for medical information and resources.