Clinic

A medical emergency form will be completed each year for each Prince of Peace student in order that specific steps may be identified and taken should a student become ill or have an accident at school for which immediate treatment is necessary.

Immunizations

All students enrolled at POP are required to have up-to-date immunization records on file during their period of attendance at the school. Regulations 97.61-97.72 of the Texas Administrative Code cover immunization requirements. These regulations apply by the Texas Department of Health to all students attending private schools. The Clinic will notify parents by e-mail in advance of immunizations needing to be updated. Follow-up letters and phone calls will be made if necessary. Please be aware that immunizations will need to be updated throughout the course the school year depending on the age of your child. It is the parent’s responsibility to deliver an updated immunization record to the clinic. Click here for more specific information about immunization requirements in the state of Texas.

Dispensing Medication

Any prescription or over the counter medication that must be administered during school hours should be accompanied by a written request from a parent/guardian. Medication administration form will be provided by the clinic. A physician signature may be required for over the counter medications to be given for more than ten consecutive days. It is also the professional judgement of the school nurse to require a physician signature for medication administration. All medications must be in their original, properly labeled container and include the following information:
• Student’s name
• Name of medication
• Date(s) to be given
• Time(s) to be given, or how often
• Dosage (how much)
• Signature of the parent or guardian
• Date request written
• Non-prescription medicine must be in the original container with original label and the student’s name. The Clinic will not accept medication in unlabeled bottles or zip lock bags.

Download Medication Request Form (PDF)

Asthma Medications

The 77th Texas Legislature enacted House Bill 1688 which entitles a student with asthma to possess and self-administer prescription asthma medicine. A student may possess and self-administer asthma medicine on school property or at a school-related event if the student has written permission from the student’s parent and the student’s physician or licensed health care provider. Prior to a student being allowed to carry their inhaler it must have the original be label and container for that student.

Illness and School Absence

Students should to remain at home when they exhibit the following conditions:

•Too ill to comfortably participate in activities
•Fever greater than 100.0. The temperature should be normal without any use medications for 24 hours before returning to school.
•Lethargy beyond expected tiredness
•Uncontrolled coughing
•Difficulty breathing including requiring breathing treatments every 2 hours or more
•Diarrhea
•Blood in stools
•Vomiting (2 or more episodes in the previous 24 hours)
•Persistent abdominal pain that continues for more than 2 hours
•Rash with fever or behavior change
•Undiagnosed rash
•Purulent conjunctivitis ("pink eye" with thick discharge from the eye)
•Head lice, or Nits until after the first treatment
•Impetigo, (a bacterial skin infection) until 24 hours after treatment starts
•Strep throat or other streptococcal infection, until 24 hours after starting antibiotics and fever has ended
•Chicken pox, until all sores have dried and crusted (usually 6 days)
•Unspecified respiratory tract illness
•Morning blood sugar greater than 400
Any student under medical care which requires the student to receive special care while in school i.e. change in activity, observation of signs and symptoms of worsening condition, special medications or treatments, etc. must send a written letter from their physician informing the school of the student’s condition and instructions for the care of that student while at school. This should also include orders for dispensing medications.

If a student should be sent home because of illness or injury, parents are expected to pick up the student as soon as possible. The school clinic has a limited number of cots and cannot serve as a “holding area” for students who should be at home. Students cannot be released through the office to go home if ill; students must go through the clinic and have a parent called from the clinic. High school students may drive themselves home if they are well enough to do so and if their parents have given the school nurse permission to release them.

Annual Health Screenings

Each year, students in kindergarten, first, third, fifth, and seventh grade are screened for vision and hearing impairment. First-time students at POP from an out of state school are screened as well as those students transferring from a Texas school if their records do not contain vision or hearing screening results. Spinal screening to detect scoliosis is done in the spring for students in fifth and eighth grades.