Student Health
Dear Tower families,
We honor the correlation between health, wellness and academic achievement and work to keep students healthy, happy and in school. Below, you will find health-related information, intended as a supportive and valuable resource for families.
Please contact me with questions at any time.
Be well!
Nurse Paula
Paula Cardarelli, RN, BSN
781-631-5800 x202
Paula Cardarelli, Director of Health Services
- RSV, Influenza and COVID-19 Prevention and Illness Management
- Strep Throat
- Dressing for Cold Weather and Outdoor Recess
- Head Lice
- Sun Exposure
- Mosquito & Tick Awareness
- Hydration
- Food Allergies
- Crisis Resources for Families
- Medication for In-School Use
- FAQ: If Your Child Is Not Feeling Well
- Magnus Health: Securely Manage Student Health Information
RSV, Influenza and COVID-19 Prevention and Illness Management
In March of 2024, the CDC released updated recommendations on managing COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses like RSV and influenza. These new guidelines bring a unified approach for addressing the risks of these illnesses which can cause significant risks to individuals and the community, and burden the health systems. Per the CDC, this new guidance “uses the commonsense solutions [which] we know work to protect ourselves and others from serious illness from respiratory viruses—this includes vaccination, treatment, and staying home when we get sick.”
The health of our school community is our top priority. We want to avoid spikes in influenza, viral respiratory infections, strep throat and pneumonia that cause students to miss valuable in-school time. We ask families to keep your children home to rest and recover when they are unwell. Collectively each of us must take preventative measures and follow the recommendations below before returning to school after being sick.
CDC Recommendations on core prevention steps and strategies include:
- Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccination and influenza vaccination protects people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV, if eligible
- Practicing good hygiene:
- Washing hands often with soap and water or using hand sanitizer is the best way to prevent the spread of illnesses
- Covering coughs and sneezes with your elbow
- Cleaning frequently touched surfaces
- Taking steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors
- Getting adequate sleep
Recommendations for return to school after being actively sick:
The duration of symptoms varies from person to person. Most individuals who are sick from respiratory viruses like COVID, flu, and RSV have severe symptoms for 3–5 days.
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Students can return to school when, for at least 24 hours, both are true
- Their symptoms are getting better overall, and
- They have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication) in 24 hours
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When students return to school and resume their normal activities, the CDC recommends that individuals take added precautions over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps to get out in the fresh air and/or using an air purifier, practicing good hygiene, wearing a mask if symptoms include a frequent cough, physical distancing and/or testing if they will be around other people indoors who are at risk.
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Keep in mind that individuals may still be able to spread the virus that made them sick, even if they are feeling better. They are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long they were sick or how sick they were.
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If your child develops a fever or starts to feel worse after they have returned to normal activities, please keep them home and away from others again until, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
- symptoms are improving overall
- they have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precautions for the next 5 days.
Strep Throat
Most sore throats are caused by viruses, as seen in colds, or seasonal allergies. However, for children between the ages of two and eighteen, there is also a tendency to develop “strep throat.” This is caused by the streptococcus bacteria, which can lead to complications such as scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, and kidney disease.
Visually Recognizable Symptoms of Strep
Symptoms usually begin 2–3 days after contact, and the degree of illness can vary from child to child. Although you can’t always tell by looking, strep throat has a somewhat characteristic appearance. You can suspect strep most strongly if:
- the tonsils are beefy red
- the uvula is red and swollen (the fleshy part at the back of the throat that hangs down like a raindrop)
- there are big lymph nodes in the neck and under the chin.
Symptoms not typically associated with strep throat are a stuffy nose, cough, and laryngitis. These suggest another cause such as a cold or allergy.
Diagnosis
The only certain way to diagnose strep throat is with a throat culture. Contact your pediatrician if ANY of the following occur:
- There is a fever over 101°
- The onset of sore throat is rapid.
- The sore throat persists beyond one or two days.
- A rash appears with the sore throat, especially one that looks like sandpaper or goose bumps
- along with the appearance of “strawberry tongue” (signs of scarlet fever).
- Complaints of belly pain (indicating that the abdominal lymph nodes are swollen).
- Recent contact with another child diagnosed with strep throat or a skin infection, impetigo.
- Pus or greenish-yellow discharge seen in the back of the throat.
- Large, rubbery lymph nodes in the neck region.
- Petechiae, tiny red dots (hemorrhages) surrounding the tonsils and extending on the palate.
- Small white dots or patches may be visible on the palate or tonsils.
Symptoms generally occur 2–3 days before a culture will show positive results, so after a culture is taken, your child should remain at home until you know the results.
Medical Treatment and Home Remedies
Medical treatment is usually an antibiotic. It is important to finish the entire course of medication, even if your child feels fine. This will help ensure that the medication has time to kill all the bacteria. If the entire course of antibiotics isn’t finished, the bacteria can become resistant to the antibiotic and will be much harder to treat next time.
In addition to antibiotic treatment, home remedies may make your child more comfortable.
- Salt-water gargles and honey or lemon in tea may help soothe a sore throat
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) can be used for pain and fever
- Use over-the-counter medications only as directed
Prevention
The best way to keep from getting strep throat is to wash your hands often and avoid sharing eating utensils, like forks or cups. It is essential for anyone with a sore throat to wash their hands often and cover coughs and sneezes.
*Special note*: Remember to change the toothbrush after this and other illnesses!
Return to School After Strep Throat
Your child should return to school after they have received a full course of antibiotics and have been fever free for 24 hours without
fever-reducing medication. Children should also be eating a full meal and feel healthy enough to participate in a full day of school.
Dressing for Cold Weather and Outdoor Recess
We value the many health benefits of outdoor recess and evaluate weather conditions to ensure safe outdoor play.
During the winter months, All students must wear a winter coat, hats, mittens or gloves, socks, and leggings under skirts or dresses to participate in outdoor recess. Students also must wear snow pants and boots to play in the snow. Dressing in layers is helpful during the winter months.
Head Lice
Head lice are a common occurrence in schools.
If there is a confirmed case of head lice in your child's grade, parents will be notified via email. The notification serves only to alert parents and/or guardians to monitor their children for head lice. A detailed information packet with prevention, identification and treatment of lice is available in the Health Office. Please email or stop by to pick up an information packet—I am happy to serve as a resource on this issue.
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend "no-nit" policies because they have not been shown to be effective in controlling head lice transmission. At no time should a child feel excluded from school or extracurricular activities because of head lice.
For information regarding head lice treatment visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health websites.
Sun Exposure
Mosquito & Tick Awareness
Tics and Mosquitoes are prevalent in Massachusetts and some can carry diseases that cause illnesses.
The good news is there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from mosquito and tick bites, and the illnesses they can cause. Just like applying sunscreen, please consider spraying your children prior to school with EPA bug repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or a lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol products as recommended by the CDC and American Pediatrics Association for long lasting protection against mosquito and tick bites.
A few preventative steps to avoid tick bites:
- Use EPA-approved repellents noted above
- When possible, consider wearing long pants, long sleeves and socks
- Light-colored clothing makes it easier to spot ticks crawling before they attach
- Check yourselves and your pets for ticks at least once a day or after being outside in the woods
- Carefully remove ticks with tweezers as soon as possible
Massachusetts Department of Public Health offers the following card for identifying ticks in our state.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health offers the following Mosquito safety tips:
- Being aware of peak mosquito hours, from dawn to dusk
- Applying insect repellent when outdoors
- Wearing long sleeves, long pants and socks will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
- Please consider spraying your children before school with EPA bug repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or a lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol product as recommended by the CDC and American Pediatrics Association for long-lasting protection against mosquitos.
Bug spray will be offered to students during afternoon sports practices, games that occur after regular school hours, and field trips, including overnight trips scheduled for this fall.
If you have any questions or concerns about EEE or other mosquito-borne illnesses, please visit the MDPH at https://www.mass.gov/mosquito-borne-diseases.
Hydration
Food Allergies
Children with food allergies can have life-threatening reactions with exposure to an allergen.
To decrease the chances of exposure and allergic reactions, nuts and nut products are not permitted in classrooms, kitchen areas, or shared student spaces. The best way to ensure that food is nut-free is to read all labels carefully before making your child's lunch or snack. Thank you for helping to make Tower School a safe environment for all of our students.
Crisis Resources for Families
School Counselor Sarah Gold offers the following resources and hotlines for psychiatric crisis, substance abuse and health and safety. For a printable copy, click here.
Emergency
- Call 911 if any crisis is an immediate health risk or you are in danger.
Psychiatric Crisis
- Northshore Psychiatric Crisis Hotline - 978-744-1585. This hotline offers over-the-phone mental health crisis management and a mobile unit that can travel to peoples' homes if necessary. The mobile unit has still been functioning during the COVID-19 crisis, however, they are restricting their home visits.
- Samaritans, a local, Boston agency.
Hotline, call or text - 877-870-4673 - National Suicide Prevention
Hotline, call or text: 800-273-8255
Domestic Violence
- In Massachusetts, SafeLink offers resource for domestic violence support
Safelink Hotline: 877-785-2020 - In Salem, HAWC, supports women and children
Call 800-547-1649 - The national hotline for domestic violence support is 800-799-7233
Substance Abuse
- The Boston Alcoholics Anonymous group offers links to online meetings.
A.A. hotline 617-426-9444, available:
Monday-Friday, 9:00am-9:00pm
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, 12:00pm-9:00pm - The National hotline for Mental Health and Substance Abuse is 800-622-4357
Sarah Gold, School Counselor
Medication for In-School Use
- If your child has medication that needs to be taken during school, please place it in a Ziploc bag, clearly labeled with your child’s name and hand it to the administrator who greets your child at drop-off on the first day of school.
- Children with allergies who require an EpiPen need to have an EpiPen at school. The Asthma and Allergy Association also highly recommends that children with asthma keep a second inhaler at school.
- All medication, including over the counter medication, needs to be stored and administered in the health office.
FAQ: If Your Child Is Not Feeling Well
Q: When should I keep my child home?
A: A child should be kept home from school if he/she has:
- An above normal temperature greater than 100.1 degrees: The child should not return to school until his/her temperature has returned to normal for at least 24 hours
- If he/she is having vomiting and/or diarrhea: The child should remain at home until he/she is without symptoms for 24 hours and is eating a regular diet
- Any serious cold symptoms that would prevent your child from participating in school activities
- Any contagious disease
Q: Who should I call if my child is sick and will not be in school?
A: If your child is sick, please call health office at 781-631-5800 x202 and let them know that your child is sick and will not be in school or email me at paula.cardarelli@towerschool.org.
Q: Can my child take their own medication at school?
A: No. Students are not allowed to carry any medication on their person. If your child needs a prescription medication during the school day, please send it into the health office in the prescription bottle. Over the counter medication may be given in the health office with parent permission.
Q: Who should be informed if my child needs to be excused from sports?
A: If a student is to be excused from sports, a written note signed by a parent must be brought to school and given to the homeroom teacher in the morning. In addition, we ask that the student speak with their coach prior to the afternoon’s sport activity.
Magnus Health: Securely Manage Student Health Information
Magnus Health is a comprehensive system designed for schools to securely manage student health information. Magnus Health integrates seamlessly with Veracross, our existing, school-wide student information system, ensuring that your child(ren)’s health records are easily updated by you, and readily accessible any time your child interacts with the Health Office.
We ask families to provide the required health information for each child enrolled at Tower for the 2024–2025 school year by July 1, 2024.
Required Health Information
1. Emergency Medical Consent Form
Complete the Emergency Medical Consent form in your Magnus Health account by July 1, 2024.
2. Medical Action Plans
If your child has a health condition that requires medication during the school day, please obtain a copy of your child's action plan from their pediatrician or asthma and allergy specialist.
- Children with asthma require an Asthma Action Plan on file at school.
- Children with allergies that require an epi-pen require an Allergy Action Plan on file at school.
Please upload action plans to your Magnus Health account by July 1, 2024.
3. Physicals and Immunizations
Please upload a current physical form (received within 18 months) and a current immunization record by July 1, 2024. If your child(ren) have a physical scheduled during the summer, please upload the new physical following the appointment and before the start of the school year.
If relevant to your child(ren), please also submit the following immunization-related documents by July 1, 2024
- If your child(ren) are not immunized due to a religious exemption, a letter must be written and signed by parents or guardians and dated yearly.
- Medical exemptions must be completed by your child's/children's pediatrician.
Get Started with Magnus Health
Log in to the Veracross Parent Portal and click on the Magnus Health button on the right side of the page. A brief video tutorial is available.