Student Health Information

Health Services

School Registered Nurse Consultants are responsible for and supervise all health-related activities occurring within district and charter schools. This position requires a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Colorado RN license and Colorado Department of Education certification as a Special Services Provider - School Nurse. School RN Consultants work with health clerks, school administration and staff to provide physical, mental and social support to help children learn. School RN Consultants are assigned to multiple buildings so are not in every school every day, however school staff are able to contact them at all times.

Health Clerks are the main caregivers in health offices in all district and charter schools. They complete a health clerk training course, are certified in CPR and First Aid and complete additional training for specific student needs. They perform first aid and care for ill children, administer medications, perform vision and hearing screenings, manage immunizations and are responsible for maintaining student health records. 

For Health Service Information and forms, please see the District 6 Health Services page on the District 6 website.

Illness, Injuries, and Emergency Information

Health office or other qualified school staff will administer first aid for any ill or injured student. If needed, a parent/guardian will be contacted and 911 may be called if emergency care is necessary. Please keep emergency contact information up to date with the school office staff so that we are able to reach you in the event of an emergency.

Medications at School

Parents have primary responsibility for the health of their children. This includes administration of medications. Parents are encouraged to schedule medications to be given before or after school when possible. Medication administration at the school must follow the regulations set by the state of Colorado. 

Medications brought to the school are kept in the Health Office for the safety of all students; at the middle and high school level, students may carry certain medications if a contract is completed with the school registered nurse consultant and parent/guardian.

Prescription Medications

• A Medication Authorization form signed by both a parent/guardian AND a health care provider is required to be on file at the school 
• Medication must be provided by the parent/guardian in an individual, pharmacy labeled container for the student who is to receive it. 
• Medication will be given as directed by the pharmacy label and per the provider’s written order. 
• Provider orders expire one year from the date of the prescription.. Non-Prescription/Over-the-Counter Medication 
• A Medication Authorization form signed by both a parent/guardian AND a health care provider is required to be on file at the school 
• Non-prescription/over-the-counter medications must be in the original packaging and labeled with the student’s name. 
• Some over-the-counter medications are available in the health office and are approved by the District 6 Medical Advisor. To review the list of these medications and approve their use for your student, please complete the health section of the Online Registration each school year.

Students with Health Concerns

Individualized student health care plans are developed by school registered nurse consultants for all students who require medication administration or specific medical procedures at school or have health conditions which require monitoring in the school setting. Health care plans should be in place for all students with asthma, severe allergies, seizure disorders or diabetes; the state of Colorado provides standardized health care plans for these conditions which are tailored to meet the individual needs of each student. 

Please complete the health section of the Online Registration every school year and notify the school of any changes in your student’s health concerns so that their health needs can be met.

Immunizations

All students enrolled in Colorado schools must comply with the Colorado school entry immunization law. There are three ways a student can be in compliance: 

1. Fully Immunized: student has received all school-require vaccines and a completed Certificate of Immunization is included in the student’s electronic or hard copy file 
2. In-Process: student is in the process of getting up-to-date on required vaccines. Within 14 days of notification, the student must receive required vaccines and submit a signed written plan for obtaining the remaining vaccines following the ACIP schedule for minimum intervals and ages. 
3. Exempted: student has on file either a
   • Certificate of Medical exemption form signed by a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) or delegated Physician Assistant (PA) because of a medical contraindication to receiving a vaccine OR
   • Certificate of Non-medical exemption signed by a healthcare provider and the parent/legal guardian OR submit the exemption received upon completion of the CDPHE’s Online Immunization Education module signed by the parent or legal guardian. Please see CDPHE Vaccine Exemption site for further information on exemption requirements and forms 

Colorado school entry required vaccinations for child care/preschool and K-12 can be found on the CDPHE Immunization website. The most recent immunization rates for all district schools can be found on the District 6 website under Departments > Health Services > Immunization Information for 2024-2025 School Year > Immunization Rates by School. 

Hearing and Vision Screening

A student’s ability to see and hear greatly impacts their ability to learn. If your student has had glasses prescribed or has a hearing aid, please make sure they wear them every day at school. Annual hearing and vision screenings are conducted by Health Services staff including District 6 audiologists. Students in grades Pre-K, K, 1, 2, 3,5, 7 and 9, all new students and students with special education needs are screened every year per Colorado state guidelines. Parents who wish to opt out of screening should contact their school registered nurse consultant. Students who do not pass vision screening will receive a referral for follow-up care. Students who do not pass hearing screening will continue to be monitored by the district audiologist and will be referred for medical care when appropriate. If you need financial assistance for an eye exam and/or glasses, please contact the school nurse or health clerk for information on available programs.

When to Keep Your Child Home/Exclusion from School for Health Reasons

There are reasons to keep children and adults at home: 

1. Per current guidelines, students and staff with a fever of 100.4° or higher must not come to school and must be not be vomiting/throwing up for at least 24 hours 

2. Attendance and reasons for absence will be monitored to understand trends 

Please see District 6 Exclusion Guidelines for more information

Health and Wellness

Research shows that children perform better in school when they have healthy habits. District 6 embraces a mission to improve the health of students, families and staff through education, environmental changes and opportunities to establish life-long positive nutrition, physical activity and mental health habits. Information about health and wellness policies and activities can be found on the District website at Home > Families > Student Wellness. Health office staff are happy to assist parents/guardians in finding health information and access to health care. Please ask if you need assistance!

Loaned Clothing

Most elementary and K-8 health offices have limited supplies of extra clothing when needed. If your child needs to borrow clothing, please wash and return the items at your earliest convenience. Please do not return the underwear.

Students with Allergies

The District recognizes that many students are diagnosed with potentially life-threatening food allergies. To address this issue and meet state law requirements concerning the management of food allergies and anaphylaxis among students, Board policy JLCDA (Students with Food Allergies), Students with Food Allergies, establishes procedures to provide appropriate support plans for students with food allergies. 

The Students with Food Allergies Policy provides guidelines for the development of a health care plan with the assistance of the licensed school nurse. Such plans typically address communication and emergency instructions between school officials and emergency responders, as well as reasonable accommodations to reduce the student’s exposure to agents that may cause allergic reactions. Plans may also include staff training provisions, access to emergency medications and reasonable accommodations under a “Section 504” or an Individual Education Plan when appropriate as determined by law.

Administering Medication to Students

School personnel shall not administer prescription or nonprescription medications to students unless appropriate administration cannot reasonably be accomplished outside of school hours. 

Medication may be administered to students only by school personnel whom a registered nurse has trained and delegated the task of administering such medication. For purposes of this policy, the term “medication” includes both prescription medication and nonprescription medication, but does not include medical marijuana. 

Student possession, use, distribution, sale or being under the influence of medication inconsistent with this policy shall be considered a violation of Board policy concerning drug and alcohol involvement by students and may subject the student to disciplinary consequences, including suspension and/or expulsion, in accordance with applicable Board policy. 

The administration of medical marijuana shall be in accordance with the Board’s policy on administration of medical marijuana to qualified students. 

The term “nonprescription medication” includes but is not limited to over-the-counter medications, homeopathic and herbal medications, vitamins and nutritional supplements. 

Medication may be administered to students only when the following requirements are met: 

1. Medication shall be in the original properly labeled container. If it is a prescription medication, the student’s name, name of the medication, dosage, how often it is to be administered, and name of the prescribing health care practitioner shall be printed on the container. 
2. The school shall have received written permission from the student’s parent/guardian to administer the medication to the student and either: 
   1. Written permission to administer the medication from the student’s health care practitioner with prescriptive authority under Colorado law; or 
   2. a standing medical order, if the medication is an over-the-counter medication such as Advil or Tylenol. 
3. The parent/guardian shall be responsible for providing all medication to be administered to the student, unless it is an over-the-counter medication such as Advil or Tylenol. 

Self-Administration of medication for asthma or anaphylaxis

A student with asthma, a food allergy, other severe allergies, or a related, life-threatening condition may possess and self-administer medication to treat the student’s asthma, food or other allergy, anaphylaxis or related, life-threatening condition. Self-administration of such medication may occur during school hours, at school-sponsored activities, or while in transit to and from school or a school-sponsored activity. Student possession and self-administration of such medication shall be in accordance with district procedures. 

Authorization for a student to possess and self-administer medication to treat the student’s asthma, food or other allergy, anaphylaxis or other related, life-threatening condition may be limited or revoked by the school principal after consultation with the school nurse and the student’s parents/guardian if the student demonstrates an inability to responsibly possess and self-administer such medication. 

Use of stock epinephrine auto-injectors in emergency situations The district will have a stock supply of epinephrine auto-injectors for use in emergency anaphylaxis events that occur on school grounds. Any administration of a stock epinephrine auto-injector to a student by a district employee must be in accordance with applicable state law, including applicable State Board of Education rules. 

The district's stock supply of epinephrine auto-injectors is not intended to replace student-specific orders or medication provided by the student's parent/guardian to treat the student's asthma, food or other allergy, anaphylaxis or related, life-threatening condition.

Use of stock supply of opiate antagonists in emergency situations

The district will have a stock supply of opiate antagonists to assist a student who is at risk of experiencing an opiate-related drug overdose event. For purposes of this policy, an opiate antagonist means naloxone hydrochloride or any similarly acting drug that is not a controlled substance and that is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of a drug overdose. 

The stock supply of opiate antagonists may also be used to assist a district employee or any other person who is at risk of experiencing an opiate-related drug overdose event. 

Administration of an opiate antagonist by a district employee to a student or any other person must be in accordance with applicable state law.

Please refer to Board policy JLCD (Administering Medication to Students) regarding administering medications to students.