Our students are our most valuable resource. To that end, the district provides registered nurses at each campus. School nursing is a professional registered nursing specialty that involves identification, assessment, prevention, and intervention to remedy or modify students' health needs. The nurses' goal is to promote the optimum health of students and the students' abilities to achieve their individual educational goals.

Each nurse monitors required immunizations, mandated health screenings, and maintains communication with parents, when needed. Please use the links to the right to learn more about the Plano ISD School Health services.

Medical Emergencies

Each campus must have a written parental consent or emergency card on file in the event a student has a medical emergency at school or a school-related activity and the parent/guardian cannot be reached. This can be updated annually and as needed online through the Parent Portal

Parents/guardians should include information about pre-existing medical conditions, allergies, and medications, etc. on that card. Parents/guardians are required to complete and sign an emergency card each year, keep emergency care information up-to-date (ie: emergency phone numbers, allergies, name of doctor, etc.), and contact the school nurse to update information.

Each school has at least one (1) automated external defibrillator (AED), and a five (5) member emergency response team. The team has a drill at least once a semester. Each AED is equipped with both adult and pediatric electrode pads.

All campuses have an emergency supply of epinephrine and diphenhydramine HCL (Benadryl) that school nurses may administer in the event of an unexpected, undiagnosed anaphylactic (severe allergic) reaction. Parents of children with known anaphylaxis are expected to provide an individual supply of emergency medication and Emergency Action Plan to the campus nurse.

Contact

Benefits and Risk Management Department
District Health Services
(469) 752-6397
Fax (469) 752-6394

School Health Services Team: 2012 - 2013 School Year

Managing the Flu Season Together

Flu season is typically from October – March. Preparation is the key. Management is a team effort between parents, students, health care professionals, Plano ISD and Collin County Health Department. Each plays a vital role in managing the flu season responsibly.

Plano ISD schools help by:

Teaching and encouraging proper hand washing technique.
Teaching effective coughing and sneeze technique such as cough in your sleeve.
Posting signs around the campus as a visual reminder.
Offering free flu vaccine to all staff.
Encouraging all staff to remain home when ill.

Parents help by:

Having their families vaccinated against the flu.
Encouraging proper hand, sneeze and cough techniques be used at home.
Consulting their health care providers when flu-like illness symptoms begin. Flu like symptoms include: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue and nasal congestion.
Keeping their children home when ill.

Students help by:

Washing their hands for twenty seconds with soap and water before and after eating, after sneezing or coughing into their hands, after using the restroom, after playing outdoors, and any other time their hands are dirty.
Using Kleenex to sneeze and coughing into their sleeves.
Not sharing food and drink.
Encouraging others to do the same.

Collin County Health Department can help when:

Increased incidences of diagnosed flu or absences related to flu like illness are noted in a particular school.
Helping plan and making suggestions for managing increased incidences in a particular area.

More information can be found on the following government sites:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

http://www.co.collin.tx.us/healthcare_services/influenza.jsp

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/influenza/