Health services

Over the course of the school year, there are occasions like birthdays or end-of-the-season gatherings when families send in special food to be shared with an entire class, advisory, team or group. In the past, every treat had to be actively approved by the teacher and the health office.

We have a new process that will be a more efficient—and effective—way to keep students safe. Go to www.gordonschool.org/treats for a list of treats that will always be welcome at Gordon.

Community wellness statement

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 vaccine, and standards for booster shots continue to evolve, Gordon is issuing this community wellness statement, in alignment with recommendations from the Rhode Island Department of Health, posting it on the doors of the school, and making it part of the RSVP process for public events:

Gordon’s mission asks that community members take care of one another, and our individual health and safety choices are a key part of that practice. We expect that anyone entering Gordon’s campus is aware of the importance of vaccinations and is making informed choices to help keep this community safe from contagion.
 

Sharing news of a positive COVID-19 case

In March 2024, the CDC announced that people who test positive for COVID-19 do not always need to be isolated for five days. This change brought COVID-19 guidelines into alignment with the recommendations for other respiratory illnesses such as RSV and the flu, and simplifies Gordon's overall message: if you are sick, stay home , and if your child is sick, have them stay home.  

At this time, Gordon stopped updating the COVID positive case tally at www.gordonschool.org/dashboard. 

Families should accept the default position that, at any given time, any student who attends Gordon is probably a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

Gordon will continue to notify families when there is a significant increase in COVID in a particular grade, as we currently do with strep, the flu, stomach illness etc.

When should a child stay home? (All illnesses including COVID-19)

If a child has one of the following symptoms, they need to stay home:

• A new or unexplained cough that doesn’t go away
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fever at or above 100.4
• Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
• Signs of an eye infection - redness, oozing, or yellow/green discharge

If a child has two or more of the following symptoms, they need to stay home:

• Headache
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion
• Muscle or body aches
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue

Please email me at emoffett@gordonschool.org if your child is home sick, and let me know what symptoms they are having. I monitor illness trends in every classroom and grade, and it’s a huge help to have that information readily available. If your child is diagnosed with an illness like RSV, COVID-19, strep or the flu, please let me know as soon as possible. 

Also, if someone in your child's household tests positive for COVID-19, please share that information with me. Your child will be permitted to attend school as long as they are fever-free.
 

If my child stayed home due to the symptoms listed above, when can they return?

Fever: may return when fever-free for twenty four hours without the use of fever-reducing medication such as ibuprofen or Tylenol.

Shortness of breath: may return when shortness of breath has improved and has been cleared by a medical provider.

Coughing: may return when cough is improving, mild and infrequent, and has been evaluated by a medical provider if warranted. 

Vomiting or diarrhea: may return when free of vomiting or diarrhea for twenty-four hours without the use of medication, and after being seen by a medical provider if necessary

Eye infection: may return after taking antibiotic drops or ointment for twenty-four hours, or otherwise has been cleared by their doctor

Other cold symptoms: may return when symptoms are improving.

The school nurse is available during the day to assess medical problems. Parents will be asked to pick up any student who has a serious injury, has vomited, has a fever of 100 degrees or above, or shows any other symptoms of a contagious disease. Parents are urged to be sure that the nurse has up-to-date information on how to contact each child’s family during the school day.

Strong communication with parents aids the nurse’s work, and families are welcome to contact the nurse for consultation, health education resources, or simply to compare notes on a child’s wellbeing.

It is important to keep the nurse briefed on any medical treatment or medication that students are receiving, even if it is administered outside of school hours. Similarly, the nurse should be told about injuries that occur outside of school hours, especially head injuries.

For safety reasons, students may not keep medications in their possession during the school day. A parent or guardian must give the nurse any medication, with written authorization and instructions on how it should be dispensed.

The nurse may administer non-prescription medication such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen only if the parent has given prior approval in writing. To administer prescription medications, written permission from the child’s physician as well as from the parents must be on file. Prescription medications must be in their original containers, but it is not enough to simply send the prescription bottle to school with the student.

In the event of a health emergency, Gordon will make every effort to contact parents or the persons indicated above. If we are unable to reach any of the above, we will assume we have your permission to use 911 emergency services to bring your child to the nearest available doctor or hospital. A Gordon employee will remain with your child until a family member arrives.

Required before school begins….

Gordon needs an up-to-date record of your child's most recent physical exam and their immunizations. 

Please have your child's doctor's office send a complete record to Gordon. They can use their own form, and it must include immunization history, allergies, chronic conditions, and permission to participate in PE and athletics. 

All forms can be faxed to 401-490-4419, mailed to the school, or scanned and emailed to emoffett@gordonschool.org

If you have questions about forms, reach out to Nurse Moffett at emoffett@gordonschool.org

If your child may require access to medication during the day…

If your child requires medication during the day, including EpiPens or inhalers, they must have new orders from their provider every school year. 

Here are Gordon's versions of three key permission forms. You can download and print them, sign them and forward them to your family doctor. Your signature is required at the top of theses form for medications, inhalers, and EpiPens! The health office requires both parental consent and a physician's signature to administer any of these items. 

medication consent 
inhaler permission
EpiPen permission

If your child uses an inhaler or an EpiPen, we strongly recommend that they also have an “action plan” completed by their pediatrician. Please have your family doctor complete the appropriate forms linked below and have them send it to Gordon. 

anaphylaxis care plan.pdf 
asthma action plan.pdf
 

Testing at school

Vision, scoliosis and hearing screenings will resume during the 2023-2024 academic year. If you would prefer to have these screenings completed at your pediatrician’s office, please have them forward documentation of the screening to the school. Forms can be faxed to 401-490-4419, mailed to the school, or scanned and emailed to emoffett@gordonschool.org

Below is a list of state mandated screenings your child will need prior to the start of the school year.

The physician should do an annual assessment of your child’s immunization status at their annual physical.

If you have any questions regarding these screenings, please contact your child’s pediatrician.

• Lead: Upon entry to Nursery school or Kindergarten
• Vision: Upon entry to school, then yearly
• Hearing: Kindergarten to third grade (Done at school)
• Scoliosis: Annually from sixth to eighth grade
• Dental: Annually 

Requirements for students entering licensed DHS center-based and in-home child care facilities

• 4 doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine1 dose of Flu vaccine each year
• 2 doses of Hepatitis A vaccine
• 3 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine
• 3 doses of Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) vaccine
• 1 dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine
• 4 doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine (not routinely given to healthy children 5 years of age and older)
• 3 doses of Polio vaccine
• 2 doses of Rotavirus vaccine
• 1 dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
   

Requirements for students entering Kindergarten

A student entering Kindergarten must have met the pre-Kindergarten immunization requirements (above), plus:

• 1 dose of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine
• 1 dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine
• 1 dose of Polio vaccine
• 1 dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
   

Requirements for students entering seventh grade

A student entering seventh grade must have met the pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten immunization requirements, plus:

• 1 dose of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine
• 1 dose of Meningococcal Conjugate (MCV4) vaccine
• 1 dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine

Requirements for students entering eighth grade

A student entering eighth grade must have met the seventh grade immunization requirements, plus:

• 2 doses of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine

If you have any questions about required immunizations, please contact Nurse Moffett at emoffett@gordonschool.org

We monitor air quality using airnow.gov  and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

We monitor air quality when wildfires or other phenomema degrade air quality, and make adjustments as needed to the schedule on a day-by-day basis. For Air Quality Index numbers between 50-150, our current protocol is:

• No change to regularly scheduled outdoor recess
• Students who are sensitive to air quality changes may come inside for recess and stay in my office, or stay inside with another faculty member if they choose
• Students are sent to my office for an evaluation if they complain of respiratory symptoms or eye irritation
• Maximum one hour outdoors during after school activities, with same precautions outlined above for sensitive groups
• We use the Rhode Island DEM guidelines and EPA guidance to drive our protocol. With AQI ratings under 150, the general public is not likely to be strongly affected and the guidance is that the general public is safe to perform regularly scheduled outdoor activities.

We closely monitor students in the “sensitive group” category who have respiratory conditions, and we will be in touch with you if your student requires additional support during the day.