Health

Moua LeeHealth Aide

Headlice Information

How to obtain an application and application assistance from Minnesota Health Programs Additional information and resources about Minnesota health care programs can be found on the Minnesota Department of Human Services Health care programs webpage.

Health Office

The health office's role is to promote student health. Our health aide staff the health office during the regular school year’s hours. A nurse is generally available, on site or by phone, while school is in session.
Students are recommended to stay home with symptoms below:

Infectious disease (for example: chicken pox, strep throat) - Students should stay home until permitted by a healthcare provider to return. When symptoms have cleared a healthcare provider will recommend returning to school.
Diarrhea, Vomiting, Fever - Students should stay home until they have no symptoms (without medicine) for twenty-four hours. If the symptoms persist, parents should consult a healthcare provider for clearance to return to school.
Lice - Students should be checked routinely at home for lice. If lice is found, treat your student and check all family members’ heads.

Sick at School

If a student becomes ill or injured during the school day and needs to go home, the school will call the parent, guardian, or emergency contact listed. It is especially important that you keep CSE informed of changes to student information regarding health and emergency contacts.

Medications

The health office does not keep a stock of medications for students to use while in school. Schedule all medications to be given at home, whenever possible. When that can’t be done, the health office is able to give medications the parents or guardian provide and which follow the school’s medication policy.
Parents or guardians need to bring medication to school in original containers, with the provider’s orders for that medication, and should expect to meet briefly with the health office about the medication. The health office will need written authorization to give medication at school.

Allergies

Please take the time to update your student’s health information so the health office will be prepared for your student.

Health Conditions

If your child has a significant health issue, a chronic health condition, a new health condition, or an allergy, schedule a time to talk with the health office by phone or in person. For some health conditions, the health office will want to make sure there is an action plan in place. If your child has a change in condition during the school year, discuss the issue with the school health office.

Immunizations

Minnesota law requires students to have their immunizations complete, in process, or an exemption in place. Contact the health office if you need information about the status of your student’s immunizations. Complete immunizations early in the school year and provide the health office a copy.

New and incoming students - All new and incoming students, including PreK and kindergarten students, are required to provide up to date immunization records prior to the first day of school.
Seventh Graders - All incoming 7th graders need to update their immunizations.

CSE COVID-19 Fall Opening Plans

Quarantine Procedures

Covid-19 Preparedness

Health Office

All parents/guardians should receive and complete an annual Health Update Form for their students should there be any changes in their health. Students with health conditions will be flagged on Infinite Campus and the health aide will share with staff on a need to know basis. Inform health aide of any new student health condition that is not noted and other health forms such as immunization records, doctor orders, allergies, etc.

COVID-19 Health Office Plans

The Health Office is available to students that may not be feeling well. Students exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to wait in a designated isolation room, and the health aide will make a phone call home for parents/guardians to pick up their student as soon as possible. Surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized daily.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include: new onset cough or shortness of breath OR at least 2 of the following: fever (100.4ºF or higher) or feeling feverish, chills, fatigue muscle pain, sore throat, headache, congestion, loss of sense of smell or taste, and gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea.

Important Definitions from the Minnesota Department of Health:

Self-monitoring = monitoring yourself carefully for any symptoms. Everyone should be doing this throughout the day
Close Contact = being within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms for more than 15 minutes at a time
Self-quarantine = you are not experiencing symptoms, but you were in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Self-isolation = you are actively exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and should be at home, preventing the spread of COVID-19 to others
A fever is defined as 100.4° and higher
Lab diagnosed/confirmed = the individual had a lab confirmed positive test for COVID-19

Every situation is different and will present varying guidelines. As a general rule:

People who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms should contact their healthcare provider and will need to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last known date of exposure and monitor for symptoms. Testing for COVID-19 is also encouraged, at minimum, if symptoms appear
People who test positive for COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms should contact their healthcare provider (if they haven’t already) and should stay home for at least 10 days from the start of symptoms. Symptoms must be improving prior to returning AND fever must be resolved for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication. Testing for COVID-19 is encouraged. Close contacts, including household members, should consult their health care provider and generally stay home for 14 days and monitor for symptoms
Documentation of a negative COVID-19 test or a letter certifying release from isolation is not required, but the person must follow the recommended exclusion guidance
In general, people who do not have symptoms are typically not tested for COVID-19 unless they have factors that put them at increased risk for developing COVID-19. There are instances, such as a setting where an outbreak is occurring, where local public health or MDH may recommend otherwise.

Resources:

Intensify cleaning & disinfection

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces within the school daily as well as shared objects between uses.
Ensure safe and correct application of disinfectants and keep products away from children.
Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and increase circulation of outdoor air as much as possible such as by opening windows and doors. Do not open windows and doors if they pose a safety or health risk (e.g., allowing pollen in or exacerbating asthma symptoms) risk to children using the facility.
Ensure that all water systems and features (for example, drinking fountains, decorative fountains) are safe to use after a prolonged facility shutdown to minimize the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and other diseases associated with water.

Safety Actions: Promote healthy hygiene practices

Teach and reinforce washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes among children and staff.
Teach and reinforce use of face coverings among all staff. Face coverings may be challenging for students (especially younger students) to wear in all-day settings such as school. Face coverings should be worn by staff and encouraged in students (particularly older students) if feasible and are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult. Information should be provided to staff and students on proper use, removal, and washing of cloth face coverings. Face coverings are not recommended for babies or children under the age of 2, or for anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the covering without assistance. Cloth face coverings are meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected (many people carry COVID-19 but do not have symptoms). Cloth face coverings are not surgical masks, respirators, or personal protective equipment.
Have adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors, including soap, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol (for staff and older children who can safely use hand sanitizer), paper towels, tissues, and no-touch trash cans.
Post signs on how to stop the spread of COVID-19, properly wash hands, promote everyday protective measures, and properly wear a face covering.

Staff to Student Ratio

Based on the size of the classroom, MDH suggests a 1:6 staff to student ratio with a maximum of a 1:9 staff to student ratio (to not exceed 10 people in a room). If social distancing cannot be attained with a 1:6 staff to student ratio, then the number of students must be reduced.

Promote social distancing

Restrict nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving other groups at the same time.
Limit nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving other groups. Restrict attendance of those from higher transmission areas.
Ensure that student and staff groupings are as static as possible by having the same group of children stay with the same staff (all day for young children, and as much as possible for older children).
Restrict mixing between groups.
Keep classes together to include the same group of children each day, and consider keeping the same child care providers with the same group each day.
Turn desks to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other), or have students sit on only one side of tables, spaced apart.
Space seating/desks to at least six feet apart.
Cancel all field trips, inter-group events, and extracurricular activities
Limit gatherings, events, and extracurricular activities to those that can maintain social distancing, support proper hand hygiene, and restrict attendance of those from higher transmission areas.
Keep communal use spaces closed, such as gym or playground, if possible; if this is not possible, stagger use and disinfect in between uses.
If a cafeteria or group dining room is typically used, serve meals in classrooms instead. Serve individually plated meals and hold activities in separate classrooms and ensure the safety of children with food allergies.
Plate each child’s meal, to limit the use of shared serving utensils and ensure the safety of children with food allergies.
If food is offered at any event, have pre-packaged boxes or bags for each attendee instead of a buffet or family-style meal. Avoid sharing of foods and utensils.

Social Distancing in classrooms

Ensure that student and staff groupings are as static as possible by having the same group of children stay with the same staff (all day for young children, and as much as possible for older children).
Keep each child’s belongings separated from others’ and in individually labeled containers, cubbies, or areas and taken home each day and cleaned, if possible.
Restrict mixing between groups.
Keep classes together to include the same group of children each day, and consider keeping the same child care providers with the same group each day.
Turn desks to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other), or have students sit on only one side of tables, spaced apart.
Space seating/desks to at least six feet apart.
Limit sharing items.
Keep each child’s belongings separated from others’ and in individually labeled containers, cubbies, or areas and taken home each day and cleaned, if possible.
Ensure adequate supplies to minimize sharing of high touch materials to the extent possible (art supplies, equipment etc. assigned to a single student or limit use of supplies and equipment by one group of children at a time and clean and disinfect between uses.
Avoid sharing of foods and utensils.
Avoid sharing electronic devices, toys, books, and other games or learning aids.

Social Distancing during morning arrival and evening departure

Limit nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving other groups. Restrict attendance of those from higher transmission areas.
Create social distance between children on school buses (for example, seating children one child per seat, every other row) where possible.
Stagger arrival and drop-off times or locations, or put in place other protocols to limit close contact with parents or caregivers as much as possible.

Check for signs and symptoms

If feasible, conduct daily health checks (e.g. temperature screening and/or symptoms checking) of staff and students safely, respectfully, as well as in accordance with any applicable privacy laws or regulations. Confidentiality should be maintained.
School administrators may use examples of screening methods in CDC’s supplemental Guidance for Child Care Programs that Remain Open as a guide for screening children and CDC’s General Business FAQs for screening staff.
Encourage staff to stay home if they are sick and encourage parents to keep sick children home.

Plan for when a staff member, child, or visitor becomes sick

School administrators, nurses, and other healthcare providers will need to identify an isolation room or area to separate anyone who exhibits COVID-like symptoms. School nurses and other healthcare providers should use Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions when caring for sick people.
Establish procedures for safely transporting anyone sick home or to a healthcare facility.
Notify local health officials, staff, and families immediately of a possible case while maintaining confidentiality consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable federal and state privacy laws.
Close off areas used by a sick person and do not use before cleaning and disinfection. Wait 24 hours before you clean and disinfect. If it is not possible to wait 24 hours, wait as long as possible. Ensure safe and correct application of disinfectants and keep disinfectant products away from children.
Advise sick staff members and children not to return until they have met CDC criteria to discontinue home isolation.
Inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms and to follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop. If a person does not have symptoms follow appropriate CDC guidance for home isolation.

Maintain healthy operations

Implement flexible sick leave policies and practices, if feasible.
Monitor staff absenteeism and have a roster of trained back-up staff.
Monitor health clinic traffic. School nurses and other healthcare providers play an important role in monitoring health clinic traffic and the types of illnesses and symptoms among students.
Designate a staff person to be responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. Employees should know who this person is and how to contact them.
Create a communication system for staff and families for self-reporting of symptoms and notification of exposures and closures.
Support coping and resilience among employees and children.
School Closing
Check State and local health departments notices daily about transmission in the area and adjust operations accordingly.
In the event a person diagnosed with COVID-19 is determined to have been in the building and poses a risk to the community, programs may consider closing for a short time (1-2 days) for cleaning and disinfection.