Nurse & Health Services

  • The Vanguard School nursing staff provides first aid and nursing care to students, administers medication to those students who take medication during the school day and provides medical assistance and direction during a medical emergency. The Vanguard School nurses also provide educational programs on health and nutrition for our students as well as staff training in universal precautions and CPR.

    Healthy children learn best. If you have any health concerns regarding your student, please contact your child's school nurse at nursing@vfes.net or 610.296.6700. 

When to keep your child home from school

  • Our goal is to provide not only a safe school environment, but also one that limits the exposure of illness to others. 

    Please follow the guidelines outlined in our illness policy:

    Students with symptoms of illness should not be sent to school.

    If a student is ill, please keep them home until the student is completely recovered (i.e., their temperature is normal for 24-48 hours without medication) with no signs of illness (e.g., fever, persistent cough, sores, rash, chills, upset stomach, diarrhea, sore throat, swollen glands, ear or eye discharge, etc.). Please inform the school nurse if the illness is due to a communicable disease (e.g., measles, chickenpox, etc.).

    Children will be sent home with symptoms of fever (100° or above), vomiting, diarrhea, excessive coughing, discharging eyes, sores, etc. All students should be free of symptoms for at least 24 hours before coming back to school.

    If your doctor has prescribed an antibiotic, your child should be kept home for 24 hours after starting the medication, after which the student is not considered contagious. Any student suspected of having any communicable diseases must remain out of school for the timeframe indicated. If a student is to be readmitted in less than the required days listed below, a doctor’s certificate must be presented to the school nurse.

    Students sent to school with the above symptoms may be asked to return home for the health and safety of our entire school community.

    Please consult The Vanguard School Family Handbook for more information on when to keep your child home from school.

State Requirements

  • Pennsylvania School Health Law requires periodic medical, dental and scoliosis examinations as well as immunization updates and screenings. 

    Immunizations
    Pennsylvania state law requires all children enrolled in a school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania be protected against serious communicable diseases. 
    Click here for State Immunization Requirements

    Physical & Dental Exams
    Students are required by law to have the following:
    You will be sent forms at the appropriate times for your health care providers to complete.

    • Kindergarten/Grade 1 Physical Exam by a doctor
    • Kindergarten/Grade 1 Dental Exam
    • Grade 3 (age 8-9) dental exam
    • Grade 6 (ages 11-12) Physical Exam by a doctor
    • Grade 7 (ages 12-13) Dental Exam
    • Grade 11 (ages 16-17) Physical Exam by a doctor

    Physical Exam Form

    Dental Exam Form

    Mandated School Heath Services
    Click here for a list of health services provided by the school nurse.

Medication Administration

  • When it is necessary to administer medication during school hours, the student's parent, legal guardian or authorized representative must deliver all prescription and non-prescription medication, along with a completed Medication Administration Form, to the school nurse. The school nurse will administer all medication. 

    All medications adminsitered in school require the completion of the Medication Administration Form. No medication will be administered by the nurse without proper physician's orders on file. 

    A new prescription is needed every school year for medicine that is taken on a long-term basis. All prescriptions must be dated after July 1 to be valid for the school year. 

    View The Vanguard Family and Student Handbook for complete requirements regarding medications administered by the school nurse.

     

Emergency Contact Info