Health Services

Vision and Hearing Screenings
Vision and hearing screenings will be given each year to students in grades 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. These screenings are typically conducted in September/October.

Parents/guardians will receive a referral letter advising them to consult a physician should a screening indicate a vision or hearing concern.  

Scoliosis Screening
Scoliosis screenings are done by the school nurse upon parent request.  

Have A Heart Fund
As a result of screenings (vision, hearing or scoliosis) if there is a financial hardship in following through with the referral, parents/guardians may access the Have A Heart Fund that is designed to help parents with these types of expenses where no other fund is available to them (i.e., insurance, social services, etc.)  

Sight for Students  
Sight for Students is a program which can provide FREE vision exams and glasses to qualified applicants.  To be eligible for this program, you must meet certain criteria.  Click on the link below to see if your child qualifies.  To apply for Sight for Students, please fill out the Have-A-Heart fund application and send to your school health office.  

Download the Have-A-Heart Application

Medication Policy and Procedure

Parents may request that the school district administer medication to their child when it is necessary for the medication to be administered during the school day. The following procedure must be followed:

• A written physician's order listing medical diagnosis must accompany each medication to be dispensed. No medication is administered by health services personnel without specific written instructions from a physician. This includes all over the counter (OTC) medication except as noted below.
   
• Parent/guardian and prescribing health care provider must sign the authorization sheet for prescription medications given during the school day by staff. Click on the link to download the Authorization for Medication Administration form.
   
• Parents/guardians of middle and high school students ONLY in compliance with MN Statute 121A.222, must complete the Authorization to Self-Carry OTC Medications form if they'd like their child to carry/self medicate with OTC pain-killers like Tylenol, Advil etc. No combination medications or medications containing Pseudoephedrine may be carried by the student.  Parent/guardian and student signatures required.
   
• Medications must be delivered in pharmacy containers clearly labelled with the child's name, name of physician, date of prescription, name and telephone number of the pharmacy, name of medication, dosage and frequency of administration. OTC meds must be in original containers.
   
• All medications brought to school must be kept in the health services office. An exception would be a medication kept with the student once approved by the school nurse with proper physician's orders, i.e. inhalers or in the middle/high schools for analgesics if requested. (see above).  Students should NOT bring medications to the Health Office. All medications should be brought to the Health Office by an adult for the safety of the student and other students.
   
• Cough drops are not allowed in school without a written authorization from the physician.

Reporting Illness
When your child stays home with an illness, call your child’s school health services office to report the absence. If your child has a communicable disease, such as chicken pox, head lice, or pink eye, please let the school health office paraprofessional know.  

Reporting Absences
Regular school attendance is important for the success of each student's school life. The district recognizes that class attendance is a joint responsibility to be shared by the student, parent/guardian, teacher and administration.  

The student's parent/guardian is responsible to ensure the student is attending school, to inform the school in the event of a student's absence and to work cooperatively with the school and the student to solve any attendance problems that may arise.

Contact your child's school about any absences.

If a student has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, or is determined to be too ill to be in school for the day (diarrhea, vomiting, suspicious rash, chronic coughing, etc.) the parent/guardian will be called to pick up their child.

Parents/guardians are asked to provide their child's school with emergency contact information.

Alexandria Area High School

Students need to report to the Health Services Office to be released from school. The parents must give a verbal permission to send the student home or to a physician. The school does not transport students.

Physical Exam Recommendations & Forms

It is recommended that children have a yearly physical exam and dental exam. 

Athletic Participation  
Students who plan to participate in co-curricular athletic activities must have a physical examination on file within the previous three years before the start of the activity's season.  

These Sports Physical Form can also be obtained from the middle school and high school activities offices or found on the website.     

All school districts must comply with Minnesota State Immunization Law (M.S. 121A.15), which states that all students must be immunized or show proof of legal exemption to attend school. Failure to be immunized or show evidence of immunization or legal exemption will prohibit the student from attending school.

In order to enroll your child(ren), parents or guardians must provide a written immunization record for their child(ren). View a chart Are Your Kids Ready? developed by the Minnesota Department of Health and updated on August 2024. This chart shows the immunizations required for children in Minnesota schools by age.

Parents may file a medical exemption signed by a health care provider or a conscientious objection signed by the parent/guardian. These must be notarized and will be kept on file at the child's school.

Keeping Track of Immunizations

Your child's immunization records remain in the school system once enrolled. Be sure to update your child's health file by sending written verification each time he or she has received another immunization. Record your child's immunizations or exemptions on this form for your child's school.

Immunization Exemption Form
About Vaccines for your Children - CDC

Yikes!!! Head Lice!!!

Most of us squirm and start scratching our heads when we hear those words.  It feels even more devastating when you find it on your own child's head.  It's frustrating, it's time-consuming and some people feel that it is gross.  Why and how could your child get head lice?  They bathe/shower, they keep clean, etc.   Head lice are not picky.  It doesn't mean you have a messy home or are dirty.  They actually prefer clean heads.   

Head lice have been around for a long time and will probably be around forever.  Most of the time we never know where they came from and when.  The main thing to do is not PANIC!!  Head lice do not carry disease and are classified as a nuisance, and that's all they are!!  

The most important thing you can do as a parent is to check your child's head frequently during the year.  Head lice can spread during the school and summer months.   Talk to your children about sharing items that touch the head/hair such as combs, brushes, hats, headbands, etc.   Sharing a bed, close contact with heads touching, is also a way that it can spread.  We try to watch the children in school and limit ways of spreading head lice, but sometimes it just happens.  Take a look at how things are done at dance class, basketball, church and such.  Are coats and hats in a pile or touching each other?  Does your child frequently hug their friends?  These are all ways that could possibly spread head lice.   

Below are some links on how to deal with head lice if you were to find them on your child's head.  

• What Do Nits and Lice Look Like?

For more information on head lice, visit:

• Minnesota Department of Health 
• Mayo Clinic
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If you need additional information, please contact the health office at your child’s school or you can contact me at the phone number listed below.

Sincerely, Melissa Bright, LSN
1-320-762-3300  ext 4134
District 206 Nurse  

Send Home Policy  

If a student has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, or is determined to be too ill to be in school for the day (diarrhea, vomiting, suspicious rash, chronic coughing, etc.) the parent/guardian will be called to pick up their child.

Alexandria Area High School and Discovery Middle School

Students need to report to the Health Services Office to be released from school. The parents must give a verbal permission to send the student home or to a physician. The school does not transport students.
 

Is My Child Too Sick for School?
Guidelines for Returning to School 
 

It is sometimes difficult to know when to send your child to school.  The main reasons for keeping your child at home are if they are too sick to be comfortable in school and/or to prevent the spread of illness to others. 

Fever:  Temperature of 100 degrees or higher.  Student should not return to school until fever free (without use of medication) for 24 hours 

Vomiting and Diarrhea: Students should be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school 

Rash:  If child has a rash that may be related to a disease or had an unknown cause, they should be checked by Healthcare Provider BEFORE they are sent to school. 

Pink-Eye:  May return to school 24 hours after the medication has started or if cleared by Healthcare Provider 

Strep Throat:  May return to school 24 hours after starting medication and fever free. 

Influenza:  Stay at home until fever is gone and child well enough to participate in normal activities 

Chicken Pox:  Exclude from school until all the sores have dried into scabs 

Impetigo:  Remain home until after 24 hours of beginning medicine 

Scabies:  May return to school 24 hours after treatment started 

Fifth’s Disease:  No exclusion 

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease:  Exclude until fever is gone and child is well enough to participate in normal activities (sores or rash may still be present) 

Meningococcal Disease:  Can return to school after 24 hours on antibiotic medication 

Ringworm:  Exclude from school until 24 hours after treatment has started or if the lesion can be covered.

Reference Visual

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