UMS Procedures for Illness and Excused Absences

It is always difficult to determine when your student is ill enough to stay home from school and when they should attend. Research shows there is a positive correlation between good attendance in school and academic success. Please read below the recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Department of Education on when to temporarily exclude a student from school.

Students should follow the procedure below and see the school nurse prior to contacting their parent in order to be excused from school. This will assist in determining the necessity of the absence and ensure correct attendance documentation. Your cooperation and support is appreciated.

Students that are feeling ill will be referred to the health office. If it is determined that your student is too sick to be at school, you will be notified. Students will not be dismissed during the school day without parental consent. If the parent is unavailable, the next emergency contact will be called. If it is an emergent situation, EMS will be called and the student will be taken to the nearest or preferred hospital.

From the IDPH and Department of Education:

The following are criteria that are used to determine if a student should be excluded from school:

•  Fever of 101 degrees with signs and symptoms such as sore throat, rash, vomiting or diarrhea.
• The illness prevents the student from participating comfortably in activities as observed by the school staff.
• The illness results in greater care than the school staff determines they can provide without compromising the ability to care for other students.

If a student is sent home with fever, vomiting or diarrhea, they must be free of the symptom for 24 hours without the use of medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Tdap Vaccination for 7th Graders

 Iowa law requires that students entering 7^th grade are required to have a Tdap vaccination. This vaccine is typically given anytime after the student turns 11 years old.  As with all other vaccines,  a record must be provided to the school nurse no later than 60 days after the first day of the school year.  If there is no record of the vaccine by this time, your student will be excluded from school until documented proof is received.  If your student’s current record does not have the Tdap shot recorded, you will receive an email or letter in April as a reminder.  Please take note of this and get an appointment scheduled prior to the start of school in August.

UMS Sports (7th and 8th grade)

If your student plans to participate in a sporting activity in 7^th or 8^th grade, they must have the following forms filled out completely –  Athletic physical form and Heads Up concussion form. The sports physical MUST be on the Athletic physical form and signed by the physician.  Forms are located on the right side of this page or at j-hawks.com.  All forms need to be returned to the middle school nurse or the athletic office at the high school prior to the student being able to participate.  If you have questions, please contact myself or the athletic office at 515-457-6945.