Health & Wellness

Health & Communicable Disease
The following are symptoms suggesting communicable diseases.  Children with these symptoms should be kept at home.  Should any of these symptoms be noted while children are in school, parents will be contacted immediately.  Parents are urged to have their child seen by a physician and child must be excluded from school until fully recovered.  This should include a period of 24 hours free from fever before returning to school.
Symptoms Common to Communicable Diseases

• Red or running eyes, sneezing, or thick colored discharge from the nose.
• Cough, particularly if persistent or productive.
• Sores and crusts on the scalp face or body particularly if red and swollen or draining.
• Any skin eruptions or rash (children with rashes must be kept home until a diagnosis by a health physician is made.) Undiagnosed rashes pose a health threat to other students and adults.
• Sore throat.
• Swelling and tenderness of the glands, particularly about the face and neck.
• Fever, suggested by flushed, hot face.
• Nausea and vomiting (children should be “vomiting free” for 24 hours prior to returning to school.)
• Pain and stiffness of neck and headache.
• Diarrhea and persistent abdominal pain.

Head Lice

• Infrequently, students are found with head lice at school.  When this happens, a child needs to be treated for head lice.  A letter is sent home to parents notifying them that a case of head lice was reported in their child’s classroom.  Regular screenings at home are an effective way to eliminate head lice from the school setting.  Families should be checking their own children on a regular basis.  More information is available in the State of Michigan Head Lice Manual and Head Lice a Parents Guide:  Michigan Head Lice Manual and in this presentation from Feb. 8th  PTA meeting on head lice by Mary Larson.

Farmington Public School District Lice Policy

• The District follows the guidelines established on pages 7 and 8 in the Michigan Head Lice Manual. Michigan Head Lice Manual.
• Forest Elementary School will follow the Farmington Public School District Lice Policy.

Food & Environmental Allergies
As in year’s past, Forest strives to remain a nut-free school.  Please see that all foods brought to school are free of nuts.  While this may seem a cumbersome duty, it is important for the safety of children at Forest.  If your child has severe food allergies, that might require an immediate response, please complete the Food Allergy Action Plan enclosed in your first day packet.  The Food Allergy Action Plan requires a doctor’s signature.  If your child has other environmental allergies requiring immediate response, please get documentation from your doctor indicating the action steps necessary.

Allergen Parent Letter

Forest Nut Restrictions
At Forest, we have several students that are highly allergic to nuts and products that may contain nuts. Please remember that Forest is a Nut Restricted School. This means that you may not send any foods that contain peanut butter, peanut flour, peanut oil or other nuts. This includes no food with almonds, coconuts, filberts, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nits, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. Also, please do not send any food with chick peas, lentils or sesame.

We have a team working together this year to develop materials which will clarify foods that are safe to send to Forest and those that are not. There will be more information coming to families soon. In the meantime, please pay close attention to product labels and be mindful of these guidelines:

Food labels that say, “May contain peanut or tree nuts” (or similar wording like "may contain traces of peanuts") are NOT OK to bring to school.

Food labels that say: “Processed on a machine that also processes nuts (or similar wording like "Manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts”) are NOT OK to bring to school.

Nut Free Lunch and Snack Ideas

Thank you for supporting the safety of all of our students at Forest!

It is policy of the Farmington Public schools to have written authorization for students taking medication of any kind (including aspirin and medicated cough drops) during the school day.  The school must have a written order from the family physician stating the name of the medication, directions for administering, and the reaction that may be anticipated.  These orders must be renewed yearly or whenever there is a prescription change.  Forms are available from the school office.

All prescription medications must be delivered to the school office by the parent or guardian along with the attached parent and physician’s authorization form.  Oral prescription medication must be delivered in its original container with pharmacy label, including the child’s name, attached to the container.  Students are not permitted to carry non-prescription medications to school.

All medication must be kept to the school office and administered only by school personnel.  This is a safety measure for all children.  The parent may come to school and administer the medication personally.  The student is responsible for reporting to the office at the time designated by the school for the administration of medication.  It is the parents’ responsibility to check with the school staff to determine if a prescription needs refilling.  The parent or guardian should remove medication left over at the end of the student’s school year or it will be discarded.

The list below contains the required Medical Forms for Farmington Public Schools. If you're unsure which forms are needed or have questions about how to complete these forms, please contact your building’s assigned nurse for guidance and support.

• FPS Allergy Forms
• FPS Asthma Forms
• FPS Authorization for Medical Procedure
• FPS Authorization for Medication
• FPS Diabetes Forms
• FPS Seizure Forms

Immunization
All students are required to be immunized pursuant to the provisions of Michigan Public Health Code (MCL 33.9201-9229).  Students not meeting the immunization requirements of this code shall be excluded from school as required by provisions of state law and Oakland County Health Status Code.  The State of Michigan now requires that children ages four and older receive four doses of Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (DPT); three doses of Hepatitis B are required.  Effective 2009/10 school year two doses of Varicella (chickenpox) or history of disease is required.

Drug Awareness/Prevention
Farmington Public Schools provides a safe and drug free school environment.  Students at the elementary level are provided with drug awareness training through programs such as B.A.B.E.S. (Beginning, Alcohol, Addiction, Basic, Education, Study) offered in the third grade.

Health Curriculum
In May of 1988, Farmington Public Schools’ Board of Education adopted a Comprehensive School Health curriculum.  Farmington’s health curriculum includes the topic areas of: disease prevention and control, personal health practices, growth and development, emotional and metal health, nutrition, substance abuse, family health, consumer health, safety/first aid and community health.  Your child’s health curriculum will include a study of the human Immune-deficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS, a most serious health problem facing the American public.  In grades K-3, a single lesson per grade level has been integrated within our existing health curriculum.  Overall, these lessons are aimed at understanding illness and concerns associated with disease.  According to law, you have the right to review the materials and curriculum as well as observe instruction in your child’s classroom.  If you wish to do so, please contact the school to make arrangements.

By law, you have the right to excuse your child from participation in HIV/AIDS education and/or Family Life Education if you choose.  If you wish to exercise your right to excuse your child from instruction without penalty, please send a written notice to the principal.

Parent Letter

Blue Cross Blue shield / Wayne State University Release Form

Active Kids Learn Better Flyer