Health Resources

A child’s health is primarily the responsibility of the parent/guardian, and the health departments provided at our schools support that endeavor. We work with parents and school staff to make necessary accommodations for students with known medical conditions or as a health concern arises during the school year, to support the child’s academic performance in the school setting. You are encouraged to become familiar with the school health services.

Students who are ill must report to the health office. Students are not allowed to use their cell phones to call home sick. After the student has been evaluated, the school will notify the parent/guardian should the student need to go home ill. First aid is available in the office during the school day.

 

Accidents that occur on the bus or on school grounds should be reported to the school nurse, a teacher or the office immediately.

North Palos District 117 offers student accident insurance to all district students. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to obtain the form and complete the enrollment process. Parents may purchase non-school related accident coverage as well.

 

If you are interested in Voluntary Student Accident Insurance follow this link. 

Health staff members follow specific procedures for a head injury sustained at school. If a head injury occurs, the parent will be called and notified. The student will receive a Head Injury Information Sheet noting some signs/symptoms parents should be aware of. 

Parents are occasionally confronted with the dilemma of their school age child not feeling well on a school day. A decision must be made as to whether the child should be kept home or sent to school. The guidelines below are available to assist you in caring for a sick child until the health care professional can be consulted.

 

Fever - If your child has a fever of 100 degrees orally or higher, they should be kept at home. The child must remain at home until he/she has been fever-free for 24 hours.
 
Stomach Pain -  If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea within 24 hours of school attendence, they should be kept home. Consult your health care professional if your child has a persistent stomachache.
 
Rash - A skin rash may be the first sign that your child has one of many childhood illnesses or an allergic reaction. Do not send your child to school with a skin rash. For the safety of all in the school setting, the cause of the rash and the determination that it is not contagious to others should be obtained. If your child has a chronic skin condition, a note from your health care professional describing this diagnosis will avoid a request for further consultations.
Communicable Disease

 

North Palos School District 117 follows the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Cook County Department of Public Health guidelines regarding issues of communicable disease. Notifying the health office when your child is ill is helpful in determining concerns for the school population.

Head lice are parasitic insects less than 1/8 of an inch in length that feed on blood from the scalp. Lice eggs, called “nits”, attach to a hair shaft until they hatch into live lice. They are usually found on the scalp, particularly around and behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head. 
 
Head lice are not a sign of poor hygiene or unclean homes or schools. Students of all socio-economic groups can be affected. Head lice are not a health hazard and are not responsible for the spread of any disease. 
 
Transmission of head lice occurs most commonly by prolonged direct contact with a live louse through head-to-head contact. 

Once someone in a family has been diagnosed with head lice, all family members should be examined and treated simultaneously to avoid re-infestation. Over-the-counter lice treatment kits that contain medicine to kill lice/nits can be purchased at any local pharmacy. It is important to remove all nits from the hair shaft using a nit comb. It is recommended that treatment of the hair is repeated 7 days after the first treatment to ensure all nits and lice are killed. 

 

North Palos School District 117 has a no-nit policy. Any student found to have lice or nits will be sent home and information regarding treatment and care will be given to the parent/guardian. Upon return to school, students must report to the health office and be free of nits and lice before being readmitted to class. Additional information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/ .

Bed bugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed on the blood of people while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm, and can live several months without a blood meal. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease but can be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep.
 
Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep. They hide during the day in places such as seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed. 
 
Bed bug infestations are commonly treated by a combination of vacuuming, encasement of mattresses, steam/heat cleaning and insecticide spraying. If you suspect that you have an infestation, contact your landlord or professional pest control company that is experienced with treating bed bugs. The best way to prevent bed bugs is regular inspection for the signs of an infestation.
 
Actual bed bug infestations in schools are rare. More often, a few bed bugs will hitchhike from an infested home on a student’s possessions. Although bed bugs are becoming a very common problem, they are not known to transmit diseases. The home of any person can be infested by bed bugs, regardless of sex, race, or economic status. 
 
If a student is found to have a bed bug on them or their possessions, school staff will notify the parent and will follow NPD 117 Bed Bug Protocol. Typically, the student is not excluded from school. School staff will enforce additional precautions to prevent further bugs entering the school, which includes daily inspections of the student's possessions until the home is properly treated and providing a closed bin or bag for personal items during the school day.