casts, braces, pe restrictions

[CampNurse10]

Hi,

I'm curious what you all do with students who have broken or "sprained" limbs, and have activity restrictions per the md?

What we do: no gym or any other specials that involve physical exercise (students go to another special like art or music), no recess (which translates to lunch and recess in the nurses office). Sometimes we may have 2-5 kids eating their lunches and having recess here, which is about 40-45 minutes total (we have a large office so the space can accommodate that). I think this is overkill. The kids should be able to go out to recess and get fresh air, and be told to be careful, but because everyone is so afraid of getting sued, we keep them inside to keep them safe from any potential injuries. A friend of mine has kids in schools where there isn't even a nurse on duty (private), so the kids with colorful casts are out at recess along with everyone else.

So I am wondering, what do other schools do?

[AdobeRN]

Elementary here - my kids will go out to recess and sit on the bench and they still attend PE - the PE staff is really good about making accommadations for the kids with activity restrictions. If for some reason the kid can't go out for recess or PE they get to sit in the office.

[proudschoolnurse]

Students with physical or medical restrictions are the responsibility of the teacher and not the nurse. On our campus- one teacher may stay inside during recess to supervise. The nurse and office staff do not assume responsibility of these students. The nurse could get called away to an emergency and as others have said, the health room is not an appropriate area for students to hang out. Students can participate within their restrictions. A parent note will allow the student up to three days of excused activity anything beyond that requires a note from the physician. Safety is always a priority.