Dental action plan

[Alexandra28, ADN, BSN, RN, CRNA]

Hi. I am a school nurse in New Zealand and there is one young student misses school attendance a lot due to dental issues, she have Oligondotia and is under the care of her Dentist/Orthodontist and so I was thinking to make a dental action or management plan for when she is at school, and some considerations such as to allow her have an access to her mobile to directly call parent and the teacher will just be the one to inform me or to call me, etc. Any ideas will help. Thank you!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

I think I need more info before I can weigh in.  What specifically is causing her to miss school?  I am not terribly familiar with oligondotia, but a quick search tells me it's a congenital condition where a person is born missing teeth.  It looks like it may be linked to other genetic issues.  Is this the case with this student?  How much school is this student missing?  What causes the student to need to contact the parent throughout the day?  Does she require additional interventions while in school?

[Alexandra28, ADN, BSN, RN, CRNA]

Thank you so much, Flare. I haven't personally meet the kid. I just got a phone call from her mother regarding this because she got a call from the daughter's dean trying to touch base and to see what's causing this absenteeism, so she called in and explained the situation to me and my first question was if the dentist put her daughter into any pain medication as a maintenance, and she said that they are still on the trial and error phase, I also asked if somehow the dentist or the orthodontic that's looking after her daughter give any medical notice to be given at school she said no, I advised her that she can ask the dentist to address the attendance issue because technically the student will fall into disability and there are exemptions and considerations for them and the mom said she will do this and will let me know about the outcome. I believe she misses a lot of school due to having her dental surgeries, doing all the implants plus the fact that she is in secondary level and so you know how appearance matter the most for this young kids and let's not forget that MAYBE only maybe she is scared she might be the centre of attention, not that there are reports or anything, and maybe she is in constant pain. Likewise, I consider it as a chronic case. I have a template for a chronic cases, but I was trying to see if anyone in here had the same exposure and more knowledge about Oligondotia. Not only that, but I also tried connecting with the school counsellor regarding this, but unfortunately the kid doesn't want to be referred with the counsellor. Thank you again for your time. 

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Kudos for trying to support her! I had never heard of it but found out pretty much what Flare did. Sounds like a prime candidate for a 504 plan here, not sure what you have there.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

I agree - a 504 or the NZ equivalent  -may be just the thing.  In the past I've had students be allowed modified schedules, no-consequence absences & tardies, extra time for assignments, etc.  These accommodations are typically made after doctor's notes / orders are received to support the need for accommodations and in consultation with the needs of the student as approved by the parents.  So while a student may have a doctor's note written for unlimited excused absences, it may only be necessary to modify their schedule and permit tardiness, as the student may have rough nights due to pain, etc...