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Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.

I am not sure how to keep this from happening, so I am putting it out to the group. Have you dealt with this type of situation successfully? If so, how?

I work in a private parochial school pk-8. Admittance to school and school policy is made by the principal. We have a rolling admission policy, and we admit probably about 12 exchange students over the course of each year. In the health office, we work hard to ensure that all our kids have updated physicals and current vaccinations as per state law. On Monday, I was celebrating, because as of that day, our students (317 kids) were at 100% compliance. On Thursday, I was completing one of the mandatory school screening, and found an exchange student arrived on Tuesday for the remainder of the school year. I had NO information for him. I went to the front office and was told, yes, he just started. For back information, his host family/guardian is a family who it was like pulling teeth to get health records for the other two exchange students they have in the school. The principal said, "yes, I know. The family just dropped him off here this morning, I tried to chase after the guardian... he hasn't even paid the tuition yet".

The families are given a packet of information to complete prior to coming on the first day This includes the health information that is required. I am frustrated, as allowing the child to be in the classroom before we get the information we need to be compliant with state law, is like trying to close the door to the barn after the animals have gotten out. So here I am, with a new student from a foreign country with no health information or knowledge to the immunization status. I have attempted to educate staff (Principal included) and it feels like it falls on deaf ears -- I get yes'd to death, but nothing changes. I would not have even KNOWN about this student had I not uncovered it during my routine screening! It's so frustrating.

So, fellow School Nurses, does this happen to you? I am looking for ideas on how to handle this. :confused:

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YES. i've been at my school for about two months and this has happened to me at least 5 times. students will come into the office and i have NO record of them even being enrolled. no physical, no immunizations, no emergency contact form. NOTHING. and the principal, head of school, and admissions office seems to think this is perfectly acceptable. i try to explain to them that this is a matter of LAW and that the kids are not allowed to be enrolled in school without these forms on file. they don't care because they are only interested in MONEY (i work in a private school).

sorry i don't have any advice for you because i am trying to figure this out as well! just know you are not alone! this has been happening to me since i started and i'm becoming sick of it.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health, Home Care.

Maybe the administrators would be more forceful in getting the paperwork if they understood that the school would be liable in case of an emergency relating to a medical condition that you didn't accommodate for or educate staff about, etc because you didn't even know the student was coming. Can you impress on the office staff that you HAVE to know about new students? This sounds like disaster waiting to happen. Good luck!

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Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.
Maybe the administrators would be more forceful in getting the paperwork if they understood that the school would be liable in case of an emergency relating to a medical condition that you didn't accommodate for or educate staff about, etc because you didn't even know the student was coming. Can you impress on the office staff that you HAVE to know about new students? This sounds like disaster waiting to happen. Good luck!

I've certainly tried. I've also printed out a copy of the law and given it to the principal. All I get in response is "well, you know I support you 100%. I do tell the parents that you need this".

Well great... but trying to get something after the fact is a heck of a lot more difficult then getting it when that parents have something they care about at stake. I've requested to have the parent stop by the front office, and then the nurse's office BEFORE we introduce them to the teacher and take that new child down to their classroom. But in trying to enforce this, I feel like a toothless lion. I think like School Nurse Jenny said, they are blinded by those $ signs in their eyes.

This has been the only thing I don't like about my job, so I really want to find a solution that works!

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over the summer, unbeknowst to me, my school enrolled over 200 new students. they got approval from the state and did not want to lose the chance, so they took it. (charter school) guess how many of them had updated physicals????? been chasing them down ever since. and then due to the high volume of filing that needed to done, i asked for help. so one of the interns came down and filed for me. boy, she was quick!!!!!! now everything needs to be refiled ! ;)

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I fight dollars with dollars. In my state any school principal that knowingly admits a student that is not in compliance ( at least provisionally) with the state vaccine requirements shall be fined minimum of 250 per student per day, maximum of $500.

Last year when i took over this school, i had 440 kids out of compliance. My principal didn't really take my crowing about it seriously until i told her that the state could come in and assess her $110,000 per day. (granted, i'd have to be the one to blow the whistle on that... but still)

As far as new students go - well, after the debacle last year, they're a bit more cautious about making sure i see the medical records as part of the registration process, but it's still sometimes lax. I have been thinking that maybe i should tell the office staff that all incoming students nust be checked for lice - that would at least get them in my office.

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Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.
I fight dollars with dollars. In my state any school principal that knowingly admits a student that is not in compliance ( at least provisionally) with the state vaccine requirements shall be fined minimum of 250 per student per day, maximum of $500.

Last year when i took over this school, i had 440 kids out of compliance. My principal didn't really take my crowing about it seriously until i told her that the state could come in and assess her $110,000 per day. (granted, i'd have to be the one to blow the whistle on that... but still)

As far as new students go - well, after the debacle last year, they're a bit more cautious about making sure i see the medical records as part of the registration process, but it's still sometimes lax. I have been thinking that maybe i should tell the office staff that all incoming students nust be checked for lice - that would at least get them in my office.

:yeah::yeah::yeah::heartbeat

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