Liberty Local Schools has contracted with Akron Children's Hospital to provide school health services. Akron Children's Hospital collaborates with approximately 40 school districts in the region to address the healthcare needs of their students. Akron Children's Hospital's team of nurses and medical assistants serve as liaisons among school staff, families, communities and healthcare providers. They promote and advocate for student health and wellness, and help manage patient populations and individual student health needs in the school setting.
Their program focuses on:
- Providing flexible, cost-effective school nursing services
- Improving student attendance
- Addressing first-aid, emergency services and acute healthcare needs
- Administering medications and necessary procedures
- Meeting the healthcare needs of students with chronic conditions
- Implementing disease prevention and wellness programs to increase the overall health of the student body
- Referring students who need help to the appropriate specialists
- Creating a safe learning environment for students
- Enhancing overall school health through community outreach
Nursing Staff
Amie Deluca
District Nurse and 7-12 Clinic Staff
Phone: 330-759-2301 ext. 1115
Tabatha Hartzell
PK-6 Clinic Staff
Phone: 330-759-1733 ext. 1337
Students with specific health care needs should submit those needs in writing and with proper documentation by a physician to the school office. All medications, prescribed and non-prescribed, are to be delivered to the school nurse and taken only with adult supervision. The school nurse is available to discuss the procedure for medications and treatments. No medications or medical treatments are to take place in school without his/her knowledge.
Medication Guidelines
To comply with the state law regarding administration of drugs, medication must be prescribed by a physician. If it is necessary for a student to receive medication during school hours, please complete the Prescription Medication Form. This form is to be signed by the physician and parent/guardian. Medication is to be brought to the school office, by the parent, in the container in which it was dispensed by the prescribing physician or a licensed pharmacist. If possible, all medication should be given by parents at home. If this is not possible, it will be done in accordance to the following:
1. “Medication” shall include all medication: those prescribed by a physician and any non-prescribed (over the counter) drugs, preparation and/or remedies.
2. A medication form that has been completed by physician and parents /guardian must be on file prior to administration of any medication. A new form is required at the beginning of each school year.
3. Medications must be brought in to the school by parents /guardian. The medication must be received in the original container in which it was dispensed by the prescribing health care provider or licensed pharmacist. Over-the-counter medication must be in the original container.
4. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to keep an adequate supply of medication at school and instruct their child to report to the designated area at the appropriate time to take the medication.
5. Students may carry an inhaler with them. A properly completed school medication form for the inhaler is required to be on file with the school nurse (per House Bill 121)
Injury and Illness
All injuries must be reported to a teacher or the office. If minor, the student will be treated and may return to class. If medical attention is required, the office will follow the school’s emergency procedures. A student who becomes ill during the school day should request permission from the teacher to go to the office. The office will determine whether or not the student should remain in the school or go home. No student will be released from school without proper parental permission.
Control of Casual Contact Communicable Disease and Pests
The school has the obligation to protect the safety of the staff and students. Therefore, the school’s professional staff reserves the authority to remove or isolate a student who has been ill or has been exposed to a communicable disease or highly transient pest, such as lice. Any removal will be only for contagious period as specified in the School’s administrative guidelines. Specific diseases include: diphtheria, scarlet fever, strep infections, whooping cough, mumps, measles, rubella, and other conditions indicated by the Local and State Health Departments.
Control of Non-Casual Contact Communicable Diseases
In these cases, the person in question will have his/her status reviewed by a panel of resource people, including the County Health Department, to insure that the rights of the person affected and those in contact with that person are respected. The School will seek to keep students and staff persons in school unless there is definitive evidence to warrant exclusion. Non-casual contact communicable diseases include: sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), ARC-AIDS Related Complex, Human-Immunodeficiency (HIV), Hepatitis B, and other diseases that may be specified by the State Board of Health. As required by Federal Law, parents will be requested to have their child’s blood checked for HIV and HBV when the child has bled at school and students or staff members have been exposed to the blood. Any testing is subject to laws protecting confidentiality.
Head Lice Guidelines
Head lice is a universal problem and is particularly prevalent among elementary school-age children. Control of lice infestation is best handled by adequate treatment of the infested person and his/her immediate household and other close personal contacts. Parents need to continually observe their child for this potential problem and treat adequately and appropriately as necessary. Parents will be notified by letter if there are two or more cases in the classroom. In accordance with Board Policy 8451, if a student is found to have lice, the parents/guardians will be contacted to pick him/her up immediately. After treatment, the parent must bring the child to school to be cleared (less than 20 nits) by the nurse to be able to return to school. Failure to successfully treat and control head lice will result in unexcused absences for the student and be subjected to the attendance guidelines /consequences.