School	Last Name	First Name	Phone Number
Aspen	Brown	Misha	505-663-2305
Barranca	McClees	Sheila	505-663-2729
Chamisa	Wright	Michele	505-663-2467
Mountain	Yost	Amy	505-663-2336
Pinon	Kerstiens	Teri	505-663-2687
LAMS	Chae	Minsung	505-663-2375
TFA	Hick	Leanne	505-663-2530
LAHS	Hick	Leanne	505-663-2530

**Please contact your school or refer to your school’s attendance policies or handbook to learn more about excusing your student for illnesses**

Whether or not to keep a child home from school isn’t always an easy decision. It is obvious that a very ill child does not belong at school, but there are lots of days when common sense isn’t enough to make the choice. The following discussion may give parents some helpful guidelines.

To begin, children with fevers should not be in school. Remember that ill children sometimes have normal temperatures in the morning but become feverish by afternoon. A child with a fever the afternoon before a school day should stay home the following day. Returning to school is appropriate after 24 hours of being fever free. Definitions of “fever” vary, but it is generally accepted that the line is crossed somewhere between 100 and 100.4 degrees F. On the other hand, some children feel very ill with small temperature elevations.

Conditions making students too uncomfortable to participate in class are also reasonable grounds for remaining at home. Examples are urinary tract infections, painful injuries, and nagging coughs. Sometimes the school nurse can help make students more comfortable and keep them at school. An example is the administration of pain medication as needed for healing fractures (see the section on Medications at School). Parents may also consult the school nurse with questions about whether or not to keep a child home from school, or with questions about how the school environment might be modified to accommodate a student’s problems.

Finally, children with contagious diseases, spread by contact or coughing or sneezing, should stay home. Examples of these are influenza, chicken pox, and strep throat. A child with strep throat may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics if feeling well enough. Recent reports have stated that the common cold is most contagious during the first three days of infection. Of course, every child with a sniffle cannot miss school, but consideration for other students and staff is expected and appreciated. Children should be reminded to use tissues to cover coughs and sneezes and ESPECIALLY to wash hands frequently.

Children with colds should be kept home as appropriate. Constant coughing and sneezing are sufficient reason. Another infection condition is conjunctivitis, or “pink eye”. Though the state Department of Health no longer requires exclusion of students with pink eye from school, most Los Alamos pediatricians recommend staying at home for the first 24 hours of treatment. Parents may request that the school nurse check on a child returning to school after an illness. Sometimes a child seems well enough to return to school in the morning but parents are concerned that the child may not feel well later.

It is the policy of Los Alamos Public Schools that every effort should be made to administer all medications at home. When it is necessary that students receive medication at school, arrangements should be made with the school nurse.  A nurse can administer medications at school if the proper forms are completed and have the required signatures.  Different types of medication may require different forms.  This could include approval for over the counter meds, prescription meds, inhalers, or other medication necessary for chronic conditions.

Below are some quick guidelines for administering medication at school; however, if you are unsure which forms you should complete, contact the nurse at your school.

• When it is necessary that a student receive medication at school for a chronic health condition, a Los Alamos Public Schools Permission For Administering Medication In Schools form must be completed each school year by a physician licensed to prescribe medication in the state of New Mexico, the student’s parent or guardian, the school nurse, and the principal.

• Options for administration include self-administration, supervised/assisted administration, and supervised self-administration (The regulations referred to above define these terms.)

• If a student has asthma, it is also necessary to notify the school nurse and complete a Student Asthma Information form. A parent who wants a student to carry an inhaler should speak directly to the school nurse to make these arrangements, and to discuss having a back-up inhaler available in the nurse’s office.

• If a student has a short-term medical problem requiring self-administration of medication at school, the student or parent should notify the nurse.  Arrangements can be made to bring one day’s dose of the medication, appropriately labeled (student’s name, medication name, dose, what it is for, when it is to be taken) to school.

• Students are not allowed to carry bottles of medication containing more than one school day’s dose.

• Students are also not allowed to share medication at school.

• Law requires a nurse to have an order from a physician in order to administer medication. School nurses may not administer medications at school outside the rules already discussed. This applies even to over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol.

• It is important for students and parents to plan ahead when medication at school is anticipated. For example, arranging medication needs in advance, for conditions such as migraine headaches and asthma, will help the school nurse keep students safe and comfortable at school.

Resource Type	Organization	Description	Phone	Address

Activity Centers	LAFC - Youth Activity Centers	Youth Center	(505)-662-4160	1505 15th Street, Suite C Los Alamos, NM 87544
Activity Centers	YMCA Teen Center	Grades 9th-12th	(505)-695-7415	475 20th Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Activity Centers	YMCA - CHILDCARE	Various programs for children, teenagers, families	(505)-662-3100	Located at Teen Center
Legal Needs	Los Alamos Municipal Court	Judge Elizabeth Allen	(505)-662-8025	2500 Trinity Drive Suite C Los Alamos, NM 87544
Legal Needs	Espanola Magistrate Court	legal services for Rio Arriba County	(505)-753-2532	1127 Santa Clara Peak Road Espanola, NM 87532
Legal Needs	Santa Fe County Magistrate Court	Legal Services	(505)-984-9914	2056 Galisteo Street Santa Fe, NM 87505
Legal Needs	Legal Help Line	Law access New Mexico provides telephone legal services.	1-800-340-0771	7200 Montgomery Blvd Ne, #279 Albuquerque, NM 87109
Legal Needs	CASA	Court Appointed Special Advocates	(505)-820-1500	128 Grant Avenue, Suite 302 Santa Fe, NM 87501
Basic Needs	LA Cares Food Pantry	Rent and utilities, assistance once a year. Food assistance once a month.	(505) 661-8015	P.O. Box 90
Basic Needs	Self Help: Assistance with housing, food, utilities, and other basic needs.	http://www.selfhelpla.org	(505) 662-4666	2390 North Road

Basic Needs	NM Income Support Division	SNAP/Medicaid/TANF	(505) 753-2271	228 Paseo de Onate Street Espanola, NM 87532
Basic Needs	New Mexico Workforce Solutions	http://www.dws.state.nm.us	(505) 753-2285	319 Paseo de Onate St. Espanola, NM 87532
Basic Needs	Los Alamos Public Health Office	WIC services	(505) 662-4038	1183 Diamond Drive, Suite B
Basic Needs	The Food Depot	First United Methodist Church	(505) 471-1633	1222 A Siler Road Santa Fe, NM
Basic Needs	San Martin De Porres Soup Kitchen	Soup Kitchen	(505) 367-4288	171 Jonathan Street Espanola, NM 87532
Basic Needs	Casa Mesita Thrift Shop	Sells donated items..mostly clothing	(505) 662-7235	Meri Mac Shopping Plaza Los Alamos, NM
Special Needs	Department of Health Medical Services	Serves Children 1-21 with Special Health Needs.	(505)-753-3142	2010 Industrial Park Road Espanola, NM 87532
Special Needs	Division of Vocational Rehabilitation	Rehabilitation Services	(505)-753-2908	706-B La Joya St. Espanola, NM 87532
Special Needs	Los Alamos Peach Home	Serving women and men with assisted living and mental development needs	(505)-662-4703	2056 Peach Street Los Alamos, NM 87544

 

Mental Health Design Team Report