Nurse's Corner
Welcome to The Hornblower Early Childhood Center’s Nurses Corner. This site is intended to provide families with vital health information essential to the well-being of their child/children.
My name is Briana Tropiano, RN., I am grateful to be your child’s school nurse. I hope to create a partnership with you that fosters a foundation of trust and mutual respect, as my number one priority is to keep your child safe, healthy, and happy while in my care. Please never hesitate to reach out to me for guidance or with concerns/questions. My email is [email protected] and my phone number is 973-450-3500 ext 3210.
Whether you are new to the district or a returning family, it is important to review when it is necessary to keep your child home.
All illness related absences must be called into the "Call Out" mailbox daily 973-450-3500 ext 3229. This is an automated mailbox and is checked daily by the school nurse. Please speak slowly and clearly and provide all relevant details regarding the child’s illness. Please do not email or message your child’s teacher regarding an illness absence instead of calling the child out or emailing the nurse. For non-illness related absences please notify the main office.
Please use the below guidelines to help you decide whether to keep your child home from school. Please consult with your child’s physician as well if needed.
-Fever A temperature over 100.0 F. The temperature reading should be taken before any fever reducing medication such as Tylenol or Motrin is given. The child must be 24 hours fever free without the use of fever reducing medication in order to return to school.
-Vomiting and/or Diarrhea within the past 24 hours. The child must be free of gastrointestinal symptoms for at least 24 hours in order to return to school. In addition, they must be feeling well and able to tolerate a normal diet. If your child was sent home from school vomiting or with diarrhea do not send them to school the following day.
-Persistent coughing that may be interfering with sleep or daily activity. Cough may require Covid testing, please contact the school nurse for further details.
-Persistent red sore throat this could indicate a Streptococcal infection which requires antibiotics, a return to school note is required as well from the physician.
-Persistent earache not only could this indicate infection and the need for antibiotics, it is extremely uncomfortable for the child.
-Rash ANY skin rash of unknown origin or a rash deemed contagious by a physician requires a return note to school. Some rashes such as Coxsackie and Chicken Pox are highly contagious to others, so it is essential to have rashes seen by a health care professional.
-Red or pink to the white (sclera) of the eye/eyes. If the child has yellow puss or discharge from the eye/eyes or wakes up with matted or crusty eyelashes. This could be conjunctivitis which can be highly contagious. A physician should be consulted for treatment as well as return to school.
In addition, multiple symptoms may require your child to be either Covid tested or kept home for at least 5 days, please speak to the school nurse for details as the public health guidance is ever changing.
If you are unsure whether to send your child to school, please contact your child’s physician or the school nurse.
Medication Policy
All prescription and non-prescription medication that is to be administered at school may only be administered by the school nurse or the parent/guardian.
There must be doctor's orders in writing presented to the school nurse.
The medication must be sent to school in the original packaging with the medication label from the pharmacy intact.
The medication may NOT be sent in with the student in their book-bag, it must be handed to the school nurse or the school nurse designee if the nurse is not in the building.
Please contact the nurse for further information and the required forms that must be filled out by the physician should your child require medication at school.
Please note that all medications should be given at home unless absolutely necessary to be given at school. This decreases the likelihood of adverse or allergic reactions while at school.
If your child has asthma and requires a nebulizer or inhaler you must provide the accessories (mask, tubing, spacer chamber etc.) as well as the medication required for treatment. The school has a nebulizer machine in the nurses office.
Emergency Contacts
Please keep your emergency contacts on file up to date. If you move or your phone number changes it is imperative to notify the school of the change. If a child is unwell or injured it is imperative that the nurse/school can quickly reach a parent/guardian or their designated emergency contact.
Mandatory Health Screenings
Throughout the school year your child may be screened for height, weight, blood pressure, vision and hearing (some students may have already been screened by their physician). Please assume that all results are within normal limits. You will be contacted should an abnormal result occur or if the screening was unobtainable by the school nurse. If you have any concerns regarding the screenings or any specific area of concern, please contact the school nurse.
Food Allergy Awareness
If you have been instructed by your child's teacher and/or school nurse that there is a student with a food allergy in your child's class, please honor the request not to bring that specific food into the classroom. Some allergies can be life threatening, even just touching the allergen can send a child into anaphylaxis. Some of the most common food allergens are nuts, peanuts, eggs, milk and shellfish.
If your child has a known food allergy (or any allergy) it is imperative that you contact the school nurse for further details and information on how to keep your child safe while they are in school. An Epi-pen may need to be kept at school along with an Allergy Action Plan completed by your child's physician. Please see below forms: Allergy Care Plan, Allergy/Asthma Parent Form and Parent Consent for Epi Pen Delegate.
Medical Forms
Influenza
Preschool students aged 6-59 months must receive one dose of the annual flu vaccine by December 31st. Students who are not in compliance by this date MUST be excluded from school for the duration of the influenza season (through March 31st) or until they receive one dose of the influenza vaccine. Please see Medical Forms for a copy of the Influenza letter and form for your child's physician. A hard copy will be sent home with your child as well.
Lead Testing
In an effort to increase blood lead screening in children less than 72 months of age, the
following information is being shared with you.
Studies show that no amount of lead exposure is safe for children. Even low lead blood levels
have been shown to adversely affect learning, ability to pay attention, and academic
achievement. While the effects of lead exposure may be permanent, if caught early there are
things that parents can do to prevent further exposure and reduce damage to your child’s
health.
The most important step that parents, healthcare providers, and public health professionals can
take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs with primary and secondary prevention efforts.
- Primary prevention is the removal of lead hazards from the environment before a child is
lead exposed. It is the most effective way to ensure that children do not experience
harmful long-term effects of lead exposure. - Secondary prevention includes blood lead testing and follow-up care and referral. It
remains an essential safety net for children who may already be exposed to lead.
Please review the attached documents in Medical Forms and discuss blood lead screening with your child’s
primary health care provider and forward all test results to my office.
If you would like further information on childhood lead exposure and the blood level screening
law in New Jersey, please visit the Department of Health’s website at
www.nj.gov/health/childhoodlead or call the Childhood Lead Program at 609-633-2937.
Asthma
If your child has a history of asthma or they have recently been diagnosed with asthma, it is imperative that we are prepared to care for your child in case of an asthma emergency in school. Please see the Asthma Action Plan under Medical Forms. The Asthma Action Plan, is required by law, and provides the school nurse with essential medical information needed to care for your child in an emergency. Please download a copy and share with your physician, the parent/guardian must also sign the form. This form along with the "Allergy/Asthma" form found under Medical Forms must be handed to the school nurse. The child's medication must be sent to school in the original container with pharmacy label intact, and given directly to the nurse. It may NOT be sent to school in the child's book-bag. Please speak to the school nurse for all questions, clarification and concerns.