School Nurse:
Jeanine Pentz
Certified School Nurse
Jonathan Dayton High School
jpentz@springfieldschools.com
Phone: 973-376-1025, ext. 5258
Fax: 973-376-4570
Please call or email the school nurse with any questions or concerns.
Please click here to access the District Health Office page with standard medical forms
The Definition of School Nursing
"School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success, and life-long achievement and health of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety, including a healthy environment; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self-advocacy and learning." (NASN, 2010)
The Duties and Responsibilities of the School Nurse
The School Nurse's duties include:
- Serving as coordinator of comprehensive health services
- Delegating selected nursing tasks to other competent personnel and providing training and supervision
- Coordinating and communicating health care information between students, staff, family and physician
- Developing Individualized Health Care Plans and Emergency Care Plans for students with acute or chronic health problems
- Counseling students, parents and staff regarding health development and psycho-social concerns
- Providing health screenings as designated by state regulations, i.e., vision, hearing, blood pressure, scoliosis, height and weight
- Participating in the identification, referral and health appraisal of students with the Child Study Team
- Participating in identifying students needing 504 plans and participating in the development of a comprehensive plan
- Submitting data and reports to state agencies related to immunizations, TB testing and employee injuries
- Maintaining accurate records of all nursing care provided
- Teaching health education and promoting wellness activities
- Providing assessment and care of onsite injuries and illness.
Springfield Public Schools Health Office Guidelines:
Springfield Board of Education Policies relating to student health can be found in Bylaw 5141
General Information
Should your child become ill or have an accident deemed to require your immediate attention, we will notify you or someone on your emergency contact form immediately. It is important that you provide emergency contact information via "OnCourse", a district computer-based platform, as soon as possible. Please remember to update this emergency contact information if there are any changes in phone numbers (including mobile phones), emails, residence, employment, etc.
The role of the school nurse is to evaluate injuries/illnesses that occur during school hours and make referrals and/or recommendations. It is recommended that parents seek medical attention for those injuries/illnesses that occur outside of school hours.
Should your child have allergies or other health conditions that may affect his/her learning, please notify the school nurse.
A student may be excused from physical education for up to three days with a note from the parent. An excuse for more than three days requires a doctor's note. A note is also required to permit students to use crutches while in school.
Medication Policies
Medication (both over-the-counter and prescription) can be administered in school only when the following Board of Education procedures are followed:
- District approved forms are completed by the physician and parent/guardian.
- Medication must be in the original pharmacy or manufacturer containers and must be clearly labeled.
- On an urgent basis, when medication forms have not been submitted, a parent/guardian may administer medications to their child in the health office.
Health Screenings
The school nurse conducts the following screenings according to the New Jersey State Guidelines for blood pressure, hearing, height and weight, vision, and scoliosis. Health screenings have been delineated more clearly by the NJ Department of Education.
- Screenings for height, weight, and blood pressure will be conducted annually for each pupil kindergarten through tenth grade. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages blood pressure checks for children over the age of 3.
- Screening for visual acuity is mandated every two years for students K-10.
- Screening for color perception is mandated in Grade 1 only.
- Screening for auditory acuity is mandated annually for students in K-3 and in grades 7 and 11.
- Screening for scoliosis is mandated biennially for students between the ages of 10 and 18. Parental consent is required for scoliosis screening for grade 5, 7, 9 and 11. Scoliosis screening parental consent is obtained via response entered into InfoSnap.
Immunizations
New Jersey State immunizations are specific to your child's age and grade. Please see links for immunization schedules and requirements:
Immunization Requirements - Preschool - State of New Jersey
Immunization Requirements - K to 12 - State of New Jersey
Students transferring within the state of New Jersey cannot start school until proof of state mandated immunizations is provided to and reviewed by the nurse. Out-of-state and out-of country transfer students have 30 days to submit the age appropriate immunizations.
Immunization requirements for students entering grade 6:
Special note for grade 5 students: The state of New Jersey mandates 1 dose of Tdap and 1 dose or meningococcal vaccine upon entering grade 6. Consult with your child's pediatrician or school nurse and please plan accordingly. See Immunization letter for students entering grade 6 on this website.
Tuberculosis screening is required for students entering the school district from specific foreign countries determined by the State of New Jersey Department of Health, as per state directive. Your private healthcare provider or local health department can perform this test. Documentation of Tuberculosis screening must be provided as soon as possible.
Please click here to download the Immunization Confirmation Form.
Physical Examinations
Documentation of a physical exam is required upon entry into the public school system. However, the New Jersey Department of Education urges ongoing health assessments by a healthcare provider to determine the student's medical status. The New Jersey Department of Education strongly recommends physical examinations of students at least once during each of the developmental stages:
- Early childhood (pre-school through grade3)
- Pre-adolescence (grade 4 through 6)
- Adolescence (grade 7 through 12)
Additionally, annual physical examinations for school age children are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to monitor growth and development as well as early detection of health problems. Consult your child's pediatrician regarding these concerns.
If you need a physical examination form for school entry, click here: Universal Health History.
Health Insurance Information
School insurance is made available each September for parents to consider. Contact the main office for more information.
Also, families in need of affordable health insurance, may inquire about NJ Family Care, which is a low-cost health insurance plan associated with a variety of recognized Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). It is the State of New Jersey's way of providing affordable health coverage for kids and certain low-income families.
Please call 1-800-701-0710 or visit the following website for further information http://www.njfamilycare.org/default.aspx Information is available in several languages. Information regarding the Affordable Care Act and coverage can be found by visiting https://www.healthcare.gov.
Contact your school nurse with any questions or concerns.
Athletics Information & Sports Forms
Educational Information for Parents Regarding Sports-Related Eye Injuries
Please click on the links below to download forms necessary for participating in athletics:
Call for Safety
Please call the "Call for Safety Line" to report an absence or late arrival, (973-376-1025 Ext. 5243).
Please speak slowly and clearly. Please provide the following:
- Child's first and last name
- Child's teacher
- Child's date of absence
- Reason for absence or late arrival
If your child is absent due to illness, please be specific when reporting his/her symptom(s). Please let us know if your child:
- Has a fever and how high it is
- Is vomiting, feels nauseous, or has diarrhea
- Has symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose
- Has body aches all over
- Is feeling weak or more tired than usual
- Has a headache
Please report any communicable diseases or conditions to the school nurse. If the child is out sick for five days or longer, a doctor's note is requested to return to school. Clearance notes to return to school and physical education activities are also required after a child had surgery or recovered from a serious illness or injury.
Requests for early dismissal from school are honored when an emergency makes them unavoidable. Such requests should be made in writing, with the reason specified.
Maintaining a Healthy School Environment - When to Keep Your Child Home
- District Guidelines for When to Keep Your Child Home from School for When Your Child Isn't Feeling Well.
- State Guidelines for When to Keep Your Child Home from School for When Your Child Isn't Feeling Well.
Head Lice:
There is a "No Nit- No Head lice" practice in Springfield Public Schools. Please contact the health office if your child has head lice. Contact your pediatrician for advice regarding treatment. After head lice treatment is completed, please visit the health office with your child to be cleared by school nurse to return to class.
Removing Head Lice Safely Video
Parent Health Resources*
- School Notifications (COVID-19 Community Updates from Superintendent Goldberg)
- Health Office COVID-19 Resource Page
- New Jersey Dental Association Resources:
- The Early childhood, Parenting and Professional Resource Center
- New Jersey Family Care Health Insurance
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- New Jersey Immunization Requirements:
- Vaccine Information
- New Jersey Department of Education
- New Jersey Department of Education Student Health Services
- Madison Health Department
- The State Of New Jersey Department of Health Communicable Disease:
- New Jersey Dept. of Health and Human Services:
- Healthy People 2020
- All About Sleep
- Pediatric/Adult Coalition of Asthma of New Jersey
- Guidelines for the Care of Students with Diabetes in the School Setting
- Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network:
- Epilepsy Foundation:
- Nutrition Information:
- The National Child Traumatic and Stress Network:
- Center for Disease Control/Concussion
- Center for Disease Control/ Handwashing
- Flu (seasonal Flu)
- Meningitis Fact Sheet:
- Human Papillomavirus Information
- MRSA Infections
- Centers for Disease Control/Bedbugs:
*Disclaimer - Links to Other Sites: You are about to leave the Springfield Public School website. You are subject to that site's privacy policy when you click the link below. Reference in this website to any specific commercial products, process, service, manufacturer, or company does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the Springfield Board of Education. The Springfield Board of Education is not responsible for the contents of any "off-site" web page referenced from this website.