Carolina Forest Elementary
School Nurse

Darlene Russell R.N.

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Mrs. Russell's Nurses Notes

The Role of The School Nurse
The main objective of the Horry County School Health Program is to assist each student in achieving and maintaining optimal health so that maximal physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth can occur. On a personal note: I love children and I feel so blessed to have a job that allows me to give back to the children in our community. I'm proud to be on a team that puts our children first. I have an open door policy. Please feel free to contact me or stop by to discuss any concerns you may have.

Medication Policy

Every new school year all prescription and over-the-counter medications must be registered and brought in by the parent/guardian to the school nurse. No medications may be transported on the school bus. Please do not send your children to school with any type of medications. All medications must be in the original labeled container. At the end of the school year, any medication not picked up by the parent/guardian will be discarded. I understand that these policies may be hard for working parents, but we have to consider the safety of our children first!

Immunization Policy

It is South Carolina state law that every child have a S.C. Certificate of Immunization on file. Please refer to your Parent-Student Handbook for the current requirements.

Health Concerns

Please notify the school nurse if your child has any new health concerns or allergies. I also wish to stress the importance of notifying the front office and the teacher of any phone changes. The information sheets that the teachers send home are for the teacher's use. The front office obtains phone numbers from the registration forms that are mailed over the summer.

Illness

Please note that any child that has a fever (100 or higher), vomiting, or diarrhea should remain home for 24 hours symptom free without medication before returning to school. Medications only mask the symptoms and spread illness to others.

Health Screening

Every year the nurse conducts vision, hearing, and dental screening on the children according to their grade level. Here are the current grade level guidelines:

Vision Screening: Pre- development (4 years old), Kindergarten, 1st grade, 3rd grade, and 5th grade

Hearing Screening: Pre-development (4 years old), Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade

Dental Screening: First grade (Please note that referrals sent home for dental concerns are for suspected problems.) Our goal is to provide a team approach for the health and well being of our children.