McMeen Elementary

Weekly Message from the McMeen Health Office

09/15/22, 12:51 PM

Greetings McMeen Families!

 

  Did you know that September is National Attendance Awareness Month?

  Many of us already know how important attendance is when it comes to our children's success in school.

  However, it may not be known that, when it comes to chronic absenteeism, many of the reasons that keep students out of school can be prevented. According to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of a school year approximately 18 days a year, or just two days every month (CDE, 2018).

 Some contributing factors to chronic absenteeism is reported as existing health impairments such as asthma, allergies, diabetes, obesity, seizure disorders, anxiety and attention deficit disorder.

This is why it is imperative that parents/guardians communicate closely with their student(s)'s school nurse if their student has a current health condition that may lead to absenteeism. As the school nurse at McMeen, once I am informed of a student's health condition, I am able to support the student with pro-active measures that can help decrease the amount of health-condition related absences.

Some students may benefit from medications at school that help prevent possible health decline. If your student(s)'s doctor has advised/prescribed a medication for your student to be regularly given during the day or for emergencies, it's best to submit these medications to the school health office. Believe it or not, it's more cost-effective to purchase a second prescription for school use for your student, than not have a needed medication at school. This is because, when students are out sick, parents/guardians often need to take time off of work or pay babysitters in order to care for their child at home. Time off of work and paying babysitters can become quite costly if  student is out sick multiple times a year. 

  It is also important to know that, if your keep your student home related to illness longer than 3 schools days, in order to excuse these absences, we do ask that you submit a doctor's note to verify that it was necessary that your child needed to be out of school for a prolonged amount of time. 

  To learn more about National Attendance Awareness Month from the Colorado Department of Education click on this link.

   Thank you!

  Nurse Miriam