If you submit a DHS report, please send the report to Lisa McNulty in Student Services. April Jorgenson’s name is currently on the form.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Kindergarten Exclusion Day Reminder
Thursday, November 19, 2025
(Elementary Nurses – See Michelle’s email from 9/8/25)
NARCAN
**PLEASE CHECK YOUR NARCAN EXPIRATION DATES**
Regular Nursing Staff – We will be placing a Narcan order on Monday, September 22nd. Please complete the NARCAN 25/26 SCHOOL YEAR sheet so we can include your site when we order.
A FREE, CONFIDENTIAL resource available to employees and their families for support with a variety of personal challenges.
FIELD TRIPS
Please let Tami know when you do not receive appropriate advance notification for field trips.
In order for advance field trip notification to become a regular part of the activity planning process, we need to address these issues promptly.
LUNCH TIME REMINDERS
??????? regarding lunchtimes have come up for both substitute and regular nurses.
Given the variety of schedules, both past and current practice has been for nurses to determine their own break and lunch times in accordance with their workday
Substitute Nurses – If you work more than 6 hours in a day, you are required to take a 30 minute unpaid lunch. Please remember this when completing your time sheets. For example, if you worked 8-230, you are required to take a 30 minute unpaid lunch break during that time. Therefore, you should only timesheet for 6 hours rather than 6.5 hours due to the required 30 minute lunch break.
Regular Nurses – If you work more than 6 hours in a day, you are required to take a 30 minute unpaid lunch.
For example, if you worked 8-230, you are required to take a 30 minute unpaid lunch break during that time. The total time worked from 8-230 = 6 hours.
Or if you work 8-430, the total time worked is 8 hours (plus a 30 minute non-paid lunch).
Regular Nursing Staff – We will be placing a Narcan order on Monday, September 22nd. Please complete the NARCAN 25/26 SCHOOL YEAR sheet so we can include your site when we order.
**Currently at high schools, evolving practice at middle Schools
Prior to the start of each contest (at all levels) the site supervisor and/or home head coach shall gather the following personnel to review these questions; Site Supervisor, Coaches, Officials, and Medical Personnel.
Who is the onsite contact for each school?
Is there a qualified medical professional present? If not, who will lead in case of an emergency?
Venue EAP: Who calls 911? Who meets EMS (and where)?
Where’s the nearest AED? Who will retrieve it?
Environmental concerns? (Heat index, Air Quality, lightning)
Contest Interruption Policy: Cover policy and who officials are communicating with if behavior is reported to them.
CPR/First Aid – Updates
Here is the new language that just came out about schools around CPR and First Aid.
There have since been some questions regarding the “new” requirement that one CPR/First Aid–trained staff member be present for every 60 students. To clarify, this has long been a requirement under OAR 581-022-2220.
(3) Each school shall have, at a minimum, at least one staff member with a current first aid/CPR/AED card for every 60 students enrolled, as set by ORS 339.345, and 342.664 and who are trained annually on the district and building emergency plans. Emergency planning will include the presence of at least one staff member with a current first aid/CPR/AED card for every 60 students for school-sponsored activities where students are present.
Gabe’s goal is to work with HR to set up an expectations similar to our programs. We will discuss CPR and First Aid at our next HS AD meeting.
MENTAL HEALTH
988 Oregon: Connect to Hope
The State of Oregon recently launched the 988 Oregon: Connect to Hope campaign, aimed at making sure everyone knows they can call or text 988 for free, confidential mental health or substance use support. We want people to know it’s never too early to reach out for support. Reach out when you’re stressed, worried or just feeling really down. If you’re having suicidal thoughts or worried about someone else, 988 is here for you.
VECTOR TRAINING/SAFE SCHOOLS
All nurses should have received an email on 8/21 with a link to Vector Solutions. Your login code is 0000 + your employee ID number (for example: 00001234). Please complete the online trainings by October 30, 2025.
These trainings can be completed during your regular work hours. Substitute nurses – please complete the trainings while you are covering in schools.
Synergy will auto-send attendance letters to families after a student has missed 6 consecutive school days (Unexcused or Unverified ONLY)
Synergy will auto-send attendance letters to families after a student has been 10-day Inactivated
Both of these letters request families to connect with the school to schedule a meeting focused on supporting the student return to school
At days 3, 6, and 9, school teams are asked to designate a staff member to reach out to the family to check on the student
If a student is 10-day inactivated, your school team can fill out a Request for Assistance to ask the District’s Tier 3 Attendance team for support with a Home Visit or family outreach
THE LAST BLS NURSE BLOG FOR THE 24/25 SCHOOL YEAR!!!
EMAIL
Automatic Replies
Please remember to put “out of the office” automatic replies on your email and voicemail!
Nursing Updates During the Summer
Please be sure to check your email for nursing updates when you return from your well deserved summer break. There will more than likely be some useful information to know as you start your pre-school preparations (before the August 27th meeting).
If you haven’t done so already, please complete the 2025 School Nurse Survey. This survey provides valuable insight into the daily work Oregon school nurses do. It helps assess Oregon school nursing efforts and experiences; to identify current services, challenges, and successes; and to inform work to better support Oregon students’ health, safety, and academic success.
SEIZURES (update)
Health care providers of students with seizures in the adaptive PE swimming program are expected to:
Planning a trip or something fun is important to our wellbeing. I know there have been years where all I wanted to do for summer break was nothing. But data indicates that planning a trip is as beneficial as actually taking one! It’s like the process of planning allows us to take a mini-vacation just by thinking about what we will be doing. So even if you don’t end up taking a trip, mapping out an ideal vacation, whether it’s a trip to Tahiti or a hammock in your yard can help relieve your stress in the here and now. ~ HDESD Culture of Care
It’s time to collect the Medically Fragile data for ODE. Which means it’s also the end of the school year!
We have new staff this year, so here is a more detailed breakdown:
Basically, you are looking at your caseload in each school and submitting the number of students that fall in each category below.
There are 3 distinctions of students you might have in your school (apart from the general population):
-Medically complex students
-Medically fragile students
-Nursing dependent students
The first attachment is the Medically Fragile Data Collection Definition Guidance (ODE). This will provide definitions and give examples of common students’ health conditions and what category they might fall into.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ODE has very specific definitions of these 3 categories. This may be different verbiage from how our district classifies students. Additionally, the examples in the document are just guidelines and you should use other health conditions, comorbidities, social determinants of health, self-care abilities and more to make your decision.
The ODE Student Acuity Tool (updated 3/2025) is an important tool to help determine acuity. To fully understand this tool, please review the training video. Failure to do so may result in inaccurate data collection.
Collecting this data creates a more accurate picture of the intensity of nursing care required by a student, which helps establish nursing rations. Please take some time to complete this. I believe we have more Medically Fragile students than we’ve been counting in years past.
Pro tips:
Print out an HLT 401 for all your schools and categorize your students that way. Also try filtering by Health Plan on File (hint hint…medically complex).
Don’t forget the students that may have mental health issues that have not been entered in Synergy.
And frequent health room flyers.
When you’ve collected your numbers, please enter them into this
From Corinna Brower: This survey (your responses!) will help tell the story of Oregon school nursing. Your answers will be kept confidential; only aggregated data will ever be reported.
Student Services has been added to the top navigation bar of the Staff Portal for easier access. It remains available under Quick Links as well, since many staff are used to finding it there.
SUMMER NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR KIDS
This week, Oregon launches the return of its Summer EBT for children program, which gives families money to buy healthy food during the summer months when free and reduced-price school meals are not available.
Last summer was the first year Oregon offered this benefit, and about 362,000 school-aged children participated, with families receiving a total of $43 million to spend at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other places that accept EBT. Summer EBT is administered by Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) in partnership with Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
Things to know about Oregon’s Summer EBT for children program:
Applications are due Sept. 3. (Eligible families will receive the full summer benefit as long as they apply by Sept. 3.)
Families will get a one-time payment of $120 per eligible child on an Oregon EBT card.
Many children are considered “automatically eligible” for Summer EBT and do not need to apply. This can include those whose families participate in SNAP, TANF or the Oregon Health Plan (OHP/Medicaid) and meet income rules, as well as children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. To see a full list of eligibility requirements, click here.
Families that got Summer EBT benefits in 2024 through an approved application do not need to apply again. They will automatically receive the money on their EBT card May 22.
For anyone who qualifies automatically, Summer EBT funds will be deposited on existing EBT cards May 22. Those who do not already have an EBT card will get one by mail.
At least 336,000 children will be automatically eligible and enrolled in Summer EBT this summer.
Other potentially eligible families will need to apply.
To learn more about eligibility, and how and whether you should apply for Summer EBT food benefits for children, check out ODHS’s website for frequently asked questions, call 833-673-7328, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email [email protected].
NOTE: the Summer EBT is different from ODE’s “Summer Meals” program, which is for all children regardless of income and requires no application process, and families can participate in both.
TRAININGS
Before you leave for summer break…
Don’t forget to email your school administrators about scheduling staff training time before the start of the school year. Get it on their schedule before leaving for the summer!!
CALENDAR
DATE
TIME
EVENT
INFO
5/28
215-3
Medicaid Billing
Virtual (MANDATORY for all regular nursing staff only)
From Kinsey – Office of Policy, Advocacy, and Equity
Summer groceries/food access
Need help with buying groceries for your family? The state of Oregon offers a program that can help families with school-age children who need help with access to food while school is out for summer. For details and to apply, see flyer:
¿Necesita ayuda con alimentos para su familia? El estado de Oregón ofrece un programa que ayuda a las familias con niños de edad escolar a comprar alimentos durante las vacaciones de verano. Para más detalles y para aplicar, véase este volante:
Staffing: Curious who your school’s Advocate, Liaison, or Language Specialist will be next year? The goal is to keep these positions as stable and consistent as possible year to year, as this is key for relationships and trust with families, colleagues, and students. Until/unless you hear otherwise, assume these roles will be filled by the same people you currently have assigned.
IMMUNIZATION RULES UPDATE
Change #1
Exclusion Day has been moved from the 3rd Wednesday in February to the 4th Wednesday in February.
Why: This will give families one more week to get records updated and give a buffer for issues with mail delivery and weather that may arise.
Students who have a history of varicella (chickenpox) disease will need health care provider verification or lab test instead of parent verification.*
Why: This aligns with the requirements for immunity documentation of the other vaccines.
Resources: If you need help finding a health care provider, 211Info is a good place to start. 211Info specializes in health and social service assistance, and can be reached at [email protected] or by dialing 2-1-1. Language interpreters are available.
Note
*These changes apply to documentation received by the school on or after August 1, 2025. Documentation on file at the school prior to August 1, 2025, continues to be acceptable and new documentation is not needed for these students.
Finalized rates of non-medical exemptions (in the state of Oregon)from the 2024-25 school year. In short: we went from a rate of 8.8% non-medical exemptions amongst kindergartners to a new state record of 9.7%.
Kindergarten Immunization Rates(in the state of Oregon)
86.3% of kindergarteners were fully vaccinated with all required immunizations for the 24/25 school year.
86.4% of kindergarteners were fully vaccinated with all required immunizations for the 23/24 school year.
When adding new information in the health conditions comment column, please put your initials and date after your comment. This will help future nurses know how current the information is.
VOMITING
Return to School Update
BLS Health and Wellness website updated to align with OHA vomiting exclusion. (Please note, BLS added language “or at the discretion of the school nurse” regarding when a student can return to school following episodes of vomiting.
VOMITING
At least 2 episodes that are unexplained.
MAY RETURN AFTER 24 hours after last episode of vomiting OR after seen and cleared by a health care professional or at the discretion of the school nurse.
CALENDAR
DATE
TIME
EVENT
INFO
5/26/25
Memorial Day
NO SCHOOL!!
5/28
215-3
Medicaid Billing
Virtual (MANDATORY for all regular nursing staff only)
Last night, Scott (Erica’s husband) let Aries (her cat) inside. Erica walked upstairs and Aries did not follow her which was unusual. She went to brush her teeth and her son, Cade, texted that something was wrong with Aries. Erica went to check on Aries and he had a larger underbelly (which is normal for outside cats). But her husband picked the cat up and he wasn’t sensitive like normal.
Erica went back downstairs and Aries jumped on her husband’s side of the couch. Aries did not make one “meow”, which was unusual. Erica called for Aries and he wouldn’t go to her. Erica was worried that something was really wrong.
Erica kept repeating to her husband that something was wrong. Aries was not acting like her cat. Aries jumped up on the coffee table and Erica looked at his face. Erica yelled to her husband that the cat was not Aries!!! Her husband had let some random tabby cat into the house.
Moral to the story: make sure your cat is your cat before letting them in the house.
ANXIETY
SCARED TOOLUSE
Follow-up from 5/7/25 nurse meeting regarding use of SCARED tool. It is beneficial to know what current screening tools are being utilized to assess anxiety such as the resources provided from the presentation.
Nurses cannot use as a screening tool. Nurses can review screening questions and can use some questions as a guide. Nurses should not and do not diagnose. If nurses feel there could be an issue (ex., frequent visits to health office with varying complaints, teacher concern), they should reach out to MTSS Tier 3 team at their school site to discuss. Don’t know who is on the MTSS Tier 3 team, reach out to the school administrator.
From Molly
My school psych shared his front and back “student interview” sheet (attached) that he sometimes uses with kids in the health room when I ask him to check in because they come often and their symptoms seem like they could be psychosomatic. He said nurses are welcome to use it and edit it to fit their needs! This is not an official anxiety screener, just something he has developed over the years. Shout out to Taylor Reynolds for developing it.
DIABETES WALK
T1D Walk 5/18/25 – From Angelina
Here is the link if you would like to donate to the walk.
I joined the Type One Buddy Camp group this year and we would LOVE to have more donations!!!
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Have a concern with a specific illness/infection in your school?
Please connect with Tami or Michelle first who are the points of contact to the health department. This will help alleviate information confusion/messaging.
Last chance to email input to Tami regarding the small bags for bleed kits (red) and Narcan (green) to attached to the AED units to make it easy to grab and go during an emergency. Tami is going to place an order soon.
CHALLENGER GAMES
Little league teams are partnered with a Life Skills classroom challenger buddy to have some baseball fun. EA’s and teacher also join in on the fun. When it is over, a group photo is taken with all agreeing that it was a fun time. “The challenger families and players have the biggest smiles.”
Jessica Malinowski does such an amazing job with organizing this amazing event! It would be wonderful to see some of our nurse crew faces out there supporting the kids and families!
Only 3 more games this school year! Click here for game dates and location.
The Giving Plate is resuming their weekend snack bag program! As a reminder, this program provides extra snacks for students in need, to supplement food access over the weekend. Please note:
Families must complete a form to qualify and begin receiving this resource.
FAN Advocates continue to be the point of contact for family qualification/permission forms and for snack bag distribution to students.
If your school’s parent volunteer network has stepped in to organize snack bags during the Giving Plate’s pause in service, please let them know this program is resuming and they can phase out their coordination. Better yet, if this is an issue your Booster Club/PTA cares about, they can volunteer with the Giving Plate as individuals or a group–that effort will directly benefit food access for students in your schools.
