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Nurse’s Corner

Nursing Staff

Miriam Kotek – kotekm@mjbha.org

Nurse's Notes

Minor injuries such as superficial cuts and bruises will be handled in the health room. If there is any question as to the severity of injury, parents will be called. In the case of medical emergency a representative from the school will secure proper treatment, if in their best professional judgement further delay of treatment might interfere with the welfare of the child.

If a student feels ill in school, parents may be contacted. If the school deems the ill student must be sent home, a parent or emergency contact must pick up the student as soon as possible within the hour.

It is important that each parent keep the school informed of the current telephone number where he/she can be reached during the day should an emergency occur, as well as current numbers of friends or relatives who are authorized to act on behalf of the parents if parents cannot be reached. No child will be permitted to attend school until all emergency information is on file.

In the colder months, there is often an increase in strep, stomach flu, and colds. Please remember that children need to stay home until:

1. They have been fever free (without Tylenol or Ibuprophen) for 24 hours.

2. They have been on antibiotics for 24 hours if they have had a positive strep test,

3. They have not thrown up or had diarrhea for 24 hours.

Additionally, if your child has symptoms of illness in the morning, please keep him or her home. Parents will be called to take sick children home.

By following these guidelines as well as encouraging good handwashing, sufficient sleep, drinking water, and healthy eating (among other healthy habits), we can work on helping our children recuperate and stay healthy.

Berman is committed to providing the best possible and most appropriate learning experiences for all children. Occasionally, there are factors in a student’s appearance and behavior that lead to suspicions of child abuse or neglect.

Maryland law requires that all educators and other school employees, including volunteers, report suspected abuse or neglect to the proper authorities so that children may be protected from harm and the family may be helped.

Our school supports Maryland laws in this regard and requires that all school staff report suspected abuse and neglect to the Department of Social Services, Protective Services Division, and the local police department. At all times, the intent is to protect children from harm by providing services to maintain and strengthen the child’s own family.

Should there be questions regarding this information feel free to discuss them with one of the educational administrators or school guidance counselors.

Children who need to receive medications on a regular basis or keep medications at school for an emergency must send in a medication permission form, signed by the child’s pediatrician, along with the medication in the original pharmacy bottle. Only the nurse or a designated representative may dispense medications. Medication is kept in a locked area and all administration of medicine is recorded. For the safety of the children all medicines — prescription or otherwise – must be administered by our nurse (unless other arrangements are made with permission of the nurse and prescribing physician in consultation with the parent and student).

Student in grades K-6 will be called to take their medication if they forget, but special arrangements must be made with middle and upper school students who are prone to forget, as they are expected to come to the health room without being reminded. The school makes every reasonable effort to administer medications in a timely fashion, but final responsibility for dispensing rests with the parents.

Parents will be called when medications run low, but it is a parental responsibility to ensure their refill. Parents must notify the nurse if and when medication is changed or discontinued. Changes in medication must be accompanied by a physician’s note or direct call to the nurse. Verbal orders will be accepted by the nurse from a physician or nurse as long as written documentation follows.

Any medication taken at home on a regular basis can cause side effects or change the mechanism of other drug actions. Parents should inform the nurse of all medications a student takes at home so the student can best be served with a complete health profile. All medical information is considered confidential, with only the nurse and appropriate administrators having access.

Please remember that even non-prescription drugs have side effects and interactions which may be significant. The school nurse provides over-the-counter medications as deemed necessary to students, but any long-term or serious problems should be addressed by the student’s parents and physician. The school nurse is available to advise and assist in any areas where parents are unsure as to the nature and seriousness of a problem.

Repeat health room visits will be discussed with parents. Any health problem at school should be discussed with the school nurse.

Students suffering from minor colds or other illnesses, who are well enough to attend school, should be sent with tissues, cough drops and whatever other supplies they may need to remain comfortable and reduce time spent out of class.

We recommend that children with fevers above 100 degrees be kept home for 24 hours after the fever ends. Middle and upper school students who are tired are expected to stay in class — the health room is not generally available for quiet rest.

All students must be fully vaccinated to attend Berman.  We do accept valid medical exemptions but do not accept religious exemptions at this time.

Parents should check with their pediatrician to see that all immunizations are complete. Children will not be allowed to attend school unless all immunization information is on file as of the first day of school. All dates of immunization and vaccination must be provided prior to admission.


This is particularly important with respect to the measles (rubella) vaccine which must have been administered after the child’s first birthday. There are no exceptions unless medically necessary. If the measles vaccine was administered prior to one year of age, the child must be re-vaccinated or proof of immunity must be furnished by a positive rubella HA I Titer of l:4 or greater.

No child is permitted to enter the school unless he/she has received at least:

3-4 doses of each of the vaccines against:

  • diphtheria
  • polio
  • tetanus
  • pertussin
  • Hepatitis B, and

2 doses of the vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella and varicella according to age guidelines.

All students in K-12, and all staff must have received at least 2 doses of a Covid vaccine.

We also require all students and all staff to get an annual flu vaccine.

The last dose of vaccine received must be in accordance with the recommended schedule of immunization as outlined on the back of Maryland Immunization Certification Form #896.

Form #896 can be found here for reference:

https://phpa.health.maryland.gov/OIDEOR/IMMUN/Shared%20Documents/MDH_896_form.pdf

Berman follows the No Nit Policy requiring anyone found to have head lice to be sent home with instructions for treatment. Before being allowed to return to class, any child who has been sent home must come to the health room with a parent to be checked to see if he/she is free of nits. Students will not be allowed back into school until they have been properly treated. Periodic lice checks are done in classes throughout the year. If lice has been found in your child’s class, you will be notified.

For more information on this topic, please go to www.headlice.org.

Berman Hebrew Academy is a peanut-free facility.

As many of you know, nut allergies are on the rise in America and have been the subject of many articles and news reports. As these allergies can be life threatening, it is our halakhic and moral responsibility to ensure a safe environment for these students to the best of our ability. Many other schools in this area and throughout the country have already adopted peanut-free policies.

There is no way to guarantee a peanut-free environment. If your child has a severe peanut allergy, s/he must continue to be vigilant about what s/he eats and from whom s/he accepts food. Nonetheless, a peanut-free policy will provide an extra buffer against accidental ingestion of peanuts or peanut-products by children who may be deathly allergic.

Peanut products such as peanut butter, Bamba, nut granola bars, Reese’s candies, and the like are not allowed in the school. This includes foods that say on the label, “may contain trace amounts of peanuts”. Food items that are “made in a factory containing peanuts” but otherwise do not contain peanuts are allowed. This pertains to lunches, snacks, in-school birthday parties or food brought on field trips.

For many of you, this policy will present a considerable inconvenience, and for that we apologize. Nonetheless, we are sure that you agree that doing our best to prevent severe accidents justifies the added inconvenience.

Thank you for helping us implement this policy. All of our children are our priority and we hope to create a safe atmosphere for all.