The health and well-being of students is a priority in Castle Rock School District. We are proud to offer a Nurse and Health Services program that supports the physical, mental, and emotional wellness of our school community.

Our team of dedicated and compassionate nurses work to provide expert care and empower our students with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health. With a focus on fostering a safe environment, we strive to ensure that every student has the health support they need to thrive academically and personally.

Please explore the resources and services made available on this page as we continue to prioritize health education for our community.

Health Services Information

Click on a category to expand:

Each year the district conducts scheduled vision, hearing and scoliosis screenings of students at various grade levels. If any problem is found resulting from a screening, parents are notified and further evaluation recommended by health care professionals.

In order to safeguard the school community from the spread of communicable illness, the superintendent has implemented procedures to assure that all the school buildings comply with state board of health rules. The district requires parents or guardians to complete a medical history on their child(ren) at the beginning of each school year. All information concerning a student’s present and past health condition is treated as confidential.

Parents are asked to keep an ill child home during the course of a communicable illness until the child has been fever-free for 24 hours. A school principal has authority to send an ill child home, but if the disease is reportable, must notify the local health officer (Cowlitz County Health Department). The local health officer is the primary resource in identification and control of infectious disease in the community’s schools.

A child with a life-threatening health condition must present a medication or treatment order from a physician, authorizing a registered nurse to administer medication or treatment. A nursing plan must be developed following submission of the medication or treatment order. A life- threatening health condition is one which will put the child in danger of death during the school day if a medication or treatment order and nursing plan are not in place. Students who have a life-threatening health condition but have not presented a medication or treatment order to the school shall be excluded from school immediately until an order is presented.

As much as possible, students should take prescribed oral medication and over-the-counter medication at home before or after school under a parent or guardian’s supervision. If necessary, a student may receive prescribed or non-prescribed medication from a school staff member on a scheduled basis, upon written authorization from the parent and a written request by a licensed health care professional. If medication is to be administered for longer than 15 consecutive days, the written request must include written instructions from the licensed health care professional.

Medications to be administered other than orally may be given only by a registered or licensed practical nurse. No prescribed medication may be injected by staff except when a student is susceptible to a predetermined, life-endangering situation. The parent must submit a written statement granting a staff member authority to act according to specific written orders and directions provided by a licensed health care professional prescribing within his or her authority.

A health care professional and a student’s parent may request in writing that a student be permitted to carry and permitted to self-administer his or her own medication. Permission may be granted by the principal after consultation with the school nurse. Except in cases of multi-dose devices (asthma inhalers), students may only carry one day’s supply of medication at a time. A prescribing health care provider must provide a written treatment plan for students with asthma or anaphylaxis to self-administer medication.

Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but very serious life-threatening disease caused by bacterial or viral infection. Instance of bacterial meningitis has increased nearly 60% since the early 1990’s. This very dangerous disease is spread through air droplets and direct contact with an infected person, such as through coughing, kissing, sharing beverages, eating utensils and lip balm. Symptoms are often very sudden and severe, and may include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, confusion and sleepiness. Bacterial meningitis can result in hearing loss, brain damage or death; but if diagnosed early, it can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

The district provides parents and guardians of students in sixth grade and above with information about meningococcal disease at the beginning of every school year, including characteristics of the disease, where to find information about meningitis, vaccinations for children, and national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) current recommendations regarding vaccination against the disease.

The school board requires students to present evidence of immunization against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, rubella (measles), mumps, hepatitis B and tetanus. The measles requirement may be satisfied by a doctor’s verification that the student has had rubella. A certificate of immunization status must be completed by the parent when enrolling a student in the district. The certificate becomes a part of the student’s permanent record. Conditional admittance is granted to students who have not received all required immunizations with evidence of the initiation and continuance of an immunization schedule.

Exemptions from vaccines may be granted for medical reason on certification by a physician, or for personal or religious reasons by request of the parent. Exempt students may be excluded from school temporarily in event of an epidemic.

The school district offers student accident insurance coverage at a rate within the reach of the majority of students. Application forms are distributed to students and available at the school offices. The district will supply necessary claims information, such as time and cause of accident, when requested by a student or his or her parent. Payment of student accident insurance premiums is the responsibility of the parents; neither the district nor none of its employees assumes responsibility for the provisions of student insurance policies.

All students participating in any outdoor education activities must purchase accident insurance or be covered by family accident insurance.

Health Resources

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

COVID-19

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Information for parents about the HPV vaccine

Influenza

See the National Centers for Disease Control video“Why it Matters“to learn more about the importance of vaccinating children against the influenza virus.