Health Office

HEALTH OFFICE

Welcome to the Northwood Elementary School Health Office. We are here to assist students with health issues, including illness, injury, medications, and medical conditions. The health office staff includes an IUSD Credentialed School Nurse and a Health Assistant. Our health assistant is on site from 8:45 am - 1:45 pm daily. The school nurse is on site approximately 1 day per week.

Please see the topics below for some of our most frequently asked questions and information. If you have questions or concerns related to your student’s health or want more information on IUSD Health Services, please feel free to contact the health office directly at (949) 936-5961 or visit the IUSD Health Services website.

HEALTH OFFICE PROCEDURES

While at school, all illnesses/injuries are checked out through the Health Office. If the student needs to be seen in the Health Office, he or she will first inform their teacher and receive a pass to go to the Health Office. If a student is not feeling well, he or she must come to the Health Office and the health assistant or school nurse will notify the parent. If your child needs to go home, a parent and/or guardian will need to come to the Front Office to sign their child out.

All other absences/appointments go through the attendance office. If a student has a doctor’s note excusing them from their absence, a copy should be given to the Attendance Office as well as the Health Office.

  • If your child is not feeling well and you are uncertain about sending him/her to school on any given day, it is best to keep your child home and observe him/her for worsening symptoms. 
  • If a child is too ill to attend school in the morning, it is recommended that he/she stay home all day. 
  • When you make the decision to keep your child home, please notify the school secretary or attendance line that your child will be absent and state the nature of your child's illness. 

Parents must show their student is in compliance with California Immunization Laws and Irvine Unified School District Policy 5141.31 to attend school. A copy of the student's current immunization record must be on file at school. For immunization resources, please contact your school nurse or IUSD Health Services.

For further guidance on what required immunizations are needed for students to attend school, please review California Immunization Requirements for K-12th Grade.

 MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS

There have been recent changes to Medical Exemption requirements that went into effect on January 1, 2021. We are sharing these changes with you so that you may work with your child’s healthcare provider to make sure your child is in compliance with California law (California Code of Regulations Title 17, Division 1, Chapter 4).  

See the Medical Exemptions and Immunizations Compliance notice for Medical Exemption Requirements.

Students are NOT allowed to carry any medications (including over-the-counter/non-prescription and prescription) on their person unless the health office has the doctor’s order to accompany that medication. All medications on campus (that includes, over-the-counter/non-prescription and prescription) need to be documented and kept in the health office or with the student under certain circumstances. A Medication Administration form needs to be filled out by your child’s provider (with an office stamp) and the parent and/or guardian for each medication to be at school for the student. 

After an illness or injury that requires your child to be excused or requires modified Physical Education (P.E.), a medical provider (California licensed M.D., D.O., P.A., N.P.) must complete a School Participation Following Injury or Illness form and shared via in-person or email with the student’s primary teacher and the Health Office as soon as possible.

Parents can excuse their student from P.E. once per school year for up to 3 days consecutively with a written letter or email to their primary teacher and the Health Office. Letter or email must be in receipt of the teacher and Health Office before the start of the excusal. Following the use of the parent P.E. excusal, the student will need a doctor’s note for any P.E. restrictions/modifications.

The Irvine Children’s Health Program (I-CHP) provides enrollment assistance for children and adults for Medi-Cal health insurance, Covered California plans and more. The Children’s Health Program is a partnership between the City of Irvine and the Children’s Health Initiative of Orange County (CHI OC). This program helps families and individuals enroll in affordable health coverage and other available assistance programs. To make a FREE appointment with a Certified Enrollment Counselor or for more information, please call 949-724-6645 or email ichp@cityofirvine.org.