Health Policies and Practices
Food Allergies
Brooklyn Friends is sensitive to students in our community who suffer with peanut and/or tree nut allergies. For their protection, the school is “Nut Aware” and prioritizes student safety by educating our community about the importance of excluding nut derived products in the school setting.
BFS encourages our entire community to review the guidelines below before bringing food into the school for classroom parties, bake sales, and other school related events:
– Students, faculty and staff should not come to school with snacks or food that contain nuts or derivatives. This also applies to food left in backpacks, pockets, or purses.
– Home baked goods for parties or other school events should be prepared in a disposable container and not contain any tree nuts or peanuts or their by-products in the ingredients.
– Any store bought food products must be labeled “nut free.” If the food labels do not provide proper documentation of food allergens, it cannot be served at school.
– Be mindful when purchasing bulk-food in bins, due to the risk of cross- contamination from the bins and scoops.
– If your child eats a nut product for breakfast (such as peanut butter on toast), washing hands and face before arriving to school will reduce the possible exposure of the allergen to those with a nut allergy.
Students should not swap or share food during the school day or at any school event.
Brooklyn Friends cannot ensure a “Nut Free” environment, but our awareness can protect those students who are at most serious risk. Thank you for your help in achieving this goal.
Health Forms
BFS students must have an up-to-date physical examination before the start of each school year. Please make appointments for physicals in a timely way to avoid exclusion from attending school or school related activities. In addition to the annual physical, the school requires additional forms to be completed that are found in our electronic medical records system, Magnus Health. Magnus Health is a HIPAA regulated medical records system that stores all student health information. Parents are responsible for uploading/faxing all required documents and information into this system. Throughout the year, Magnus sends email notifications to families regarding their child’s account in relation to document expirations and reminders to submit current health information.
Immunizations
All students must be fully immunized according to the New York State Department of Health’s guidelines. BFS is legally obligated to annually report student immunization records to the Department of Health. Selective vaccinations are not permitted. BFS does consider requests for religious and medical exemption from vaccines, in accordance with NYS Public Health Law. In the event of a communicable disease outbreak, students without documentation of immunity (including those with religious/medical exemption claims) will be excluded from school in accordance to recommendations of the Department of Health.
All students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Injury and Illness During the School Day
If your child experiences a serious injury, the school will contact you immediately. If we cannot reach you, your listed emergency contacts will be notified of the incident. In the case of immediate treatment, your child will be taken to the nearest medical facility for the appropriate care. Please update your child’s Vital Health Record, via Magnus, if there are changes with emergency contacts, phone numbers, or email addresses during the school year.
When a child becomes ill during the school day, the nurse will determine if they should remain at school or go home. Students cannot be excused from school for illness or injury unless the nurse has assessed them.
If your child is ill, please allow them to stay home to recover before returning to school. Please contact the nurse or the division’s administrative assistant, in the morning, if your child will be absent for illness or any other matter. Children with the following symptoms must be free of them 24 hours before returning to school:
Fever* – without the assistance of analgesic medication.
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Students who have been prescribed antibiotics must remain home for at least 24 hours after the first dose has been administered, or until they show signs of recovery.
Please contact the school nurse if your child is out of school for a contagious disease, such as strep throat or pink eye. A confidential illness advisory must be sent to families in your child’s grade or division of possible exposure. In the event of serious outbreaks of contagious illness, advisories will be sent division-wide or school-wide, depending on the recommendations of the NYC Department of Health.
For parents seeking medical attention for their sick or injured child, upon return to school, please provide the school nurse with a written note from the healthcare provider documenting clearance of returning to school and any academic/activity restrictions.
Lice
BFS has a no-head-lice policy. Students found to have live head lice or heavy nits will be sent home from school. We ask that parents confirm treatment of the condition with the school nurse, who will check the student for lice before sending them back to class. It is important for parents to realize that lice management is not primarily a school responsibility. As a courtesy, the school provides periodic screenings during the school year. A prudent home strategy would be to check children’s heads thoroughly and often, and to discuss with them how to avoid contracting lice. As with other health advisories, we will send grade-wide notifications whenever a case of head lice is reported to the health office.
Medications Protocol
The school nurse must oversee the delivery of all medication during school hours. In the event of an all day or overnight school trip, delegation of medication administration may be necessary. The school nurse will collect the proper documentation with parental consent for these circumstances. New York State Law requires signed consent from your child’s healthcare provider in order to dispense any medication, prescription or over-the-counter, during school hours or school related functions. Compliance with the following guidelines must be met in order to administer medications and treatments:
Prescription Medication: Any prescription medications, for either chronic or new health problems, should be brought to the nurse in the original pharmacy labeled packaging along with the Prescription Medication Form completed and signed by the child’s prescribing healthcare provider.
Over-the-Counter Medication: The health office supplies OTC medications listed on the Over-the-Counter Medication Form that are dispensed as needed with signed consent from you and your child’s healthcare provider. Over-the-counter medications should not be sent with students to school to self-carry or self-administer.
Self-Directed: If your child has been deemed capable to self-administer medications such as an inhaler or Epipen, please provide documentation from their healthcare provider stating their approval for self-administration on the first day of school or once prescribed.
Updates: Please keep the health office up-to-date with your child’s health issues and medications during the school year. Medications that are taken at home must be reported as well in the event of an emergency.
Emergency Medications: Students with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, severe allergies and diabetes, must have a back-up medication in the health office in case of emergency.
All-day and Overnight Trips: The teacher/chaperone will announce in advance the procedures for turning in any medications to be administered on the trip. Medications will not be administered unless they are in the pharmacy labeled container with the student’s name, name of medication, dosage, and time to be given. A child should not be given medication to self-administer, unless approved by their healthcare provider.
Non-FDA Approved Medication: In accordance to New York State regulations, the health office does not accept or administer non-FDA medications or supplements. Medications (prescribed or non-prescribed) such as, but not limited to, holistic or naturopathic medications, essential oils, or herbal therapy are also not allowed for students to self-administer during the school day.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Students may never carry any controlled substances (ADHD medications, psychiatric drugs, pain medications containing narcotics, etc.) during school or school-sponsored activities.
Participation in Physical Education
Physical Education at Brooklyn Friends is an essential component of our program. We believe that full participation in PE nurtures not just our students’ bodies, but also their social skills, emotional wellness, and good character. For that reason, we will not excuse students unnecessarily from gym activities. The school nurse may offer a one-day exclusion pass for physical activity. If exclusion is beyond one-day, the school requires a letter from your child’s healthcare provider stating the reason for exclusion from physical activity. Please contact the school nurse to coordinate and communicate the necessary information to the appropriate PE/dance teachers and divisional administration.
If a student tests positive for COVID...
Updated 10/2/24
BFS has updated its COVID-19 protocol to reflect the current CDC guidance for when to stay home and when to return to normal activities after respiratory infections including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. This new policy is in line with the protocols which have been adopted by the NYS and NYC Departments of Health. Please report all contagious illnesses, including COVID-19, to the BFS nurse’s office. The instructions below apply to all colleagues and students.
- Stay home when you are sick. Return to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, you are fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication AND symptoms are improving overall.
- For the first 5 days after returning to normal activities, there are steps you can take to protect others. These include masking and testing to avoid spreading the virus.
- If symptoms worsen or a fever develops or returns, stay home. Use the same criteria for returning to normal activities as when you first had symptoms.
- Vaccination: BFS requires initial COVID-19 vaccination for all students and colleagues, and strongly encourages staying up-to-date with COVID-19 boosters. We continue to fully comply with NYS/NYC vaccination regulations and may update our immunization requirements in the future, as such.
- Masking in General: BFS is a mask-friendly campus. Anyone may choose to wear a mask at any time. Students and colleagues will respect and support anyone who chooses to mask for any reason.