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School Health

Communicable Diseases

Schools bring people into close physical contact, thus giving communicable diseases an opportunity to spread quickly. Your student's health is important to us. We attempt to maintain good health conditions while your student is in school.

As a school community we try to minimize the spread of communicable disease by encouraging frequent hand washing and through the regular cleaning of community surfaces. Parents/guardians can also help by keeping students home if they exhibit the following symptoms (please visit links below for further guidance):

  • Fever: Students should be kept home from school if they have a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above (orally). Children should not return to school until they have been fever-free, without medication, for at least 24 hours.
  • Vomiting: Students should not return to school until 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting.
  • Diarrhea: If a student has had two or more episodes of diarrhea within a 24-hour period, they should stay home for at least 24 hours after the last episode of loose stools.
  • Rash: Any illness involving a rash should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
  • Ear or Eye Discharge: This could be a sign of a bacterial infection and should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
  • Severe Sore Throat: This may indicate strep throat and should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
  • Flu-like Symptoms: Sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, runny nose, mild sore throat and severe cough. Students should not return to school until they have been fever-free, without medication, for at least 24 hours.
  • Any student exhibiting any of these symptoms will be sent home based on the guidelines established by the Oakland County Health Division
  • Respiratory Virus Guildelines: We are following the Oakland County Health Division guidelines. Here is the latest protocol.

Parents/guardians are required to report illness to the school office when a student is absent. Please report symptoms, especially respiratory concerns, fever and vomiting as well as any confirmed diagnosis (Strep throat, pink eye, impetigo, etc.) to the office. This helps us know when to notify other families about illness and also helps us track illness trends at school. This information is also reported weekly to the local health department and is used to track illness trends in our county. DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.

If your child is home sick from school, they should not be coming to school any part of the day. 

This includes coming in for assessments or tests or for any short term events. 

The student must remain home for the entire day. 

Exceptions would be appointments that cannot be attended except during school hours with proper documentation supporting them or any pre-scheduled absences reviewed by our school nurse personnel. 

Students that are sick should stay home, rest and recover before returning to our buildings. 

Your physical health and well being and those of others take priority over any school assignment, task or assessment. 

We appreciate your cooperation and support in keeping Novi Community School District a healthy environment!

HEALTH/STUDENT ILLNESS

Please visit the Managing Communicable Diseases in Schools Manual from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for any other illnesses not listed above.

If symptoms occur while in school, parents/guardians will be contacted and asked to arrange for the student to be taken home. Parents/guardians are expected to have their student picked up immediately, within 30 minutes of being contacted. A student may return to school when they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication and have not had any vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours.

Prevention Strategies

Use the following strategies within your school to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases:

  • Encourage all children and their families to get sufficient sleep, eat nutritious meals, practice good oral hygiene, and get enough physical activity to keep their bodies healthy.

  • Utilize infection prevention and control methods.

  • Vaccines for kids.

    • See your student’s doctor for well visits and to discuss any questions you might have about vaccines.

  • Keep a child home from class if the child has a fever, vomiting, or other symptoms like cough, sore throat, sneezing, or runny nose that prevent them from participating in activities and require extra care.

NCSD strongly recommends that parents/guardians monitor the health of their child/children on a daily basis. 

Communicable Disease Information

Frequently, student health issues in relation to school surface throughout the year. On this page you will find information regarding the Novi Community School District medication policies and procedures, as well as the required forms to support your child while at school, if any health concerns arise. 

Additionally, in order to provide you with up-to-date information, you can visit the Managing Communicable Diseases in Schools Manual from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Immunization Documentation Requirements

If you have a kindergarten student, a seventh grade student, or are enrolling a student who is new to the school district, you must present immunization documentation to your school at the time you register that student or not later than the first day of school.

Immunization information from Oakland County Health Division

Oakland County Health Division

Nurse on call: 800-848-5533 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-Noon, Saturday.

Nurse on call email: noc@oakgov.com

Health and Medication Management Plan

NCSD Medication Authorization Form (new April 2025)

Please note that new forms must be submitted each school year. 
Form must be resubmitted whenever there are changes to the medication orders. 

 

Medication Administration Procedure 

To administer any medication—whether prescription or over-the-counter (including common medications such as Tylenol or Advil)— we require both a parent/guardian signature and a prescriber’s signature on file. This is in place to ensure that we have the necessary permissions and instructions for your child’s medication. If we do not have the required written permissions, we will not be able to administer any medication.

Medication Administration Options 

If your child requires medication during school hours, please consider the following options: 
  • Complete the Medication Administration Form: This form must be filled out and signed by both the prescriber and the parent/guardian. It should include:
    • The name of the medication
    • Dosage
    • Frequency of administration
    • All medications must be brought to school in their original containers:
      • Prescription medications must be in a pharmacy-labeled bottle.
      • Over-the-counter medications must be in their original packaging.
      • Both containers must be clearly labeled with your child’s name and instructions for administration. The completed form and medication must be delivered to the school by a parent or guardian; students are not permitted to bring medication to school. 

○ Please note that new forms must be submitted each school year. 

○ Form must be resubmitted whenever there are changes to the medication orders. 

Alternative Administration Schedule

You may discuss with your healthcare provider the possibility of administering medication outside of school hours. 
 

If you choose to allow your student to self-carry their medication, additional requirements must be followed. The medication should be kept in the front pocket of the student's backpack during bus rides. Parents or guardians are responsible for regularly checking the medication, and all necessary paperwork must be completed for each medication. 

Important Reminders

  • School personnel will not administer any medications without the properly completed and signed Medication Authorization form. 
  • All medications must be in their original containers. 
  • Unused medications should be removed from school premises within two weeks (14 days) after the expiration date, upon notification of discontinuation, or at the end of the school year. Any unclaimed medications will be disposed of appropriately. 

If you have any questions regarding our medication policy or the administration of medication within the Novi Community School District, please do not hesitate to reach out to 

Cathy Farris RN, BSN at (248) 449-1616 or Cathy.farris@novik12.org 

Danielle Stacer RN, BSN at (248) 675-3436 or Danielle.stacer@novik12.org 

Thank you for your cooperation and support in keeping our students safe and healthy 

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You are leaving the Novi Community School District (NCSD) website and entering an external link or a third-party site.

NCSD has provided the links on this page because they provide additional information that may be useful or interesting.

NCSD cannot attest to the accuracy of the information provided by these third-party sites or any other linked site. NCSD is providing these links for your reference. In doing so, NCSD does not endorse these websites, companies or applications.

Optional student accident insurance

Cathy Farris1
Cathy Farris
Supervisor of Medical Services
Phone: 248-449-1616
cathy.farris@novik12.org
Danielle Stacer
School nurse
Phone: 248-449-1616