WASHINGTON SCHOOL NURSE'S OFFICE

973-661-8889

kpalermo@NUTLEYSCHOOLS.ORG

Kristen Palermo BSN, RN

General guidelines for illnesses:

• Call the Attendance/Main Office if your child is going to be absent 973-661-8888.
• Send in copies of medical/dental notes.

Many parents ask, “When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?” This is not always an easy question to answer! I hope that these tips can help! A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comfortable place for your child to stay if he/she is ill.

Most school policies state that you should not send your child to school if he/she has:

• Fever in the past 24 hours (must be off fever reducing medications for 24 hours)
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea in the past 24 hours
• Chills and/or Sore throat
• Strep Throat (must have been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school)
• Bad cold, with a very runny nose or bad cough, especially if it has kept the child awake at night
• Head lice – until your child has been treated according to the nurse or doctor’s instructions.

If your child becomes ill at school and the school nurse feels the child is too sick to benefit from school or is contagious to other children, you will be called to come and take him/her home from school. It is essential that the school have a phone number where you can be contacted during the day and an emergency number in the event you cannot be reached. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify the school immediately.

Forms:

• Physical
  • https://www.nutleyschools.org/sites/default/files/DoctorForm_0.pdf 
• Medication authorization
  • https://www.nutleyschools.org/sites/default/files/MedicalForms.pdf 
• Asthma plan
  • https://www.nutleyschools.org/sites/default/files/Asthma.pdf
• Inhaler waiver
  • https://www.nutleyschools.org/sites/default/files/Inhaler.pdf

About me:

I graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor's in Biology in 2019. I went on to continue my education at Caldwell University, receiving my Bachelor's in Nursing in 2021.  I started working at St. Barnabas as a medical surgical float nurse, and quickly knew working with adults was not for me. Moved on to an opportunity to work with kids with cancer at a summer camp in Staten Island, and loved it.  So I continued my journey with pediatric nursing at Morristown Medical Center. I was able to learn a lot there, but soon came to realize that bedside nursing just was not for me.  So I moved on to other nursing opportunities to find what best would suit me, and that led to me working at a pediatric urgent care and now here, at Washington Elementary as a school nurse.  I am excited for this new opportunity and journey! Please feel free to reach out to me any time with any questions or concerns. Thank you for trusting me with your kids!