Welcome to the start of a new school year! In this issue of The Comet, I would like to share some important points to ensure that all students are safe in their school life.
Bringing medicine to school
There have been cases where parents have sent their children to school with medication without contacting or consulting the school in advance. This poses a risk that errors in dosage or usage, or by the person administering the medication may occur. As outlined in the KIST Family Handbook, we have various policies in place that cover these issues, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of these as follows.
1
As a general rule, students should not bring medicine to school. As there are many children interacting with each other every day at school, children who are sick enough to require medicine should be kept home. Furthermore, to prevent the risk of students accidentally using medication that may have been dropped, or using another student’s medication, bringing medication to school—including aspirin and ointments—is prohibited. However, for particular health issues such as middle ear infections, strep throat and the like for which you have received a doctor’s clearance to attend school but require medicine to be taken, we ask families to please observe the following options:
a) Adjust the times when the medicine is administered; for example, for medicine that must be administered three times a day, the daytime dosage may be taken after school and the evening dosage before bedtime.
b) Parents/guardians may come to the school to administer the medicine themselves.
2
If these options are not possible and it is absolutely necessary that medicine be brought to school, pre-authorization must be obtained from the school office in advance. This includes all types of medicine, including asthma inhalers and epinephrine injectors. Pre-authorization is also necessary if you require the school’s assistance in administering the medicine. Please contact the health office by telephone or e-mail to explain your situation.
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If approval is granted, you must provide details in writing by completing the Permission to Administer Medication form (available separately) and submitting it to the office together with the medicine which will be kept in the health office. A medical certificate stating that the child is able to attend school should also be attached. Medicine must not be kept by students themselves during class time unless special circumstances exist and permission has been granted by the school administration in advance. For medicine kept in the health office, it is the child’s responsibility to visit the health office at the correct time/s during the day for the medicine to be administered.
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It is the responsibility of all families to ensure that the school office is informed of any health issues or medicine requirements your child may have so that details can be included on his/her emergency card.
The dangers of sharing food
Next, I would like to talk about sharing food. The number of students with food allergies is increasing every year. Small children may not know or understand whether they or those around them have food allergies, so they need support from their parents/guardians. When children eat snacks together after school or on holidays, parents should prevent problems related to food allergies by supervising them or communicating with other parents. It is also important for parents to explain food allergies to their children in a way that is easy-to-understand. Since many processed foods are difficult to judge by appearance alone, it is generally safer to avoid sharing food; however, when hosting events such as birthday parties, it is necessary for parents to discuss and consider children with food allergies while ensuring the event is safe and enjoyable for everyone.
To conclude, the understanding and support of parents/guardians is essential for safeguarding children's growth and health. At KIST, we look forward to working with you to support the physical and mental well- being of students.
