Health Services

The nurses of the West Springfield Public Schools Health Services Department strive to promote optimal physical and emotional wellness, maintain a safe and healthy learning environment and promote the academic success and achievement of all students throughout the educational experience.

In compliance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71 Section 57 all students must have a copy of a current physical examination of file at the following times:

• Upon entry into the school district (dated within the last year)

• Entering Kindergarten, 4th, 7th, and 10th grades

• Each year for all students who participate in high school sports

The purpose of the requirements (105 CMR 200.000) is to identify and take appropriate actions with respect to disabilities and medical conditions of school children in public schools as soon as possible so as to enable all children to obtain the fullest benefit of their educational opportunities and to identify and take appropriate action with respect to contagious or communicable diseases among students.

Additional information for high school athletics: The physical must cover the student for the entire season they are playing the sport. Keep in mind that practices for fall sports start in August and the physical on file must be current within the year for your child to participate. It is best to have students get their physicals after June 15th and before school starts in the fall so that their participation in sports is not interrupted. We do however recognize that health insurance constraints may not always allow this. It is important to keep in mind that it often takes 2-3 months to schedule a physical, so it is a good idea to call your provider a few months before your child is due. Please be sure that the paperwork that you submit to school is a signed physical exam that states that your student may participate in all activities.

School immunization requirements exist to protect students and members of their community from serious vaccine-preventable diseases by ensuring high vaccination rates.

Vaccines are one of the great public health advances of the 20th century, and prevent hundreds of thousands of illnesses in the US every year. Vaccines protect both the person vaccinated and those around them from serious diseases, a concept known as herd immunity. Herd immunity protects other members of the community, such as babies too young to be vaccinated or those who cannot receive immunizations because of a medical condition.

Revised Religious Exemption Requirement from MA Department of Public Health

As a reminder, to address concerns about religious exemptions to vaccines and ensure that the student body is best protected from vaccine preventable disease, per DPH requirements, beginning in the fall of 2017 religious exemptions to vaccination must be renewed annually, like medical exemptions.

An annual renewal means that parents/guardians

1. Must write and sign a new religious exemption
2. Must see their child’s school nurse to sign an acknowledgement of possible exclusion for CD exposure. 

All religious exemptions should be dated by the signing parent/guardian to allow for monitoring of annual renewals each school year. Annual renewal of exemptions should occur at the start of each school year.

The following are guidelines for when your child should remain home from school. If you are uncertain or have questions, please contact the nurse at your child's school prior to sending your child to school.

• Child has a contagious illness such as chickenpox, flu or strep throat.
• Child has a fever over 100.0 degrees within the last 24 hours, or a fever that causes chills, sweating, and muscle aches.
• Child has a continuous cough or wheeze.
• Child has diarrhea or vomiting associated with acute illness, not chronic condition or side effect, within the last 6-12 hours.
• Child has crusty, green or yellow drainage from the eyes.
• Child has a rash of unknown causes and, in the judgment of the school nurse, should be evaluated by a physician prior to being in school.