At Gunston, all medication administration and medical treatments are provided and documented by a licensed registered nurse. Permissions include the

• physician’s order, action plan (when applicable)
• the parent/guardian approval
• health related documentation
• final approval by the school

This policy applies to both prescription and non-prescription (over the counter) medicines. 

In order for medication to be provided to your child, the following forms must be completed  and submitted by the parent:

1. The Parent/guardian Approval for Over-the-Counter Medications can be found in your TGSnet account.
2. The school nurse is not allowed to dispense over the counter medications without parental consent. 
3. If you choose not to give consent, we still need a form on file indicating that you have not given consent.

Scheduled Medication Form:
If your child requires medication while at school, parents must submit the MARYLAND STATE SCHOOL MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION FORM.

The forms listed below are required by the Maryland State Board of Education and the Queen Anne’s County Health Department. Forms can be found by accessing TGSNet—Magnus Health. Students who do not have the required forms will not be allowed to attend school, nor will they be permitted to participate in the summer pre-season athletics programs.

• Immunization Record
  • All students must submit a formal record of immunization upon enrollment in school.
• Physical Examination and Medical Record
  • All students must have a physical examination each year. The due date is July 31 or the date of examination of the previous year.

Special Health Conditions
Parents/guardians of students with specialized health conditions such as asthma, severe allergies, diabetes, etc. are required to complete an Action Plan Form that is provided by the school. The medical plan outlines pertinent information and medical procedures for school staff and teachers.

Authorization for Treatment & Transport and Waiver & Release Forms 
All parents/guardians must complete the signature page annually. 

In addition, parents are required to complete and submit yearly the following forms: 

• Physician’s order, action plan (when applicable). If your child has a medical condition such as Asthma or severe allergies, Magnus will generate the action plan form once the medical condition is checked by the parent or the person completing the form. The action plan must be signed by the provider and the parent.
• Annual Physical: All students require to have an annual physical completed prior to returning to school. 
• Vaccine records: parents must submit an up-to-date vaccine record yearly.

Once all of the forms are submitted, they will be reviewed and approved by the school.

The school reinforces healthy practices among their staff, volunteers, and student body to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment. In cases of communicable disease concern, Gunston works together with local health departments to slow the spread of diseases and protect vulnerable students and staff. Our responses to communicable disease are guided by the CDC’s “frameworks for mitigation”, coupled with “school decision tree” documents (COVID-19 example on next page) developed in accordance with an outbreak.
 

To re-open Gunston’s campus and return to face-to-face teaching and learning, the school has implemented essential universal safety procedures and protocols in alignment with guidelines provided by the CDC and the Queen Anne’s County Health Department. 

• Cloth face coverings: Face coverings must adhere to CDC guidelines and must be worn correctly, fully covering the nose and mouth. Face coverings are required indoors and, when instructed by a Gunston employee, outdoors 
• Physical Distancing: At all times everyone on campus must adhere to the physical distancing requirement and remain 6 feet apart from one another. 
• Hand Hygiene: Upon entering and when departing a room, students must apply hand sanitizer using the touchless dispenser available for this purpose. It is important to follow all guidelines for application. 
• One-way Traffic: Movement throughout the campus, indoors and outdoors, is in one direction clearly marked with signs and arrows.

Goal: Students, faculty, and staff shall have access to, and wear cloth face coverings when entering and exiting classrooms, restrooms, open office and common spaces, hallways, meeting rooms, library, and other indoor spaces. Face coverings are also required outdoors when six-foot physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Growing scientific evidence supports that the wearing of face coverings is one of the most effective strategies in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Queen Anne County Department of Health, and Health and Human Services (DHHS) recommend wearing cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and to help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. 

At Gunston, it is the responsibility of everyone to wear face coverings in order to do their part to minimize risks of infection to themselves and other members of the school community. The school administration in conjunction with the faculty, staff, and school nurse recognizes that as a result of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19) and the fall Influenza (Flu) seasons, students are vulnerable to droplet and airborne related illnesses. With that in mind, the school is requiring an appropriate face covering (cloth or disposable) to be worn by each student, faculty, staff member, and visitors and has adopted the following detailed policy on wearing protective face coverings.

This policy is in compliance with the guidelines established by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Queen Anne County Department of Health, The Health and Human Services (DHHS), and The American Academy of Pediatrics.

Purpose of using Face Coverings-Face masks: 

Cloth or disposable face coverings may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others. Wearing a cloth or disposable face covering will help protect students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public, health care, and school settings. The spread of COVID-19 can be reduced when face coverings are used along with other preventive measures, including social distancing, frequent handwashing, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.

When To Use a face cover: 

1. Students, faculty, and staff, and visitors should have a face covering with them whenever they are on campus.
2. Students, faculty, and staff who enter facilities without a face covering will be asked to report to the school nurse’s office to obtain a disposable face cover prior to entering Middleton house.
3. Students, faculty, and staff may remove face coverings when actively eating or drinking or strenuously exercising.
4. Students, faculty, and staff will wear their personal face covering when ambulating in the hallways, entering and exiting restrooms, transferring from one classroom to another, and when a six feet distancing is not possible.
5. Guests, visitors, vendors, and contractors will be expected to honor these guidelines and provide their own face covering to keep the Gunston community safe.

How to Wear a Face Cover:

1. Face coverings should cover both nose and mouth to help protect others in case of COVID-19 exposure but no symptoms are present. 
2. Face covers should not be worn around the neck or up on the forehead to prevent contamination.
3. Don’t touch the face covering, and, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer to disinfect​ your hands.

How to Remove a Face Cover:

1. Untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops
2. Handle face covers only by the ear loops or ties
3. Fold outside corners together
4. Place covering in the washing machine (Face covers made of cloth)
5. Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing and wash hands immediately with soap and water or hand sanitizer after removing.

How to Wash a Face Cover (Cloth Only):

1. Face covers made of cloth can be included with regular laundry.
2. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the face covering.

Goal: Students shall have access to hand washing or sanitizing before and after class times, after contact with frequently touched surfaces such as but limited to: desks, door knobs, computers, chairs, art room supplies, music supplies, library materials, water fountains, meals, and snacks. 

The school administration in conjunction with the faculty, staff, and school nurse recognizes that the health of the student is directly related to personal hygiene and cleanliness. During COVID 19, influenza (Flu) season, and during regular times of the year students, faculty, and staff who are present at school on a regular basis benefit from increased instruction and learning. To support this need, the school has established health practices to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses, such as the flu, the common cold, Norovirus, Hepatitis A, and COVID19. 

All students, faculty, staff, and visitors shall have access to hand washing or sanitizing before and after meals and snacks. School staff is directed to implement these procedures whenever students use the restroom and prior to dining. 

This policy is in compliance with the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Purpose of Hand Washing: 

1. To reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses, from person to person and from people to food contact surfaces which are the main cause of the spread of Norovirus, the common cold, flu, and COVID 19. 
2. To reduce germs and bacteria found on the hands to safe levels, to prevent or to eliminate the spread of bacteria and viruses, which increase the spread of illness in the cafeteria and classrooms. 
3. To reinforce and practice personal hygiene practices with all students, administration, faculty, and staff. 
4. To provide an opportunity to develop correct hand washing procedures and then apply the procedures on a regular basis. 

When to Wash Hands: 

1. Hands should be washed after the following activities: ƒ 
2. After touching bare human body parts other than clean hands and clean, exposed portions of arms. ƒ 
3. After using the toilet
4. After coughing, sneezing, using a handkerchief or disposable tissue.
5. Before and after eating or drinking ƒ 
6. After recess ƒ
7. After handling dirty equipment, utensils and supplies ƒ 
8. After engaging in other activities that contaminate the hands 

Hand Washing Procedures (Soap and water): 

1. Wash hands using soap and warm, running water, at least 100°F. 2. 
2. Vigorously rub hands during washing for at least 15 - 20 seconds (Sing the Happy Birthday song) with special attention paid to the backs of the hands, wrists, between the fingers and under the fingernails. 
3. Rinse hands well while leaving the water running. 
4. With the water running, dry hands with a single-use towel.
5. Turn off the water using a paper towel, covering washed hands to prevent recontamination from the dirty faucet. 

Hand Washing Procedures (Gel washing):

1. Hand sanitizers may be used in place of hand washing ONLY when access to soap and hand sinks are not available or when hands are not visibly soiled. 
2. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol or isopropanol in concentration with equivalent sanitizing strength may be used as an adjunct to proper hand washing. 
3. Put enough product on hands to cover all surfaces. 
4. Rub hands together, until hands feel dry. This should take around 20 seconds. 

Note: Do not rinse or wipe off the hand sanitizer before it’s dry; it may not work as well against germs.