Plan for Health & Safety Needs

Determine Data Collection & Grading Options

Determine Equipment, Technology & Communication Needs

Develop Positive Support Plan for Challenging Behaviors

Identify & Implement Activities to Develop Peer Relationships

Review Classroom Routines & Share Successes

Moving On to the Next Grade

Develop Contingency Plans

References

Acknowledgements

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PLAN FOR HEALTH & SAFETY NEEDS

As we begin to include students with greater diversity in the general education setting, the likelihood of those needing special health care considerations increases. Traditionally, schools have dealt with students needing assistance with medication, allergies and seizures. Students who may be entering the general education setting requiring daily assistance with medical technology include students dependent on tube feeding, respiratory care, intravenous feeding/medication, catherization, ostomy care and dialysis. A detailed health care plan anticipates and prevents potential problems concerning a student's health and safety needs.

Teamwork is the most essential aspect of including students with special health care needs in the general education setting. The IEP team in place to address educational issues can also address the special health care needs of the student with the school nurse providing the leadership in coordinating the student's health care plan.

The planning team's function is to identify health and safety concerns, determine who is responsible for implementing each aspect of the student's health care and identify the training needed for responsible personnel. This information can be organized into a health care plan that would vary depending on the needs of the student.

The school nurse, or designated health care coordinator, is responsible for:

Generating a nursing assessment of the child, based on a home, hospital or school visit.
Obtaining pertinent medical and psychological information.
Developing a health care plan for the student in collaboration with the family, student and physician.
Ensuring that a child-specific emergency plan is in place. This should be developed in collaboration with school administration, community emergency personnel and family, and would include plans for fire, earthquake and tornado emergencies.
Attending the education planning meetings, reviewing the health care plan, making recommendations for placement, staffing and training, when pertinent, based on the student's health care needs.
Coordinating the student's in-school health care as specified in the health care plan.
Ensuring that care-givers in the school have received competency-based training in appropriate child-specific techniques and problem management.
Providing information for other personnel and students in the education setting about the special medical needs of the student, when appropriate.
Maintaining appropriate documentation.
Regularly reviewing and updating the health care plan and training of care-givers, based on the student's medical condition.

The following forms were adapted from the Project School Care developed by The Children's Hospital of Boston.

To order the complete manual, write or call:

The Children's Hospital of Boston
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02ll5
(617)735-6715
(617)735-7940 (fax)

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