Home > Departments & Programs > School Health

School Health

school health

Supervisor of Health Services and Health Education
Eileen DiBattista
edibattista@medford.k12.ma.us
781-393-2218

School Entrance

Kindergarten

The following is a list of the health office requirements for your child to enter school, see your school nurse if you have any questions.

Documentation of the following immunizations and screenings MUST accompany new Kindergarten Students on (and preferably before) the first day of school.

Hepatitis B — 3 doses complete
DTAP/DTP — 5 doses
Polio — 4 doses
HIB — 4 doses
MMR — 2 doses
Varicella — 1 dose vaccine or PHYSICIAN DOCUMENTED case of the disease
Lead Screen–with documented results
Tb test or physician documentation of low risk classification

A physical exam from the current calendar year is also required for entrance into kindergarten.

Grade 7

Those students entering grade 7 in the fall MUST bring documentation of the following immunizations on (or preferably before) the first day of school.

Hepatitis B — 3 complete doses
Tetanus (TD) Booster — 1 dose. New state requirements expect a TD booster every 5 years (old requirements were every 10 years).
Varicella Vaccine:
-if given before age 13, 1 dose.
-if given after age 13, 2 doses complete.
OR a physician documented case of the disease.

A physical exam from the current calendar year is also required for entrance into seventh grade.

New Students

Any student who is new to the Medford Public School system must present documentation of proper immunizations and a physical exam from the current calendar year before they will be allowed to attend school. Please bring this information when you come to register at the Parent Information Center located at Medford High School.

Medford City Board of Health offers free Immunization Clinics. All clinics are held at Medford City Hall, Room 303. For more information call 781-393-2560.

Physical Exams

Currently the school system requires a physical exam for entrance into kindergarten and seventh grade. When your child enters fourth grade an Interval Health History will be sent home so that you may update your child’s medical information with any changes. We request you return it fully completed with any pertinent medical information to the school health office as soon as possible after you receive it. As previously mentioned, any child new to the Medford Public School System will be required to present a physical from the current school year prior to entrance into school.

Medications

It may be necessary for your child to receive medication during the school day. Please click here to see Medford Public School’s requirements regarding medication in school. You may also download the necessary paperwork:

Health Screenings

Periodic health screenings are conducted throughout the school year as required by the Department of Public Health and MA general laws. The following chart illustrates the purpose of each screening and the grade levels for each required screening. Parents may opt out of screenings for their child with written permission. However, parents need to provide the school with documentation that they have been seen by their private physicians. All information is confidential and parents are notified whenever there is a finding after screening. Additionally, all parents are notified of BMI (body mass index) results via USPS.

Hearing Vision
To ensure that students can hear adequately to function within the school setting. To ensure that students can see adequately to function within the school setting.
Grades: K,1,2,3, one middle school grade, 9 Grades: k,1,2,3,4,5, one middle school grade, 9
Postural Body Mass Index (BMI)
Monitor effective growth and development and promote early detection of spine curvature. Privacy is maintained during screenings. Monitor effective growth and development. Research shows that overweight and underweight children are at risk for other health problems which making early detection important. Privacy is maintained during screenings.
Grades: 5,6,7,8,9 Grades: 1,4,7,10

Swine Flu Information

Medford Public Schools Wellness Policy

Nutrition Nuggets Newsletter

Don’t Wait, Vaccinate!

sick dog

A message from the Medford Public Schools Health Services Department

The school nurses help maintain the safety of our environment through careful monitoring of student immunizations. Vaccines work to safeguard children from illnesses and death caused by infectious diseases. They protect children by helping prepare their bodies to fight often serious, and potentially, deadly diseases.

Why are childhood vaccines important?

After a child’s natural immunity from the mother wanes, the vaccine works to protect the child. There is no maternal immunity to some diseases such as whooping cough (pertussis).

An unvaccinated child’s body may not be strong enough to fight a disease if they are exposed to the germ, such as measles, whooping cough, or polio.

Immunizing children helps protect the community as well. Some people are unable to be immunized, for example children with leukemia, or infants too young to receive the measles vaccine. Others may not respond optimally to vaccine and fail to develop immunity.

Did you know?

HIB meningitis once killed 600 children each year and left many survivors with deafness, seizures, or mental retardation.
If measles vaccination programs ceased, 2.7 million measles deaths could be expected.

Before polio vaccine 13,000-20,000 cases of polo occurred each year in the U. S., leaving its victims, mostly children in braces, crutches, wheelchairs or iron lungs.

There were up to 9,000 pertussis related deaths each year prior to pertussis immunization. Between 2000-2008 181 persons died, however, 166 were less than 6 months old.

California is now experiencing a pertussis outbreak, the worst in 60 years – 5,978 cases reported and 10 infants have died.

All adults should update their vaccine status and receive the DTaP if their last vaccination was over 5 years ago or if they do not know their last vaccination date. This is especially important for adults who may come in contact with infants.

So, please, DON’T WAIT – VACCINATE!