Health and Wellness Information
We want Pacific School to be a healthy, positive, and joyful place for the students, staff, and volunteers. Students should come to school when they are well enough to do their schoolwork and when they are not contagious. There are important steps families can take to help us achieve this goal.
NOTE: If your student is staying home, but well enough to do school work, please go to this page. Please be considerate of other families! Keeping your child home when they are contagious helps prevent spreading illness to other families and supports the whole community.
Symptoms? Here's what to do:
If your student has any of the following symptoms, keep them home from school:
Guidelines for returning your student to school:
NOTE: Also, the district may ask for a doctor's note verifying absences for illness longer than three days.
Learn more about RSV, flu, and COVID symptoms: English Flyer Spanish Flyer
If your student has any of the following symptoms, keep them home from school:
- Congestion/runny nose
- Fever/chills (fever is generally a temperature above 100.4 degrees)
- Cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
- Fatigue, muscle/body aches, headache
- New loss of taste/smell
- Sore throat
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Guidelines for returning your student to school:
- The student has been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications for at least 24 hours; AND
- The student has not had illness-related vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours; AND
- Other symptoms MUST have improved; AND
- The student feels well enough to engage in school activities and learning.
NOTE: Also, the district may ask for a doctor's note verifying absences for illness longer than three days.
Learn more about RSV, flu, and COVID symptoms: English Flyer Spanish Flyer
Other Times to Keep a Child Home from School
Please also keep your child home if they exhibit any of the following symptoms:
Communicable Diseases
Please notify the office immediately if your child has a communicable disease such as lice, strep throat, scabies, pink eye (conjunctivitis), chicken pox, whooping cough (pertussis), etc. The office will send out an exposure notice so that other families will know their child may have been exposed, will look for symptoms, and can treat their children in a timely manner. This is a very important service to the entire school community, allowing everyone to stay healthier. Your child will NOT be identified in the exposure notice.
Vaccinations
Pacific Elementary School complies with all laws regarding vaccinations. All vaccination requirements apply equally to 5-day and independent study students. (Home study students must supply the office with their complete vaccination records. Home study students who are not fully compliant with California's vaccination laws will not be allowed to participate in any in-person school-sponsored activities with other students.)
New students entering Pacific Elementary School for the first time, including preschool, transitional kindergarten (TK), kindergarten, and transfer students, must show documentation of all state required vaccinations or appropriate medical exemption from a doctor. Please note that there are more vaccinations required for transitional kindergarteners and kindergarteners than preschoolers who are not enrolled in TK. For more information about vaccinations, consult your doctor. Current vaccine requirements are available here in English and Spanish, To better understand California school vaccine laws, visit the Shots for School website.
Vision, Hearing, and Dental Screenings
Vision tests and hearing screenings are given to students in Kindergarten, second and fifth grade and to all special referrals. Parents will be notified through the school memo of screening dates, usually held in autumn.
Dogs and Animal Droppings
Please help keep our campus clean and protect our students from exposure to animal droppings (both wild and domestic). Please keep gates closed at all times and keep dogs off school grounds.
Snacks and Wellness Policy
The Pacific School District Governing Board has adopted a Wellness Policy that addresses nutrition education, physical activity, environmental education, and student wellness. It establishes nutritional guidelines for the food served at school, including snacks and birthday treats. Food and beverages donated to school parties and school events shall be subject to the same nutritional guidelines as foods for purchase. Additional information for families can be found in our Wellness Guidelines, which can be found here.
Medications on Campus
If possible, please deliver all medications to your child at home. If it is necessary for a student to have medications, including over-the-counter medications, during the school day, we must have a School Medication Authorization Form on file, signed by a doctor. This form can be found on the Forms for Families webpage.
CPR For Parents
Click here for a Quick intro to CPR which could save your child's life.
Please also keep your child home if they exhibit any of the following symptoms:
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis). Both viral and bacterial pink eye are very contagious and spread easily through schools. Symptoms of pink eye (conjunctivitis) include any of the following in one or both eyes: unusually red eyes, eye pain/itching/irritation, crusted over eyes or lashes, eye discharge or tearing, and/or sensitivity to light. Students with symptoms of pink eye should remain at home until their eyes feel and look better and are not producing unusual discharge. Families should notify the office (see communicable diseases below). Students with red and/or watery eyes due to known allergies or eye irritants may continue to attend school. Students staying home with pink eye are encouraged to continue their school work through independent study.
- Unidentified rashes or open sores. Some causes of rashes are contagious. If your student has a rash you aren’t certain about, keep the child home from school, consult a doctor, and follow the doctor’s instructions for returning to school.
- Lice. Students can return to school after treatment with appropriate lice shampoo. Families should notify the office (see communicable diseases below). Head Lice Informational Training
Communicable Diseases
Please notify the office immediately if your child has a communicable disease such as lice, strep throat, scabies, pink eye (conjunctivitis), chicken pox, whooping cough (pertussis), etc. The office will send out an exposure notice so that other families will know their child may have been exposed, will look for symptoms, and can treat their children in a timely manner. This is a very important service to the entire school community, allowing everyone to stay healthier. Your child will NOT be identified in the exposure notice.
Vaccinations
Pacific Elementary School complies with all laws regarding vaccinations. All vaccination requirements apply equally to 5-day and independent study students. (Home study students must supply the office with their complete vaccination records. Home study students who are not fully compliant with California's vaccination laws will not be allowed to participate in any in-person school-sponsored activities with other students.)
New students entering Pacific Elementary School for the first time, including preschool, transitional kindergarten (TK), kindergarten, and transfer students, must show documentation of all state required vaccinations or appropriate medical exemption from a doctor. Please note that there are more vaccinations required for transitional kindergarteners and kindergarteners than preschoolers who are not enrolled in TK. For more information about vaccinations, consult your doctor. Current vaccine requirements are available here in English and Spanish, To better understand California school vaccine laws, visit the Shots for School website.
Vision, Hearing, and Dental Screenings
Vision tests and hearing screenings are given to students in Kindergarten, second and fifth grade and to all special referrals. Parents will be notified through the school memo of screening dates, usually held in autumn.
Dogs and Animal Droppings
Please help keep our campus clean and protect our students from exposure to animal droppings (both wild and domestic). Please keep gates closed at all times and keep dogs off school grounds.
Snacks and Wellness Policy
The Pacific School District Governing Board has adopted a Wellness Policy that addresses nutrition education, physical activity, environmental education, and student wellness. It establishes nutritional guidelines for the food served at school, including snacks and birthday treats. Food and beverages donated to school parties and school events shall be subject to the same nutritional guidelines as foods for purchase. Additional information for families can be found in our Wellness Guidelines, which can be found here.
Medications on Campus
If possible, please deliver all medications to your child at home. If it is necessary for a student to have medications, including over-the-counter medications, during the school day, we must have a School Medication Authorization Form on file, signed by a doctor. This form can be found on the Forms for Families webpage.
CPR For Parents
Click here for a Quick intro to CPR which could save your child's life.
Forms
The following health-related forms are available near the bottom of the Forms for PES Families page of this website:
The following health-related forms are available near the bottom of the Forms for PES Families page of this website:
- Request for Special Meals
- School Medication Authorization
- Physician's Report for Kindergarteners and New Students
- Oral Health Assessment
Wellness Committee
If you are interested in wellness issues, please consider joining the Wellness Committee.
If you are interested in wellness issues, please consider joining the Wellness Committee.
Updated August 2023
