Granby Public Schools

Any new or transferring students, students in grades kindergarten, 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th as well as those students playing MIAA sports, must provide an updated physical performed within the last 12 months to the School Nurse before starting school or playing sports. Students in preschool and kindergarten must also submit documentation of having had at least one lead test since birth upon entry to school. 

All students entering school must provide documentation of current vaccinations or a religious or medical exemption or they will be excluded from school in accordance with MA state law. Students with medical or religious exemptions are to provide written documentation annually. 

DPH continues to strongly recommend that everyone age six months and older receive their seasonal flu vaccine each year. 

For students entering 7th grade, they are to provide documentation that they have been vaccinated for Tdap and Meningococcal before starting school. 11th grade students are also to provide documentation of being vaccinated for Meningococcal. Please note that these are new state requirements.

Any student without the written vaccination or exemption documentation may be excluded from school until school nursing staff have received the proper paperwork. Additionally, if there is a disease outbreak that the student has not been vaccinated against, the child may be excluded based on the state public health guidelines for the specific disease. 

Medications in Schools

In accordance with MA State law, any students needing prescription, over-the-counter (such as Tylenol, Motrin, cold medicine, and cough drops), herbal, or supplemental vitamins or medicines in school on a daily or as-needed basis must have a written medication order from a licensed healthcare provider with the provider's signature. A written parental consent is also required. 

Medications must be brought in by a responsible adult such as ADHD medicine or a responsible student as deemed by the parent and nursing staff who has life-saving/emergency medications such as an asthma inhaler, epi-pen auto injector, anti-seizure medication, pancreatic enzymes, and/or insulin. Medication must be in the original pharmacy container with the pharmacy label on it and can only be accepted by school nursing staff.

Psychotropic medication such as ADD/ADHD medicine CAN NOT be sent in with any student. Students can not carry medication on them unless the meds are the life-saving/emergency medications listed above. Please contact your student's School Nurse with any questions.

Granby Public Schools Medication Administration Policy

Please see the Health Services Main Page for the district's COVID-19 Health protocols as well as the district's reopening plan for health and illness information. 

GPS Health Exclusion Policy

   Any student diagnosed with strep throat or pink eye (conjunctivitis) must be on antibiotics for 24 hours prior to returning to school and provide medical documentation of an alternative diagnosis before coming back to school.

We encourage your child and family to wash their hands often for at least twenty seconds with soap and water and wear a mask that covers both their nose and mouth. Hand washing and mask wearing are two of the top ways to prevent the spread of germs, including COVID-19. We also encourage parents/caregivers to encourage their children and family to avoid touching their "T" zone: eyes, nose, and mouth and to cover their coughs with their elbows, not their hands and to maintain social distancing. Finally, if your student is sick, please keep them home to help preventing the spread of germs to others. By working together, we can help keep our students, staff, and families healthy.

If you have any questions about the above topics, please contact your School Nurse. Thank you!

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