Every Dedham Public School building has a full-time nurse on duty during regular school hours. The nurse is responsible for maintaining accurate health records for all of our students, administering first aid and overseeing the general health needs of all our students while they are attending our schools.  

• No student may be dismissed from the school building without the approval of a parent or guardian.
• Parents/guardians are asked to pick up, or arrange for their child to be picked up, within a half hour of notification, for the benefit of their child and other students coming into the health office.    
• Nurse dismissal or time spent in the nurse’s office is considered an absence from class.  These dismissals are not considered ‘excused absences’. 

The school nurse can be reached by telephone or email if you have any questions about guidelines for school attendance or if you are in need of any health-related information. 

Health-related and emergency information must be completed and updated annually by parents/guardians online through Powerschool and SNAP.  All communication with the school nurse will be held confidential. 

The school nurse should be notified by the parent/guardian of any: 

• Serious injury,  illness or hospitalization 

• Planned surgery 

• Communicable diseases 

• New diagnosis or change in your child’s health status 

• Fracture, sprain, stitches, cast, or crutches 

• New medication and/or dosing change.   

• Need to be excused from Physical Education

Universal Precautions:

Universal precautions are the recommendations developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to control the spread of infectious diseases. Universal precautions treat all human blood and bodily fluids as infectious. Strict adherence to universal precautions is practiced by all DPS nurses in all clinical situations.