Health & Safety
District-Wide School Safety Plan
The Salmon River Central School District-Wide Safety Plan can be viewed and downloaded here.
Salmon River Central School District Pandemic Plan
The Pandemic Plan can be viewed here. (PDF) (HTML Version)
COVID-19
Salmon River Central School District is following the most recent guidance from the New York State Department of Health regarding COVID-19. For more information, please review “What Parents/Caregivers Should Know about COVID Mitigation Strategies for the 2022-2023 School Year” (August 2022).
Those who are exposed to or test positive for COVID-19 should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. They include:
- Students should remain at home for five days if they test positive for COVID-19.
- After five days at home, students who had tested positive may return to school. They must wear a mask for the first five days.
- If a household member tests positive for COVID-19, mask use is encouraged at school and isolation at home.
Currently, face masks are not required (unless mentioned above). However, students and staff are welcome to wear them based upon their personal preference.
Currently, no quarantine or contact tracing are required for close contacts. Negative COVID-19 tests are also no longer required for students looking to return to school. However, if the student is sick, they should be kept at home until the symptoms improve.
Additionally, a child who has heavy cold symptoms, such as excessive runny nose, deep or uncontrollable coughing or significant lack of energy, should remain at home until symptoms improve.
Salmon River Central School District will notify students, families and staff if there are any changes to protocols throughout the 2022-23 school year.
Should I come to school today?
Stay home if: | You can return when: |
You have a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. | You are fever free without the assistance of medication for 24 hours (i.e. Tylenol, Motrin, Advil). |
You have vomited within the past 24 hours. | You have been free from vomiting for 24 hours. |
You have diarrhea. | You have been free from diarrhea for 24 hours. |
You have a body rash with itching or fever. | You are free from rash, itching or fever, and have been evaluated by your doctor, if needed. |
You have an itchy head with active head lice. | You have treated the lice with appropriate treatment at home. |
You have an eye infection, with redness, itching and/or pus draining from the eye. | You are free from drainage and/or have been evaluated by your doctor, if needed. |
You have had a hospital stay or visited the hospital emergency room. | You are released by your medical provider to return to school. |
You have strep throat or another bacterial infection. | You have been on an antibiotic for at least 24 hours and your medical provider has given permission to return to school. |
Salmon River Central School District recommends that you see your medical provider when your child is sick and to follow their recommendations about returning to school and other activities.
2019-2020 School Year Reopening Plan
2020-2021 School Year Reopening Plan
2021-2022 School Year Reopening Plan
2022-2023 School Year Reopening Plan – The District is operating under current CDC and NYS DOH guidelines and will continue to update operations as changes occur to our Community Risk Level. More information on CDC guidance can be found here. The current guidelines include:
- optional mask wearing, unless symptomatic
- proper hand washing etiquette
- cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities
- continued coordination with State and local health officials
- reasonable accomodations for students with disabilities are made
- Diagnostic and screening tests are encouraged
- Prevention strategies will be implemented based on additional outbreaks
Immunizations
New York State Law requires students to have a number of vaccines in order to enter school.
2023-24 School Year NYS Immunization Requirements
New Law Ending Religious Exemptions
On June 13, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation removing non-medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements for children. The United States is currently experiencing the worst outbreak of measles in more than 25 years, with outbreaks in pockets of New York primarily driving the crisis. As a result of non-medical vaccination exemptions, many communities across New York have unacceptably low rates of vaccination, and those unvaccinated children can often attend school where they may spread the disease to other unvaccinated students, some of whom cannot receive vaccines due to medical conditions. This new law will help protect the public amid this ongoing outbreak.
What did the new law do?
As of June 13, 2019, there is no longer a religious exemption to the requirement that children be vaccinated against measles and other diseases to attend either:
- • public, private or parochial school (for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade), or
- • child day care settings.
For those children who had a religious exemption to vaccination, what are the deadlines for being vaccinated?
Children who are attending child day care or public, private or parochial school, and who had a religious exemption to required immunizations, must now receive the first age appropriate dose in each immunization series by June 28, 2019 to attend or remain in school or child day care. Also, by July 14, 2019 parents and guardians of such children must show that they have made appointments for all required follow-up doses. The deadlines for follow-up doses depend on the vaccine. The New York State Department of Health follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices catch-up immunization schedule and expects children to receive required doses consistent with Table 2 at the following link in order to continue to attend school or child day care: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/child/0-18yrs-child-combined-schedule.pdf
What is the deadline for first dose vaccinations if my child is not attending school until September?
Parents and guardians of all children who do not have their required immunizations are encouraged to have them receive the first dose as soon as possible. The deadline for obtaining first dose vaccinations for children attending school in the fall is 14 days from the first day of school. Within 30 days of the first day of school, parents and guardians of such children must show that they have made appointments for all required follow-up doses.
More information:
Health Exams
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A copy of the health examination must be provided to the school within 30 days from when your child first starts at the school, and when your child starts K , 1st , 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, & 11th grades. If a copy is not given to the school within 30 days, the school will contact you.
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If your child has an appointment for an exam during this school year that is after the first 30 days of school, please notify the Health Office with the date. If not they will see the school physician.
Screenings
Vision
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Distance and near acuity for all newly entering students and students in Pre-K or Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11. Color perception screening for all newly entering students.
Hearing
- Hearing screening for all newly entering students and students in Pre-K or Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11.
Scoliosis
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Scoliosis (spinal curvature) screening for all girls in grades 5 and 7, and boys in grade 9.
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A letter will be sent home if there are any findings on the screening done at school that would cause concern or need medical follow-up. Please call the school’s Health Office if you have any questions or concerns.
New York BMI School Survey
As part of a required school health exam, a student is weighed and his/her height is measured. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index or ‘BMI.’ The BMI helps the doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range, or is too high or too low. Recent changes to New York State Education Law require that BMI and weight status group be included as part of the student’s school health exam. Our school district has been selected to take part in a survey by the New York State Department of Health. We may be reporting information about the weight status groups for students who were in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and in grades 2, 4, 7 and 10 during the 2020-2021 school year (this year’s Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th graders). Only summary information will be sent. No names and no information about individual students are sent. However, you may choose to have your child‘s information excluded from this survey report.
If your child is in one of the grades which will have BMI information reported on the state survey, and you DO NOT wish to have your child’s weight status group information included in the survey, you are asked to submit a letter to the school nurse stating this. Please contact your school nurse for more information.
For more information on BMI and healthy weights:
- Child and teen BMI (Body Mass Index) Calculator (external site)
- Choose My Plate (external site)
Medicine in School
In order for students to take medicine in school, the district must have written permission from a doctor, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner, written parent permission, and the medicine in the original container.
The district is not able to give or allow children to have cough drops, Tylenol, cough syrup, etc., at school without written permission from the doctor and parent. Learn More
- PHYSICIAN AND PARENT AUTHORIZATION FOR ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION IN SCHOOL (Fillable PDF)
- Medication Administration at School Sponsored Events (Fillable PDF)
- Self-Administration of Medication (Fillable PDF)
Contagious Illness
If your child has signs of contagious illness, it may be a good idea to keep him or her home for the day, in order to recover and to avoid spreading the illness to classmates. Contagious illnesses include:
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Frequent cough
- Rash
- Yellow discharge from the eye or ear
- Lack of sleep
Flu Resources
Keep your kids safe. Get their flu vaccine every year.
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District Nursing Staff
Salmon River Elementary
Melanie Cunningham, BSN, RN
(518) 358-6673
mcunningham@srk12.org
High School
Jacqueline Bryant, RN
High School Nurse
(518) 358-6625
jbryant@srk12.org
Genevieve Deon, RN
High School Nurse
(518) 358-6625
gdeon@srk12.org
Middle School
Brianna DeCoste BSN, RN
(518) 358-6606
brianna.decoste@srk12.org
St. Regis Mohawk School
Tanya Lockwood, RN
(518) 358-2763
tlockwood@srk12.org
St Regis Mohawk School-Based Health Center
(518) 358-4124
Emergency Numbers
Please provide us with updated telephone numbers where we can reach you if your child becomes ill or injured.
Additional Links & Information
The following resources are external links, unless otherwise noted.
- Centers for Disease Control
- Visitor Policy
- Visitor Regulation
- District Wide Safety Plan (PDF)
- KidsHealth
- New York Statewide School Health Services Center
- Wellness Policy (PDF)
Important Forms
- Physical Form (PDF)
- Dental Certificate (Optional)
- Pre-participation/Interval Athletic Health History (Fillable PDF)
- FERPA Information for Parents
- FERPA Information for School Staff
Helpful Flu & Sickness Resources
The following resources are links to external sites.