Medications at School
No type of medication, prescription or non-prescription, can be administered by school personnel without the appropriate form signed by both the physician and the parent. This form will be kept on file in the health office. The physician must include the name of the medication, strength, scheduled dosage, and expiration date. Medication must be in the original container and brought by the parent to the health office where it will be kept in a locked cabinet. This guideline applies to both short-term and long-term medications.

If your child requires medication to sustain life, (e.g., seizure medication) even if it is not normally taken at school, please submit a completed form, signed by your child's physician. Bring this form along with a three-day supply of the medication to the health office to be used in case of emergency.

Mandatory Health Screenings
The following health screenings are conducted during the school year at no cost to parents: vision and hearing (eighth grade) and Scoliosis (seventh grade girls and eighth grade boys). The vision and hearing screenings will be held in the fall. All screenings are mandatory by law unless they violate the religious beliefs of the family. Parents may submit a written statement to the school health assistant requesting to excuse a student from a health screening.

Immunizations
Parents of students must submit evidence of immunizations against polio, rubeola (measles), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), mumps, and rubella (German measles). Students who have had measles are exempt from measles immunization requirements. In order to attend classes on the first day of school, seventh grade students must have proof that a second MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) has been administered and the hepatitis B series has been initiated. All students enrolling in the school from outside California are required to have evidence of a tuberculosis skin test (Mantoux test) at the time of enrollment.

Tdap Vaccine for 7th and 8th Grade Students
Per California State Law AB 354, all incoming 7th grade students for the new school year must show proof of TDaP immunization.

This immunization requirement is intended to help reduce the recent rise and spread of pertussis disease among California’s youth. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious disease that causes violent coughing fits making it hard to breathe. It spreads easily when someone with the disease coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can last for months. Most children are fully protected against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis prior to entering kindergarten because of the DTaP vaccine. However, immunity to pertussis wears off, making adolescents vulnerable to the disease. Adolescents who receive a booster dose of Tdap will be protected during their school years. Immunization also helps to protect close contacts, including young infants for whom pertussis is most severe and sometimes fatal.

Please be aware that this vaccine has been available for a few years and your child’s physician may have already administered this booster. The required Pertussis Booster must be given on or after the 7th birthday. Please check with your child’s physician to determine if the vaccine has already been administered. If it has you simply need to obtain written proof of the vaccine including the physician’s signature or stamp and carry or fax the proof of immunization to the MBMS school health office. If not please take the opportunity to set up an appointment to have the booster administered.

By law, 7th grade students who do not have proof of receiving a Tdap booster shot will not be able to start the school year until proof is provided to the school (the pertussis portion must be included in the vaccine; a tetanus-diphtheria booster shot Td will not meet the requirement)