The Health Offices at Hong Kong International School offer professional knowledge and caring communication, support and service to students, faculty/staff and community for promotion of their health and wellbeing. Each division at HKIS has their own School Nurse.
The High School (HS) Health Office is located at our Tai Tam Campus on the 5th floor in room 501. Our nurse is on duty from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Contact information: 3149-7135 hsnurse@hkis.edu.hk
The objectives of the Health Office are the following:
- Offer first aid and assistance to children who become ill at school.
- Authorize and arrange for children to be sent home in cases of illness or injury.
- Dispense medications needed during the school day.
- Maintain health records and assist in the overall health program.
- Monitor and communicate the spread of communicable diseases.
- Monitor and communicate AQHI (pollution) levels.
- Supervise re-admission of children to school after major illnesses, communicable disease or injury.
- Health Information and forms:
For the health and safety of every student, ALL students are required to submit their health information. This is done by logging into PowerSchool, and filling out all mandatory forms. Exception: Physical Examination (PE) form. Please download the PE form from PowerSchool, print it, have it completed by a medical doctor, and then upload a scan or photo of the signed form to PowerSchool. This form should be completed by a Medical Doctor (we will accept a Physical Exam completed within 6 months of the start of the school year).
Students new to HKIS:
- Need to complete a Physical Exam Form (download from PowerSchool)
- Complete ALL mandatory forms on PowerSchool under “Forms” section
- Immunization Form – also found in PowerSchool
Grade 3, 6, & 9 returning students:
- Need to complete a new Physical Exam Form
- Complete/update all mandatory forms on PowerSchool at the beginning of each school year and if any changes occur during the school year
All returning students:
- Update all mandatory forms on PowerSchool at the beginning of every school year and if any changes occur during the school year
Emergency Contact Information
The mandatory forms in PowerSchool must be completed online for each family and each child in all divisions at the beginning of the school year. The information on these forms is very important. It has emergency contact numbers (please provide emergency contact numbers other than yourselves as often parents are out of the country), information about allergies/medical conditions, consent to medication and authorizations for hospital care, etc. Please remember to update information on these forms during the school year if anything changes, ie. move to a new address, new phone number, etc
In the case of an emergency these forms contain useful information for teachers and nurses to refer to during the school year and use for off campus trips, including Interim.
Medication During School Hours
Our school nurses may not dispense any medication without parental consent. For safe administration of medications brought in from home, the medication must be labeled in English and be in the original packaging. Medication is kept in the nurse’s office during school hours; students are not allowed to carry any medication with them during school hours except for Epi-pens, diabetic kits and asthma inhalers. If your doctor prescribes a medication that must be taken during school hours, you must complete the Medication Administration Consent Form in PowerSchool.
Students who use Epi-Pens: Parents must supply one Epi-Pen to the Health Office and one Epi-Pen will be kept in your child’s school bag. Please fill out the Allergy Form (provides school nurse with knowledge regarding your child’s allergies) and Medication Administration Consent Form (provides permission to administer the EpiPen in the event your child requires one) in PowerSchool.
Health Guidelines
The Health Offices at Hong Kong International School offer professional knowledge and caring communication, support and service to students, faculty and staff for promotion of their health and wellbeing.
If your child is not feeling well please do not allow them to come to school and if your child should become ill during school hours, you will be contacted to make arrangements for your child to be taken home as soon as possible.
If your child is unwell and will not attend school, please notify the school nurse (hsnurse@ hkis.edu.hk) and attendance secretary (hsattendance@hkis.edu.hk) within 24 hours describing the nature of their illness so the nurse can be aware of any general trends.
A doctor’s note is required following an absence of four or more consecutive school days, stating when the child is well enough to return to school, and whether there are any physical restrictions. If your child has a contagious disease/illness, please contact the school nurse, who will advise you on the procedures about returning to school. If your child’s temperature is 37.5C/99.5F or higher please keep your child home for 48 hours.
Email: hsattendance@hkis.edu.hk.
High School Attendance Officer: 3149-7106
Illness
In order to prevent exposing other students unnecessarily, we ask parents to keep the student at home or pick up their child from school as soon as possible if they have:
| Condition | Recommended period to be absent from school | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Pox | Pregnant women should report exposure to their doctor (Blood test may be carried out to check immunity) | |
| Conjunctivitis (Pink eye) |
Until eye drops have been used for 24 hours. The eye must be dry before returning. |
|
| COVID-19 |
Students with any Covid-19 symptoms should seek medical advice and must not enter campus until they return a negative Covid test. |
Refer to the Risk and Response Matrix on HKIS Central for more details, and contact your principal. |
| Diarrhea / Vomiting |
Until AT LEAST 24 hours after the last episode of diarrhea or vomiting. Students need to be without symptoms for 24 hours (without anti - diarrhea/vomiting medication). |
|
| Fever |
Students with a temperature greater than 37.5 /99.5 should remain at home until they are fever free (without Tylenol/Panadol and Ibuprofen) for AT LEAST 48 hours. |
|
| Glandular Fever | None. | Most people are immune to Epstein Barr Virus |
| Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease |
Until all the vesicles have dried up & advised by doctor. 48 hours fever free policy also applies. |
|
| Head Lice |
Students with live lice will be sent home. Do not return to school until free of live lice. Please treat head lice at home-removing nits & live lice using medicated head lice shampoos. |
|
| Impetigo |
Until 24 hours of antibiotics have been taken. Affected areas must be covered. |
|
| Influenza and influenza like illnesses |
Until fully recovered or advised by a doctor. A 48 hours fever free policy also applies. |
|
| Streptococcal Infection (including Scarlet Fever) |
Until 24 hours of antibiotics have been taken AND until 48 hours fever free (Fever policy). |
|
| Slapped Cheek / Fifth Disease. Parvovirus |
None. Not usually infectious by the time the rash appears. |
Pregnant women should inform their doctor if exposed early in pregnancy (before 20 weeks) |
| Threadworms |
None. Treatment is usually one dose of medication. Sometimes a follow-up dose is recommended. |
Transmission route is fecal to mouth so hand washing critical to break cycle |
Emergencies
If a serious injury or illness occurs at school, the nurse will make every effort to contact parents. Please keep your demographic and emergency contact information up to date on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. (Please provide an emergency contact other than yourself as the parents are always called first but an emergency contact is needed in case both parents are out of country.)
If a medical emergency situation occurs, we will transport the student to the nearest public hospital. The School Nurse or an Administrator will accompany the student and meet parents at the hospital. If parents prefer another hospital, they can arrange a transfer from the emergency room once it is safe to do so.
If during the school year both parents plan to leave Hong Kong for one or more days while a child remains in residence, one or more temporary guardians must be appointed to make any necessary decisions regarding the child’s welfare. A “Notification of Both Parents’ Absence from Hong Kong” form must be completed in PowerSchool each time both parents plan to be absent from Hong Kong.
The “Appointment of Temporary Guardians” form must also be completed in PowerSchool as soon as possible before the FIRST planned departure of both parents from Hong Kong. The completion of one of these forms each school year is sufficient, as long as the appointed temporary guardian information has not changed.”
Air Quality Health Index (AQHI)
The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department uses the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), to advise the public about day-to-day risks associated with air pollution. The nurse in each division checks the AQHI regularly throughout the day and advises when the levels reach 6, 8 or 10+ so appropriate measures can be taken. http://www.aqhi.gov. hk/en.html. When filling out the mandatory Student Health Information Form, parents can indicate their preferences for their child’s level of participation when the AQHI is 6/7 and above.
HKIS uses the following benchmarks:
- AQHI levels 1-5 at Eastern Station: No restriction on student activities.
- AQHI levels 6-7 at Eastern Station: Students with asthma and other respiratory or cardiac conditions will be advised to limit their outdoor physical activities. Students on the AQHI list will be kept indoors (LP and UP). Outdoor PE classes will be modified for students with respiratory or cardiac conditions (MS and HS).
- AQHI levels 8-10 at Eastern Station: There will be indoor recess and PE for Lower and Upper Primary students. Outdoor activities will be reduced in duration and intensity. Cross-country running activities will be cancelled.
- AQHI levels 10+ at Eastern Station: All outside activities are canceled. Indoor PE activities will be modified for all students. All outside after school activities will be canceled.