Health Services
Carlee Presley, RN
District Nurse
carlee.presley@venusisd.net
​972-366-3448 ext. 6089

About us...

The Venus ISD Health Services team is dedicated to ensuring our students are well and able to engage in the learning process.  Our campus nurses serve as liaisons between families, healthcare professionals, and school personnel.  We are excited to partner with parents to help our students grow and reach their potential.
  • Student Illness
  • Food Allergies
  • Head Lice
  • Immunizations
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​When your child is ill, please contact the school to let us know he or she will not be attending that day. It is important to remember that schools are required to exclude students with certain illnesses from school for periods of time as identified in state rules. For example, if your child has a fever over 100 degrees, he or she must stay out of school until fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications. In addition, students with diarrheal illnesses must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without diarrhea-suppressing medications for at least 24 hours. A full list of conditions for which the school must exclude children can be obtained from the school nurse.
If a student becomes ill during the school day, he or she must receive permission from the teacher before reporting to the school nurse. If the nurse determines that the child should go home, the nurse will contact the parent.
The district is also required to report certain contagious (communicable) diseases or illnesses to the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) or our local/regional health authority. The school nurse can provide information from TDSHS on these notifiable conditions.
Contact the school nurse if you have questions or if you are concerned about whether or not your child should stay home. 
The district requests to be notified when a student has been diagnosed with a food allergy, especially those allergies that could result in dangerous or possibly life-threatening reactions either by inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact with the particular food. It is important to disclose the food to which the student is allergic, as well as the nature of the allergic reaction. Please contact the school nurse or campus principal if your child has a known food allergy or as soon as possible after any diagnosis of a food allergy.
The district has developed and annually reviews a food allergy management plan, which addresses employee training, dealing with common food allergens, and specific strategies for dealing with students diagnosed with severe food allergies. When the district receives information that a student has a food allergy that puts the student at risk for anaphylaxis, individual care plans will be developed to assist the student in safely accessing the school environment. The district’s food allergy management plan can be accessed at http://www.venusisd.net/disclosures-and-policies.html
Head lice, although not an illness or a disease, is very common among children and is spread very easily through head-to-head contact during play, sports, or nap time, and when children share things like brushes, combs, hats, and headphones. If careful observation indicates that a student has head lice, the school nurse will contact the student’s parent to determine whether the student will need to be picked up from school and to discuss a plan for treatment with an FDA-approved medicated shampoo or cream rinse that may be purchased from any drug or grocery store. After the student has undergone one treatment, the parent should check in with the school nurse to discuss the treatment used. The nurse can also offer additional recommendations, including subsequent treatments and how best to get rid of lice and prevent their return. Notice will also be provided to parents of elementary school students in the affected classroom.
More information on head lice can be obtained from the DSHS website: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/schoolhealth/lice.sht
A student must be fully immunized against certain diseases or must present a certificate or statement that, for medical reasons or reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, the student will not be immunized. For exemptions based on reasons of conscience, only official forms issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Immunization Branch, can be honored by the district. This form may be obtained by writing the DSHS Immunization Branch (MC 1946), P.O. Box 149347, Austin, Texas 78714-9347; or online at Affidavit Request for Exemption from Immunization. The form must be notarized and submitted to the principal or school nurse within 90 days of notarization.

If the parent is seeking an exemption for more than one student in the family, a separate form must be provided for each student. The immunizations required are: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; rubeola (measles), mumps, and rubella; polio; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; varicella (chicken pox); and meningococcus. The school nurse can provide information on age-appropriate doses or on an acceptable physician validated history of illness required by TDSHS. Proof of immunization may be established by personal records from a licensed physician or public health clinic with a signature or rubberstamp validation. If a student should not be immunized for medical reasons, the student or parent must present a certificate signed by a U.S. registered and licensed physician stating that, in the doctor’s opinion, the immunization required is medically contraindicated or poses a significant risk the health and well-being of the student or a member of the student’s family or household. This certificate must be renewed yearly unless the physician specifies a lifelong condition.
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Students entering college students must also, with limited exception, furnish evidence of having received a bacterial meningitis vaccination within the five years prior to enrolling in and attending classes at an institution of higher education. A student wanting to enroll in a dual credit course taken off campus may be subject to this requirement.  For further information, see policy FFAB(LEGAL), http://www.venusisd.net/important-information.html, and the DSHS website: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/school/default.shtm.

New for 2020-2021

Cook Children's Telemedicine
This year Venus ISD has teamed up with Cook Children’s School-Based Telemedicine Program. This means our school nurses can connect virtually to a Cook Children’s board-certified pediatrician or certified nurse practitioner from the school nurse’s office. Parents will have the option of joining the virtual visit by logging into a secure website.
 
The school nurse will assist the provider during the evaluation through the use of special equipment as needed. The provider can hear the student’s heart and lungs with a digital stethoscope. The provider can closely examine the student’s ears, throat, rash, or abrasions with a high definition camera. If needed, electronic prescriptions can be sent to the family’s preferred pharmacy.
 
Click here for more information and a link to sign up.
Venus ISD: 100 Student Dr Venus, TX 76084  Phone: 972-366-3448  Fax: 972-232-2141
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VENUS ISD