Washington Nurse's Corner
Washington School Nurse's Office
Kristen Palermo BSN, RN
kpalermo@nutleyschools.org
973-661-8889
General guidelines for illnesses:
- Call the Attendance/Main Office if your child is going to be absent 973-661-8888.
- Send in copies of medical/dental notes.
“When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?” A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comfortable place for your child to stay if he/she is ill.
Children should not be sent to school if he/she has:
- Fever of 100.4 or higher in the past 24 hours (AND must be off fever reducing medications for 24 hours)
- Vomiting and/or Diarrhea (2 times or more) in the past 24 hours
- Chills and/or Sore throat
- Strep Throat (must be on an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school)
- Pink eye/discharge, sticky or crusty upon waking
- Undiagnosed rash
- Bad cold, with a very runny nose or bad cough, especially if it has kept the child awake at night
- Head lice – until your child has been treated according to the nurse or doctor’s instructions
If your child becomes ill at school and the school nurse feels the child is either too sick to benefit from school or is contagious to other children, you will be called to come and take him/her home.. It is essential that the school have a phone number where you can be contacted during the day and an emergency number in the event you cannot be reached. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify the school immediately/update Realtime.
Important Forms:
- Asthma plan/Inhaler Authorization/Waver
- FARE- Food Allergy/Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan
- General Medication Authorization
- Physical
About me:
I graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor's in Biology in 2019. I went on to continue my education at Caldwell University, receiving my Bachelor's in Nursing in 2021. I worked at St. Barnabas as a medical surgical float nurse for about a year. I began working my summers with kids with cancer at a camp in Staten Island shortly after, and loved it. I continued my journey with pediatric nursing at Morristown Medical Center for about a year. Eventually I moved on to other nursing opportunities to find what best suited me, leading to me working at a pediatric urgent care and now here, at Washington Elementary as a school nurse. Thank you for trusting me with your kids. Please feel free to reach out to me any time with any questions or concerns!
