Updated From The School Health Office - 1/8/21

If your child will be absent from remote or in-person learning for any reason, you MUST call the attendance line and report the absence. Emailing the classroom teacher is not sufficient. The school nurse must follow up on any absence where no call is made or no reason for absence is given. When calling the attendance line, please indicate if absence is due to illness or travel. 

With the number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts and our community, please do not let your guard down! Continue to review the COVID-19 symptom checklist daily in your household and stay home if exhibiting any symptoms, even if they appear mild. 

If YES to any of these symptoms (even mild), please stay home and contact the school nurse and attendance line. 

Temperature 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or higher

New onset of cough, shortness of breath (if chronic allergic/asthmatic cough - a change from baseline)

Sore throat 

Headache (with other symptoms) 

Fatigue (with other symptoms)

Body or muscle aches 

Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Nasal congestion or runny nose (with other symptoms)

New onset of loss of taste or smell

If you or your family has come into contact with a positive COVID-19 case, you must quarantine per guidelines. Stay home and call your PCP and the school nurse for further guidance. 

The current MA travel order can be reviewed at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order  Upon return to MA, the traveler must quarantine for 10 days or test out of quarantine with a PCR test. Should you opt for the test, please submit the test result to the school nurse.

If you are unsure of any symptoms or next steps, please contact the school nurse and they can advise and help guide you in any necessary steps. 

Substitute Nurse Opportunities: Support your community while enjoying parent hours and a short commute. Littleton Public Schools are in need of substitute school nurses. If interested, please contact Dorothy Mulone at dmulone@littletonps.org for more information. 

Reminder that the flu vaccine is required by the state for all students and the deadline has been extended to 2/28/2021. 

All students, regardless if they are remote or hybrid learners, must have the seasonal flu vaccine. Please forward any document or receipt you have for the flu shot to me at cporell@littletonps.org. If you need a medical or religious exemption form, please contact me. Flu vaccines can also be given at the PCP’s office, Urgent Care Centers, CVS MinuteClinic, and local pharmacies such as CVS (ages 3+) and Walgreens (ages 4+).

The flu vaccine requirement is aimed to help reduce the number of respiratory illnesses and avoid overwhelming the hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm

Thank you,

Christine Porell, RN