Elementary School Health & Nursing
The Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary School is committed to providing the best possible health and medical care for students while in our charge.
Preventing Covid-19 In Schools
In order to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools, we need to work in close partnership with all of our families. You are our most important partners during these challenging times. You can help us keep the schools open in several important ways:
Prepare your student for their return to School: Top 10 Ways to Prepare Your Student for a Return to School.
Complete a daily health check on your student every morning before sending them to school. Be particularly mindful of nasal congestion, coughing, difficulty breathing, and fevers. Here is a link to the Daily Health Check. If your student has any symptoms, please do the following:
- Notify the school right away. Here is a link to the online reporting form: 2021-2022 MRH Student Illness Reporting Form
- Follow the following symptom decision tree used throughout the region by all STL area school districts: Student Symptoms Decision Tree: Washington University
- Contact your primary healthcare provider and consider getting tested right away.
- Get tested by a healthcare professional if your student has 1high risk symptom or 2+ low risk symptoms. Testing is a key part of the strategy to decreasing spread of
COVID-19 in schools. DPH recommends COVID-19 testing for any child with
any high risk symptom, especially upper respiratory symptoms. Even children
with a history of asthma or allergies should be tested. (Source: STL County DPH
Brief 9-8-2021) Please note that the school will not be able to accept home test
kit results for re-admittance to school.
Get Vaccinated: Because no one younger than 12 is currently eligible for vaccination, it
is crucial that all who are currently eligible get vaccinated as soon as possible for the
protection of themselves and young children. (Source: STL County DPH Brief 9-8-2021)
Follow asthma and allergy action plans: If your student has a history of asthma or
allergies, provide a copy of the action plan with the school nurse, and follow all of the preventative steps in the evening or in the morning before coming to school.
- NOTE: However, since COVID-19 triggers allergic/asthmatic reactions, the STL
County Department of Health still requires testing for anyone with upper
respiratory symptoms at school (Source: STL County DPH Brief 9-8-2021)
If we work together, we can safely and effectively keep our schools open for in-person learning.
Health Forms
Use the following directions for the PDFs listed below:
Download the attached form onto your device or print the attached PDF.
Save it with your student’s first and last name.
Complete the downloaded form.
Send it back to your student’s school nurse as an attachment.
Remember: Forms must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
Annual Health and Medication Form
MO School Immunization Requirements
Immunizations/Special Needs
If your student has any of the following action plans: Asthma Action Plan, Seizure Action Plan, Diabetes Management Plan, or Allergy Action Plan, you should reach out to your student’s medical team and request an updated action plan for the current school year. These action plans can also be sent to school once you receive them.
We would also like to remind you that students enrolled in the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District are required to have up-to-date immunization records according to Missouri School Immunization Law 167.181 -- even during virtual learning. This applies to all students, whether Maplewood Richmond Heights School District is in tier one, two, or three.
Health Services During Pandemic
The MRH nursing staff and the Student Services team have developed specific COVID-19 protocols as well as a family checklist. A contact tracing team is in place at each MRH building. The following links provide an outline of these steps:
- MRH Top 10 Ways to Prepare for a Return to School
- Student Symptoms Decision Tree: Washington University
- School Contact Tracing Protocols: STL County Dept. of Health
Family Resources
For up to date St. Louis County Health Department COVID-19 resources, click here.
Health/Wellness Board Policies
The District offers a robust wellness program for students and employees as outlined in Board Policy ADF. Policy EBB deals with communicable diseases, and policy JHC describes the MRH districtwide coordinated student health services program.
Meet Your Elementary School Nurse
kathryn.whitehouse@mrhschools.net
Phone: 314-256-7207
"Hello, hello! Thank you for trusting us with the health and safety needs of your student(s) and the MRH community as a whole. I started my nursing career in St. Louis after graduating from the University of Missouri - Sinclair School of Nursing (M-I-Z!!) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Health Science from the School of Health Professions. My first three years of nursing were spent at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, where I continue to work per diem, as a staff nurse. My school nursing career started by subbing for MRH and area school districts before signing on with MRH Elementary in 2017.
My roots are in Richmond Heights where I grew up and my family lives. My parents were both educators before retiring, so being in a school environment just feels right. My favorite part of being a school nurse is watching your sweet students walk through our doors as third graders and a few short years later walk out the door (much taller) on their way to middle school. Partnering with you to keep your student(s) healthy and happy is my number one goal."
