Clinic & Nurse

TNS has one full time school nurse that cares for all of our students. Her name is Ashley Gardner. When she is out, central office sometimes will provide a substitute nurse and/or our office staff, who are medically trained, provides coverage. 

The school's clinic is located in our main office. If you ever need or want to talk with our school nurse, please feel free to call the school at (571) 781-3040, email Nurse Gardner at [email protected], or stop by in the main office and ask to visit the clinic. 

 

I am Ashley Gardner, the school nurse at The Nokesville School for the 2023-2024 school year!

I have been a PWCS school nurse for 9 years and during that time I have been fortunate to care for PWCS students across all grade levels from PreK-12.  I have also served as a PWCS pandemic support nurse during the peak of the COVID pandemic, and most recently served as a clinical team leaders providing nursing support and care across eight schools on the eastern end of the county.

Prior to joining PWCS as a school nurse, I worked as a staff nurse for Children's National Medical Center on the pediatric hematology/oncology/bone marrow ransplant unit.  I obtained my BSN degree from Duke University School of Nursing in 2011 and hold a national certification as a Pediatric Nurse (CPN).

On my days off, I love spending time with my family.  I am married to a Firefighter/Medic and we have two elementary age daughters and a rescue dog named. Gus.  We love spending time outdoors playing sports, gardening or going on adventures.

Thank you for allowing me to care for your children while they are in school.  I am so excited to be joining the TNS team this year and look forward to supporting students, families and staff. 

 

Reasons Your Child Should Stay Home From School Or May Be Sent Home By The Nurse During The School Day: 

1. Fever of 100.4º F and over - exclude until student has been fever-free without the use of fever reducing medications (like Tylenol or Motrin) for at least 24 hours. 
2. Conjunctivitis (pink eye), strep infections, ringworm, and impetigo are all infections and must be treated with medication for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to school. Please do not allow affected students back before this time so that other students are not infected unnecessarily.
3. Rash of unknown origin with fever and/or behavioral changes, until a primary care provider has determined that the illness is not a communicable disease.
4. Head injury. 
5. Severe coughing or difficulty breathing. 
6. Colds - a child with thick or constant nasal discharge should remain home. 
7. Diarrhea - sudden increase in frequency to more than three loose/watery stools per day. Exclude until student has been symptom free for at least 24 hours. 
8. Vomiting - unless the vomiting is determined to be caused by a diagnosed non-communicable/non-infectious condition (such as dysmenorrhea, dysphagia, etc.). 
9. Abdominal pain that continues for more that two hours or intermittent abdominal pain associated with fever or other signs or symptoms. 
10. Stiff neck associated with fever and/or a recent injury. 
11. Inadequate immunizations with known disease outbreak in school. 
12. Refer to the Virginia Department of Health's "Communicable Disease Reference Chart for School Personnel" for other exclusions/information. 
13. Refer to PWCS Regulation 757-1 

All students should have up-to-date parent/guardian contact information and three local emergency contacts on file with the school in the event that contact needs to be made due to a student health emergency. It is very important that parents update emergency numbers as changes of the contact person occur.

 

Health Treatment Plans: 

Health treatment plans should be completed by the student's physician and delivered to the nurse at the start of each school year. Any accompanying medications must be delivered by the parent in original, unopened packaging with prescription label intact (when applicable) and unexpired. Students are not permitted to transport medications to and from school without a physician’s authorization to self-carry on file in the clinic. 

Authorization to Implement Health Treatment Plans 
(Must accompany ALL PWCS Health Treatment Plans) 

1. General Health Treatment Plans

Authorization for Medication Administration Form 
﷟HYPERLINK "https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/pwcs/Board.nsf/files/BLWQZZ6957E9/%24file/Regulation%20757-4-Attachment%20I.pdf"(For over the counter medications OR prescription medications NOT covered by one of the other Health Treatment Plan)  
Virginia Asthma Action Plan 
﷟HYPERLINK "https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/translation_services/spanish/polices_and_regulations/reglamentos/reglamento_757-5"Virginia Diabetes Medical Management Plan (DMMP) 
Seizure Action Plan 
Cancer Care Plan 

2. Severe Allergy Health Treatment Plans
   
   Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan 
   Request for Administration of Medication for Allergic Reactions 
   Student Epinephrine Self-Carry Authorization (optional) 
   Severe Allergy Individual Health Care Plan 
   Student Allergy History Form 
    
3. Procedure Treatment Plans 

Clean Intermittent Catheterization Treatment Plan 
Tube Feeding Treatment Plan 
Medical Procedure Treatment Plan 

4. Release of Medical Information

This form allows nurse to exchange your student’s health information with their physician and contact the physician directly with questions (optional). 
 
Release of Medical Information Authorization 

  Concussion Resources Page:  

Embedded Video (CDC- Vanessa’s Story): https://youtu.be/ZBcP08zEXLA 

 Concussion resources for parents:  

• Concussion fact sheet for parents (English) 
• Concussion fact sheet for parents (Spanish) 
• Concussion fact sheet for parents (Arabic) 

 Concussion care plans for students diagnosed with concussion: 

• Acute Concussion Evaluation (ACE) for Emergency Department use 
• Acute Concussion Evaluation (ACE) for Physician’s Office use 

In the event that your child is diagnosed with a concussion, your child's physician should complete the ACE care plan, linked above, in order to ensure that the school can make safe and appropriate accommodations for when your child returns to learning and play. Please submit the completed ACE Care Plan to the school nurse for review at [email protected]. 

 

Medication

1. It is the intent of the Prince William County School System to assist parent(s)/guardian(s) by giving needed medication to students so that the student may maintain school attendance when parents are unable to come in. 

1. It is the parent(s)/guardian(s) responsibility to provide the following for prescription or non-prescription medication: 

1.  Medication Authorization form Link must be filled out for all prescription and over the counter medications. Prescription medications require a physician’s signature and both types of medication require a parent/guardian’s signature. 

1. Medication shall be in the original container. Prescription medications must have the pharmacy label attached. 

1. Parents need to bring the medication to the office themselves. Students are not allowed to bring medication in. 
2. Students are not allowed to keep medication in their possession while at school.  However, students may keep in their possession certain medication such as prescription inhaler for Asthma or EPIPEN for Life threatening allergies. Parents must make this request known to the school nurse. The school nurse will provide the appropriate forms for the doctor to fill out. 

 

School Entrance Requirements:  

All preschool, kindergarten, and new to the county students are required to submit a Virginia School Entrance Health (Physical) Form and immunization record completed by a licensed provider prior to the first day of school. School entrance physicals must be completed within one year of entry. For the 2023-2024 school year, the physical exam date must fall on 8/21/2022 or after. Students who were previously enrolled in a PWCS preschool program, through Headstart or child find, are also required to submit an updated physical that falls within the dates above. This is in accordance with the Virginia Department of Education school entrance requirements and is a requirement for both in-person and virtual schooling within the county. These records must be provided to the school prior to the first day of attendance. Blank copies of the School Entrance Health form (and other related forms) that can be provided to your child's health care provider are linked below. 

 

Commonwealth of Virginia School Entrance Health Form 

 

PWCS Immunization Requirements 

 

Commonwealth of Virginia Minimum Immunization Requirements 

 

Religious Exemption Form 

 

Please note that the religious exemption form is for immunizations ONLY. This form does not waive the requirement for a valid school entrance physical exam. 

The deadline for students to meet the immunization requirement for mandatory immunizations for public school enrollment is Thursday, August 17, 2023. If you have questions, please contact the school nurse or visit the immunization requirements webpage. Thank you for your assistance.  

 

If you need assistance or resources regarding school entrance physicals or immunizations, please contact the school nurse, Ashley Gardner, at [email protected]. 

 

Illness & Injury

Children may become ill or get injured at school.  Whenever this happens, the school will contact the parent.  All parents must provide the school with the name and telephone number of a person who can be contacted in cases of emergencies.  It is very important that parents update emergency numbers as changes of the contact person occur. Our school nurse is Ashley Gardner. She may contact you in case of an emergency or to update you on an injury or illness from your child in school.  

Child Abuse & Neglect

All staff at TNS are designated as mandated reporters identified in the Code of Virginia as having a legal responsibility to report suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation. The purpose of mandated reporting is to identify suspected abused and neglected children or vulnerable adults as soon as possible so that they can be protected from further harm. Child Protective Services (CPS) and Adult Protective Services (APS) cannot act until a report is made. Mandated reporters play a critical role in preventing any future harm to children and vulnerable adults. Whether required by law or not, If you suspect that a child or an adult (who is over age 60 or incapacitated adults 18 years and older) is being abused, neglected, or exploited, you should immediately report your concerns to the local department of social services in your community. A list of local departments of social services, addresses and phone numbers is available on our Find Your Local Department Link page. After normal business hours, weekends and holidays, reports can be made to the state hotlines: APS - 888-832-3858 or CPS - 800-552-7096. A call to a hotline is not an accusation, it is a request for the helping process to begin.