• Health & Nursing

    Stop the Spread of Illness

    The Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District asks for the community's help in reducing the spread of illness in Midlakes schools. Please remember the following guidelines:

    • Keep your child home if he/she has had a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea within the last 24 hours.
    • Help us teach kids about the importance of handwashing, and that handwashing is the best way to prevent the spread of any illness.
    • Remember to update a child’s phone contacts if there are any changes during the year. District staff need to be able to reach parents or legal guardians in the case of an emergency or illness.
    • Be sure to call your child’s school nurse in the morning to report and state the reason for any absence. A written excuse MUST also be given when the child returns to school.
    • Contact your child’s doctor or Ontario County Public Health at (800) 299-2995 regarding a flu vaccination.

    Children should NOT be sent to school if:

    • They have a temperature over 100.5 degrees.
    • They have vomited at any time in the last 24 hours.
    • They have had diarrhea any time in the last 24 hours.
    • They have started antibiotics within the last 24 hours.
    • They have red eyes with thick or crusty drainage.
    • They have open sores that are red and draining.

    Keep your child home from school until he/she has gone a FULL 24 hours:

    • Without a fever (this is without the help of Tylenol or Ibuprofen).
    • Without having any diarrhea.
    • Without any vomiting.
    • On antibiotics (if they are prescribed for a contagious condition).

    We rely heavily on parents’ good judgment about sending a child to school. Parents should use your best judgment before sending a child to school with:

    • A green runny nose; red and itchy/painful eyes.
    • A persistent cough.
    • A low-grade fever (under 100.5, but above 99).
    • Any persistent complaints that the child does not feel well.
    • A persistent sore throat.
    • An open sore that is red or draining.

    Schools are doing their part to stop the spread of illness by:

    • Reminding kids to wash their hands after using the bathroom, after coughing or sneezing, before eating, and any time they may be dirty.
    • Reminding kids to cover their coughs and sneezes.
    • Keeping all open wounds covered with a bandage.

    If your child has presented to the School Nurse with the following symptoms: 

    • Fever, Chills, Cough, Shortness of Breath, Fatigue, Loss of Taste or Smell, Sore Throat, Nasal Congestion, Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea.
    • Contact your student’s health care provider as soon as possible for guidance and if any symptoms become worse, call 911.  

    NYS 2022 COVID-19 Guidance 

    New York State recognizes that opening pre-kindergarten through grade 12 schools for in-person instruction is critical to student health, well-being, academic success, and social functioning. New York State is committed to prioritizing in-person learning while adhering to layered mitigation strategies such as vaccination, the appropriate use of face masks, and implementing screening testing to monitor transmission and inform local public health actions.

    Thank you for all of your efforts and partnership as you work to reopen schools safely during this unprecedented time. 

    If you or someone you know tests positive for COVID-19, it's important that you know the steps to follow to protect yourself and those around you, and to reduce the spread of the virus in your community. These precautions include isolating, wearing a mask, and avoiding contact with people who are at high risk of getting sick.

    The New York State Department of Health is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19 guidance, which provides information to those who tested positive.  If you were exposed to COVID-19, follow these CDC precautions.

    New York State has also given local health departments the ability to suspend contact tracing. This means if you test positive for COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you may not get a call from a county or state COVID-19 case investigator.

    Additional resources for families from New York State can be found by visiting

    Physician notes and Public Health orders can be faxed to Midlakes Elementary School at (315) 548-6709, Midlake High School at (315) 548-6329 or emailed to the Elementary School Nurse Michele Tyman or Middle/High School Nurse Heather DeRuyter. Parents/Guardians may reach the Elementary Health Office at (315) 548-6720 or the Middle/High School Health Office at (315) 548-6320. 

    Flu Notice for Schools
    Each year, to comply with New York State Public Health Law (PHL) § 613, licensed and registered day care programs, nursery schools, pre-K, kindergarten, school-age child care programs, and public and non-public schools are required to post information about influenza (flu) and the benefits of flu vaccination at the start of flu season in early fall. This year, flu vaccination is more important than ever because the flu and the virus that causes COVID-19 may both be spreading. Flu vaccination will help reduce the spread of flu and help ease the burden on our health care system.

    Information must be posted starting now in "plain view" in your facility, where visitors can easily see it. If school is still being conducted remotely in fall 2020, the information should be posted electronically and/or emailed or mailed to families of all students. To help you comply with this requirement we’re sending the publication, Parents: Fight Flu at Home and School. It is geared to parents and guardians and explains why flu is serious, provides signs and symptoms of the disease, and recommends annual flu vaccinations to protect children from flu. Feel free to print and post this publication. It is available, along with other flu information, for free and in multiple languages here:

    Please feel free to choose information from these sites if you prefer:

    The flu vaccine is the best way to prevent flu. It is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older every year. Getting vaccinated can prevent flu-related hospitalizations and deaths in children. The vaccine can also reduce flu illnesses, doctor’s visits, and missed work and school days. If you have questions about complying with PHL§ 613, please feel free to contact the State Health Department’s Bureau of Immunization at immunize@health.ny.gov, or call (518) 473-4437.

    Fighting the Flu
    Flu, or influenza, spreads easily and can make people very sick, especially kids. You can help stop flu!

    Flu symptoms include:

    Fever or chills, body aches, cough, sore throat, headache, runny or stuffy nose, feeling very tired. Some people, especially children, may have stomach problems and diarrhea. Unlike a cold, the flu comes on very suddenly.

    Prevent the flu!

    • Flu vaccine is the best protection against the flu. It is recommended every year for everyone 6 months and older.
    • Get the flu vaccine for you and your children every year! It helps make flu sickness milder or prevents it all together.
    • Getting the vaccine early in the fall means you and your children will be protected when flu season starts.
    • Ask people close to your children, like babysitters and relatives, to get the vaccine, too.
    • The vaccine is especially important for people with certain health conditions, like asthma, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, because the flu can make them even sicker.

    If your child gets the flu:

    • Your child will need plenty of rest and lots of fluids.
    • Keep your child home from school for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without using fever-control medicine. This helps avoid giving the flu to others.
    • Talk with your child’s health care provider before giving a child any over-the-counter medicine.
    • Never give your child or teenager aspirin or any medicine that has aspirin in it. Aspirin can cause serious problems.
    • If your child gets flu symptoms and is younger than 5 or has a medical condition like asthma, diabetes, or heart or lung disease, call their health care provider. Young children and those with certain medical conditions are at greater risk of getting seriously ill from the flu. Ask their health care provider if they recommend an antiviral drug.
    • If you are worried about your child, call their health care provider.

    Don’t spread flu!

    • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
    • If soap and water aren’t handy, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
    • Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, not your hands. Put used tissues in the trash.
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. That’s how germs spread.
    • Stay away from people who are sick.

Additional Resources