Policy 5531 – Emergency Care

Emergency Care services for the Kenosha Unified School district shall be provided in cooperation with the Kenosha County Public Health Department.  Emergency Care services shall be available during the school day and during all school-sponsored activities for students, including summer school, fieldtrips, athletic events, and other co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

To ensure the provision of an appropriate emergency care services program:

  1. The District shall contract for the services of one or more registered nurse(s) knowledgeable and skilled in emergency nursing care whose responsibilities for the District shall include the nursing-related duties identified in this policy. The Director of Special Education and Student Support and the building Administrator shall serve as the primary administrative contact for the contracted nurse(s).
  2. The District shall arrange for a physician to serve as the District’s medical advisor for the emergency care services and in connection with handling other significant student and school health concerns. The Director of Special Education and Student Support serving the District shall be the primary point of contact with the District’s medical advisor on an as-needed basis.
  3. Taking under consideration any recommendations that are provided by a registered nurse serving the District, the District shall make available the equipment and supplies necessary for providing emergency care services in the District.
  4. The Building Administrator or a designee shall ensure that emergency information forms are on file for all students who are attending school or otherwise participating in any school-sponsored athletic activity in the District, regardless of the student’s full-time status, enrollment status, or residency.
  5. In consultation as needed with a registered nurse serving the District, the Building Administrator or an administrative-level designee shall assign direct responsibilities to appropriate school personnel related to the provision of emergency care and other health-related services. The building principal of each school shall always be among the designated staff who are assigned and trained to serve as site-based first responders in the event of a health-related emergency.   As used in District policy, the term “site-based first responder” is a local term that should be not equated with a “certified first responder” under state law.

LEGAL REF.:

  • Wisconsin Statutes
    • 118.07(1) – First aid kit required
    • 118.125 – Confidentiality/maintenance of student records
    • 118.29 – Medication administration by school personnel
    • 121.02(1)(g) – Emergency nursing services standard
    • Chapter 19, Subchapters II &V Public record law; personally identifiable information]
    • PI 8.01(2)(g) Wisconsin Administrative Code Emergency nursing services policy/procedure requirements]

CROSS REF.:

AFFIRMED: August 13, 1991

REVISED:

  • January 23, 1996
  • February 10, 1998
  • October 22, 2024

Rule 5531 – Emergency Care

  1. DESGINATION AND TRAINING OF EMERGENCY CARE PROVIDERS
    1. The building Administrator, in consultation with a registered nurse serving the school shall designate an appropriate number of staff members, by building to serve as site-based first responders in case of a medical/health care emergency occurring in the school. Each school will have at least one person trained in medical first aid.  It is the responsibility of the building Administrator to have a plan of action in place that will utilize the skills of the first responders
    2. All individuals designated as site-based first responders shall receive broad training related to the district’s emergency care procedures, including training in at least the following areas:
      1. the District’s general first aid protocols (e.g., student injury/illness response protocols);
      2. cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR);
      3. the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED);
      4. the District’s policies and procedures concerning the administration of medication and emergency medication to students;
      5. the District’s bloodborne pathogens/exposure control plan; and
      6. the District’s policy and procedures concerning communicable disease management.
    3. School employees and volunteers, other than health care professionals, who in good faith render emergency care to a student are immune from civil liability for any of their acts or omissions in rendering such emergency care.
  2. STUDENT EMERGENCY INFORMATION
    1. Emergency information must be completed for each student upon his/her initial enrollment or attendance in school or his/her participation in any District-sponsored athletic activity for students.  This shall be completed regardless of the student’s full-time status, enrollment status, or residency. At least annually, each school shall request that the student’s parent or guardian provide any updates to the emergency information that is presently on file.  The student’s emergency information shall also be updated any time during the school year that a parent or guardian submits a change.  This shall include:
      1. Emergency contact names and information in the event of an accident, injury, illness, or other emergency.
      2. Information about any special health concerns or procedures relevant to the student.
    2. When students are involved in school-sponsored activities away from school, student emergency information will be made available in order to enable activity supervisors to appropriately address any individualized health concerns or possible emergency situations. It is the joint responsibility of the office staff, school nurse, and the staff who are planning/supervising the activity to ensure that this information is readily available.
    3. Emergency health information shall be kept in the relevant school office and shall be shared with school personnel and other school officials as deemed appropriate and necessary, consistent with legal requirements and with the District’s student records policy and procedures.
  3. INDIVIDUALIZED HEALTH/MEDICAL PLANS
    1. The District develops individualized health/medical plans for students (including allergy management plans) on as-needed basis and in a manner consistent with applicable law. In appropriate cases, individualized planning will occur in connection with the development of a Section 504 plan or individualized education program (IEP).
    2. In most cases, a team-based approach will be used to develop any individualized plan, including consideration of relevant medical information and recommendations. A registered nurse serving the schools will generally be involved in the process of establishing and monitoring any such plan.
    3. As needed, a nurse serving the school will provide nursing-related supervision, including but not limited to providing or arranging for appropriate training of designated school
    4. personnel, in situations where a student’s plan calls for the District to provide specialized health services.
  4. PLANNING FOR POSSIBLE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES IN CONNECTION WITH ACTIVITIES HELD AWAY FROM SCHOOL
    1. When students will be participating in a District-sponsored activity that is being held away from school, activity organizers/supervisors are expected to engage in both general and student-specific planning for possible emergency care needs. General planning may involve tasks such as identifying unusual activity-specific risks (e.g., unusually hazardous areas, increased opportunities for student exposure to likely allergens, unusual physical demands), assessing the availability of medical and emergency services/facilities near the activity location(s), verifying that activity supervisors will have access to students’ emergency information, and informing accompanying school personnel and volunteers about what to do in case of a medical or health-related emergency.  Student-specific planning involves an assessment of needs related to any special health concerns of the individual students who will be participating in the activity.
    2. The extent of emergency care planning for such away-from-school activities should generally be proportionate to the uniqueness of the location and type of activity. For example, general emergency planning can often be less extensive in connection with recurring activities (e.g., away contests for students participating in athletics) when participating staff, students, and students’ parents and guardians can be expected to be reasonably familiar with the nature and location(s) of the activity.
    3. Activity organizers/supervisors shall consult with the building principal and a registered nurse serving the District on an as-needed basis to assist with emergency care planning for such away-from-school activities.
  5. EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
    1. First aid supplies and equipment will be placed in accessible locations within each school building: e.g., designated health rooms, school office, physical education locker rooms, school technical education classrooms, school science labs.
    2. Mobile first aid kits shall be available for field trips and similar away-from-school activities involving students.
    3. Each building’s nurse or health information secretary shall maintain a regular inventory of the first aid supplies/equipment and to notify building Administration or his/her designee when additional supplies/equipment are needed.
    4. An automated external defibrillator (AED) will be available in all school building location(s) in the District. The AED shall be used and maintained in accordance with legal requirements, the manufacturer’s specifications, and established District procedures.
  6. GENERAL EMERGENCY CARE PROCEDURES
    In case of an accidental injury or illness occurring on school premises or during a school-sponsored activity, these general procedures shall be followed:

    1. Illness
      1. If a student becomes ill during the school day, school personnel should send him/her to the designated health room/area in the school or, if the health room is not currently staffed, to the school office to rest or for attention. Office personnel will provide care for the student or make a parent or guardian contact to determine whether the student needs to be sent home. If the parent or guardian is unavailable, the emergency contact person identified on the student’s emergency information form will be notified. In making a determination whether to send a student home from school, school personnel shall consider protocols outlined in the District’s emergency services and communicable disease management procedures. If it is determined the student is to be sent home, arrangements will be made for the student to leave the school premises. If all contact attempts fail and the student’s parent or guardian or emergency contact person are not available, the student is to remain in school, segregated from other students if necessary, and continued attempts will be made to reach the parent or guardian or emergency contact person.
    2. Accidents/Injuries
      1. Designated school personnel (i.e., on-site nurses, health assistants, or other designated site-based first responders, whenever available) will provide the appropriate intervention/response to any minor injury or illness occurring on school premises or during a school-sponsored activity as deemed necessary for the situation.
    3. Serious Injury/Accident or Illness
      1. Designated school personnel (site-based first responders whenever available) shall assess the situation and administer basic first aid as needed and/or notify building first responder.
      2. As soon as it is determined to be necessary/appropriate, a call should be placed to 911 to summon professional emergency medical assistance (ambulance, rescue squad, etc.).
      3. No internal or external medication should be administered to the individual unless specifically prescribed or specifically authorized under the conditions outlined in state law and in the District’s medication administration procedures (KUSD Policy 5534).
      4. If the emergency situation involves a student, the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) shall be contacted as soon as reasonably practical under the circumstances. If the parent or guardian cannot be reached, the emergency contact(s) as identified on the student’s emergency information form on file with the District shall be called. A responsible adult should remain with the student until the parent(s) or guardian(s) assumes responsibility if possible.
      5. The building Administrator or designee shall be informed immediately if the accident, injury, or illness occurs during the school day. If the accident, injury, or illness occurs outside of the school day or at an activity off school premises, the building principal or designee shall be informed as soon as possible, but no later than the next school day.
  7. ACCIDENT REPORTING AND RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS
    1. The person(s) administering emergency care or assistance under these procedures is responsible for ensuring that the first aid or other emergency care administered in relation to accidents, injuries, or illnesses are properly documented within the District Student Accident Form. This log of emergency care services performed shall be maintained in each school building in the District.
    2. In addition to completing the District Student Accident Form, the relevant class/activity supervisor(s) and the school employee(s) who assumed primary responsibility for responding to a specific accident/incident have joint responsibility for ensuring that they promptly (i.e., usually on the same day as the incident) notify the building Administrator for any accident/incident involving an injury, or possible injury, to a student that occurs
    3. School personnel shall be made aware of and are expected to adhere to relevant confidentiality standards regarding student records and patient health care records as established pursuant to applicable laws, regulations, and District procedures.