Nurse / Health Office

Phone: 623-376-4110

Qualifications: Associates Degree - LPN

Deborah Long, LPN

I started working for the Deer Valley Unified School District in 2012-13, and it's hard to believe I've been here for such a long time! Time sure goes by fast:).

I was born and raised in Washington State and moved to Arizona in September of 1986. After working in the airline industry for 20 years I decided to try something that would give more meaning to my life. In 2008 I decided to go back to school and get my Associates Degree in Nursing. I graduated from Southwest Skills Center in Avondale and worked with the Geriatric population in Assisted Living which was truly rewarding. In 2012 I saw that DVUSD was hiring nurses and thought it would be really wonderful to work with children. I applied and got a job working as a one-on-one student assigned nurse. When my student was absent I would help out nurses at other schools. This experience really gave me the desire to be a school nurse so when a position became available at Arrowhead Elementary, which was my home school, I jumped at the chance!

I am truly blessed to have made my home here at Arrowhead. I love the students and the staff!!

It is an honor and a privilege to care for the students and staff here at Arrowhead Elementary School. My goal has always been to advocate for my patients and make sure they get the best care possible. Please feel free to stop by the health office or contact me via email or phone to share any concerns or questions regarding your child.

Deborah Long, LPN

Health Office Nurse - Arrowhead Elementary School

Health Center Information

School Health Services

Immunizations

Immunization Requirements

What will you need at registration?
You will need your child’s Immunization Record. It must show the date your child was given each required shot with a stamp or signature from the doctor or immunization clinic stamp. If you do not have an Immunization Record or your child has not received all required shots call your doctor now for an appointment or the local health department for the date and location of the next immunization clinic.

IMMUNIZATION RULES FOR STUDENTS 11 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER

Arizona Department of Health Services has made changes to rules requiring two more immunizations for school attendance which will affect your students entering 6th grade.

Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, attenuated pertussis) will be required for students as they turn 11 years old and older when 5 years have passed since the last tetanus/diphtheria vaccine dose (DTP, DTaP, or Td). Previously, a Td was done 10 years after the initial series completed, but recurrence of pertussis in the teen population over the past years has put children at increased risk for this life-threatening disease.

MV (meningococcal vaccine) will be required for students who are either 11 years old or older entering 6th grade as of August, 2008. Meningococcal meningitis can be highly contagious in teen and young adults and may result in severe disability if not death. Students entering 6th grade must have documentation of these immunizations prior to beginning school year each Fall. As you update your child's immunizations, please get the Tdap and MV administered and documented as soon as possible if your child is already 11 years old. Please get that documentation to your School Nurse when completed so that school records can be updated.

Exemption forms are available from the nurse and must be filled out in person by parent for personal exemption or physician for a medical exemption. Remember, these are with understanding of potential exclusions from school in event of any outbreak of disease as determined by the Maricopa County Health Department. DON'T DELAY! Get your child's shots today!

Immunizations

Children must have proof of all required immunizations, or a valid exemption, in order to attend school in Arizona.

Please remember that students need two extra immunizations if they are 11 and entering the 6th grade. These are the Tdap and MV shots.

What parents should know about vaccines:

Arizona School Immunization Requirements K-12

Arizona Preschool/Childcare Immunization Requirements

Why Vaccinate?

Free Immunizations
The law allows exemptions for medical or personal reasons.
Homeless students have a 5-day grace period.

Medication Policy

Any medication, prescription or over the counter, is furnished by the parent/guardian and brought to the nurse by an adult.

If it is prescription, it is in its original pharmacy bottle (pharmacies will provide a second container specifically for school), labeled with the child’s name, prescription number, and identification of medication.
If it is an over-the-counter medication, it is in its original container also and has been labeled legibly with the child’s name.
If the medication is a sample given by the physician, please provide a signed note from the physician telling who the medication if for, the date, and instructions for use.
The specific directions for administration such as, date, time and amount to be given, for any of these items must be entered onto the consent for administration form and signed by the parent/guardian.
School district personnel will not be responsible or liable for any reaction to medicines given according to those directions.
All medication will be kept in a locked cabinet in the nurse’s office and dispensed from there.
In the Deer Valley school district, Tums, cough drops and ointments/creams such as Neosporin, are considered medications and need to be kept in the nurse’s office also with a consent form signed.
It is the parent responsibility to monitor medication supply and provide additional medication when needed.

At the end of the need for the medication, any remaining medication needs to be picked up or it will be destroyed within 3 days. Year round medications not picked up within 1 day of the end of the school year will also be destroyed if not picked up by an adult. If these district wide rules are not followed your child/student may be subject to Drug Paraphernalia Possession consequences.

Parents please feel free to bring in “as needed” medications, such as cough drops and Tylenol, to keep on hand for your child if you so desire.

Medical Forms

Severe/Food Allergy Information

ALL classrooms at Arrowhead Elementary School are nut-free areas. This policy is designed to keep our severe food allergic children safe in their learning environment. Strict avoidance of nut products is the only way to prevent a life-threatening allergic reaction in some children. Please do not send any nut containing products for your child to eat in class or to be served in the classroom for celebrations. This includes foods processed in a factory that also processes nut-containing foods. Unfortunately, many chocolate candies are included in this group of foods—please check labels closely for this warning before purchasing them for school. *Please check out Safe Snack List below before you bring in treats/snacks or other items for the classrooms. If your child has eaten nuts prior to coming to school, please be sure your child’s hands have been washed with soap and water prior to entering the school.

Some classrooms have additional foods that are to be avoided in your child’s snacks or food to share. You would have been informed of these additional foods in a letter from me at the beginning of the school year. If you are uncertain of additional foods to avoid, please ask your child’s teacher.

Since lunch is eaten in the cafeteria, your child may bring peanut butter and/or nut products for lunch. Please remind your children to wash their hands with soap after eating nut containing food for lunch.

I appreciate your support of these procedures. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Baked/Processed Birthday or Celebration Treats List

Unfortunately, most bakery items, including cupcakes and donuts, are included in the "processed in a nut-producing facility" group of foods, so they are not allowed.

To keep all our students safe at school, baked/processed birthday or celebration treats brought to school to be shared in class must be one of the following:

• Barnum’s Animal Crackers – Original

• Rold Gold Pretzels

• Chips Ahoy – Chocolate Chip, Reduced Fat, Candy Blasts, Chunky, Chewy, White Fudge Chunky,

• Keebler Vanilla Wafers – Original, Mini

• Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies

• Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs – Chips Ahoy Thin Crisps, Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookie Crisps

• Nabisco Biscos Sugar Wafers – Creme Filling

• Nabisco Ginger Snaps

• Oreos --Original, Double Stuf

• Nutri Grain Cereal Bars – Blueberry, Strawberry, Apple Cinnamon, Blackberry, Mixed Berry, Raspberry, Cherry Pomegranate, Strawberry Acai

• Special K Bar – Blueberry, Strawberry, Chocolatey Drizzle, Raspberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Crisp

• Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats – Original

• Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups or Fruit by the Foot

• Fruit Gushers

• Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Snacks – Dora the Explorer, Scooby-Doo, SpongeBob Square Pants, Shark Bites

• Dole Fruit Bars – Variety 12 Pack (Strawberry, Grape, Raspberry)

• Luigi’s Real Italian Ice – 6 Pack Varieties: Cherry, Lemon, Lemon & Strawberry, Mango, Watermelon & Blue Raspberry

• Marino’s Italian Ice – 12 Pack Varieties: Blue, Bubble Gum, Cherry, Chocolate, Cola, Grape, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Orange, Pineapple, Rainbow, Strawberry, Tropical, Watermelon

OR ANY SNACK LISTED AS NUT-FREE ON THE SNACK SAFELY SNACK LIST AT: snacksafely.com/safe-snack-guide

Deer Valley Elementary and Middle School Cafeterias: Peanut and Tree Nut Reduced Zones

Deer Valley USD Food & Nutrition Department recognizes how serious and stressful a peanut and tree nut allergy can be for students and parents. As a result, it is our policy NOT to serve any food items that list peanuts or tree nuts as an ingredient as part of our school meals. This includes labels that have the statement “may contain traces of peanuts and other tree nuts”.

In addition to limiting food items with peanut and tree nut ingredients, our district Dietitian reviews all food labels once per year to identify labels indicating a food has been processed on the same equipment as peanuts or tree nuts. Any product with this designation is noted on our allergen guide which can be found on the Food & Nutrition website.

Despite these precautions, we cannot guarantee a 100% peanut and tree nut free environment in the cafeteria. We consider our elementary and middle school cafeterias peanut and tree nut reduced rather than peanut and tree nut free for the following reasons:

Labels are subject to change by the manufacturer at any time during the school year. Manufacturers are constantly changing their labels; we are not able to keep up with each and every change for each and every product that we carry.
Manufactures are not required to say if an item was manufactured on the same equipment or in the same facility as peanuts and/or tree nuts. We can pass on information when it is provided to us but we do not know what the manufacturer chooses to leave off their labels.
Students are able to bring peanut containing items from home and eat them in the cafeteria.

Food labels are stored in the Food & Nutrition office and are available for parents to review at any time. Please contact Nona Dasenbrock, RDN Food & Nutrition Coordinator at 623.445.5165 or nona.dasenbrock@dvusd.org to request the labels.

Nut Free Information

From Nurse Debbie

Arrowhead Elementary classrooms are currently designated as Nut Free. If there is a student with a Nut Allergy in a classroom, an additional letter was sent home at the beginning of the school year explaining what this means. I would also like to give you some reminder information to ensure the safety of all of our students when snacks and party treats are brought to school. Snacks or lunches containing nuts or foods processed in a factory with nuts, may be eaten in the cafeteria. A table is designated "Nut Free" in the cafeteria for students who may require a table where no nuts are consumed.

PEANUT FREE / TREE NUT FREE SNACK LIST

Please avoid snacks that contain peanuts, peanut flour, peanut oil, or peanut butter or other nuts. This includes snacks with almonds, coconuts, filberts, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nut, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts.

Please note: Food labels/ingredients may change over time, so it is always recommended that you read the label before purchasing snacks. Please read labels carefully to make sure the products are nut free.

This includes labels that read “May contain traces of peanuts/nuts” or “may be processed in a plant or on equipment that processes nuts”.

Most local store bakeries that make cup cakes carry a disclaimer that says “made on machinery that processed nuts or nut products”. These cannot be brought into a Nut Free classroom.

Suggestions for Nut Free Snacks and Treats, taken from SnackSafely.com, a monthly updated resource. Please still check the labels each time before purchasing any treat to be brought to school.

Fruits/Veggies	Hershey's Chocolate Kisses
Drinkable yogurt or smoothies	Jolly Rancher hard candy
Kellogg’s brand Rice Krispies Treats-Original	Skittles
Teddy Grahams	Smarties
Keebler Graham Bites	Tootsie Rolls & Pops
Special K Bar	Twizzlers
Oreo’s	Popsicle
Chips Ahoy	Fudgesicles
Snackwells Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs	Dolly Madison Ice cream cups
Popcorn	Dole Fruit Bars

Your teacher will have a more inclusive list. Please check with your teacher for other specific requirements or restrictions for their classroom. Ex: candy and popsicles are not considered a healthy snack for class snack time, just parties and special events like birthday or holiday parties.

Thank you for your consideration and support in keeping the food-allergic child safe from having a life threatening allergic reaction at school.

Resources:SnackSafely.com, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network

ARROWHEAD ELEMENTARY HEALTH OFFICE

ILLNESS/EMERGENCY POLICY:

School is no place for a sick child. Please do not send your child to school if he/she has diarrhea, vomiting, or a fever, rash, deep cough, or communicable disease such as chicken pox, strep throat, pink eye, etc. (Children should be free of fever for 24 hours before returning to school, regardless of how they feel.) DO NOT send child to school for the nurse to determine if they are well enough to attend. If you have any doubt, keep your child at home and check with your family physician. The nurse must function on the premise that your child left home well, unless you have made contact with the Health Office to the contrary.

If your child becomes ill enough to be removed from school, sustains more than a minor injury, or has an emergency, you will be notified. It is the parent's responsibility to make arrangements to pick up an ill or injured child as promptly as possible. Children are not permitted to walk home or take the bus, even with permission. Please make sure there are up-to-date home/work phone numbers on your child's emergency card. NOTIFY THE SCHOOL OFFICE IMMEDIATELY OF ANY CHANGES IN PHONE NUMBERS.

Thank you and I am truly looking forward to a WONDERFUL school year!!

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Nurse / Health Office

Deborah Long, LPN

Health Center Information

School Health Services

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Immunizations

IMMUNIZATION RULES FOR STUDENTS 11 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER

Immunizations

Medication Policy

Medical Forms

Severe/Food Allergy Information

Nut Free Information

ARROWHEAD ELEMENTARY HEALTH OFFICE

ILLNESS/EMERGENCY POLICY:

Deborah Long, LPN

Arrowhead Elementary Health Office Nurse

Phone: 623-376-4110

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