GISNY Health Portal

Policies & Regulations

Please review the important health requirements listed below to ensure that we all contribute to a safe and healthy environment. If you have any questions or need further clarification, do not hesitate to contact our school nurse at nurse@gisny.org.

Person holding a very small red doctor's bag with a cross cut-out.

Absence due to illness

Unplanned Absences (illness or other reason)

Day 1 - 3 of absence:

Report absence to the office by 8:30 am by calling (914) 948-6513 x 200.
In addition, every absence must be excused in writing to the class teacher.

Day 4 and longer:

Before your child's return, please submit a doctor's note by email to our nurse, Ms. Simons (nurse@gisny.org), or via Magnus.
If your child has been diagnosed with an infectious disease, please inform our nurse, Ms. Simons, immediately. You can reach her by phone at (914) 948-6952 or by email at nurse@gisny.org.

Attention Students in Grades 10 - 12: A doctor's note MUST be provided if an exam is scheduled on the day of the absence, even during the first three days. Otherwise, the exam will be graded with 0 points.

Food policy

As of this school year, the whole school is a nut-free area.

Pre-K - Grade 4: Please do not bring any food or candy for birthday celebrations. The homeroom teachers will make your child's birthday a special event.
Grades 5 - 12: Homemade food for class parties, etc. is permitted, but must be nut-free and come with a complete ingredient list.

GISNY Food Policy

Prescribed & over-the-counter medication policy

If your child requires prescribed or over-the-counter medications during the school day, the school must be provided with a Medication Permission Form containing:

A written healthcare provider order. A written attestation is also required even in cases where students can administer the medication themselves.

Written parent/guardian consent

The medication must be in their original labeled prescription or over-the-counter bottles/packaging. Any special equipment for the nurse to administer the medication must also be provided to the school.

School health examinations

Please make appointments with your pediatricians early. Most offices are busy, especially in the fall. Your pediatric office will provide you with the School Health Examinations Forms for the school. Please upload this form to Magnus Health.

New York State law requires a health examination form for

All new entrants and students in grades Pre-K, K (ES), 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11.
Every year for students participating in Athletics other than PE.
Youth Working permits.
When required by the Committee on Special Education.

Vaccination policy

New York State law requires all students entering or attending any NYS school to receive all doses of immunizations required for their grade level to attend school. The immunization requirements are outlined on the NYSDOH Immunization Requirements for School Entrance and Attendance Chart .

Important immunizations are coming up before entering grade K (ES), 6, 7, & 12. Please upload evidence of updated immunization records to Magnus Health.

Key Takeaways for Families

Start Early: Begin the immunization process to ensure compliance before the school term starts.
Provide Documentation: Submit records from healthcare providers promptly if immunizations are pending.
Be Proactive: Stay informed and take the necessary actions to prevent any disruption to your child’s attendance.

GISNY Vaccination Policy

Health Guidance

Usually, the best place for a student is in school, but there are times when keeping children home to rest or calling for an appointment with your health care provider is recommended.

When to keep your child at home

When to keep a child home with illness

Please keep your child home and/or contact your child’s doctor for:

Fever greater than 100.3°/37,9°C (taken by mouth)
Two or more episodes of vomiting and/or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
Severe sore throat and feeling ill, especially after exposure to strep throat infection
Honey-crusted sores around the nose or mouth, or other body parts
A new rash on any body part
A bad cold with a very runny nose producing copious amounts of green or yellow mucous
Severe ear pain
Severe headaches
Head lice
The child is fatigued and not able to keep up with the program

Emergency pickup & emergency contacts

Should your child fall ill during the school day, we will contact you to arrange their pickup.

Our facilities are not designed to care for sick children for extended periods. If your child becomes ill at school, it's important to have a plan for prompt pickup.

If we are unable to reach you, your emergency contacts will be called. Please confirm that they are aware of their role and can pick up your child promptly.

Further guidance

Please keep children home for 24 hours after the fever ends, and they have completed 24 hours of medication if prescribed by your health care provider.
If your child has a fever, please do not give them medicine like Tylenol or Advil and send them to school. Your child may spread the germs to other children or teachers.
If you are keeping your child at home for more than three days, please see your child's healthcare provider and send us a clearance note before your child returns to school.
Should your child not be able to participate in PE for medical reasons, please have your treating doctor write a note that the student is not allowed to engage in athletic activities. We will also need a written clearance when the student can return to PE.
A medical provider must clear any new skin rashes before returning to school.
If your child is not fit enough to attend school in the morning, please keep them at home all day. This also excludes bringing them to school just for a class test.

Magnus Health App

Introducing Magnus Health Portal

Magnus is an electronic health record system that collects and tracks our student’s health forms and helps facilitate communication between the nurse’s office and parents. (More information about Magnus.)

New York State regulations regarding the process and management of health records and student health information are strict and it is crucial for us to comply with these regulations. Magnus is a widely used system in schools and colleges and has implemented robust security measures, adhering to the highest industry standards, to protect your child's personal health information.

To ensure that your child can fully participate in various activities such as Physical Education (PE) lessons, AG’s and class trips, it is imperative that you complete all the required forms through the software. Failure to comply may result in the temporary exclusion of your child from these activities, as we must prioritize the safety and compliance of all our students.

Please submit all health forms by August 15^th.

If you have any questions, please contact our nurse at nurse@gisny.org.

For technical questions, please Magnus Health by phone at (919) 502-7689 or by email at service@magnushealthportal.com

How do I access the Magnus Portal

Please access Magnus Health through Blackbaud on GISNY’s 'Parent Portal'. Click on the icon titled ‘Magnus Health’ on your Resource Board, it’s a single sign on.

If you would like to enter the data either through the Magnus website or in the Magnus Health App, you have to create a username and password in Blackbaud first. Please refer to the presentation for more details.

Uploading scans or photos: scan your documents or take a picture. The system accepts files in formats pdf, png, jpeg, jpg, bmp und gif. Pdfs are easiest to read.

What actions do I need to take and by when

We ask all families to answer the questions prompted by Magnus and to upload their child’s most recent immunization records before August 15th.

Students entering Pre-K, ES and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 must submit a ‘Health Examination Form’ before August 15th. Health Examination Forms can’t be older than 18 months. If you are currently living abroad and will not arrive before the deadline upload all your relevant international records and submit updated forms once you have arrived in New York.

If your child is in grade 7 to 12 and has signed up for an athletic AG or team, fill out the ‘Interval Health History for Athletics form' and upload it before August 15th. To access the form in Magnus Health, you can also choose: 'NO, SUBMIT FORM‘.

'Interval Health History for Athletics forms' are not required for regular physical education classes.