Nurse
Hello Meridiana Explorers and Parents! My name is Ashley Smith-Kock (pronounced like “Coke”, lol) and am your school nurse! I am originally from Louisiana, but have been in Texas since 2014. I received my Diploma in Nursing from the Baton Rouge General School of Nursing, and then I received my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I have over 11 years of nursing experience, with the majority of it being in pediatrics. I am a member of the National Association of School Nurses and the Texas School Nurses Organization. I live in Iowa Colony/Rosharon, TX with my husband, son and our dog. I enjoy crafting, cleaning, organizing, spending time with my family, and of course LSU football and baseball – GEAUX TIGERS!
My goal is to ensure that all Explorers are healthy, happy and safe so they can remain in the classroom for learning. I believe that every student is unique and warrants my full attention no matter what their needs are. I will continue to communicate with all parents in regards to their child’s health status at school, either through email or by phone. Parents are welcome to call, email, or stop by the clinic with any questions or concerns regarding their child. I look forward to a healthy and happy school year with all Explorers!
Clinic Policies:
Parents will receive an email each day when their child visits the nurse’s office. For anything other than a minor injury (e.g. small scrape/cut that only required a bandage, etc) parents will be called. Please make sure your personal email and phone number(s) are up to date in Skyward. Please note that we cannot call international phone numbers from the school. If you have an international phone number, you will need to have it changed to a local number so that we will be able to reach you if needed.
School Exclusions:
Students with the following symptoms shall be excluded from school until free of symptoms for 24 hours without medication or a document is received from a physician stating that the student is released to return to school. This list of signs and symptoms is not exhaustive and includes:
Temperature of 100.0 degrees or more
Vomiting/Nausea, or Diarrhea
Pain and/or swelling at angle of jaw
Undetermined rash over any part of the body
Undiagnosed scaly patches on the body or scalp
Red, draining, constant itchy eyes
Intense itching with signs & symptoms of secondary infection
Open, draining lesions
Jaundice
The parent or authorized individual is expected to pick his or her child up within ONE HOUR of being notified of any of the above conditions.
COVID-19:
Any of the following symptoms may indicate a possible COVID-19 infection:
Temperature of 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (or, for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New onset loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
If a student is symptomatic while at school, he or she will be evaluated by the school nurse. The nurse will evaluate based on the number and severity of symptoms, known exposure and vaccination status. If a student is confirmed positive for COVID-19, the student may return to school once he or she has been fever-free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication and symptoms are resolving.
Medication Guidelines:
Completed medication forms must be on file for EACH medication to be administered by the school nurse.
Prescription medication MUST be in the original container with a prescription label attached. If no prescription label is available, a separate doctor's order will be needed.
Students are not permitted to carry or self-administer their medications at school without proper physician and parental paperwork on file. This also includes any over the counter medications, such as cough drops, pain reliever, etc.
All medications (including inhalers and epi-pens) brought to the clinic need to be in their ORIGINAL box with the pharmacy label including the student's name, date of birth, and expiration date.
A physician’s order is required to administer over-the-counter medication/s for more than 4 times a month. Alvin ISD staff will not administer medications that are ordered every morning, once a day or every 8 or 12 hours. These medications should be given at home.
All medications will need to be picked up by the parent/guardian on or before the last day of school.
Please note that the clinic DOES NOT stock any over the counter medications in the clinic. This includes, but is not limited to, acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), antihistamines (Benadryl, Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra), antibiotic ointment (Neosporin, Polysporin), anti-itch creams, stomach medications, etc.
Specialized Health Conditions:
For students with asthma, food/insect allergies, seizures, or diabetes, there are specific action plans that must be completed by your child’s physician EACH YEAR. The school nurse must have these forms turned in with the accompanying medication. If this information is not received, we cannot administer the medication to your child in an emergent situation.
All school policies and medical forms can be found on Alvin ISD’s School Health Services Website
Borrowed Clothing:
During the school year, children from all grade levels come to the clinic for a change of clothing. This is due to various reasons such as falling in mud, bathroom accidents, spilled milk/food in the cafeteria, & nosebleeds.
It is recommended that younger children (PreK, Kindergarten, First grade) keep a change of clothes in their back pack.
We know parents are sometimes tied up & can't make it so we loan out clothes when possible. In order for us to help other children, we ask that any borrowed clothes are washed & returned to the clinic.
The clinic is always welcoming of clothing donations of shirts, pants, shorts, socks and underwear of all sizes and genders. Gently used shoes are welcome as well! Please keep the Alvin ISD Dress Code in mind when donating clothing.