Special Healthcare Needs
A student is considered to have special health care needs when any of the following criteria are met:
- Requires the administration of medication during the school day or at home which is not considered educational
- Requires the administration of procedures during the school day or at home which is not considered educational
- Needs to use a particular healthcare devices that compensates for the loss of a bodily function
- A health care condition that requires routine or emergency health care procedures
- Requires the provision of substantial, complex, or frequent health care to avert further problems or death
After students have been referred as “Special Healthcare Needs,” they are placed into one of four priority categories with #1 being the most critical.
Priority category #1
- Students with involved and specific medical conditions (tracheotomy, ventilator dependent, life threatening anaphylactic reactions)
- Students who require procedures performed with special medical equipment (gastrostomy tube, oxygen administration, catheterization)
- Students with uncontrolled or severe seizure disorders (stops breathing) and/or with additional severe disabilities (Cerebral Palsy and in a wheelchair with seizures)
Priority category #2
- Students with more difficult diagnoses involving extended complications and symptoms (cardiac defect, C.M.V., Reye’s Syndrome, Rhett Syndrome)
- Students with a seizure disorder, asthma, or diabetes who do not stop breathing (student may be taking medication to help control the health issue)
Priority category #3
- Students with more mild diagnoses with fewer side effects and symptoms that require minimal medical attention (mild CP, wheelchair use but healthy, mild impairments)
Priority category #4
- Students with a healthy diagnosis who rarely require medical attention (Down Syndrome without complications, students with mild health concerns, ADHD or behavioral students taking medication)