Health Services
- Nurses & Health Office
- Magnus Health (Health Requirements)
- MA School Immunization Requirements
- ImPACT Instructions
- Health & Safety Essentials
Nurses & Health Office
Health Services are provided by School Nurses who are licensed Registered Nurses. They practice in the Health Office (also known as the Nurses’ Office). The main Health Office is located in the Health & Wellness Center on 19 Hobart Ave., across the street from the Glover building. There is also a Health Office in the Middle School.
Nurses are on campus from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. when school is in session. Please see the Student Handbook for detailed information about Health Services policies and procedures.
Health Services at Thayer Academy provide the foundation for promoting health and safety for all students, faculty and staff on campus.
Health Services consist of School Nurses, in periodic consultation with a School Health Physician, ensuring the continuum of care from home to school to community health care providers and back.
The School Nurses collaborate with the Thayer Academy Athletic Trainers and the School Counselors as needed to support students from academics through athletics. Additionally, communication with nurses from local Boards of Health may be needed for infectious disease concerns.
The policies and procedures for Thayer Academy Health Services are in compliance with Massachusetts regulations for ensuring required immunizations for school attendance and other infectious disease prevention practices.
As a day school, the School Nurses:
- Establish and maintain comprehensive school health records which include tracking required immunizations and annual physical exam reports
- Provide basic health assessment and supportive interventions to students with acute illness or injury, and provide recommendations to parents for follow-up with their own medical providers
- Provide medically-prescribed interventions for students with chronic conditions, including medication administration
- Advocate for your child, by communicating pertinent information with the team of teachers and staff
- Facilitate your child’s development in advocating for themselves
(All students are expected to have their own Primary Care Physician and Health Insurance. We do not provide comprehensive medical care as is provided in a Health Center at a boarding school).
Contact Information for the Health Services OfficeOffice: 781.664.2299 |
Magnus Health (Health Requirements)
Thayer Academy uses Magnus Health to collect and store students’ health information for the duration of their enrollment at this school. Starting in July, you will receive weekly reminder emails from Magnus Health listing any incomplete requirement(s) or any existing requirement(s) that will expire soon.
Simply log in to MySchoolApp through the Parent Portal, navigate to the "Health Requirements (Magnus Health)" tile in the Resources board and find items marked with a “To Do” flag.
For all students
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Vital Health Record: For new families: please complete. For returning families: information saved from last year will be displayed. Please review each section to update where necessary (e.g., injuries over the summer or new allergies) and save. Even if no changes are needed, you must save each section to complete the requirement and, at the end, submit for approval.
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Consent for Medical Treatment and for acetaminophen or ibuprofen (OTC): via digital authorization.
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Annual Physical Exam: Required for all students, per their individual annual renewal date. A 30-day extension is allowed for scheduling purposes as needed.**
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Immunization Record: Please note: required immunizations for school are long-standing. (See Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements). However, within Magnus Health at Thayer, this is a newly listed separate requirement. For new families, please upload the copy of the physical exam report with immunizations to this requirement as well. The same document is uploaded to two places.
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Baseline ImPACT Test: For concussion assessment, when needed; required every two years. Please follow the included link to take the test, and then enter the date of the test into Magnus. (see ImPACT Instructions for Baseline Testing).
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Concussion Education: Digitally authorize that a parent/guardian and the student have viewed the concussion education information (per the link within Magnus). Required to be reviewed annually.
For some students, as applicable
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Epinephrine auto-injector for severe allergies: Please print out the form and request completion and signature from a physician. (A physician can also provide their own Allergy Action Plan). Be sure a parent/guardian has signed the form as well before uploading it to Magnus Health,** and provide at least one epi-injector to keep in the Health Office as a backup.
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Inhaler: Please print out the form and request completion from a physician.** Please sign the form before uploading it to Magnus.** We encourage providing a backup inhaler to keep in the Health Office for use as needed (e.g., students forget to bring one with them).
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Other medications at school: For any other medication that a child needs at school, please print out a form, fill out the parent/guardian section, and have it completed by a physician before uploading it to Magnus Health. ** Please be sure to communicate directly with Thayer’s nurses about the details of the child’s condition and associated information.
**Important Reminder
Please directly upload all completed forms to your child’s health record on Magnus Health. This system is intended for parental uploading to allow the nurses sufficient time to review all of the forms for Thayer’s 700+ students. Thank you in advance for not sending the forms to the nurses via email, fax, or some other way other than direct uploading.
MA School Immunization Requirements
Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements 2022-2023
Massachusetts school immunization requirements are created under authority of 105 CMR 220.000 Immunization of Students Before Admission to School
Requirements apply to all students including individuals from another country attending or visiting classes or educational programs as part of an academic visitation or exchange program. Requirements apply to all students, even if over 18 years of age. §
Grades 5 & 6
- DTaP: 5 doses; 4 doses are acceptable if the fourth dose is given on or after the 4th birthday. DT is only acceptable with a letter stating a medical contraindication to DTaP
- Polio: 4 doses; fourth dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose, or a fifth dose is required. 3 doses are acceptable if the third dose is given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose
- Hepatitis B: 3 doses; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
- MMR: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
- Varicella: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; a reliable history of chickenpox* or laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
Grades 7-12✝
- Tdap: 1 dose; and history of DTaP primary series or age appropriate catch-up vaccination. Tdap given at ≥7 years may be counted, but a dose at age 11-12 is recommended if Tdap was given earlier as part of a catch-up schedule. Td or Tdap should be given if it has been ≥10 years since last Tdap
- Polio: 4 doses; fourth dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose, or a fifth dose is required. 3 doses are acceptable if the third dose is given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥6 months after the previous dose
- Hepatitis B: 3 doses; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable. 2 doses of Heplisav-B given on or after 18 years of age are acceptable
- MMR: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
- Varicella: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and second dose must be given ≥28 days after first dose; a reliable history of chickenpox* or laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
Meningococcal Requirements
- Grade 7-9: 1 dose; 1 dose MenACWY (formerly MCV4) required. Meningococcal B vaccine is not required Grade 7-9 and does not meet this requirement.
- Grade 11-12☨: 2 doses; second dose MenACWY (formerly MCV4) must be given on or after the 16th birthday and ≥8 weeks after the previous dose. 1 dose is acceptable if it was given on or after the 16th birthday. Meningococcal B vaccine is not required and does not meet this requirement.
Meningococcal Vaccine Phase-In Schedule
2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | |
1 Dose MenACWY | Grades 7-8 | Grades 7-9 | Grades 7-10 |
2 Doeses MenACWY | Grades 11-12 | Grades 11-12 | Grades 11-12 |
§ Address questions about enforcement with your legal counsel. School requirements are enforced at the local level.
✝ Medical exemptions (statement from a physician stating that a vaccine is medically contraindicated for a student) must be renewed annually at the start of the school year and religious exemptions (statement from a student, or parent/guardian if the student is <18 years of age, stating that a vaccine is against sincerely held religious beliefs) should be renewed annually at the start of the school year.
* A reliable history of chickenpox includes a diagnosis of chickenpox, or interpretation of parent/guardian description of chickenpox, by a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or designee.
☨ Students who are 15 years old in grade 11 are in compliance until they turn 16 years old.
MDPH Immunization Division 2022-2023 School Year version effective: Mar 4, 2022
ImPACT Instructions
ImPACT (Immediate Post Concussion Assessment & Cognitive Test)
Click here to download a printable PDF
Instructions for Baseline Testing
All Thayer Academy students must take the computerized ImPACT baseline test every 2 years. The test can be completed on a home computer and takes about 30 minutes.
ImPACT is a simple cognitive assessment tool that helps health care providers to:
- Assess for concussion after a student sustains a head injury.
- Guide a student-athlete’s safe return to play.
Before beginning the ImPACT test, the student should:
- Be supervised by a parent/guardian when taking the test.
- Have access to a computer with an external mouse. (A laptop can be used as long as also using an external mouse. TouchPad and TrackPoint will not work for this test.)
- Close out of all applications except the ImPACT site within your Internet browser.
- Turn off the pop-up blocker in your Internet browser. (The test will not launch if the pop-up blocker is on. Be sure to turn the pop-up blocker back on when you are finished.)
- Ensure that the testing environment is free of noise and other distractions. You will need to concentrate and exercise your memory.
- No talking. No cell phones. No sound on the computer.
Steps to begin the test:
- Go to the ImPACT Online Test site by clicking https://www.impacttestonline.com/htmllauncher/
- Enter the Customer Code: E44CVM3UES.
- Click “Launch Test”.
- Choose your preferred language to take the test. (English is the default).
- Answer the questions about “demographic information” and “current symptoms and conditions”. Note: # of years completed in school = your year in September minus 1. (e.g. If you're entering 9th grade in September, the number of years completed = 8).
- Proceed with the test.
- At the end, when prompted, be sure to include your email address and athletictrainer@thayer.org to be sent a confirmation that includes an identifying “Passport ID”.
- Please make sure Thayer Academy is identified in the screen as shown below.
Once the test is completed:
A parent/guardian must log in to Magnus Health and enters the date of the completed test.
If you have questions about taking the baseline ImPACT test, please contact the Athletic Trainers (athletictrainer@thayer.org).
Health & Safety Essentials
For non-urgent health issues, students are encouraged to visit the Health Services Office during free periods, morning break, lunch, or in between classes. However, if a student requests to see the nurse during class time, the teacher provides a pass. (There will be some students who need to be accompanied to the nurse).
- Depending on the nature of illness, the student will be treated, will rest, or will RTC (return to class) with a “Nurse Pass” indicating the time of arrival to and departure from the Health Office. If necessary, parents will be contacted for possible dismissal home.
- If the visit extends into the next class period, the nurse will contact the teacher of the initial class by phone or email.
A “Critical Alert” list will be distributed to faculty and staff per Division identifying students with diabetes, life-threatening allergies, seizures etc.
Additional individual student health concerns will be communicated to the team of teachers as needed.
For all Field Trips, including off-campus trips with faculty in the evening, please notify the nurse in advance so copies of student medical consents can be provided along with a first-aid kit. Please alphabetize the student lists and indicate grades.