School's about to start. Is your student physically ready?

Mecklenburg County Public Health school health Director Tiffany Brown.

The start of another academic year is around the corner. 

As families prepare their students for a new grade or the transition to a different school, health is part of the equation. The Post interviewed Tiffany Brown, school health director at Mecklenburg County Public Health, for the In Other Words podcast on what families should know in the runup to the opening of the new year. Responses are edited for brevity and clarity, and the podcast in its entirety can be found at thecharlottepost.com, The Post’s YouTube channel as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud.

CP: What should parents be thinking about in terms of getting their student prepared for the start of the school year in two three weeks, depending on what school you go to?

TB: Summer has flown by, and so it is that time of year to begin preparing for the upcoming school year. I’m sure all the students are out of their routines, and so it’s time to start getting them back into their routine. Start going to bed at an earlier time; no more staying up until midnight and 1 o'clock on the gaming systems and the tablets and start to get those bedtimes back (to) a decent time. 

Also, limiting the screen time is another big thing. For me as a public health nurse, I think one of the big things is making sure that your students are vaccinated and ready to begin the school year with all the required vaccines … and if they are requiring the health assessment for all students who are entering public school for the first time, they have to have a health assessment, make sure that you also have that as well. 

CP: What is the thing that you can count on parents wanting to know at this time of the year as the school year is right around the corner?

TB: This is my 18th year in school health, so I I’ve seen a lot of school years and so this time of year, parents want to know first who’s going to be my student’s teacher, and I think that’s usually a big one. What is their schedule going to be? What is the year going to look like? What is the rigor of this new grade level going to be as far as end-of-grade testing? Are they switching classes? How is my child going to handle this new grade level – the transition from first grade to second grade or from middle school to high school can be difficult, and so for a lot of parents and for students, it can bring some anxiety. 

Really, making sure that students and parents are having these open conversations with schools, that you’re active in your school community, that you’re meeting with the teachers that you know your administrators at the school. If your child has a health condition that you’re meeting with your school nurse at the start of the school year so that you feel confident and comfortable that your child is going to be safe during those six or seven hours that they are at that school.

CP: Everybody is more aware, more sensitive now to mental health, as opposed to the physical part. What goes into trying to put families and students in the best possible position to succeed?

TB: I’ve seen discussion surrounding mental health has really changed over the 18 years that I have been in school health. It's not as taboo anymore. We’re having open and honest discussions about it, so I’m really grateful as a health care provider that we feel more comfortable, especially in our community with having those discussions. … You can’t heal something if you don’t discuss it, if you if you don't talk about it, so I’m glad that we are having those discussions, but I do see that more of our students are suffering from anxiety, from depression. 

There’s social pressure. We have social media. We have imposter syndrome. We have children wanting to fit in with what they see on television and what they see online and I think also the rigor of academia has increased over the years, wanting to get into that perfect school and wanting to be on the varsity team and get that scholarship. When you have when all of those pressures compound, it can lead to anxiety, so it’s really important that families recognize those early signs and speak to their children, have open conversations about how they're feeling.

CP: In terms of vaccinations, is there a difference in terms of the requirements for public school students as opposed to kids who go to private schools?

TB: The law … is very clear, and it states that all students who enroll in a school in North Carolina, regardless of if that school is a public school or private school, charter or religious institution, they are required to receive the mandated vaccines and present a certificate of immunization to the school within 30 days of enrollment. So regardless of public or private, a student is required to present the certificate of vaccination. 

There are two ways to exempt, and parents or guardians can speak with their schools or school nurses about if they meet the qualifications for an exemption for vaccination. But the expectation is that students do receive the vaccinations within 30 days of enrollment. 

When we think about [vaccine] hesitancy, a lot of times we see speak about what has gone wrong, but there’s so many things that have gone right with vaccinations. Look at what’s going on right now with measles. Measles was pretty much eradicated because of the vaccine, and now we’re starting to see cases of measles, which is a very highly contagious disease we’re seeing all over the country those cases start to return. It really does highlight more so the importance of vaccination, more so than not becoming vaccinated.

CP: In terms of another favorite school activity, extracurricular activities … talk a little bit about physicals and where things are in advice in terms of where to go.

TB: To participate in sports in the public school system, and I can only speak for the public school system, you are required to have a what they call a sports physical and it’s really important because we want to ensure that children are healthy and ready for physical activity, and it helps to make ensure that they're able to enjoy the benefits of sports. 

Sports have has plenty of benefits, such as fitness, teamwork and discipline, but we want to make sure that students are healthy and prepared for that and minimize their risk for injury, so during those visits, the provider can detect underlying medical issues such as heart conditions, asthma, high blood pressure, but also manage chronic conditions that the family and the provider already know of, and adjust medications accordingly during those visits. They also can provide health education about nutrition, hydration, sleep, hygiene and safe sports participation, so the sports physical is extremely important.

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