State Law (MS 121A.15) requires all students in public schools to be fully immunized or have a notarized statement exempting them from immunizations while enrolled in school. All students new to Shakopee Public Schools must bring their immunization record or exemption record to school upon enrollment. Vaccinations given on time throughout childhood are essential to help provide immunity to children before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Immunization records can be uploaded into Infinite Campus during the enrollment or annual update process, submitted directly from the child's healthcare provider, or emailed/faxed directly to the local school nurse.

Immunization Form 

Elementary Vaccine Resources

Secondary (Grades 6-12) Vaccine Resources

Whenever possible, the parent or guardian should make arrangements so that school personnel doesn't need to administer medication to a student. However, there are cases when a student's health could be compromised by not getting medication during school hours. When sending any prescription or non-prescription medication to school each year, parents/guardians must provide the Medication Authorization form to the school before medication can be administered. The medication authorization must contain the healthcare provider’s signature if prescription medication is to be administered at school.   

Any Over-the-Counter medication (such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen) that does not exceed the recommended dose will not require a doctor’s signature.  Medications cannot be expired and must be FDA-approved for school personnel to administer.

For students at the secondary level, permission can be granted to self-carry medication that is needed for life-threatening health conditions such as asthma or severe allergies. A Self-Carry Contract must be on file in the health office.  

Medication Authorization Form

Self-Carry Contract

For students with chronic health conditions (asthma, allergies, epilepsy/seizures, diabetes), school nurses and other health care providers play a large role in the daily management of their conditions. School health services staff are responsible for coordinating care by communicating with the student’s family and health care providers so they can stay healthy and ready to learn.

Parents and guardians are a critical part of creating a safe plan for students who have chronic health conditions.  Parents/guardians are responsible for providing the school with any orders or treatments that have been prescribed by the student’s health care provider before school begins each fall.  Student’s health information will be shared with appropriate school personnel, keeping confidentiality in mind.  Templates are available that provide school personnel with easy-to-follow action steps should an emergency arise while the student is in school.  Many health clinics and specialists use their own templates that are also acceptable for school use as long as it contains the prescriber’s signature. 

Health Forms for Chronic Medical Conditions

District students are screened by the school nurse for vision or hearing concerns according to the Minnesota Department of Health recommendations. In addition, Children's Dental Services screens students for emerging dental concerns. Parents/guardians and teachers may also request that a student be screened if any concerns about the ability to hear or see adequately are identified. 

If you do not want your student screened, the parent/guardian may “opt-out” by contacting the school nurse.  

Hearing, vision and dental screenings are completed for 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th and 7^th grade students.  In addition, boys in kindergarten are screened for color blindness.  

If concerns are identified, a letter will be sent home that provides information that can be shared with the student’s doctor.   

Click here for more information or to schedule an early childhood screening appointment at Pearson Early Learning Center.

What: Trained professionals carefully evaluate a child’s language, motor, and problem-solving skills as well as social/emotional development & health history. Vision & hearing are also checked by a licensed, on-site school nurse. Referrals to community resources are provided as needed.

When: Various appointment times are available throughout the year and last approximately 45-60 mins. Screening is highly encouraged between the ages of 3 and 4, and mandatory before a child can start kindergarten.  Testing materials are based on the specific age of the child, so a 3-year-old has different testing requirements than a 4-year-old.

Schedule an Early Childhood Screening

Pearson Early Learning Center
Vanessa Breimhorst

Eagle Creek Elementary
Abby Litfin & Tayla Hasch

Jackson Elementary
Emily Gilliland & Nicole Fleming

Red Oak Elementary
Sheri Anderson & Tayla Hasch

Sun Path Elementary
Amy Johnson & Vickie Van Heuvelen

Sweeney Elementary
Samantha Sweeney & Vickie Van Heuvelen

East Middle School
Wanda VanKeulen & Missy Johnson

West Middle School
Marena Larson & Missy Johnson

Shakopee High School
Courtney Baird & Theresa Poppler

Tokata Learning Center
Tracy Courneya

An elevation of body temperature over 100^o F and accompanied by behavior changes, stiff neck, difficulty breathing, rash, sore throat and/or other signs or symptoms of illness; or is unable to participate in routine activities. Measure temperature before giving medication to reduce fever. Ear and forehead temperatures are not recommended because of inconsistent and inaccurate results. Each manufacturer may have different temperature ranges, which makes setting standards difficult. 

The student should stay home for 24 hours after the last episode of diarrhea or vomiting. 

Shakopee Public Schools follows general exclusion guidelines which states that students and staff that have symptoms of illness such as fever over 100F, persistent cough, shortness of breath, are unusually tired, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours (without medication), or 24 hours after the last bout of vomiting/diarrhea, and other symptoms are improving and they feel well enough to be in school. 

There may be cases of COVID that are asymptomatic (no symptoms) and therefore, Shakopee Public Schools continues to encourage handwashing, regular cleaning of classrooms, etc. 

When there are multiple known positive cases of COVID in an elementary classroom, the health services team may notify families of possible exposure. Additionally, Shakopee Public Schools regularly monitors absence rates and is required to report outbreaks (e.g. influenze, COVID) if they occur.   

If the student has a rash that may be disease related or if the cause is unknown they should stay home.  Rashes that are accompanied by a fever or behavior changes should be evaluated by a healthcare professional before returning to school. 

No exclusion, unless the child has a fever or is not healthy enough to participate in routine activities. Antibiotics or a note from a health care provider are not required.

If a student is unable to participate in routine activities or needs more care than can be provided by the school staff, they are unusually tired, have uncontrolled coughing, unexplained irritability, persistent crying, difficulty breathing, wheezing or other unusual signs for the student.