September 2016

Dear Colleagues,

I know you are busy trying to get all the required information and assessments completed in order to provide for adequate school health services.  The phone calls to us and your Regional Consultants have confirmed that it has been another interesting start to the school year….the increasing complexity of both physical and mental health issues that our students come to school with every day has created many challenges for school health services!

Recent legislation in Massachusetts requires that parents, guardians, and other adults in a middle and high school extracurricular athlete’s life such as school nurses, Athletic Directors, coaches and athletic trainers, receive educational materials on the dangers of opioid use and misuse. I sent this previously, but wanted to repeat that educational information, in written form, must be distributed to student athletes prior to the beginning of their extracurricular athletic seasons. The materials can be downloaded from the MassTAPP website:  http://masstapp.edc.org/rx-student-athlete

Resources: 
Letter to superintendents in regards to the growing opioid use amongst student athletes
Opioid Misuse Prevention Amongst Student Athletes

Thank you for all you do every day for the health and safety of our students!
Mary Ann, Janet, Karen and Carol