Health and Welfare

Our first priority is maintaining a safe and healthy place for our children to grow, learn, and thrive. below are some tips directly from the Hawai’i Department of health and the CDC to help keep us all well:

• Get vaccinated against the flu. With current seasonal influenza activity, it is likely there will be confusion as persons with influenza will exhibit similar signs and symptoms such as fever and cough. We strongly recommend residents ages 6 months and older protect themselves against flu by receiving the seasonal influenza vaccination
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, before eating, and after going to the bathroom
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
• Stay home when sick
• Wear a mask

Honolulu Waldorf School policy states the following:

All children enrolled in the Early Childhood Program are required by the State of Hawai’i to have a certificate of Tuberculosis (TB) examination, which must be completed within one year before first entrance into school in Hawai’i. The TB clearance must be submitted to the school before the child is allowed to attend school.

Each child is required to have a physical examination prior to their entrance into school, and yearly thereafter. The physical and immunization record as well as T.B. screening results must be recorded on the Form 14 provided by your physician. A copy of this record shall be turned in to the school and remains in the school file at all times. An updated Form 14 should be turned into the office each time your child receives additional vaccines or has new health information. Parents have the option to request an exemption to the immunizations. The exemption forms are available from the school office. The school will accept out-of-state records that meet the State of Hawai’i requirements for the physical examination, tuberculosis examination, and immunizations

All recommendations regarding special care should be noted by your child’s physician. Dietary restrictions should be noted by your physician including exclusion of dairy from the diet or nut allergies.

If your child has a fever or contagious illness or disease, he or she should not be sent to school; sick children are not permitted in school.

We shall assume that a child is ill if:

• He or she has an elevated of temperature of 100°or more
• He or she has vomiting or diarrhea, with or without fever
• He or she cries or complains of pain (earache, headache, toothache, stomachache, etc.), with or without fever

Upon returning to school, a child with a contagious illness or disease must have a doctor’s note certifying that he or she is able to return and is no longer contagious. A child with a fever or diarrhea must be free of symptoms for 48 hours; without the use of fever reducers prior to returning to school. For COVID-19 related illnesses or symptoms, please contact the school office or reference the COVID-19 Safety and Response Plan for how to return to campus.

Please note that there is no nurse or medic on campus. Teachers cannot administer any medications nor supervise a sick child. However, all teachers are trained in emergency first aid. Each classroom has a first aid kit available for use in the case of injury.

General Health and Welfare Info

Beginning fall 2020, additional immunizations will be required for all students entering childcare or preschool, kindergarten, seventh grade, and post-secondary school, and for students entering school in Hawaiʻi for the first time. Please visit Hawai‘i State Department of Health for updated information.

The following fact sheets are provided to us by the Hawai‘i Department of Health. These are a sampling of common communicable diseases that sometimes find their way into schools. For a complete list, please visit HDOH’s Disease Outbreak Control Division page.

• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Giardiasis
• Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
• Head Lice (“ukus”)
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Influenza (Flu)
• Legionellosis (Legionnaires’ disease, Pontiac fever)
• Listeriosis
• Measles
• Mumps
• Norovirus
• Pertussis
• Pinworm Disease (enterobiasis)
• Ringworm (athlete’s foot, tinea, dermatomycosis, dermatophytosis)
• Roseola (exanthem subitem, human herpesvirus 6)
• Salmonellosis
• Scabies
• Strep Throat/Scarlet Fever
• Viral Meningitis (aseptic meningitis, non-bacterial meningitis)

Anthroposophic Medicine Statement on Vaccination

Released 15/04/2019 Press Releases, Policy Makers
By the Medical Section of the Goetheanum and the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations (IVAA)

Vaccines, together with health education, hygiene and adequate nutrition, are essential tools for preventing infectious diseases. Vaccines have saved countless lives over the last century; for example, they allowed the eradication of small pox and are currently allowing the world to approach the elimination of polio.

Anthroposophic Medicine fully appreciates the contribution of vaccines to global health and firmly supports vaccination as an important measure to prevent life threatening diseases. Anthroposophic Medicine is not anti-vaccine and does not support anti-vaccine movements.

Physicians with training in Anthroposophic Medicine are expected to act in accordance with national legislation and to carefully advise patients (or their caregivers) to help them understand the relevant scientific information and national vaccination recommendations. In countries where vaccination is not mandatory and informed consent is needed, this may include coming to agreement with the patient (or the caregivers) about an individualized vaccination schedule, for example by adapting the timing of vaccination during infancy.

Taking into account ongoing research, local infectious disease patterns and socioeconomic risk factors, individual anthroposophic physicians are at times involved in the scientific discussion about specific vaccines and appropriate vaccine schedules. Anthroposophic Medicine is pro-science and continued scientific debate is more important than ever in today’s polarized vaccine environment.

For further information, please contact:
Elisa Baldini, elisa.baldini@ivaa.info

To download the statement, click here.

About the Medical Section of the Goetheanum
The Medical Section of the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, is the international center for Anthroposophic Medicine. It promotes the further development of Anthroposophic Medicine through conferences and international postgraduate medical trainings and plays a coordination role for research and trainings in Anthroposophic Medicine. https://medsektion-goetheanum.org/en

About IVAA
IVAA, the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations, promotes the recognition of Anthroposophic Medicine and its implementation in health care systems. IVAA’s aim is that the benefits of Anthroposophic Medicine are widely recognized, and that patients and practitioners have ready access to complementary anthroposophic medicines and treatments. www.ivaa.info