Student Health Services

Our school's medical director, Dr. Demetra Eleftheriou, comes to the health center three days a week to see students and is always on call as back-up as needed. Our health center staff consists of an experienced team of registered nurses as well as our administrative assistant. We provide 24/7 medical coverage by a registered nurse in the office or on-call while school is in session.

Avon Old Farms School partners with Dr. Dan Martin, Ph.D., a licensed and board-certified clinical psychologist. He provides brief psychotherapy and other interventions directly to students utilizing motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral strategies. In addition to having expertise in general psychological practice, Dr. Martin specializes in substance use assessment and treatment. Dr. Martin’s services are included in a student’s tuition and fees.

Learn more about our counseling services

The School also has a relationship with a local psychiatrist who provides medication consultation and management on campus as needed. The cost of these services is the responsibility of the student’s family.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Martin this summer with any questions or for consultation and possible referral. He can be reached at: martind@avonoldfarms.com. Dr. Martin will not start seeing any new students/patients for counseling or psychotherapy until they arrive on campus.

Health Center Document Requirements 

We utilize the Magnus Health Student Medical Record System. You should now be getting reminders to complete your son’s medical information and to sign new policies/consents for this school year. Here are a few important things to note about Magnus: 

JUNE 30 DEADLINE: PLEASE BE SURE TO COMPLETE ALL MEDICAL FORMS AND CONSENTS PRIOR TO JUNE 30 IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT YOUR SON IS ABLE TO MOVE IN AND PARTICIPATE IN ALL SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AS SOON AS HE IS ON CAMPUS THIS FALL.

• Current Physical Exam: We require our students to have a complete physical exam every year. Please make sure that your son’s physical is completed within 12 months of the start of school. Whenever he has a new physical exam done, you can just upload the new one to Magnus for it to be reviewed and approved by one of our nurses.
  
  
  • If your son is not due for a physical until later in the summer, please upload his most current physical exam now and upload the new one once it has been completed.
     
• Emergency Contact Designation Form: This form is very important and must be filled out by every student, both day and boarding. This form requires all parents/guardians to designate an emergency contact for their son who lives within 300 miles (five hours) driving distance from the school. The emergency contact listed agrees to pick up and assume care of the student when the parents/guardians are unavailable to do so. The student must be picked up from school within eight hours of notification. Some of the reasons a student may need to be picked up are, but not limited to: student isolation requirements due to a communicable disease such as influenza or COVID-19; mandated quarantine; school shut down/vacations; medical or mental health issues requiring close supervision or hospitalization; or a disciplinary issue. If you do not have anyone as an emergency contact, click here to view a list of emergency contact service companies that have been vetted and interviewed by the school administration and that we have previously worked with.
   
• PPD Skin Test (All International & High Risk Students): All International students (new and returning) and any other high risk students are required to submit a form with results from a current summer 2022 PPD skin test or a quantiferon gold (T-spot) blood test. If the tuberculin skin test (PPD) is positive, a quantiferon gold (or T-spot) blood test will also be required. A chest x-ray is not an acceptable form of documentation for this requirement.
   
• Vaccine Requirements: Avon Old Farms follows the CT State vaccine requirements and associated laws regarding exemptions. Students are required to have submitted documentation of all required vaccines prior to coming to campus. A complete list of required vaccines can be found on the Magnus Health Portal in the immunization requirement section. Students can obtain vaccines from their pediatrician's office or local health clinic. Make sure to call ahead to any clinic in order to confirm that they offer the vaccine(s) that your son needs.

  At this time, COVID-19 vaccines are not required. However, this is subject to change at any time based on federal, state and/or local guidance.

• Flu Vaccine: Although the flu vaccine is not mandatory at Avon Old Farms School, it is highly recommended. If you electronically sign the Parental Permission for Flu Vaccine form in Magnus, we will administer the flu vaccine to your son free of charge. We are scheduled to have flu vaccines available in early fall.
   
• Proof of Health Insurance: All students must provide proof of health insurance coverage under a United States-based health plan that provides adequate coverage in the state of Connecticut. If necessary treatment, medication, or testing is not covered by the health insurance plan on file in Magnus, the parents/guardians are responsible for those charges.

Submitting Forms to Magnus: 

All Magnus forms and documents must be uploaded by a parent/guardian through the parent portal. No hard copies will be accepted, and our health center staff cannot upload forms for you. For ease of uploading documents and completing/editing your son’s Magnus account, check out the Magnus PHR (Personal Health Record) Mobile App. This app allows parents to simply take a photo of health forms with any smartphone and upload them directly to Magnus. Parents can complete all requirements and fill in student health data right from their phones as well. If you have a question about the Magnus Health Portal, please call the Magnus Parent Help Line at 877-461-6831.

Prescription Medication: 

School policy prohibits the use/storage of prescribed medication in a student’s dorm room, with the exception of: antibiotics, melatonin, blood glucose monitoring supplies, acne medication, asthma inhalers, topical ointments, nasal sprays, antivirals, and epipens. All other prescribed medication (such as medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mood disorders and narcotics) must be stored in the Health Center and distributed by Health Center staff consistent with a doctor’s order. Any student who has a prescription medication that will be stored and dispensed in the Health Center must fill out the Prescription Medication Authorizations form in Magnus. If a student is found with any medication in their possession that was not approved by the Health Center, the dean of students will be notified and disciplinary proceedings may ensue per Code of Conduct. Please refer to the Student Handbook and the Prescription Medication Policy for additional details.

Sexual Health

Sex education is part of the curriculum at Avon Old Farms: students are taught by professionals as part of a developmentally appropriate curriculum for each grade.

Healthy Athletes: Concussion Protocol

We have a remarkable athletic program at Avon Old Farms and strategically seek to keep our athletes healthy; therefore, we collaborate closely with Dr. Alessi-LaRosa, a concussion specialist and sports neurologist, to help us diagnose and treat students with concussions. For more information on our concussion policy and procedures, click the button below.

Concussion Care