Health & Safety
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Emergency Procedures
Health and safety are a priority for every school. As a school, it is our duty to have procedures in place to ensure the health and safety of our school community. We know that we cannot account for every possible crisis scenario that may occur, but we do have an extensive procedures manual that covers a very wide range of possible scenarios. A number of our emergency preparedness procedures are tested with the staff and student body on a regular basis in order to ensure the staff are familiar with the procedures and how to implement them. The IICS Emergency Procedures Handbook is reviewed and revised continually so that it remains current with school policy and local Turkish laws and regulations.
The key to producing a positive outcome during any crisis or extraordinary event lies in our preparation and prevention. Communication with our school community is vital, and when a safety concern arises, the school will make every effort to ensure the community is aware of the issue at hand.
Snow Days & Closures
The weather in Istanbul can be quite changeable, with temperatures sometimes rising or falling by as much as 15 – 20 degrees in a day. In addition, various micro-climates around the city mean that it may be rainy at Hisar, but cloudless and sunny at Marmara. For that reason, if the weather conditions are sufficiently adverse at either campus or within the city where our buses travel to collect and drop off students, school will be closed at both campuses until road conditions are deemed safe. We act as one school, so any school closing will necessarily be a closing of both campuses. We thank you for keeping in mind that student and staff safety is our utmost priority.
Days that the school is closed for snow are not considered as days off from school. During snow days, teachers post assignments online for students to complete.
Notification of school closures for snow or other reasons is provided via class via SMS messaging to parents’ mobile phones with a “phone tree” as a back-up measure.
Earthquake Preparedness
The school holds regular safety drills, coordinated by our Emergency Response Teams, at both campuses. We conduct different types of drills. Some are “duck, cover and hold” immediate response drills, while others are extended evacuations during which the faculty and staff are placed in different support teams, including first aid, search and rescue, emotional support and student release teams.
We regularly review these safety procedures with experts in seismic preparedness as part of the process of updating the IICS Emergency Procedures Handbook. The faculty is briefed on earthquake safety at the beginning of each year. The faculty and support staff also receive regular basic first aid training. Faculty who are on first aid support teams receive more detailed training.
Health at School
Visiting the Nurse
If a child becomes ill at school, she/he will be taken to the school nurse (at Marmara) or to the office (at Hisar) and the parents will be notified and asked to collect their child. Please be sure that the school has a number where you can be reached in case of emergency. If your contacts have recently changed, please notify the Director of Admissions.
Please note that no medication can be administered by class teachers. Written consent from the parent is required for the School Nurse, First Aid Assistant, the Principal, or the Vice Principal to dispense medicine.
Should a child have an accident at school, the school nurse or teachers will administer first aid. If the staff in charge believe the child should be seen by a doctor, the school ambulance service will be called.
Please ensure that the school is immediately notified of changes in telephone numbers. Please make sure that the school has your mobile telephone number and secondary emergency contact details for a responsible adult that you nominate to act on your behalf should we be unable to reach you.
Incident Reporting
If a student has a health-related issue of injury to be reported, forms are filled out, shared with parents and a copies kept on file.
Medication Policy
If a medication needs to be administered at school a signed letter must be submitted, , to the school clinic student needs to take a medication(s) during school hours, or whilst on a school excursion, the following details should be provided by a parent or guardian in writing and signed.
1) The medication should be in a labeled container stating the name of the medication and dose.
2) State the name of the student who should take the medication, the prescribed dose, time(s) and means of administration of the medication.
4) State any known precautions or contraindications relating to the drug.
School Clinic
The Clinic provides professional nursing services to the School Community. The nurse also provides advice and recommendations to the Headmaster, faculty and parents regarding the health and safety of the students.
Allergies and School
Prior to enrolling at IICS, all students must fill out a Medical Form as part of the application process. This will inform the Clinic Staff if there are allergies that need to be taken into consideration. The Clinic Staff keeps a record of which students have allergies, what medications are needed for those allergies, and emergency contact numbers for every child. If a student develops an allergy or is diagnosed with an allergy after their initial enrolment at IICS, please be sure to contact the Clinic Staff so that the student’s medical records can be updated and all the relevant people notified about the student’s allergies.
How sick is too sick for school?
The well-being of our students and our community are paramount to us. Therefore, we take measures to prevent outbreaks and maintain good health at school and in our community. To achieve this mission, we need your help. Following the suggestions below will help us keep your child and our community healthy:
Fever: If there is a temperature higher than 37.5 C (99.5 F), the child should stay at home, to be monitored by a parent or caregiver, especially if it is the first day of the illness. If it is the third day or later, and the child has been acting normal during the day, but has a 37.5C (99.5F) or lower fever in the evening, the child can probably go to school.
Cough, runny nose: This depends on how severe the cough and the runny nose are. Coughs and runny noses can spread infection to other students. As a general rule, if your child has a severe cough and runny nose, particularly if it’s accompanied by breathing troubles, call your doctor and keep the child home. But if it’s a mild cough and the child has no other symptoms (especially fever), he/she can probably go to school.
Sore throat: A minor sore throat is not a problem but trouble swallowing or severe pain could be a sign of strep infection, even without a fever. In case of strep throat, provided there is no fever, the child may return to school 24 hours after starting an antibiotic.
Vomiting/diarrhea: Keep your child home until he/she has gone 24 hours without throwing up or having diarrhea.
Rashes: Skin rashes can be a sign of a contagious infection, such as impetigo. You should have a rash examined by a doctor before sending your child to school.
Pinkeye (conjunctivitis): This infection can quickly and easily spread from one child to another. Keep your child home until the doctor says he/she is no longer contagious.
The bottom line: Trust your instincts. If your child seems lethargic and just not himself (if he/she’s not interested in playing or has decreased appetite these are often big clues), keep the child home and monitor him/her for any signs of illness. Thank you very much for your co-operation in advance.
