3.4.1 Elementary Student Services Suite

Planning Rationale

The Student Services Suite is comprised of a Nurse’s Suite/Care Room, Counseling Offices, and support spaces for Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS). These zones share resources and facilitate privacy for students seeking assistance.

Design Considerations

Location

The Student Services Suite shall be planned for the first floor of the building, in close proximity to the Administrative Center. Additionally, close proximity to the Gymnasium is beneficial in the event that athletic injuries can be reviewed by the nurse.

The Student Services Suite includes two entrances directly off of the corridor; a main entrance to the Nurse’s Suite and Counseling Office and a second entrance directly into the Care Room. The provision of this common/main entrance into the Suite is required to remove any associated stigma for students accessing a specific service within the Suite. The entry into the Care Room facilitates the separation of sick students from well students.

One shared waiting area shall be provided for both students meeting with a counselor or for those visiting the nurse. Students utilizing the STLS services shall access the Student Services Suite main entry directly.

Layout

Reception/Waiting Area is the reception for all student services and shall be located at the entry to the Student Services Suite. This provides the Nurse’s Assistant and Counselor’s Assistant with a visible connection to supervise students in the Waiting Area and the Care Room. Planning strategies shall be developed to separate healthy students from sick to prevent cross contamination.

The Nurse’s Suite consists of a shared waiting area, Care Room, Exam/Triage Room, Nurse’s Office, Nurse’s Storage, Soiled Utility, All Gender Toilet Room/Shower, and Laundry. This area is adjacent to the Counseling Services and STLS amenity area of the suite. The nurse works with cluster programs, general education students, sick students, and students who receive daily services.

• Sharps Disposal: Wall mounted, tamper resistant sharps disposal containers to be provided in the Exam/ Triage and Care Room. Provide wall mounted tamper resistant sharps disposal containers in Personal Care Stalls within the Multi Stall Toilet Rooms and All Gender Toilet Rooms to service the independent students. Quantity of locations to be determined by Principal and School Nurse dependent on the needs of the student population.

The Counseling Services Suite consists of a shared waiting area, private offices, meeting rooms, and support space. This area is adjacent to the Nurse’s Suite and STLS amenity area of the suite. The private counseling offices and meeting rooms are accessible from this Waiting Area and shall be arranged for privacy.

The Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS): This space provides amenities to students and their families that include: All Gender Toilet/Shower Room, Laundry facility (shared with Nurse), Pantry, and Storage for student’s personal items.

Wellness Room is located within the Student Services Suite, however, is accessed from the corridor.

The following spaces shall be accommodated within the Student Services Suite:

• Waiting Area: Provide space for a minimum of 4 students. Provide a coat closet.
• Reception: Provide seating and work space for two full time assistants. Workstation area shall be two distinct spaces for privacy. Provision for sound separation is required to allow compliance with the HIPPA Privacy Rule.
• Care Room: Provide a separate room for a minimum of 4 students. This room shall have a direct connection to the corridor and the Waiting/Reception Area and be separated from the other areas of the Suite. The space shall have vision glass to the Reception Area so the Assistants can monitor the students. A hand sink shall be provided. This space is designated for sick students who need isolation from others.
• Exam/Triage Room: Provide minimum of one Exam/Triage Room. The room shall have a sink and full height sound attenuated walls that extend to the underside of the structure for acoustical and visual privacy. The nurse shall have direct access to the Exam/Triage Room.
• Nurse’s Office: The office shall be fully enclosed with full height sound attenuated walls that extend to the underside of the structure for acoustical and visual privacy. This office shall provide secure storage of student files. The office shall be located directly adjacent to the Exam/Triage Room, Care Room, and the Nurse’s Storage Room.
• Toilet/Shower Room: Provide minimum of (1) at Nurse’s Suite located adjacent to the Exam Room/Triage Room. Toilet/Shower Room to be a fully accessible, single occupancy room with shower.
• Laundry Room: Locate in close proximity to the Exam/Triage Room. This Laundry Room is also shared with STLS amenity space.
• Storage Room (Nurse’s): This area shall provide secure storage for medication and supplies. A compact free-standing refrigerator and a hand sink shall be provided.
• Soiled Utility Room: This area shall provide storage/holding area for sharps disposal and medical waste. A second door to the Corridor to provided for ease of disposal. Provide a hand sink.
• Counseling Office: Offices shall be fully enclosed with full height sound attenuated walls that extend to the underside of the structure for acoustical and visual privacy and shall have access to natural daylight. These offices may include but are not limited to Counseling, Speech Therapy, Social Worker, STLS Counseling Office, and a Hoteling Office. The number of Counseling Offices to be determined on a school by school basis.
• Large Meeting Room: For use by the Nurse and Counselors for educational purposes and internal meetings.
• Small Meeting Room: For use by the STLS Counselor, Nurse and Counselors for educational purposes, internal meetings or as an overflow Counselor Office/Hoteling Office.
• Workroom/Storage: Supports office functions, providing a location for a copier/printer, collating space, office supply storage/printed materials.
• Storage (STLS): Provide a secure room with lockers for storage of student’s personal items/laundry.
• Pantry (STLS): Provide a Pantry for use by STLS students and the Student Services Suite.
• Toilet/Shower Room (STLS): Provide minimum of (1) within STLS amenities spaces. Toilet/Shower Room to be a fully accessible, single occupancy room with shower.
• Wellness Room: A designated space that is comfortable, private, and accessible. This space is designed for nursing individuals.

Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) Services

The purpose of the STLS portion of the suite is to provide qualifying students a place of privacy and dignity with access to the following amenities: laundry and shower facilities, personal storage/lockers and pantry/dining/ meeting for students and their families.

These rooms shall be located in a manner that provides students with access to the amenities designed for their use free of creating potential social stigmas. The STLS amenity area is best located in a manner that provides access to shared and complimentary facilities in the Student Services suite and enables supervision of the STLS spaces by nursing and counseling faculty.

The STLS portion of the student services suite will accommodate students that are homeless or a student in a temporary living situation. This includes, but is not limited to, students who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, students who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason.