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Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District

serving the communities of Ashburnham and Westminster Massachusetts

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School Health Services

 AWRSD Health Department 

Welcome to the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District School Health Services Department.  We are here to provide your student(s) with a safe and healthy environment in which they can thrive both physically and emotionally throughout their school age years.  Our door is always open, so please feel free to contact us at any time with questions or concerns.

Meet Our Team

Ally Law, BSN, RN  (Nursing Coordinator)

alaw@awrsd.org

Ally graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and began her career on the Medical-Surgical Unit at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2001, she returned to Massachusetts to start a family and took on the role of Director of Nursing at Wayside Youth & Family Support Network—a 72-bed residential facility, academy school, and partial hospitalization program providing intensive behavioral health services for youth. After 17 years at Wayside, Ally became one of the first employees at Recovery Centers of America in Westminster, MA, where she served as Director of Nursing for the inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. She joined AWRSD in 2020, just before the COVID pandemic, and now serves as the district’s Nursing Coordinator. Ally and her husband have three children—ages 21, 18, and 12—all of whom have attended schools in the district. She takes great pride in working directly within the community she calls home.

Jessica Heffernan, BSN, RN (Oakmont School Nurse)

jheffernan@awrsd.org

Phone:  978-827-5907

Fax:  978-827-5624

Address:  9 Oakmont Drive, Ashburnham, MA  01430

Jessica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Salem State University in 2003. She began her career at Lawrence General Hospital, where she spent 11 years as a dedicated Medical-Surgical Nurse. In 2014, she joined the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District, starting at Westminster Elementary School. In 2022, she transitioned to Oakmont, where she continues to support the health and well-being of students. A proud member of the local community, Jessica lives in Westminster with her husband, their three children—ages 20, 18, and 17—all of whom have attended schools in the district—and their two dogs, Doug and Sully.

Nancy Taylor, BSN, RN, NCSN  (Overlook School Nurse)

Phone:  978-827-1425

Fax:  978-827-4986

10 Oakmont Drive, Ashburnham, MA  01430

Nancy is an Oakmont high school alumni who earned her Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Fitchburg State College in 1987. She worked on a telemetry/ICU step-down unit at Leominster Hospital from 1987-2005. In 2005 she joined the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District where she worked as a permanent float until 2018 when she moved into the position at Overlook Middle School. She has 3 children ages 33, 26 and 25. She loves traveling, gardening, cooking, attending Metallica concerts and spending time with family and friends.

Cassandra Benes, BSN, RN (John R. Briggs School Nurse)

Phone:  978-827-5750

Fax: 978-827-5699

96 Williams Road, Ashburnham, MA  01430

Cassie served as a Medic in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2012, completing two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Following her honorable discharge, she continued her medical career by earning her Nursing Degree from Mount Wachusett Community College and Anna Maria College. Cassie went on to work as a Charge Nurse at Leominster Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (formerly Keystone Center) until 2019, when she became a Nurse Case Manager for hospice patients with VNA Care in Worcester County. She joined AWRSD in 2019 as a substitute nurse prior to the COVID pandemic and now serves as the School Nurse at John R. Briggs Elementary School. Cassie and her husband have three children in the district, ages 13, 8, and 4. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors and has a special love for animals—especially pigs and spiders.

Abby Shea, BSN, RN (Westminster Elementary School Nurse)

Phone:  978-874-2043

Fax:  978-874-0964

9 Academy Hill Road, Westminster MA  01473

Abby graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Worcester State College in 2003. She worked in hospitality management and customer service while pursuing an associates degree of nursing from Great Bay Community College. After completing her nursing degree, she was the nurse manager at a skilled nursing facility while working toward her bachelor’s in nursing from Southern New Hampshire University. Her experience in nursing has included medical/surgical, cardiac/telemetry, home health, and critical care arenas. She began substituting in the AWRSD school district in 2019. Abby very much enjoys working in the community in which she lives with her husband, their two children, ages 11 and 13, and their dog, Moxie.

Sarah Donahue, BSN, RN  (Meetinghouse School Nurse)

Phone:  978-874-0163

Fax:  978-874-0726

8 South Street, Westminster MA  01473

Sarah graduated from Fitchburg State University with a Bachelors in Nursing in May of 2017.  Her previous work included a nurse at Nashoba Valley Medical Center in both the acute care and pre-operative testing unit.  From there she worked as a Clinical Manager in Quality Assurance in Homecare, and as a Performance Improvement and a Nurse Educator Specialist in Hospice.  She came to AWRSD in 2024, and recently left on maternity leave to have her second child.  She will return in the Spring of 2026.

  • Nursing Coordinator
    Ally
  • Oakmont School Nurse
    Jess
  • Overlook School Nurse
    Nancy
  • J.R. Briggs School Nurse
    Cassie
  • Westminster Elementary School Nurse
    Abby

  • The AWRSD School Wellness Advisory Committee meets four times per year and includes representatives from a broad range of school health and wellness disciplines, including school nurses, nutrition and physical education staff, community agencies serving youth, parents, students, and members of the School Committee. The committee establishes goals and reviews district-wide policies to promote student wellness, with a focus on areas such as health education and services, school nutrition, the nutrition environment, physical education, and opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day and environment.

    The committee is meeting on the following dates:

    • Wednesday, October 1st, 2025
    • Wednesday, December 10th, 2025
    • Wednesday, March 4th, 2026
    • Wednesday, May 14th, 2026

    School Wellness Advisory Committee 2024-2025 Goal

    The AWRSD Nursing Department, in collaboration with school and Chartwell Services, used the WellSAT assessment tool to evaluate the district’s policies and procedures in order to align them with state and federal guidelines for research-based best practices. 

    • Wellness Scorecard
    • Wellness Assessment

    The School Wellness Advisory Committee spent the 2024-2025 school year to revise the District Wellness Procedures.

    AWRSD District Wellness Procedures

  • Criteria for Exclusion from School:
     Students should remain at home under the following circumstances:

    1. Inability to Participate: The student is unable to fully engage in school activities or classes for the duration of the school day due to illness.
    2. Fever: The student has had a fever exceeding 100°F (37.8°C) within the past 24 hours. Students may return to school only after being fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
    3. Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The student has experienced vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours.
    4. Strep Throat: The student has been diagnosed with strep throat and has not completed at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment.

    Contagious Conditions or Unknown Rashes: The student has a contagious illness or a rash of unknown origin.

  • Parents or guardians should contact the school nurse under the following circumstances:

    1. Emergency Contact Information: Any changes to the student’s emergency contact information.
    2. Changes in Health Status: Any change in the student’s health that requires medical accommodations at school.
    3. Serious Illness or Medical Events: A recent serious illness, injury, surgery, or hospitalization.
    4. Extended Medical Absence: The student has been absent for three or more consecutive days for medical reasons.
    5. Restrictions from Sports or Physical Activity: The student is unable to participate in sports or physical activity for any period of time due to medical reasons.
    6. Concussion: The student has been diagnosed with a concussion.
    7. Contagious Illness: The student has been diagnosed with a contagious disease, including but not limited to whooping cough, strep throat, pinkeye, or lice.
    8. Family or Personal Situations: Any family changes or other situations that may affect the student’s well-being or participation at school.

    These guidelines help ensure that the school can provide appropriate support and maintain a safe and healthy environment for all students.

  • Students are not permitted to use personal phones to contact parents or guardians for early dismissal. The school nurse’s office, staffed with a full-time nurse, is responsible for assessing any student who is feeling unwell. If a student requires dismissal for health reasons, the nurse will notify the parent or guardian directly to coordinate the student’s safe release from school.

  • Immunizations
     All students attending AWRSD must provide a Certificate of Immunization signed by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant.

    Students who are not immunized must submit one of the following on an annual basis:

    • Medical Exemption: A statement from the student’s healthcare provider specifying the medical contraindication to the vaccine.
    • Religious Exemption: A written statement from the parent or guardian indicating that the required vaccination conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs.
       

    For detailed requirements, please refer to the Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements, 2025–2026.

    Note: AWRSD school nurses are required to report annual school vaccination rates to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

    Physical Examinations
     AWRSD follows the Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines regarding required physical examinations. The following students must provide a physical examination by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant:

    • Students entering the district, completed within one year prior to or 30 days after entry.
    • Students transferring from another school.
    • Students entering grades K, 4, 7, and 10.
    • Students under 16 and over 14 years of age requesting employment certificates.
    • Students participating in competitive athletics, prior to participation and annually thereafter.

    All required documentation must be submitted to the school nurse to ensure compliance with state regulations and to support the health and safety of all students.

Files and Downloads

AWRSD Wellness Policy

The Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District promotes healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition, regular physical activity, and positive dietary and lifestyle practices as part of the total learning environment. Our schools contribute to the basic health status of students and staff by facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. This is done according to the recommendations by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Public Health in accordance with Section 204 of Public Law 108-265; June 2004 and the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act.

 

ADF Wellness Policy