When to Keep Your Child Home from School
It is sometimes difficult to decide when and how long to keep an ill child home from school. The timing of the absence is often important to decrease the spread of disease to others and to prevent your child from acquiring any other illness while his/her resistance is lowered. To maintain the health and safety of everyone in our school district, please review these guidelines for determining when your child should be kept home from school. The following guidelines represent the more common childhood illnesses and the usual recommendations of the School Nursing Services.
Please keep children home if they have the following;
• Nasal secretions (yellow or green in color)
• Persistent cough
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Rashes
• Conjunctivitis (red or runny eyes)
CHICKEN POX: Your child should remain home until all blisters have scabbed over, usually 5-7 days after the appearance of the first crop of blisters.
COMMON COLD: Your child should remain home if symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your child's ability to learn.
FEVER: A Fever is a strong indicator of the body fighting an infection. Children should be kept at home if they have a temperature of 100.0 degrees or higher. Children need to be fever FREE for 24 hours (without fever-treating medications) before returning to school.
FLU: Abrupt onset of fever, chills headache, and sore muscles. Your child should remain home from school until symptoms are gone and the child is without fever for 24 hours.
HEAD LICE: Following lice infestation, your child may return to school after receiving treatment and all nits have been removed. School personnel must do a head check before re-entering the classroom.
IMPETIGO: Your child should remain home from school until receiving 48 hours of antibiotic therapy and sores are no longer draining.
PAIN: If your child complains, or behavior indicates, that she/he is experiencing persistent pain, she/he should be evaluated by a physician before your child is sent to school.
PINKEYE: Your child should remain home from school until receiving 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and discharge from the eyes has stopped.
SKIN RASHES: Skin rashes of unknown origin should be evaluated by a physician before your child goes to school.
STREP THROAT AND SCARLET FEVER: Your child should remain home from school until receiving a full 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and until he/she is without fever or vomiting for 24 hours.
Sore throats, especially if your child has swollen glands
During the school year, we see a number of children with Strep Throat. Not all children will have classic sore throat symptoms. Difficulty swallowing, a sore neck, headache, stomach ache, loss of appetite, swollen or tender neck glands are all signs to watch for in your child. If you notice these symptoms, please contact your health care provider.
VOMITING AND DIARRHEA: Your child should remain at home until vomiting, diarrhea, or fever has ceased for a full 24 hours. If your child has had any of these symptoms during the night she/he should not be sent to school the following day.
Antibiotics
Children who are placed on antibiotics for Strep Throat or Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), must be on these medications for more than 24 hours before returning to school to prevent the spread of infection.
CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN FOR THE MOST ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT!