Sick Children…. Send to School or Keep Home?

Go to School

If your child has any of the following symptoms they should probably go to school:

  • Sniffles, a runny nose and/or a mild cough without a fever
  • Vague complaints of aches, pains, or fatigue
  • Single episode of diarrhea or vomiting without any other symptoms such as fever, chills, cramps
  • Ear infection without fever. Your child does not need to be excluded from school but does need medical treatment. Please keep home if fever or pain persists.

 

Stay Home
If your child has any of the following symptoms, please keep your child home.

  • Change in appearance, behavior, unusually tired, irritable, confused, pale, or lack of appetite.
  • Fever – temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Remember that a child must be fever free (without the aid of fever reducing medication) for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Eyes – thick mucous or pus draining from the eye or pink eye. With pink eye you may see white or yellow discharge, matted eyelids after sleep, eye pain, redness or itching. Your child must receive 24 hrs. of antibiotics and a doctor’s note to return to school.
  • Cough and/or discolored nasal discharge. A frequent, moist, productive cough, chest congestion, and/or nasal discharge that are not clear in color may be contagious and require treatment.
  • Sore throat, especially with fever or swollen neck glands. If student has a positive Strep test they may return to school after 24 hrs. of antibiotics.
  • Vomiting two or more times in a 24 hr. period
  • Diarrhea three or more times in a 24 hr. period.
  • Rash – especially with fever or itching. Heat rashes and allergic reactions are not contagious. Any child with an undiagnosed rash will be excluded.
  • Chicken pox – child must stay home for six (6) days after the onset of blisters, or until all the pox have scabbed over and dried.
  • Lice, Scabies – Children may not return to school until they have been treated for infestation and are free of nits (lice eggs attached to the hair shaft). A visual inspection of the hair by school personnel is required prior to re-admittance. Inspection will be done privately and with respect.

 

If your child exhibits any of these symptoms while at school, you will be notified and your child will be sent home to recover.


“A child must be healthy to learn and learn to be healthy”
Author unknown


5/07