It is not always easy to decide if your child is sick enough to stay home or well enough to be in school. Children who come to school are expected, with few exceptions, to participate fully in school activities. When a child’s illness prevents them from participating in school activities or when their illness poses a risk of spread of harmful disease to others, they should stay home. For specific guidance about your child, contact your school nurse.
If your child will not be attending school for any reason, it is very important for you to call and notify the school office of the reason for the absence. This helps us to keep track of illnesses among our students. It also helps us be assured that your child is safe at home.
If a student has an injury that interferes with participation in physical education class for more than three days, an excuse or recommendation for activity from a health care provider is needed.
Here are some recommendations of when to keep your child home:
1) Fever: A fever of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or more signals an illness that is probably going to make a student uncomfortable and unable to function well in class. If your child has a fever and you give them medicine, their temperature will go down but it’s temporary - - your child is sick and should stay home. Your child may return to school when their temperature is normal (under 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit) without any medicine for fever for at least 24 hours (a full day) and feeling well enough to return to school.
2) Vomiting or Severe Nausea: These are symptoms that require a student to remain at home until they can eat regular food and not feel sick the night before and the morning of school.
3) Diarrhea: A child with mushier than normal or watery stools should stay home until s/he has no diarrhea for 24 hours or stool frequency reduced to fewer than 2 stools above normal for student and no toileting accidents. Exclusion is required for all diapered children whose stool is not contained in the diaper and toilet-trained children if the diarrhea is causing soiled clothing.
3) Rashes: Rashes with fever or with behavioral changes such as being unusually tired or irritable.
We encourage you to call your health care provider if your child misses 3 or more days of school due to illness or injury. Your child’s health care provider will let you know when your child can return to school, for ex:
Strep throat: wait at least 12 hours after starting antibiotics and your child has had at least two doses
Chicken Pox: after all pox are crusted over
Pertussis / Whooping Cough: after 5 days of antibiotic treatment
Other bacterial infections: usually 24 hours after starting antibiotics
