Health Services
It is a good idea to keep your child home from school if they have any of the following symptoms:
- APPEARANCE, BEHAVIOR – unusually tired, pale, lack of appetite, difficult to wake, confused or irritable. This is sufficient reason to exclude a child from school.
- EYES – thick mucus and/or pus draining from the eye or pink eye (conjunctivitis).
- FEVER – temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. It is recommended that a child should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school without fever reducing medication(s).
- GREENISH NOSE DISCHARGE, AND/OR CHRONIC COUGH – should be seen by a health care provider. These conditions may be contagious and may require treatment.
- SORE THROAT – especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck.
- DIARRHEA – 3 or more watery stools in a 24 hour period especially if the child acts and/or looks ill.
- VOMITING – vomiting 2 or more times within the past 24 hours.
- RASH – body rash with fever. Heat rashes and allergic reactions are not contagious and may not need to be excluded.
- EAR INFECTIONS WITHOUT FEVER – do not need to be excluded, but the child needs to get medical treatment and follow-up. Untreated ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss.
- LICE, SCABIES – It is recommended that children not return to school until lice treatment has been initiated. Children with diagnosed scabies can come to school after treatment.
If your child shows any of the above symptoms at school, it may be necessary to pick him/her up from school. Bringing a child to school with any of the above symptoms puts other children and staff at risk of getting sick. If all parents keep their sick children at home, we will have stronger, healthier and happier campuses. While we regret any inconvenience this may cause, in the long run this means fewer lost work days and less illness for parents.
Prevention is the best defense we have against illness. Please teach your children to cover all coughs and sneezes and wash their hands frequently! Getting yearly flu shots for everyone in the family is also important.
The link below is to a Centers for Disease Control Information Sheet for families with information for the adults and an activity sheet for the children.