Is My Child Too Sick to Attend School?
- 1. COLDS - Keep a child with a cold at home only if he/she feels too tired to complete his/her morning activities or has a fever (≥100° F.). Kids are most contagious the first day of the cold - teach your child to blow/wipe his/her nose, wash his/her hands, and cover his/her mouth when coughing. Because we cannot keep our kids out of school every time they are getting a cold, have a cold, or are getting over a cold, learning good hygiene (hand washing) is important! Call your doctor if the cold is worse after 3 days, if your child is having trouble breathing, or he/she develops other symptoms such as a fever.
- 2. COUGHS - Keep him/her home if a cough keeps your child up at night, appears to get worse as his/her activity level increases, or if he/she has other symptoms, such as a fever. You can send him/her to school if the cough is just from an old cold and he/she feels okay otherwise. Call the doctor if the cough leads to difficulty breathing or the fever increases. If your child's cough is due to asthma, contact the school nurse before bringing an inhaler to school.
- 3. EAR INFECTIONS - Cold and flu that cause ear infections are contagious, but ear infections themselves are not. Your child can return to school once he/she has seen his/her health care provider and started medication (antibiotics).
- 4. SORE THROAT - If your child wakes up with a sore throat but no other symptoms, offer him/her juice or water to see if the discomfort was simply from dry air or postnasal drip during the night. If he/she has a fever and the pain continues, call his/her doctor. Strep throat and other throat infections can only be diagnosed for sure by a throat culture (swab). If your child has "Strep," he/she can return to school after being on antibiotics for 24-48 hours and without a fever for 24 hours.
- 5. FEVER - Children should be without a fever (≤100° F.) for 24 hours before returning to school. In a borderline case, go by how the child looks and acts. A child who seems pale, achy, and tired but has a temperature of less than 100 degrees should still stay home.Call the doctor if the fever is accompanied by other symptoms such as tiredness, sore throat, earache, etc. Please note: if your child is exhibiting signs/symptoms that he/she has a fever, such as, complaining of a headache, flushed cheeks, perspiring, warm/hot to touch while at school; their temperature will be taken and if 100° F. or above, he/she will be sent home per school district policy and health department recommendation until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication, such as ibuprofen (Advil®/Motrin® or acetaminophen (Tylenol®).
- 6. VOMITING AND DIARRHEA - A child who is throwing up needs to stay home. If it occurs more than two times, don't send him/her back to school until he/she has gone 24 hours without vomiting. If he/she is passing frequent watery, foul-smelling stools, keep him/her home and let him/her rest. Children can return to school once the stool frequency has returned to normal and the child has control over his/her bowel movements, or 24 hours after resolution of symptoms. Call the doctor if your child is both vomiting and having diarrhea or has a severe case of either.
- 7. PINK EYE - A child with bacterial conjunctivitis is highly contagious and should be kept home until he/she has been on prescription eye drops or ointment for 24 hours. If he/she wakes up and the whites of his/her eyes are red, there is drainage, and /or the eyelashes are matted shut, call his/her health care provider. They can return to school 24 hours after resolution of symptoms per public health department.
- 8. HEAD LICE - Lice lay eggs (nits) that attach to the shaft of the hair. Shampoos (pediculicides) can be purchased over-the-counter - follow the instructions exactly on the box. As many nits as possible must be removed from the hair before the child can be readmitted to class. Continue to work on your child's hair on a daily basis until all nits have been removed. Keep in mind that it only takes one nit to hatch to start the process all over again, which happens again in 7-10 days from the time they were originally laid on the hair shaft. A physician's visit is not necessary, but you do need to notify the school. They can return to school with confirmation of treatment and no live lice per public health department.
- 9. RASHES - Contagious diseases that cause the following rashes need to be reported to the school: chickenpox, impetigo, scarlet fever, measles, Fifth's disease, ringworm, scabies, hand/foot and mouth disease. Call the doctor if the rash spreads, does not improve, is accompanied by a fever, or is from an unknown cause. Keep in mind that many of these conditions are caused by viruses that do not require antibiotics to treat the infection.
- 10. SPRAINED ANKLE - Elevate the ankle and apply ice for 20 minutes every hour until your child can walk comfortably on it. If you suspect a fracture (swelling, bruising, pain, inability to bear weight), call your doctor. Only an x-ray can diagnose a fracture (break). A doctor's note is required for activity restrictions, any immobilizing device such as crutches, sling, splint, ace wrap, etc. at school.
