General Illness Guidance and Protocols
Staying home when sick helps your child recover from illness and helps others in our school community stay well. The following information will help you make decisions about when your child should stay home:
- Fever: Please keep your child home if they have a temperature of 100.4 degrees F or above. Please keep your child home until they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
- Diarrhea: Please keep your child home if they have two or more watery stools in a 24-hour period. Your child can return to school 24 hours after the last episode of watery stool.
- Vomiting: Please keep your child home if they have vomited within the past 24 hours.Your child can return to school 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting.
- Persistent and/or productive cough: Please keep your child home if they have a frequent cough that tires them and would interfere with their participation in the school day.
- Strep Throat: Please keep your child home if your health care provider diagnosed a strep infection of the throat. Your child can return to school 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotic treatment.
- Conjunctivitis (commonly known as pink eye): Please keep your child home if they have redness of eye with drainage. Your child may return to school 24 hours after treatment is started.
For the health and well-being of our community, we will call you if symptoms of illness develop during the school day and it is necessary for you to pick your child up to go home.
Children with asthma and other types of serious health conditions may be at higher risk of severe symptoms of flu or other viral illnesses. Please let the school health office know if your child has a diagnosis of asthma or other serious health condition. The nurse is available to talk with you to learn more about your child’s health and a plan for care at school.
Tips to Prevent Illness and Promote Good Health
Forming a partnership between school and home for the communication of health information and practices helps to keep your child and others in the school community healthy.
- Handwashing prevents the spread of germs.
- Staying home when sick helps your child’s recovery and stops the spread of germs.
- Covering your cough helps stop the spread of germs.
- Talking with your health care provider to be sure your child is up to date on their annual physical exam and childhood immunizations helps the child stay healthy.
- Spending time outdoors has health benefits for children by decreasing exposure to germs that can thrive indoors; providing green space for exercising; and promoting active play and better sleep.