Nurse's News

General Guidelines for when not to Report to School

Good attendance at school is important in order for a child to learn. However, there will be times when your child is really too ill to attend. Either they are contagious to the other students or they feel so poorly that they would gain nothing from being at school. The following can help you determine whether your child should stay home.

• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
  Please keep your child home if he has redness and drainage from the eyes. Following a diagnosis of conjunctivitis , the child may return to school 24 hours after treatment begins.
• Diarrhea and vomiting
  Your child should be excluded from school for 24 hours following the last episode.
• Fever
  Children who have a temperature of 100 degrees or more do not belong in school. The child must be 24 hours fever free without fever reducing medication before returning to school.
• Head Lice
  Students determined to have head lice or the presence of eggs (nits) are not permitted in school until proper treatment and the lice and the nits are removed.
• Rash
  Children with undiagnosed rashes are not allowed in school. A doctor should be consulted for a diagnosis. Since a rash is a hallmark symptom of many infectious diseases, it is important to try to identify the cause.

Some examples of illnesses that include rashes are:

• Ringworm – child must be excluded from school until 24 hours after appropriate treatment begins. Lesions must be covered.
• Impetigo- child must be excluded from school until 24 hours after treatment has begun.
• Chickenpox- child must be excluded from school for no less than 5 days after the last lesion has erupted. All lesions must be dry and scabbed over.
• Fifth's disease-Because it is not contagious after the rash appears, there are no restrictions.

• Runny nose/Cold Symptoms
  Keep your child home if he has heavy nasal congestion and/or frequent cough. He probably feels miserable and will not learn much, as well as sharing his virus with others.
• Strep Throat
  If your child is diagnosed with strep, he should be on prescribed antibiotics for 24 hours and fever free before returning to school.

A sick child cannot learn effectively and is unable to participate fully in class. Keeping a sick child home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child opportunity to rest and recover.