Should I keep my child home or send him or her to school?
School policy (and/or state law) requires a child stay home if he or she:
• Has a fever of 100.0 degrees or higher
• Has been vomiting or has diarrhea
• Has symptoms that keep your child from participating in school, such as:
* Very tired or lack of appetite
* Cough that he or she cannot control, sneezing often
* Headache, body aches, or earache
* Sore Throat—a little sore throat is ok for school, but a bad sore throat
could be strep throat, even if there is no fever. Other signs of strep
throat in children are a headache and stomach upset, or rash. Call your
doctor if your child has these signs. A special test is needed to know if it is
strep throat
• Keep your child home if he is coughing or sneezing badly because this spreads the sickness to others.
24 Hour Rule:
• FEVER: Keep your child home until his or her FEVER has been gone WITHOUT medicine for 24 hrs. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow recovery and make others sick.
• VOMITING OR DIARRHEA: Keep your child home for 24 hours after the LAST time he or she vomited or had diarrhea.
• ANTIBIOTICS: Keep your child home until 24 hours after the FIRST dose of antibiotic for anything like ear infection or strep throat.
We often have many children and adults with colds coming to school, and each one is passing their sickness to others. Please help others from becoming sick by keeping your child home while the sickest.
For more information, or if you have questions, please contact the School Nurse