Should I Keep My Child at Home?

    • Keep your child home if any of the following should occur:

      • Diarrhea within the last 24 hours
      • Severe cough
      • Severe cold
      • Undetermined rash
      • Temperature of 100 degrees or higher within the last 24 hours
      • Sore throat or difficulty swallowing
      • Red, watery, burning, itching eyes
      • Vomiting within the past 24 hours
      • Lice in hair
      • Strep is suspected, but results of a throat culture have not been received.
      • Positive throat culture for strep throat.  Students may return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun.
      • Any symptoms of acute illness such as persistent cough or runny nose with body aches.

      The above symptoms/conditions may mean the start of a communicable disease or nuisance condition that could affect many of the other children in your child’s classroom. Also, your child may be too sick to learn in school that day. In fairness to all children, keep your child home until you can determine what else may be developing.

      Your child should look and feel like him/herself for 24 hours before returning to school.  Why?

      • To protect your child from exposure to more infection before he/she is able to build resistance
      • To protect other children and school staff from communicable diseases that your child may transmit.

      Remember: Hand washing is the most effective means of preventing the spread of communicable diseases. When washing hands, friction and lather hands for 30 seconds under hot or lukewarm water (this is the minimum time needed to eliminate bacteria).  This includes rubbing them for 10-15 seconds.