When to Keep Home From School
The above link has school exclusion guidance on COVID-19, influenza, strep throat, mononucleosis, and may more communicable diseases.
Regular school attendance is essential for academic success, social development, and overall student well-being. Students benefit most when they are present, engaged, and able to participate fully in the school day. Most children, unless they have a medical problem, should only miss a few days of school a year.
It is important to notify the school nurse if your child suffers from a medical condition, particularly if it will impede performance or attendance. Absences should be reported to the Attendance Office. BUT communicable disease and hospitalizations should also be reported to the nurse-these include but are not limited to mononucleosis, influenza, COVID-19, etc.
A child MUST be kept home for:
- A fever of 100.4 or higher-if they have a fever, please do NOT give them fever-reducing medicine and send them to school
- Vomiting: If your child has been vomiting the night before or has started vomiting in the morning and has other flu-like symptoms, please keep home from school. The exception to this rule is if your child tends to vomit easily. If the vomiting is limited to a single episode and you can attribute it to a certain situation, such as anxiety or something your child has eaten the night before, a day from from school might not be necessary.
- Diarrhea: multiple episodes associated with nausea and/or fever
- If your child has been diagnosed with influenza (the flu)
- Persistent, deep cough that interferes with learning or causes a disturbance in the classroom
- Red, itchy eyes with discharge (pink eye) or crusting on the lashes
- New unexplained skin rash or new unexplained lesions anywhere on their body
- Sore throat: if a sore throat is accompanied by a fever, or throat is very inflamed and red, they should stay home. Strep throat is extremely contagious and can result in serious complications. It is necessary that your child see their physician as soon as possible. Children with strep throat may return to school after they have been treated with antibiotics for 24 hours and are free of fever. If your child's throat is not inflamed/reddened and they do not have a temp, this does not require a day off--often, many children will complain of sore throats when they have nasal congestion. This could be a sign of post nasal drip which irritates the throat.