Deciding when a child is too sick to go to school can be a difficult decision for parents to make. Often, the way a child looks and acts can make the decision an obvious one.
Please consider these guidelines:
1. Appearance, Behavior- unusually tired, pale, lack of appetite, confused or unusually irritable.
2. Eyes - thick mucus or pus drainage, matted eyes after sleep, eye pain or eye redness. If your child is diagnosed with conjunctivitis (pink eye) he/she may return to school 24 hrs after the first dose of medication.
3. Fever - Temperature of 100 degrees F or higher. The child must be fever free (without the use of fever reducers) for 24 hrs.
4. Greenish nose discharge and/or chronic cough - These conditions should be seen by a health care provider.
5. Sore throat - Especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck (if diagnosed with strep throat the child may return to school 24 hrs. of antibiotic treatment)
6. Diarrhea/vomiting - A child with diarrhea and/or vomiting should stay home and return to school only after being symptom free for 24 hrs.
7. Rash - Common infectious diseases with rashes are most contagious in early stages. A child with a suspicious rash should return to school only after seen by a health care provider.
8. Chicken Pox - Children must stay home for five (5) days after the onset of blisters, or until all pox are scabbed over and dry.
A sick child cannot learn effectively and is unable to participate in classes in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child to recover.