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Nurse's Office » When to Keep Your Child Home

When to Keep Your Child Home

Many parents ask, "When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?"
 
This is not always an easy question to answer! We hope that these tips can help:
 
  • A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comforting place for your child to stay if they are ill. 
  • Our school policy states that you should not send your child to school if they have any of the following:
    • Fever in the past 24 hours
    • Vomiting in the past 24 hours
    • Diarrhea in the past 24 hours
    • Chills
    • Sore Throat
    • Strep Throat (Must be taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school.)
    • Bad cold, with a very runny nose or significant cough, especially if it has kept the child awake at night.
    • Head Lice - until your child has been treated according to the nurse of a doctor's instructions.
 
If your child becomes ill at school and the teacher or school nurse feel the child is too sick to benefit from school, you will be called to come and take them home from school. It is essential that your child's teacher have a phone number where you can be contacted during the day and an emergency number in the event that you cannot be reached. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify your child's teacher immediately. 
 
Please call the school's Health Office if you have any questions or concerns.
 
                                                                                                                             Candy Bates, RN, School Nurse