When to keep your sick child home:

Should I keep my child home or send him or her to school? Consider keeping your child home if he or she:

 • Has a fever of 100  degrees or higher • Has been vomiting

 • Has symptoms that prevent him or her from participating in school, such as: − Excessive tiredness or lack of appetite − Productive coughing, sneezing − Headache, body aches, earache − Sore throat A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and stomach upset. Contact your pediatrician as your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat. Keep your child home until his or her fever has been gone for 24 hours without medication. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and expose others unnecessarily to illness. Does my child have the flu? 

• The flu is serious! Call your pediatrician at the first sign of flu symptoms, which typically come on suddenly, including: − High fever − Chills − Head ache, body aches, ear ache − Nausea, vomiting − Dry cough If you’re unsure about the best way to treat your child’s cold or flu, ask your school nurse, doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider.