When Should you keep your Child Home from School?

The following are guidelines for deciding whether or not to keep your child home from school. The timing of the absence is often important in order to decrease the spread of disease to others and to prevent your child from acquiring any other illnesses while his/her resistance is lowered. 

FEVER: If your child’s temperature is 100.0 degrees or greater, he/she should remain home until they have been fever-free for a full 24 hours without medication. Remember, a fever is a symptom indicating the presence of an illness.

FLU: The flu is an abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache, sore muscles, runny nose, sore throat, and cough. Your child should remain at home until symptoms are gone and the child is fever-free for a full 24 hours.

PINK EYE like SYMPTOMS: Pink eye is a viral or bacterial eye infection causing redness and swelling of the membranes of the eye with burning or itching, watery or thick drainage, and/or crusting on the eyelids. Your child should remain home from school until receiving 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and until discharge from the eye has stopped. In the case that your physician believes it to be a viral infection and no antibiotic therapy is prescribed, your child is still contagious and should remain at home until drainage has ceased. Spread of infection can be minimized by keeping hands away from the face, good hand washing practices, and not touching any part of the eye with the tip of the medication applicator.

RASHES: Rashes can be a sign of a contagious condition such as chicken pox, bacterial meningitis, impetigo, or other bacterial or fungal infections. Children should be kept home from school until the rash resolves and until the rash is evaluated by a doctor who provides written authorization that the child can return to school. Children with an undiagnosed rash and no doctor’s note will be sent home.

STREP THROAT and SCARLET FEVER: Strep throat usually begins with a fever, sore/red throat, pus spots on the back of the throat, and tender/swollen glands of the neck. Scarlet fever is indicated when a red rash and/or strawberry appearance of the tongue are present along with the other symptoms of strep throat. High fever, nausea, and vomiting may also occur. Your child should remain home from school until receiving a full 24 hours of antibiotic therapy, and until he/she has been fever-free with no vomiting for 24 hours. Most physicians will advise rest at home for 1-2 days after a strep infection.

VOMITING AND DIARRHEA (INTESTINAL VIRAL INFECTIONS): Stomachache, cramping, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, possible fever, headache, and body aches. Your child should remain home until they stop vomiting, having diarrhea, and are fever-free for a full 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. If your child has had vomiting, diarrhea, or a fever during the night, he/she should not be sent to school the following day.

COMMON COLD: A cold presents as an irritated throat, cough, watery discharge from the eyes and nose, sneezing, chills, and general discomfort. Your child should remain home if symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your child’s ability to learn. The child should be evaluated by a healthcare provider if symptoms persist beyond 7-10 days, if a fever develops, or if the discharge becomes yellow to green.

FOR ANY COMMUNICABLE ILLNESS THAT IS CONTAGIOUS A NOTE FROM A PHYSICIAN IS REQUIRED TO RETURN TO SCHOOL