School Health Policies and Procedures

Somerset School District and Saint Croix County Public Health are partnering to more closely monitor student absences and illnesses. We believe that timely and routine monitoring of student absences can help to paint a more complete picture of disease transmission in the community, and ultimately help us to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Certain symptoms may suggest the presence of a communicable disease. To help prevent the spread of disease, it is important to keep a child who is ill home from school. Children with the symptoms listed below should stay home until symptoms improve and/or a physician approves a return to the classroom:

• Fever of 100° F or more Stay out of school until fever has returned to normal for 24 hours

• Diarrhea Diarrhea is defined as an increased number of stools compared with a person's normal pattern, along with decreased stool form and/or watery, bloody, or mucus-containing stools. Individuals should remain home until diarrhea stops or until a medical exam indicates that it is not due to a communicable disease.

• Vomiting Vomiting is defined as two or more episodes within 24 hours. Individuals should remain home until 24 hours after last vomiting episode (emesis).

When you call to let the school know your child is ill, feel free to tell us about the illness. We want to know why kids are home sick, so we can help prevent the spread of disease and keep children healthy and ready to learn.

As a general rule of thumb, ask "Will my child be able to participate and engage in regular classroom activities with the symptoms they are presenting?"