Student Illness & Returning to School

Reasons Students Should Remain out of School

  • Fever of 100.4 or above. The child should be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours before returning to school.

  • Vomiting and/or diarrhea with or without fever. Th child should be free from vomiting/diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school.

  • Any rash of unknown cause until cleared by a healthcare provider.

  • Persistent coughing or difficulty breathing with or without fever.

  • Yellow/green nasal or eye drainage.

  • Severe pain.

Please contact your child’s primary healthcare provider for medical concerns.

Absence from School and Returning

An attendance email must be sent from a parent or guardian email account on the morning of the absence or early dismissal to: attendance@sussexacademy.org

The email must be in the following format:

  • Subject line: Student name and grade

  • The body of the email must include the following:

    • Date of absence or early dismissal

    • Reason for absence or early dismissal

    • Related Doctor’s notes or other related documentation should be scanned and attached.


If a student does not present a valid excuse within three (3) days of returning to school, the absence will be considered unexcused. No notes or verification of absences will be accepted after three (3) days.

If a student is absent three (3) days or longer, the student must also have a note from a physician or other official documentation upon returning to school.

Note: If your child has a chronic illness or health condition that may cause frequent absences, please provide documentation from the healthcare provider to the appropriate school nurse:

Secondary: Dawnyel Furlong, MSN, APRN, NP-C