Too Sick For School? When To Keep Your Child Home

If your child is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately!

• Trouble breathing.

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

• New confusion.

• Inability to wake or stay awake.

• Bluish lips or face.

GUIDELINES FOR KEEPING A SICK CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL

The following information is evaluated regularly with the New Jersey Department of Health to ensure that we are providing you with the most accurate information to make an informed decision about when your child should return to school after an illness. These guidelines are not meant to replace your physician’s recommendations; always follow up with your physician if you have any question or concerns regarding your child’s health. A doctor’s note is required for absences of five (5) days or more.

For your child to return to school after illness:

• They should be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications (Tylenol/Advil/Motrin)

• Have 24 hours of antibiotic treatment for contagious infections (strep throat, pink eye, etc.)

• Have no worsening symptoms and symptoms are improving.

The list below includes symptoms and information about the more common illness seen in school environments. Always defer to your physician for a formal diagnosis and treatment plan.

1. Covid: symptoms may include cough, sneeze, congestion, running nose, fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea. If you choose to have your child tested for Covid, they will need to stay home for 5 days or more if symptoms or fever persist.

2. Vomiting/Diarrhea: stay home if more than 2 episodes in 24 hours; may return to school if 24 hours have passed since the last episode of vomiting or diarrhea.

3. Strep throat/Scarlet Fever: symptoms may include fever, sore throat, exudative tonsilitis or pharyngitis, enlarged lymph nodes, sandpaper-like rash. Consult physician before child may return to school 24 hours after starting antibiotic therapy, and for a note of clearance.

4. Conjunctivitis (pink eye): symptoms may include red or pink conjunctiva with white or yellow discharge, often with matted eyelids after sleeping, and/or eye pain or redness of the eyelids surrounding the eye. Consult physician for a note of clearance, then the student may return 24 hours after starting antibiotic therapy AND there is no discharge from the eye.

5. Rash: symptoms may include hives, wound with purulent drainage, fluid filled blisters with crusted yellow scabs. If any undiagnosed, new, and /or untreated rash or skin condition, parent should consult physician for a note of clearance. Child should remain home if any unusual or open draining skin lesions.

6. Head Lice: symptoms may include head scratching, white nits attached to hair shaft, live lice. Upon detection in school, a child will be referred to their physician for treatment options at the end of the school day. Student will be evaluated by the school nurse upon return to school.

7. Scabies: symptoms may include itchy raised areas around the finger webs, wrist, elbows, armpits, beltline, and/or genitalia, extensive itching/scratching. Referred to physician for treatment at the end of the school day if detected in school; may return to school after treatment has been administered.

8. Ringworm (head/body): symptoms are circular lesions that may involve the face, trunk, or limbs, itching, possible hair loss. Refer to physician for treatment; may return to school after treatment has been administered.

9. Stiff Neck/Jaundice (yellow skin):  potential signs of serious illness and should be evaluated by physician before student may return to school with note of clearance from physician.

10. Mononucleosis: symptoms may include fever, sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes. May return to school if fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. Requires a medical note prior to resuming physical activities/gym/recess.

The following diseases are infrequently seen, but are reportable to the New Jersey Department of Health (if suspected, child should remain home until physician has been consulted):

• E.Coli/Salmonella/Shigella: symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, abdomen cramps. Must be symptom free and have a physician’s note of clearance to return to school.

• Hepatitis A: symptoms include yellow skin/jaundice, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain. Student should stay home one (1) week after onset of jaundice or illness and fever free with a physician’s note of clearance.  

• Pertussis/Whooping Cough: symptoms include violent episode of coughing. Students should stay home after five (5) days of appropriate antibiotic therapy is completed. If untreated, stay home through twenty-one (21) days from cough onset.

• Measles: symptoms may include fever, reddened eyes, runny nose, cough, followed by maculopapular rash that begins on the head and spirals down and out. Student should stay home from 4 days after onset of rash and fever free for at least 24 hours with a physician’s note of clearance.

• Mumps: symptoms may include swelling and tenderness of one or both parotid glands located below and in front of ear. Student should stay home until 5 days after the swelling of glands and be fever free for at least 24 hours with a physician’s note of clearance.

• Tuberculosis: symptoms may include cough with fever, night sweats, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss. Student will be excluded from school until cleared by a physician and the Department of Health indicating they are no longer infectious to others.

• Varicella (Chicken Pox): symptoms include fever, eruptions that become vesicular, lesions in successive crops with several stages at the same time. Shingles:  localized vesicular lesions. Student will be excluded until all lesions have dried and crusted, usually six (6) days after onset of rash.

Should you have any questions please contact your physician, or call the school Health Office at (856) 358-8163 ext. 1006.