Illnesses and Attendance

Communicable Diseases

Infectious diseases that can be spread from one individual to another are called contagious or communicable diseases. If your child shows symptoms of having a communicable disease, you should keep the child home. If symptoms are noticed during the school day, your child will be dismissed as soon as possible. If parents are not available, the child is dismissed in the care of a person named on your Emergency Contact Form. A child is excluded from school until he/she is no longer considered contagious. A certificate from a physician verifying freedom from illness is required after any absence due to a communicable disease or if a student is absent for five (5) or more consecutive days. Some communicable diseases include chicken pox or shingles, impetigo, strep throat, conjunctivitis, pertussis, salmonella, and meningitis. When a child is ill with other than a communicable disease, the dismissal procedure is the same.

Too Sick For School?

In order to prevent the spread of illness and to protect the health and well-being of our students, the following is guideline is recommended:

Fever

Fevers are generally signs of infection. Your child's temperature should be less than 100 degrees for 24 hours, without the use of fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Motrin, before they can return to school.

Stomach Ache, Vomiting, Diarrhea

A child with vomiting and or diarrhea should be kept at home until their symptoms have resolved for approximately 12 hours, and the child has demonstrated they can keep down food and liquid.

Cold Symptoms, Cough, Sore Throat

Your child may attend school if their symptoms are not associated with a fever. They should also be free from significant discomfort from their cold symptoms so they are able to participate in their schoolwork. If your child has, symptoms of a persistent cough, or thick, yellow or green nasal discharge, which lasts longer than a week, or he or she complains of an earache, you may want to consult your doctor for possible treatment. If your child has been diagnosed with strep throat, they may return to school after being on antibiotics for 24 hours, to assure that their infection will not be contagious to others.

Red Eye

Red, irritated, itchy eyes with drainage could be caused by a bacterial infection, allergies, or a virus. If the white part of the eye appears red and produces a yellow or green crusty discharge with matted lashes, your child may have conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis or "pink eye," as it is commonly referred, is a contagious infection, which needs to be treated by a doctor. Your child may return to school after 24 hours of prescribed treatment.

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