Guidelines for keeping your Child at Home

General Guidelines for Keeping your Child Home from School due to Illness

It is difficult to decide when and how long to keep a 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 other illnesses while his/her resistance is lowered. The following guidelines represent the more common childhood illnesses and the usual recommendations. I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, please contact me at 767-5260.

Pinkeye Redness and swelling of the membranes of the eye with burning or itching, matter coming from one or both eyes, or crust on the eyelids. Your child should remain home from school until receiving 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and discharge from the eyes has stopped.
Strep Throat Begins with fever, sore and red throat, puss spots on the back of throat, tender swollen glands of the neck. High fever, nausea and vomiting may also occur. Your child should remain home from school until receiving full 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and until without fever or vomiting for 24 hours. Most physicians will advise rest at home 1-2 days after strep infection.
Common Cold Irritated throat, watery discharge from the nose and eyes, sneezing, chilliness, and general body discomfort. Your child should remain home as symptoms may interfere with your child's ability to learn. Medical care should be obtained if symptoms persist beyond 7-10 days, fever develops, or discharge becomes yellow or green.
Fever If a child's temperature is 100 degrees or greater, he/she should remain at home until he/she has been without fever for 24 hours. Remember a fever is a symptom indicating the presence of an illness.
Vomiting and Diarrhea Stomach ache, cramping, nausea,vomiting, and/or diarrhea, possible fever, headache and body aches. Your child should remain at home until the vomiting, diarrhea, or fever is over for a full 24 hours. If your child has had any of these symptoms during the night, he/she should not be sent to school the following day.
Common cold Irritated throat, watery discharge from the nose and eyes, sneezing, chilliness, and general body discomfort. Your child should remain home as symptoms may interfere with your child's ability to learn. Medical care should be obtained if symptoms persist beyond 7-10 days, fever develops, or discharge becomes yellow or green.
Flu Abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache and sore muscles. Runny nose, sore throat, and cough are common. Your child should remain home from school until symptoms are gone and the child is without fever for a full 24 hours.
Head Lice Are small grayish-tan, wingless insects that lay eggs called nits. Nits firmly attach to the hair shaft, close to the scalp. Nits are much easier to detect than lice are. They are small white specks, which are usually found at the nape of the neck and behind the ears. Following lice infestation, your child may return to school 24 hours from receiving treatment with a lice shampoo, and all nits have been removed.
Skin rashes A physician should evaluate skin rashes of unknown origin before your child is sent to school.
Impetigo Blister-like lesions, which later develop into crusted puss-like sores. Your child should remain home from school until receiving 48 hours of antibiotic therapy and the the sores are no longer draining.
Pain If your child complains or exhibits behavior indicating that he/she is experiencing persistent pain; he/she should be evaluated by a physician before your child is sent to school.