When students miss too many days of school, they fall behind and struggle to keep up with their classmates. Children and adolescents will get sick at times and may need to stay at home, but it’s important to minimize the number of days your student misses school. The following guidelines are for students ages 5 to 18. If you are unsure, please meet with your physician.
Send your child to school:
Parent is Sick, Stressed, Hospitalized
If you are sick, your child still needs to attend school. Please plan ahead for these days. A back-up plan may be asking a neighbor, relative or spouse to take your child to school and pick him or her up.
Chronic Disease or Illness
Speak with your school about your child’s condition and develop a plan that is based on your child’s condition. School personnel are trained to assist your child with his or her chronic disease and associated needs.
Child Doesn’t Want to go to School
Frequent crying, fear, anger, not wanting to socialize, behavior change, stomachache, and nausea are signs that something is wrong. Keep your child in school but try to determine what is causing the changes. Talk to your school and consult a health care provider. Your child may be experiencing bullying or trauma, may be behind in his or her schoolwork, or not getting along with others.
Cold Symptoms
Stuffy nose/runny nose, sneezing, and/or a mild cough, but no fever. If your child is able to participate in school activities send him or her to school.
Head Lice
If your child has lice (intense itching), he or she can return to school after an initial treatment. (Most schools provide free lice kits upon request.)
Strains, Sprains and Pains
If your child is able to function (walk, talk, and eat) he or she should be in school. If pain is severe or ongoing, consult a health care provider.
Menstrual Issues
Most of the time menstrual issues should not be a problem. If they are severe and interfering with your attendance, consult a health care provider. Feminine hygiene products are available at school if cost is a factor.
Keep your child at home:
Fever
Fever usually means illness, especially if your child has a fever of 100.5 or higher as well as other symptoms like behavior change, rash, sore throat, vomiting. Stay at home for a fever of 100.5 or higher. Return to school when the fever is below 99 for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. If the fever does not go away after 2-3 days or is 102 or higher, consult a health care provider.
Diarrhea
Frequent, loose or watery stool may mean illness but can also be caused by food and medication. If your child acts ill, has a fever or is vomiting, keep him or her at home. If stool is bloody, if the child has abdominal pain, fever or vomiting, consult a health care provider.
Vomiting
If your child has vomited twice or more in 24 hours, keep your child at home until the vomiting has stopped for 24 hours. If vomiting continues, contact a health care provider.
Coughing
If your child has severe, uncontrolled, rapid coughing, or wheezing keep your child home and contact a health care provider. If symptoms are due to asthma, provide treatment according to your child’s Asthma Action Plan and when symptoms are controlled, send your child to school.
Head Lice
Intense itching of the head; may feel like something is moving. Your child can be in school if he or she has had an initial lice treatment.
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
The white of the eye is pink and there is a thick yellow/green discharge. Your child can attend school when treatment is underway, but call your health care provider to prescribe medication/treatment before sending the child to school.
Rash With Fever
If a rash spreads quickly, is not healing, or has open weeping wounds, keep your child at home and have him or her seen by a health care provider.
Sore Throat
Sore throat, fever, stomachache, and red, swollen tonsils can be strep. If so, keep your child at home for the first 24 hours after an antibiotic is begun.
Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Keep your child at home until a health care provider has determined that your child is not contagious. Some examples of these are:
- Chicken Pox — Fever, headache, stomachache or sore throat, then a red itchy skin rash on the stomach first and then limbs and face.
- Measles & Rubella (German Measles) — Swollen glands, rash that starts behind ears then the face and the rest of the body, sore joints, mild fever and cough, red eyes.
- Mumps — Fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, swollen and/or tender salivary glands.
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough) — Many rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched “whoop”, vomiting, very tired.
