Health Guidelines for School Attendance

Do not send your child to school if any of the following symptoms or conditions were present in the last 24 hours.  You may be asked to take your child home if your child:

• Has a fever of 100 degrees or higher. Student may return to school when the temperature returns to normal (98.6) for 24 hours without the help of medication.
• Has been vomiting and/or diarrhea. If your child has two or more episodes during the previous evening or night, they may not attend school. Call your child's healthcare provider if symptoms continue for more than 48 hours, your child has a fever or his/her condition worsens. Diapered children can return to school after diarrhea when stool is contained in the diaper, stool may remain loose. 
• Has a rash. May return to school after a medical evaluation has determined it not to be communicable.
• Has untreated infected skin patches that have weeping fluid and are on an exposed surface that cannot be covered with a waterproof dressing. Preschool requires exclusion of untreated infected skin patches per preschool regulations.
• Has bacterial infection. Your child may return to school after taking prescribed antibiotics for 24 hours.
• Has thick mucus or pus draining from the eye(s) (pink eye), call your health care provider for guidance if your child can remain in school. If antibiotics are prescribed, the child must be on the medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Has Lice. Contact your school health clinic to review the school district lice policy.
• Has Scabies or other parasite infections.
• Has been prescribed narcotics and is currently taking them. Students are not permitted to take narcotics while at school. The student should return to school once their pain can be controlled by Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen.
• Has any sick symptoms that prevent him or her from participating in school. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  • Excessive tiredness, pale, difficult to wake, confused or irritable, lack of appetite
  • Productive coughing, sneezing, continuous coughing
  • Headache, body aches, earache, sore throat

A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and stomach upset. Contact your healthcare provider as your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat.

Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow the recovery process and expose others unnecessarily to illness.

 Health Guidelines for School Attendance   

If you are unsure about whether to send your child to school, please contact the school health clinic staff with any questions you may have.