Too Sick for School??????
At one time or another, every parent faces this dilemma: Is my child too sick to send to school? Below are some helpful hints to help you know when not to send your sick child to school:
* Temperature of 100 degrees or more within the past 24 hours
* Vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours
* Earache
* When strep is suspected but the results of a throat culture are not yet known.
*A positive throat culture for strep: student should be on antibiotic treatment for 24 hours before returning to school.
* Any symptoms of acute illness such as persistent cough or runny nose accompanied by body aches.
* A red eye with crust, mucous or excessive tearing (until diagnosed by a physician and treated with medication for 24 hours (pink eye)
*Any skin lesion with honey brown crusts (until diagnosed by a physician and treated with medication for 24 hours if impetigo
* Skin lesion: mild itchy ring shaped pink patch with a scaly, raised border and a clear center ( until diagnosed by a physician and treated with antifungal cream (ringworm)
*If your child has head lice that has not been treated
* If your child requires any medication for pain stronger than Tylenol or Ibuprofen, they should not attend school.
The guidelines listed above are meant to help parents determine if a child should attend school or other activities. Your child should look and behave like him/her self for 24 hours before returning to school.
-A sick child who returns to school too soon is at risk for picking up other infections due to lowered immunity
– A child who is still sick is likely to infect other students and staff
-A child who is not feeling well will not be able to focus on schoolwork.
Please notify school if your child develops any communicable condition.
Remind your child about frequent hand washing. It is the most effective means of preventing the spread of communicable diseases.
Health: Children may not attend school if they are sick. Sickness includes: vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, skin infections, running nose and fevers. No medications can be administered during school hours by the teachers. If emergency treatment is necessary during school hours, we will notify you and call the EMT center.
Illness:
Please use the following guidelines to help you determine the wellness of your child. If any doubts exist as to whether you should send your child to school, it is generally better to keep him home. Keep your child home if he:
a. has a fever in the morning or on the previous night
b. has a cold with a running nose, cough scratchy or sore throat
c. new or unexplained eruption or spots on the skin
d. unusual fatigue or chills
e. nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
In the event your child becomes ill during the session, the school will attempt to call the parent first. If no answer, we will use the emergency number on the form. Please notify the school if your child develops a communicable disease such as chicken pox, etc. Your child will automatically be sent home from school if he shows symptoms of any of the following:pink eye, impetigo, head lice, fifth’s disease, fever and persistent cough.
Some diseases in a pregnant woman may threaten the health of the mother and/or her unborn child. In general pregnant women are well advised to avoid persons who have infectious illnesses, particularly if rashes are involved.
The following are some examples of such diseases:
Chickenpox: Most pregnant women have already had chickenpox as a child and are immune to the disease. In this case, they and their unborn babies are safe from exposure to the
chickenpox virus. However, if a woman, who has not had chickenpox and is not immune, comes into contact with a known case during her pregnancy, there may be a significant health risk. She should inform her OB as a matter of urgency, so that an assessment can be made and preventive measures can be considered.
2. ‘‘Fifth’’ disease or ‘‘Slapped Cheek’’ disease. If a woman is exposed to this virus in early pregnancy (before twenty weeks gestation), she should promptly inform her OB . Investigations can be initiated to check if infection has been acquired so that actions can be taken to reduce the chance of problems with the pregnancy. In general, it is probably advisable that women in early pregnancy should take ‘‘avoiding action’’ in the educational setting if a known outbreak of ‘‘Fifth’’ disease occurs.
3. Rubella (German measles): Exposure to rubella virus in a non-immune woman during early pregnancy may lead to damage to the unborn baby. It is also now routine for women to be offered testing for immunity to rubella as part of their routine antenatal care.
4. Please call the school office and if your child5. is diagnosed with these diseases since we