When to Keep a Child Home from School
Parents often have trouble knowing whether their child is too ill to go to school. In no way are we saying that children should be kept home for every complaint, but there are some definite symptoms that warrant staying home from school.
Your child is too ill to go to school if he/she has any of the following symptoms:
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea in the past 24 hours
- Shortness of breath or wheezing (not controlled with an inhaler if they have asthma)
- A cough that interrupts his/her normal activity or wakes them, or other family members, up at night
- Rash
- Drainage from the eye
- Severe sore throat
- Fever—If your child has a temperature of 100° (or higher) now or in the past 24 hours, they cannot attend school. Children are to be fever-free for 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medication, before returning to school.
Please reinforce with your children, these health tips:
- Wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating
- Do not share food and drink with other people
- Use tissue to blow their nose, then place in garbage; do not wipe with hand or sleeve
- Cover their mouth when sneezing or coughing
