~~Guidelines for keeping sick children home from school~~
Here are some guidelines for keeping ill children at home. These are recommendations from Clark County Public Health and the Washington State Department of Health.
If your child is ill with any of these symptoms please keep them home.
Fever: over 100.0 F, especially if other symptoms are apparent. Your child should be free of fever for 24 hours (without a fever reducer) before returning to school.
Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea: Your child should not return to school until 24 hours after the last time they vomited or had diarrhea.
Rash: Do NOT send your child to school with a rash until approval from a licensed health provider or the rash has been resolved; especially with other symptoms like itching, fever or appearing ill.
Known communicable disease:
Chickenpox: Do not send your child to school until all lesions have crusted.
Impetigo: Do not send your child to school until treated or unless approval from a licensed health provider.
Strep: Do not send your child to school until under treatment for 24 hours.
Ringworm: Do not send your child to school until after treatment has been started.
Eye Drainage: Do not send your child to school if there is white or yellow drainage from the eye(s), and/or redness of the eyelid or skin surrounding the eye. This may indicate conjunctivitis, a common infectious eye disease (pink eye). See a licensed health care provider if your child has these symptoms.
Mild cough/runny nose: if there is no fever and your child feels fairly good, sending your child to school is fine. Colds are generally self-limiting and disappear on their own without complications. If your child develops ear pain, severe sore throat, difficulty breathing, or symptoms beyond 10 days contact a healthcare provider.
If your child becomes ill at school, symptoms will be noted and you will be contacted to pick up your child. If a parent cannot be reached, the person listed as the emergency contact will be called. Therefore, please make sure that throughout the school year you provide the school with current work, home, and emergency contact numbers.
Please remember that during school, children are in close contact with each other. If children are kept home when the first signs of illness appear, it helps prevent the spread of that illness to other children. Your child will recover more quickly if he/she gets plenty of rest and proper care early in the illness.
If you have any questions/concerns about your child’s health, please contact a licensed health care provider.