Guidelines for keeping a sick child home from school
- Child should be fever free for 24 hours.
A child's temperature is lowest in the morning, so a low temperature on awakening is not a true indicator. If you have given your child Tylenol or Motrin at night, the medication could still be affecting your child's temperature. A child should be fever free without the assistance of medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
- A child should be free of vomiting/diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school.
A child who has been ill during the night may feel slightly better in the morning and even ask to go to school. However, the child will likely experience symptoms of illness later, will also be tired from loss of sleep, and will still be contagious to other children.
- A child with thick or constant nasal discharge should remain home.
Very few younger children can effectively blow their noses and wash their hands afterwards. A child with the above symptoms will quickly spread the illness to other children.
- A child diagnosed with strep throat/scarlet fever should remain home for the first 24 hours of antibiotic treatment.
A child remains contagious until he/she has been on antibiotics for 24 hours.
- A child diagnosed with conjunctivitis may attend school after 24 hours of treatment.
There should also not be any drainage from the eyes.
- The 24 Hour Test
A child should stay home for at least 24 hours to rest if the following symptoms are present the morning of school or the previous night:
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Fever >100 degrees
- Itchy or reddened eyes with drainage
- An unusual rash
- A poor night's sleep due to illness, cough, etc.
- Strep Throat
To prevent the spread of strep throat and other illnesses, encourage children to wash hands frequently, especially after blowing nose or coughing. Do not share drinks or food with their friends.
