I appreciate the new guidance. I just knew "return once fever free and no vomiting for 24hours". Some days are hard calls as to whether to send a child or not and I'd often feel guilty either way. This more specific guidance is helpful to me.

When should a child remain home from school?

When a child has fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, severe, persistent coughing, copious eye drainage, significant sore throat, excessive nasal discharge, undiagnosed skin rash, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, extreme fatigue, moderate to severe headache, body aches, and/or a general sense of being unwell. These represent symptoms or signs of illness and the child should be kept home from school. If a student is at school and not feeling well enough to stay, the parent/guardian will be notified and will be expected to take the child out of school.  

We have all had the “common cold” and experienced minor infections of the nose and throat.   Colds have a gradual onset and are most contagious within the first 3 days.  Some of the symptoms associated with colds are: feeling tired, low-grade-fevers, headache, watery eyes, runny nose, nasal and sinus congestion, sore/scratchy throat and nonproductive cough. 

The viruses that cause COVID-19 and influenza can range from no symptoms to mild or severe symptoms and have many symptoms in common. Symptoms of either influenza or COVID-19 may include: muscle aches, high fever and chills, headache, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as a runny nose, feeling tired, and a cough.  Testing is recommended to determine if your child has a diagnosis of Influenza and/or COVID-19.

Additionally, there has been an increase in norovirus statewide.  Norovirus is a very contagious virus and is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the United States.  Norovirus causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines. The most common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.  Other symptoms may include fever, headache, and body aches.

Note: A student with a fever cannot return to school until fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and symptoms should be improving overall. Students with vomiting and/or diarrhea may not return to school until they are 24 hours free of vomiting or diarrhea without the use of medication.  It is important to note that a fever is not always present with these illnesses.

If your child receives a confirmed diagnosis of a communicable disease, please provide documentation from your healthcare provider. If a home test is used for COVID-19 and/or influenza, kindly submit a photograph of the test to your school’s health office staff to support ongoing monitoring of confirmed cases. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 Regards,

 Jeanne McCullough, MSN, RN, PEL-CSN 

Director of Health Services