Coughs, colds, runny nose, stomach bugs and COVID-19. Kids get sick.
When they complain of symptoms, it can be hard to gauge whether “my tummy hurts” indicates that they have a stomach bug, anxiety related to an upcoming ACT test, constipation, or they just ate too much candy.
Deciding when to keep a sick student at home from school is not always easy. It’s important for students to attend school. For some parents, a child staying at home also means they will miss work.
When children are truly sick, they need to stay home in the care of an adult to get well and to prevent spreading illness to others.
If you are concerned about the health of your student, first call your healthcare provider who can give advice specific to your child. This article does not take the place of consulting a medical provider.
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In general, students should stay home when they have any of the following symptoms: fever, diarrhea, vomiting or your student does not feel well enough to participate in usual school activities (such as having extreme tiredness, body aches or unexplained irritability).
Your student should be fever-free without medications and no vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
A general rule to consider for other illnesses: If your student requires antibiotics to treat an illness, the student should be on the medication for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to school. This includes skin infections and pink eye.
If your student has symptoms of COVID-19 (feverish, new or worsening cough, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or trouble breathing), keep them home and contact your healthcare provider to see if they should be tested.
Students who test positive for or are diagnosed with COVID-19 should stay home from school for at least 10 days after symptoms started AND 24 hours after last fever AND until symptoms are better.
If your student has symptoms of COVID-19 and a negative COVID-19 test, talk with the child’s healthcare provider about what may be making the student sick and when they can return to school.
Most schools have their own guidelines or policies about when to keep a student home. If your student will be absent, don’t forget to inform the school office or attendance clerk.
Please keep the school up to date with current phone numbers so you or an alternate contact can be reached if your student is injured at school or becomes ill and may be contagious to other students. Ensure that arrangements can be made to transport your student home from school and that childcare, if needed, is available in case of illness.
That Benjamin Franklin saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is true when it comes to preventing illness: Drink water. Make sleep a priority. Spend time outside and try to find ways to be more active.
Proper hand hygiene – particularly after using the bathroom, coughing, sneezing, touching pets, before and after preparing foods, and before eating – is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others.
It can be frustrating when you take steps to minimize the spread of germs, and still your child gets sick. Although there’s no way to keep 100% of germs from infecting you or your child, healthy habits give students the best chance to stay well, safe and ready to learn in school.
