Illness Guidelines

Making the Right Call When Your Child is Sick:

Should I keep my child home or send them to school?

A student must say home if they are experiencing:

• Fever of 100 degrees or more
• Vomiting (must be free from vomiting 24 hours before returning to school).
• Diarrhea (must be free from diarrhea 24 hours before returning to school).

If your child experiences the following symptoms to the degree they cannot comfortably participate in learning, they should be kept at home.

• Severe nausea, stomach ache, dizziness, extreme fatigue.
• Cough that they cannot control, is painful, or is disruptive to learning.
• Shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing.
• Headache, body aches, earache, or toothache severe enough to make participation in learning difficult.
• Severe sinus pain. You may need to keep your child home if they have copious thick, colored drainage from the nose along with sinus pain if it makes participation in learning difficult. 
• Sore throat –A mild sore throat is okay to have at school. A sore throat that the child complains of moderate to severe pain when swallowing, has tender swollen glands/sore neck, fatigue, and possibly a stomach ache could indicate a contagious infection that needs further assessment from a health care provider.  If diagnosed with strep throat, the student can return to school 24 hours after beginning antibiotic treatment as long as other sick day guidelines are met (fever free, cough well controlled, etc.).
• Undiagnosed Skin Rash- If rash can be covered, student may remain in school until the end of the day and return after they have been seen by a doctor to ensure the rash is not contagious. They may return 24 hours after beginning antibiotic treatment or when doctor clears the child to return to school.
• Eye Redness/Drainage/Pink Eye- Mattering, drainage, pain, or inflammation/redness of the eyes. A student may need to stay home due to discomfort, the inability refrain from rubbing their eye, or when cleared by their doctor.
• Head Lice- If detected at school, a student may remain in class until the end of the school day. They may return to school after appropriate lice treatment at home. If detected at home, treat the lice before sending your child to school.

24 Hour Rule:

• Fever:  Keep your child home until they are FEVER FREE WITHOUT medication for 24 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow recovery and make others sick.
• Vomiting or Diarrhea:  Keep your child home for 24 hours after the LAST time he/she vomited or had diarrhea.
• ANTIBIOTICS:  Keep your child home until 24 hours after the FIRST dose of an antibiotic.

Contact the school nurse with any questions at 1-319-478-2265 ext. #157 or by email at nurse@n-tama.k12.ia.us