Keeping Your Child Home
The main reasons for keeping your child home are:
- They might spread a contagious disease to other children and staff.
- They are too sick to be comfortable at school.
A child needs to stay home and/or will be sent home if they have:
- A fever
- Vomited more than once
- Diarrhea
- A frequent cough
- Persistent pain (ear, stomach, chest, etc.)
- A widespread rash
- Pinkeye
Returning to School
A note from your health care provider may be required in some circumstances before your child can return to school. Whenever there is a doubt about sending your child to school, please consult your physician before doing so. You also may call the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta 24-hour nurse advice line at 404-250-KIDS for advice when your child’s doctor’s office is not opened. Please remember we will not allow a very ill or injured child to drive or walk home so please make sure all phone numbers and emergency contacts are updated so we can reach you during the day. We ask that you also notify the clinic with any changes in your child’s health and we will update his/her file.
Children who don’t have a fever and only have a mild cough, runny nose, or other cold symptoms can be sent to school without any harm to themselves or others. The following guidelines may help in your decision process:
A runny nose is a way many children respond to pollen, dust, or a cold virus. A minor cold or allergy symptoms should not be a reason to miss school.
Coughing, especially if it is persistent during the day, can indicate a worsening of cold or allergy symptoms. It may be a sign of a secondary infection (sinusitis, pneumonia), which may require medical treatment. It may also indicate mild asthma. If your child’s cough is worse than you might expect with a common cold, you need to consult your child’s doctor. You should do so immediately if the child is not acting normally, has a fever, or has any difficulty breathing.
Diarrhea and vomiting make children very uncomfortable. A single episode of vomiting, without any other symptoms, may not be reason enough for the child to miss school, but be sure you can be reached if the symptoms occur again during the day. A single episode of diarrhea probably warrants not going to school. It could be very embarrassing and uncomfortable for your child to have another episode while in school. If either is frequent or is accompanied by fever, rash, or general weakness, consult your child’s doctor and keep the child out of school until the illness passes.
Fever (generally higher than 100.4 F) is an important symptom-especially when it occurs along with a sore throat, nausea or a rash. Your child could have a contagious illness, which could be passed to classmates and teachers. While a fever can be treated and usually makes the child feel better temporarily, the cause of the fever (and the risk of passing it other) is still there. Children with fever should stay home until there is no fever for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication (Tylenol or Advil).
Strep throat and scarlet fever are two highly contagious bacterial infections. They usually have a sudden complaint of sore throat, fever, and often stomachache and headache. With scarlet fever, a rash usually appears within 12-48 hours. A child with these symptoms should see his doctor for diagnosis and treatment and should remain out of school until he is fever free and on antibiotics for 24 hours.
Pinkeye or Conjunctivitis can be caused by a virus, bacterium or allergy. The first two are very contagious. The eye will be reddened, and a cloudy or yellow discharge is usually present. The eye may be sensitive to light. Consult with your child’s doctor to see if antibiotic eye drops are needed. Again, your child should say home until symptoms subside and he has been on antibiotic eye drops at least 24 hours or until the doctor recommends your child return to school.
(This is information obtained from CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE OF ATLANTA www.choa.org and is general healthcare information and should not be used as a substitute or in place of contacting your healthcare provider)