When to Keep Your Child Home From School

A sick child is not able to concentrate, participate, and learn effectively at school. Keeping a sick child at home provides the child time to rest and feel better, along with preventing the spread of illness to others. Some general guidelines to when to keep your child home from school are:

FEVER- your child should stay home from school if has a fever of 100.0 degrees or higher. Your child may return to school when fever free for 24 hours without any type of fever reducing medication such as Tylenol or Motrin.

VOMITING or DIARRHEA  -  your child should stay home from school if having vomiting and/or diarrhea and may return to school when vomiting and/or diarrhea fee for 24 hours, when related to illness and no other known cause.

EYES (RED/PINK with DRAINAGE) - sometimes eyes can be swollen and irritated by allergens. Your child should stay home from school and be evaluated by a physician for possible Bacterial Pink Eye, which is contagious, if redness is accompanied with thick mucus or drainage, crustiness of eyelids, puffiness, itchiness, and pain. If the doctor prescribes antibiotic eye drops for your child, then your child needs to stay home for 24 hours after starting the eye drops before returning to school. 

STREPT THROAT - if a doctor has diagnosed your child with strept. throat and prescribed antibiotics, your child needs to stay home for 24hrs after starting the antibiotics before returning to school.