I know from expeience that it is, at times, hard to know if a child is REALLY sick or if they really need to stay home and miss school. Many times it is merely a judgment call, something from inside, knowing your own child as you do, that gives you the answer. (Sometimes we all make mistakes at that also!) A few rules of thumb may be helpful in offering you some guidance:

If a child has vomiting or diarrhea -- they should stay home.
If a child has a fever -- 100 degrees or higher, they should stay home for 24 hours after the fever has subsided. Please be aware that if their temperature is 99.4 or higher, the fever may be on the way up!
If a child complains of sore throat in combination with headache and /or vomiting, it is suspicious for strep throat. If they have strep throat, they MUST stay home until they have taken antibiotics for 24 hours.
If a child has discharge or crusting from eyes, please consult a pediatrician. They should be treated and be discharge-free before returning to school.
If a child has a heavy cold or any illness that prevents them from being able to focus in the classroom or might disturb the rest of the class, a day at home might make all the difference. If you are a working parent, I know that this can present difficulties, however, you might be preventing a more serious illness by giving your child time to recover from a less serious illness.

Ridge Elementary School

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Colleen Manke

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