With the winter and flu season approaching, here are some helpful guidelines from Frederick County Public Schools Health Services to help decide what to do if your child tells you they are not feeling well.
When to keep your child home from school:
• Temperature of more than 100 degrees for more than 24 hours
• Nausea or vomiting
• Stomachache
• Diarrhea
• Pale or flushed face
• Persistent cough
• Earache
• Thick discharge from the nose
• Painful sore throat
• Rash or infection of the skin
• Red or pink eyes
If your child had a fever the evening before, or through the night, keep the child at home. Students should have a normal temperature under 100 degrees for 24 hours prior to returning to school. If the symptoms are severe or persist for more than 24 hours, you should contact your private source of medical care. Children sometimes use illness as an excuse to miss school. On the other hand, some children force themselves to go to school even though they are sick. It is up to you to be alert to your child’s health and to decide when it is best to send him/her to school. This is also when you need to consider if your child would be contagious to classmates.
If your child complains of being sick or does not look well after reaching school, the school will contact you. Therefore, it is important that updated information and phone numbers be provided. As you read this, please remember these are general guidelines. You know your child the best! This is also a perfect time to reinforce hand washing to help minimize the spread of germs. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please call the health room at your child’s school if you have any questions.
