Sick Day Guidelines
Making the right call when your child is sick.
Should I keep my child home or send them to school?
School Policy (and/or State Law) requires a child stay home if he/she:
- Has a fever of 100.0 degrees or higher
- Has been vomiting or has diarrhea
- Has symptoms that keep your child from participating in school, such as:
- Very tired
- Lack of appetite
- Coughing that he/she can not control
- Sneezing often
- Headache
- Body Aches
- Earache
- Sore throat: a little sore throat is ok for school, but a bad sore throat could be strep throat, even if there is not fever. Other signs of strep are bad headache and upset stomach. A special test is needed to know if it is strep.
Keep your child home if he/she is coughing or sneezing because this spreads sickness to others
24 Hour Rule
Fever: Keep your child home until his/her fever has been gone WITHOUT medicine for 24 hours. Colds can be contagious for at least 48 hours. Returning to school too soon may slow recover 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 after the FIRST dose of antibiotic for anything like ear infection, strep throat or pink eye
We often have many children and adults with colds coming to school, each one is passing their sickness to others. Please help others from becoming sick by keeping your child home while they are the sickest.
For more information, or if you have questions, please contact the school nurse:
Jil Van Utrecht, BSN, RN
Email: vanutrechtji@nmwarhawks.org
Phone: 641-637-4041 (elementary office)