Sick Day Guidelines
When to keep your child home from school is an important decision. Please consider keeping your child home with the following symptoms:
When to keep your child home from school is an important decision. Please consider keeping your child home with the following symptoms:
- Temperature of 100 degrees or higher
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Uncontrollable coughing with or without mucus congestion
- Severe headache not relieved by rest, water or pain reliever
- Complaints of chest pain or shortness breath
- Body aches or ear ache
- Excessive tiredness or lack of appetite with no explanation
- Sore Throat: A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but severe sore throat could be strep throat infection even without a fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children can include headache and upset stomach. Contact your child's doctor.
- Pink Eye: Some children get watery and pink/red eyes with allergies. If your child has itchy or painful eyes, eye drainage or discharge, contact your child's doctor.
When to send your child back to school? It depends on the symptoms and how your child is feeling. These are some guidelines:
- Fever free for 24 hours without fever reducer medication such as Tylenol, Aleve, Motrin or Ibuprofen
- Vomiting or diarrhea free for 24 hours and able to tolerate regular foods
- Pink Eye treated with antibiotic for 24 hours or a note from the doctor indicating child is able to return to school
- Strep throat treated with antibiotic for 24 hours and child is able to tolerate regular foods
How do I make my child feel better?
- Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and has limited TV/screen time
- Encourage fluids like water, soup, juice, ice
- Help your child relax by reading a story and plenty of TLC
- Consider using a cool humidifier
- Check with your child's doctor prior to using children's cough or cold medicine. Be sure to follow and read the directions carefully and give the exact recommended dose for the child.
National Association of
School Nurses (2009, January). Sick day
guidelines: Making the right call when you child has a cold. Retrieved January 24, 2009
from http://www.nasn.org/Portals/0/resources/2009_01_21_sick_day_guidelines.pdf Jane Boyd, RN, MSN, NCSN Rehoboth
Elementary School, Cape Henlopen School District