Microsoft word - whentokeephome.doc

Cedarburg School District W68 N611 Evergreen Blvd., Cedarburg, WI 53012
Mary Beth Larscheidt, District Nurse (262) 376-6149
Illness Prevention & Home
Care Recommendations
How to Prevent Illness
To Keep Your Child Healthy:

1. Wash hands frequently – especially before eating. Use soap and water focusing on fingertips and around nails. Alcohol based gels (like Purell) are a waterless option. 2. Keep hands out of your mouth. 3. Eat healthy, drink plenty of water, exercise, and get plenty of sleep.
To Prevent Spreading Your Child’s Illness:

1. Wash hands frequently – especially before eating. Use soap and water focusing on fingertips and around nails. Alcohol based gels (like Purell) are a waterless option. Especially wash after blowing nose or using the toilet. 2. Cover your cough – Teach your child to cough into his/her elbow, not into his/her hand.
3. Keep your child home if he/she is sick – especially if they might be contagious.
Recommendations for
When to Keep Your Child Home
Parents commonly struggle with the decision whether to keep a child home when he/she is ill.
These recommendations are not intended as medical advice, but merely as guidelines to help
parents with their decision until a physician can be consulted for medical evaluation. Never
delay seeking medical attention when serious illness occurs.
Rest at the onset of an illness conserves energy, providing the body strength to resist infection.
An ill child attending school is unlikely to be able to fully participate in learning activities and
may pose a health risk to other students and staff if he/she is sick with a contagious condition.
On the other hand, frequent or unnecessary absences can affect the student’s ability to maintain
their class work adequately.
Recommendations to Keep Child Home:

1. Oral Temperature – Oral temperature 100.5 or greater. May return when fever free for 24 hours without
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil). 2. Headache – Persistent or severe enough to limit activity and unrelieved by over-the-counter (OTC) or
prescription medications. Headaches with additional symptoms such as: visual disturbance, nausea, or dizziness. 3. Vomiting – Stomachache severe enough to limit activity, severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. If
vomiting, keep your child home until he/she can keep food and liquids down. A child should also be kept home with frequent diarrhea. Good hand washing is especially important in stopping the spread of GI infections. 4. Colds & Coughs – These are the most frequent illnesses among children and are contagious. Children
with limited or no self care skills may need to stay home longer to decrease the spread of infection to other students/staff. Your child should be kept home with a very frequent cough, activity limiting congestion in nose or chest, fever, severe ear pain, or if he/she is too ill to participate in learning activities and function in the school environment. 5. Sore Throats – Sore throat with swallowing, fever, and headache suggest possible Strep Throat. Sore
throat in the context of laryngitis or a cold and cough is less likely to be caused by Strep but may still be contagious. If Strep infection is suspected, a medical evaluation and Strep test is needed to determine proper treatment. Strep infections are very contagious. Children with Strep should stay home until well enough to fully participate in the school day or at least 24 hours after antibiotic treatment is started. 6. Pain – If your child is having activity limiting pain and/or is unable to function in the school environment,
he/she should stay home. If the cause is unknown, medical evaluation is recommended. 7. Rashes – A rash may suggest a significant infectious disease, however, many rashes are not contagious.
Any rash that is widespread, accompanied by fever, or in a child who is ill should be evaluated by a physician before your child returns to school. 8. Common Communicable Disease – These include, but are not limited to: chicken pox, conjunctivitis
(pink eye), untreated lice, diarrhea, fifth disease, influenza, impetigo, pertussis, ringworm, scabies, and Strep throat. Children with limited or no self care skills may need to stay home longer to decrease the spread of infection to other students/staff. If your child should develop any of the above signs and symptoms during school, the parent/guardian will be contacted to pick them up. If your child needs to go home, please try to pick them up within an hour of school calling or as soon as possible after receiving notice. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school district nurse, Mary Beth Larscheidt at 262-894-9613 or the school health office. 3/15/10 mbl/whentokeephome

Source: http://www.cedarburg.k12.wi.us/cms_files/resources/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20whentokeephome1.pdf