When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?
As we all know the above question is not always so easy to answer! We hope these reminders can provide some insight to those who may not be so sure!
Unfortunately millions of school children contract various sicknesses and illnesses each year. Students play and work in close vicinity with each other; and every day activities, special accommodations and the unique needs of our students can result in the spread of such illness to other children as well as staff who must interact with students daily. A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. Our school nurse is able to administer medications (for those who would like their students to receive medications here) and provide medical support to our students who are feeling a bit under the weather, however; there are some illnesses that require your student to stay home. In this event, we suggest making a “back-up” plan for child care ahead of time should you need to work, go on appointments or any other possible activities that would warrant you to not be home in the case of your child being sick. We realize that every student has the right to educational opportunities that will enable students to develop to his or her fullest potential. Routine and structure are imperative for our students, therefore high rates of absenteeism due to sickness have a negative impact on school success and progress. We do understand things happen and emergencies occur, however, for the benefit of your student please make prior arrangements! Also if your child has a fever, (or should still be running a fever after previously being sent home) it is not a good idea to simply give them Tylenol/Motrin and send them to school. Once the medicine wears off, you will be receiving a call from the school nurse to leave work or any other activities you may have to come and pick up your feverish child. To avoid this, it is best to plan ahead. Per St. Colman’s Illness Policy any student who is sent home due to being sick at school MAY NOT return to school the next day, as they MUST be illness free (without the use of medications) for at least 24 hours before they can return to school. It is better to let sickly kids stay in bed at home and take their necessary medications. Please note that any extended absence or illness (3 days or more) will require a physician's note upon return. If a note is not received within three days of the student’s return, the absence will be considered unexcused. Should your child have an appointment to address any illnesses, their absence will be excused.
Examples of such illnesses are as follows:
Illness Policy
Please do not send your child to school if you suspect a fever, rash or other signs of illness. If your child exhibits the following symptoms at home, please follow these guidelines:
Rash
Any child with an unexplained rash or eye inflammation must be kept home until a diagnosis is made by a physician.
Fever
If a fever is present during an illness, the child should be kept home until the temperature is normal for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and all symptoms have disappeared.
Cold
A student with acute early symptoms of a common cold should stay at home to prevent serious developments as well as to protect classmates and teachers from exposure to illness. If this practice is followed, fewer absences due to respiratory illness will occur. Examples of a cold include: chills, sore throat, strep throat (in which a student MUST have been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school), very runny nose, bad cough (especially if it has kept the child awake the previous night), or a severe headache (especially if accompanied by a fever)
Stomachache
If a child complains of or is showing signs of a stomach ache in the morning, keep the child at home. If nothing further develops, the child should return to school the following day. Note: Any child who is nauseated has vomited and/or has diarrhea needs to remain home from school for 24 hours from the last occurrence.
Head Lice
We have recently had questions regarding current practice responding to head lice reports or prevention in our schools. Kindly refer to our head lice policy for complete detail.
Although it is unpleasant, the occurrence of head lice is common throughout the country. If there is a reported case of head lice, the schools follow the approved administrative procedures based on the most current, research-based information. If an infestation including nits (eggs or larva) and/or live lice is verified, the student will be isolated to the best of our ability and the parent will be notified and asked to come and pick the student up. The student may return to school as soon as treatment can be verified, and should receive a follow- up treatment 7-10 days later. The student cannot come back to school until treatment is completed. Students will be re-examined to determine whether nits are present, have hatched and/or head lice have reappeared. Your child can not come back to school until he/she is free from all nits and live lice. It is important that instructional time be protected.
**We reserve the right to require parental accompaniment during re-entry inspection by school personnel.
The building administrator and school nurse have discretion about which students to examine. It is not best practice to either examine the entire school/classroom, or notify the entire parent population regarding selected infestation of head lice. The school intends to prevent the spread of head lice while protecting a student’s right to privacy.
Please be aware, students that are advised by the school nurse and/or administration to be picked up due to any of the above mentioned illnesses/occurrences and fail to do so will be reported to their home school district for review as well as further action may be taken regarding this issue. It is imperative for the safety of all students in our program that these policies are abided by, by all individuals and families.
As we all know the above question is not always so easy to answer! We hope these reminders can provide some insight to those who may not be so sure!
Unfortunately millions of school children contract various sicknesses and illnesses each year. Students play and work in close vicinity with each other; and every day activities, special accommodations and the unique needs of our students can result in the spread of such illness to other children as well as staff who must interact with students daily. A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. Our school nurse is able to administer medications (for those who would like their students to receive medications here) and provide medical support to our students who are feeling a bit under the weather, however; there are some illnesses that require your student to stay home. In this event, we suggest making a “back-up” plan for child care ahead of time should you need to work, go on appointments or any other possible activities that would warrant you to not be home in the case of your child being sick. We realize that every student has the right to educational opportunities that will enable students to develop to his or her fullest potential. Routine and structure are imperative for our students, therefore high rates of absenteeism due to sickness have a negative impact on school success and progress. We do understand things happen and emergencies occur, however, for the benefit of your student please make prior arrangements! Also if your child has a fever, (or should still be running a fever after previously being sent home) it is not a good idea to simply give them Tylenol/Motrin and send them to school. Once the medicine wears off, you will be receiving a call from the school nurse to leave work or any other activities you may have to come and pick up your feverish child. To avoid this, it is best to plan ahead. Per St. Colman’s Illness Policy any student who is sent home due to being sick at school MAY NOT return to school the next day, as they MUST be illness free (without the use of medications) for at least 24 hours before they can return to school. It is better to let sickly kids stay in bed at home and take their necessary medications. Please note that any extended absence or illness (3 days or more) will require a physician's note upon return. If a note is not received within three days of the student’s return, the absence will be considered unexcused. Should your child have an appointment to address any illnesses, their absence will be excused.
Examples of such illnesses are as follows:
Illness Policy
Please do not send your child to school if you suspect a fever, rash or other signs of illness. If your child exhibits the following symptoms at home, please follow these guidelines:
Rash
Any child with an unexplained rash or eye inflammation must be kept home until a diagnosis is made by a physician.
Fever
If a fever is present during an illness, the child should be kept home until the temperature is normal for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and all symptoms have disappeared.
Cold
A student with acute early symptoms of a common cold should stay at home to prevent serious developments as well as to protect classmates and teachers from exposure to illness. If this practice is followed, fewer absences due to respiratory illness will occur. Examples of a cold include: chills, sore throat, strep throat (in which a student MUST have been taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school), very runny nose, bad cough (especially if it has kept the child awake the previous night), or a severe headache (especially if accompanied by a fever)
Stomachache
If a child complains of or is showing signs of a stomach ache in the morning, keep the child at home. If nothing further develops, the child should return to school the following day. Note: Any child who is nauseated has vomited and/or has diarrhea needs to remain home from school for 24 hours from the last occurrence.
Head Lice
We have recently had questions regarding current practice responding to head lice reports or prevention in our schools. Kindly refer to our head lice policy for complete detail.
Although it is unpleasant, the occurrence of head lice is common throughout the country. If there is a reported case of head lice, the schools follow the approved administrative procedures based on the most current, research-based information. If an infestation including nits (eggs or larva) and/or live lice is verified, the student will be isolated to the best of our ability and the parent will be notified and asked to come and pick the student up. The student may return to school as soon as treatment can be verified, and should receive a follow- up treatment 7-10 days later. The student cannot come back to school until treatment is completed. Students will be re-examined to determine whether nits are present, have hatched and/or head lice have reappeared. Your child can not come back to school until he/she is free from all nits and live lice. It is important that instructional time be protected.
**We reserve the right to require parental accompaniment during re-entry inspection by school personnel.
The building administrator and school nurse have discretion about which students to examine. It is not best practice to either examine the entire school/classroom, or notify the entire parent population regarding selected infestation of head lice. The school intends to prevent the spread of head lice while protecting a student’s right to privacy.
Please be aware, students that are advised by the school nurse and/or administration to be picked up due to any of the above mentioned illnesses/occurrences and fail to do so will be reported to their home school district for review as well as further action may be taken regarding this issue. It is imperative for the safety of all students in our program that these policies are abided by, by all individuals and families.
Attendance Policy
We realize that every student has a right to educational opportunities that will enable students to develop to his or her fullest potential. Routine and structure are imperative for our students, therefore high rates of absenteeism have a negative impact on school success and progress.
It is the responsibility of the parents or guardians to notify the office by telephone or in writing anytime there is an absence. Parents or Guardians are asked to call the school by 9am. If a call is not received, a school representative will contact parents or guardians to obtain a reason for the absence. When the student returns to school, a note from the parent or guardian should be received within 24 hours with the reason for the absence. Absences are either recorded as excused or unexcused dependent on reason, any student with 2 or more unexcused days of absent in a month or 18 or more unexcused days absent in a school year, will be considered to have “chronic absenteeism. Administration will review absences on a regular basis. Students with frequent absences will be noted and administration is required to initiate appropriate actions. Please note that any extended absence or illness (3 days or more) require a physician’s note upon return. If a note is not received within three days of the student’s return, the absence will be considered unexcused. The physician’s note should state the date, time, and whether a school absence is warranted.
Examples of excused absences are:
Examples of unexcused absences are:
We realize that every student has a right to educational opportunities that will enable students to develop to his or her fullest potential. Routine and structure are imperative for our students, therefore high rates of absenteeism have a negative impact on school success and progress.
It is the responsibility of the parents or guardians to notify the office by telephone or in writing anytime there is an absence. Parents or Guardians are asked to call the school by 9am. If a call is not received, a school representative will contact parents or guardians to obtain a reason for the absence. When the student returns to school, a note from the parent or guardian should be received within 24 hours with the reason for the absence. Absences are either recorded as excused or unexcused dependent on reason, any student with 2 or more unexcused days of absent in a month or 18 or more unexcused days absent in a school year, will be considered to have “chronic absenteeism. Administration will review absences on a regular basis. Students with frequent absences will be noted and administration is required to initiate appropriate actions. Please note that any extended absence or illness (3 days or more) require a physician’s note upon return. If a note is not received within three days of the student’s return, the absence will be considered unexcused. The physician’s note should state the date, time, and whether a school absence is warranted.
Examples of excused absences are:
- Personal illness
- Doctor appointment
- Dentist appointment
- Family illness
- Death of an immediate family
- Religious observance (Holiday’s)
Examples of unexcused absences are:
- Overslept
- Missed the bus
- Running late
- “An appointment”
- Family Vacation