ILLNESS GUIDELINES

Knowing if and when to send your child to school or keep them at home when they are ill or have a particular health issue, can be a challenging if not difficult decision to make.  The following information is intended to help with those decisions.

Quarantine Time:  The length of time a student needs to be absent from school before returning, after being diagnosed with a certain contagious disease. The following list includes some of these diseases.  These guidelines are set by the State of Kansas and are used to determine when a student may return to class.  If your child is ill, please call the school to report the illness. 

Chicken Pox:  Student may return to school on the 6th day after the onset of the first lesion or when all the lesions are scabbed over and dry.  Please report this diagnosis to the school and/or school nurse.

Colds/Coughing:  Student should stay home until they are no longer coughing or sneezing frequently.  Cough drops and/or other over-the-counter medicine is not permitted at school unless there is a signed doctor’s order and parent/guardian permission form. (see Forms & Policies)

Diarrhea and/or Vomiting:  Student should stay home until they are free from these symptoms for 24 hours.  Students who vomit at school will be sent home.

Fever:  If the student’s temperature is 100 degrees or higher, they should stay home.  They may return to school when they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of  any medication to lower the temperature.    If a student’s temperature at school is 100 degrees or higher, they will be sent home.

Fifth Disease or Hand & Mouth Disease:  The  greatest period of communicability is before the onset of rash when the child may show symptoms of fever, fatigue and runny nose.  Once the rash appears, they are no longer contagious. 

Influenza (flu):  May return after student has been fever-free for 24 hours (see Fever) and feels well enough to come back to school.  Cough and fatigue may last several weeks. ( See “Is it Cold or Is it Flu?)

Lice:  Student may return to school after treatment with an approved pediculocide shampoo has been initiated (such as Rid) and as many nits (eggs) have been removed as possible. Treatment needs to be repeated in 1 week or according to package directions.  Clothing, bedding and/or cloth toys should be laundered or stored in plastic bags for 10 days to kill all lice and eggs.  Please report to the nurse.

Mumps:  May return to school on the 10th day after the onset of symptoms.  Please report this diagnosis to the school and/or school nurse.

Pinkeye:  May return to school 24 hours after prescription medication/eye drops have been given and discharge from the eye has stopped.

Ringworm:  May return to school immediately after beginning treatment with a fungicide.

Scabies:  May return to school after treatment has been given. Clothing worn next to the skin and bedding should be laundered.

Staph/MRSA/Impetigo:  May return after treatment has been started (24 hours).  Open wounds must be kept covered at all times (PE, Sports practices, games, etc.)  See MRSA

Strep throat/Scarlet fever/Scarletina:  Student may return to school after taking antibiotics for 24 hours.  Please report this diagnosis to the school and/or school nurse.

Please refer to the district’s web-site “School Health” section for additional information, medical forms and/or web-sites.