Nurses’ Office

In the interest of other students and staff, parents should keep students home if they have any of the following: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, a rash of undetermined origin, or symptoms of a cold such as frequent coughing or nasal drainage that the student is unable to take care of themselves. A student should be free from fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea, without the assistance of medication, for 24 hours before returning to school. Notify the school immediately if your child develops a communicable disease — see the list below. If any restriction of activity is necessary upon returning to school after an illness, please send a note to the school office with the specific details. A student will be excused from physical activities upon receipt of a written note from home. Permanent or long term gym and/or recess excuses will require a physicians statement along with any pertinent information for monitoring the student’s activities.

These guidelines have been adapted from Hamilton County Educational Service Center. 

A skin rash consisting of small blisters, which leave scabs. A slight fever may or may not be present. There may be blisters and scabs all present at the same time. Your child should remain home until all blisters have scabbed over, usually five to seven days after the appearance of the first crop of blisters.

Irritated throat, watery discharge from the nose and eyes, sneezing, chills and general body discomfort. Your child should remain home if symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your child’s ability to learn. Medical care should be obtained if symptoms persist beyond seven to 10 days, fever develops, or discharge becomes yellow to green.

If your child’s temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater (or 1 or 2 degrees above the child’s normal temperature) they should remain home until  they has been without fever for a full 24 hours. Remember fever is a symptom indicating the presence of an illness.

Abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache and sore muscles. Runny nose, sore throat, and cough are common. Your child should remain home from school until symptoms are gone and the child is without fever for 24 hours.

Lice are small grayish-tan, wingless insects that lay eggs called nits. Nits are firmly attached to the hair shafts, close to the scalp. Nits are much easier to see and detect than lice. They are small white specks, which are usually found at the nape of the neck and behind the ears. Following lice infestation, your child may return to school after receiving treatment with a pediculicide shampoo, and all nits have been removed.

If your child complains, or behavior indicates, that they are experiencing persistent pain, they should be evaluated by a physician before your child is sent to school.

Redness and swelling of the membranes of the eye with burning or itching, matter coming from one or both eyes, or crusts on the eyelids. Your child should remain home from school until receiving 24 hours of antibiotic therapy, as determined by your physician, and discharge from the eyes has stopped.

A physician should evaluate skin rashes of unknown origin before your child is sent to school.

Strep throat usually begins with fever, sore and red throat, possibly pus spots on the back of the throat, tender swollen glands of the neck. With scarlet fever there are all the symptoms of strep throat as well as a strawberry appearance to the tongue and rash of the skin. High fever, nausea and vomiting may also occur. Your child should remain home from school until receiving a full 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and until without fever or vomiting for 24 hours. Most physicians will advise rest at home for one to two days after a strep infection.

Stomach ache, cramping, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, possible fever, headache, and body aches. Your child should remain at home until without vomiting, diarrhea or fever for a full 24 hours. If your child has had any of these symptoms during the night, they should not be sent to school the following day.