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Emergencies & Illness at School

Do you think you have a sick child? Should your child go to school or not?
Here is expert advice.
By Jeanie Lerche Davis
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Jonathan L Gelfand, MD

A little sniffle. A slight cough. “I don’t feel good,” says your child. But how do you
really know: Should this kid stay home, or go to school?

With cold symptoms, fever (or lack of it) helps determine the answer, says
Steven Parker, MD, director of the division of behavioral and developmental
pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, and an expert moderator for WebMD’s
message boards.

“If there’s no fever, it’s generally OK to send the child to school,” Parker tells
WebMD. “It’s likely a cold, and school is probably where your child got it in the
first place. If your child feels pretty good otherwise, then it’s fine to send the child
to school.”

But when in doubt, Parker says you should always call your pediatric provider for
advice.

Also, if your child frequently claims to be “sick” but is fine on weekends, that’s a
sign of other issues. “There may be trouble at school,” he notes.

Symptom by symptom, here are Parker’s guidelines to help you decide whether
your child should stay home from school:

Fever
If your child’s temperature is 100.0 degrees or higher, keep your child at home.
While at home, encourage your child to drink plenty of liquids. Your child should
be fever-free for 24 hours (without medicine) before returning to school.

Mild Cough/Runny Nose
If there’s no fever, and the child feels fairly good, school is fine.

Bad Cough/Cold Symptoms
Children with bad coughs need to stay home, and possibly see a doctor. It could
be a severe cold or possibly bronchitis, flu, or pneumonia. But when the cough
improves, and the child is feeling better, then it’s back to school. Don’t wait for
the cough to disappear entirely — that could take a week or longer!

Diarrhea or Vomiting
Keep your child home until the illness is over, and for 24 hours after the last
episode (without medicine).

Sore Throat
A minor sore throat is usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be
strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children
are headache and stomach upset. Keep your child home from school, and
contact a doctor. Your child needs a special test to determine if it is strep throat.
He or she can return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.

Earache
The child needs to see a doctor.

Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
Keep the child home until a doctor has given the OK to return to school. Pink eye
is highly contagious and most cases are caused by a virus, which will not
respond to an antibiotic. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require an antibiotic; your
doctor will be able to determine if this is the case.

Rash
Children with a skin rash should see a doctor, as this could be one of several
infectious diseases. One possibility is impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that is
very contagious and requires antibiotic treatment. Also, fifth disease is a
contagious viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes; it’s no longer contagious
by the time rash appears

Medication at School

It is very important for every parent to help prevent the spread of lice.

ALL parents should:

• check your child’s hair at least once a week
• check your child’s hair more often if there is exposure to an actual case of lice from friends, family, or classmates
• check the hair carefully if your child complains of head itching
• remind your child to NEVER share a brush, hat, or helmet
• encourage your child to wear hair up if an active case of lice is identified in the classroom
• notify anyone who has come into close contact with your child should you discover he or she has a case of lice.

Here are the things we are doing at Glen Loch to try and prevent the spread of head lice:

• If a teacher notices a student scratching his or her head excessively, the student will be sent to the clinic for a head check.
• Children will be allowed to keep their backpacks and jackets on the backs of their chairs
• Teachers will continue to constantly look for ways to limit accidental head-to-head contact inside the classroom

More information and treatment:

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CDC.GOV

Lice Liminators