How To Decide If Your Child Is Actually Too Sick To Go To School
Sunday, December 12th, 2010
Does Your Child Have A Fever?
A high fever is a clear indication that your child is too sick to go to school. A fever often indicates the presence of a viral infection like the flu. But what constitutes a high fever?
The typical benchmark is that if your child has a fever of 100.4 degrees or above then you should keep your child at home. If there have been cases of the flu at your child’s school then you want to alert your pediatrician. Special tests or antiviral medications may be called for. Also, before a child returns to school they should be without a fever for at least 24 hours without the assistance of any medication.
Does Your Child Have A Bad Cough?
This is another case where your child actually is too sick to go to school. A bad cough could indicate a number of health conditions including a bad cold, the flu, bronchitis, or pneumonia. This is one of those times when you should contact your doctor if the cough seems severe enough or if it persists. The rule for sending children back to school in this case is just to do it when the cough begins to improve. The cough may linger in a less severe form for a week or more but your child is fine to get back to the learning.
Does Your Child Have Diarrhea Or Vomiting?
Obviously you are going to keep your children home if they are vomiting or if they have diarrhea. These symptoms wouldn’t mix well with a school environment. You can send your child back to school after the symptoms have been absent for 24 hours without medicinal help.
Does Your Child Have A Sore Throat?
This is one of those cases where it is better to be safe than sorry. Ask your child to gauge the severity of the sore throat. A severe sore throat might be an indicator of strep throat whether other symptoms like fever, heartache, and stomach upset are present or not. You should consult a doctor to find out if your child has strep throat. If this is the case then your child can go back to school 24 hours after the initial antibiotic treatment.
Does Your Child Have Pink Eye?
If your child has pink eye then they need to stay home until a doctor says it is time for the child to return to school. It’s highly contagious.
Now you know when your child is too sick for school. It is always better to err on the side of caution but it is nice to have these general rules to turn to. If you ever are unsure of the seriousness of an illness then you can always consult a doctor to be sure.
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