Illness and Injuries Guidelines

Guidelines for Illness
It is the goal of the health services program to keep students in school as much as possible to meet their educational needs. However, there are times when students need to stay home to prevent exposure and the spread of illness to others.

Here are some guidelines to help you determine if your child should stay home:

• Temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher-- Students should not return to school until fever free (without medications) for 24 hours.
• Vomiting or diarrhea-- Students should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
• Chicken pox-- Students should not return until pox are dry and crusted. Please inform the health assistant if your child has chicken pox.
• COVID-19-- It is recommended that students stay home for 5 days from the start of symptoms. If a student must be absent because of a fever or other symptoms, it is required that the student be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and have improved symptoms before returning to school. Free rapid at-home COVID-19 tests are available at https://sayyeshometest.org/. Every home in Minnesota can order up to eight tests per month while supplies last.
• Head lice-- Students can return when lice are adequately treated and no live lice are present. Please inform the health assistant if your child has head lice.
• Impetigo-- Students can return 24 hours after prescription treatment has started. Please inform the health assistant if your child has Impetigo.
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis)-- No exclusion unless the student has a fever or is not healthy enough to participate in routine activities. Students with significant discharge from their eyes may be sent home for further evaluation.  Please inform the health assistant if your child has Pink eye - conjunctivitis.
• Skin rash-- Students should be excluded until rash has been diagnosed as non-contagious or 24 hours after treatment has begun.
• Strep throat-- Students can return to school after 12 hours of antibiotic treatment. Please inform the health assistant if your child has strep.

Students who become ill during the day should report to the health office. If needed, they will be sent home after contact is made with parents or guardians by the health ESP.
 

Guidelines for Injuries
Care of minor injuries will be provided in the health office. Parents will be called if the student needs further medical attention. For serious and life-threatening injuries, 911 will be called. Parents will also be contacted. Injuries requiring accommodations at school need a health care provider's signed follow-up instructions\restrictions.