The following should serve as a guideline to parents with regard to the amount of time a student should be kept out of school with a communicable disease.

1.    A runny nose is the way many children respond to pollen, dust, chalk, or simply a change of season.  If it isn‚t a common cold, then it is perhaps an allergy and allergies aren‚t contagious.  Don‚t keep the child home.

2.    A bad cough or cold symptoms can indicate severe colds, bronchitis, flu, or even pneumonia.  Some children suffer one cold after another all winter long and a run-of-the-mill cold should not be a reason to miss school.  But if your child is not acting „right‰, has difficulty breathing, or is becoming dehydrated, it could be serious.  Check with your doctor.

3.    Diarrhea and vomiting make children very uncomfortable, and being near a bathroom becomes a top priority.  If your child has repeated episodes of diarrhea and vomiting, accompanied by fever, a rash, or general weakness, consult a doctor and keep your child out of school until the illness passes.  A single episode, unaccompanied by any other symptom may not be reason enough for the child to miss school.  But please make sure we know how to reach you in case it recurs.

4.    Fever is an important symptom; when it occurs along with a sore throat, an earache, nausea, listlessness, or a rash, your child may be carrying something very contagious.  Most pediatricians advise parents to keep children home during the course of a fever and for an additional 24 hours after the fever has passed.

5.    Strep throat and scarlet fever are two highly contagious conditions.  A child with either should be kept home to seek medical advice.  (Student may return when no longer contagious and with a doctor‚s permission.)

6.    Chicken pox, a viral disease, is not life threatening to children, but is very uncomfortable and extremely contagious.  Keep your child home for at least a week from the time you first noticed the symptoms.

7.    Measles is a viral infection that attacks a child‚s respiratory system, causing a dry, hacking cough, general weariness, inflamed eyes, and fever.  If these symptoms appear, keep your child at home and consult your doctor.  The measles rash of tiny red bumps will next appear on the face, behind the ears, and down the body.  Your doctor may advise you to keep your child home for several days after the rash.

8.    Pink eye is highly contagious and uncomfortable and requires treatment with prescription eye drops.  Pink eye is the same thing as „cold in the eyes‰.  Usually requires 24-hours from time of first dose of prescription prior to reentering the school.  Check with your doctor.

9.    Ear infections are also contagious.  Follow the 24-hour rule for fever and antibiotic therapy.

10.    Mites and lice, once brought in a home or school, can quickly produce an epidemic of itching and scratching.  Mites are tiny insects in the same class as spiders and ticks; they irritate the skin and cause scabies.  Lice are tiny parasites that thrive on the warm, damp scalps of children.  Caution your child against sharing anybody else‚s combs and brushes or clothing, especially hats.  If your child becomes a „host‰ to mites or lice, check with your doctor or the school nurse for the most effective way to disinfect your child and all the child‚s clothing and bedding.