This is a common question during the cold and flu season and the following guidelines may be helpful in making that decision.

Fever: Check your child’s temperature with a thermometer. If the thermometer is over 100.0 degrees, do not send your child to school. Children should be fever free, without medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.

Vomiting/Diarrhea: If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea, your child should stay home. Children should be kept at home for a minimum of 12 hours. Your child should be able to eat and drink without continued vomiting or diarrhea before returning to school.

Strep Throat: Children diagnosed with strep may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics and improvement in symptoms.

Flu: Symptoms of the flu can come on suddenly. Symptoms include fever (higher than 101F), chills, headache, body aches, ear ache, nausea, vomiting, dry cough. Call your child’s pediatrician at the first sign of flu symptoms. If your child is diagnosed with the flu, please contact your school nurse. Your child can return to school once symptoms have resolved and they have been fever free for 24 hours without medication.

COVID-19: Symptoms of the more recent variants of COVID-19 are similar to the common cold or flu and include fever, chills, sore throat, stomachache. Testing is required to distinguish COVID-19 from other airborne or droplet diseases. If your child is diagnosed with COVID-19, please contact your school nurse.