NURSE NOTES
As a reminder, ACSC policy states that a student should not attend school if they have:
- A fever >100F. Children should be fever-free for 24 hours without use of fever reducing medication.
- Witnessed vomiting or diarrhea. Children should be free from vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours before attending school.
- A condition or illness that is causing symptoms that the student is unable to function in class. Examples include severe headache, continuous cough, persistent stomachache, etc.
- Suspicion of untreated conjunctivitis, or pink eye. If pink eye is diagnosed, drops need to be used for 24 hours before attending school.
- Suspicious rashes that may be contagious.
- Injury that may require further evaluation and treatment.
- Untreated head lice- presence of live lice.
- Suspicion of an untreated contagious condition. If an infection has been diagnosed, students need to be on antibiotics for 24 hours before attending school.
What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
Flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms are more intense. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. Flu can have very serious associated complications. Special tests that usually must be done within the first few days of illness can tell if a person has the flu.
