Guidelines for Keeping Students Home Due to Illness
The District Guidelines for Keeping an Ill Student Home are available here in English and Spanish and are summarized below. If you have further questions, please contact the school nurse at 858-271-0470, ext. 5. For more information about these or other District health policies, please visit the District's Nursing and Wellness Program site.
Please do not send a child with the following symptoms to school:
Antibiotics
Children who are placed on antibiotics for impetigo, strep throat, and several other bacterial infections, should be on them for a FULL 24 hours (longer for Pertussis/Whooping Cough) before returning to school to prevent the spread of those infections. If you are uncertain, ask the school nurse. If at any time you are unsure if your child's illness is contagious, you may want to call your child's primary care provider.
Please do not send a child with the following symptoms to school:
- Fever of 100.5°F or more, taken orally (or 101°F taken by ear, rectally or temporal scan).
- Cough and difficulty breathing - do not send to school if child has labored breathing (heaving of chest muscles witheach breath), rapid breathing at rest, blue color to skin, or wheezing (if never previously evaluated and treated), and see a doctor. Keep home if your child has pertussis (whooping cough) until 5 days of antibiotics have been received, or tuberculosis (until treated).
- Rash that is undiagnosed, especially when there is a fever and behavioral change.
- Chicken pox - keep home until all blisters are scabbed over and there are no signs of illness.
- Diarrhea - keep home if there is blood or mucous in the stool (unless from medication or hard stool), if the stools are all black or very pale, or if the stools are very watery and are increasing in frequency. See adoctor immediately if diarrhea is accompanied by: no urine output for 8 hours; jaundiced skin; or child looks/acts ill.
- Vomiting more than once a day or accompanied by fever, rash or general weakness.
- Impetigo - keep the child home for 24 hours after starting an antibiotic treatment.
- Ringworm (a contagious skin fungus infection) - keep home until treatment is started. If it is in an exposed area, upon return, cover visible area with dressing and/or clothing. Ringworm on the scalp requires an oral medication, but child may return to school if covered.
- Cold sores - cold sores can be passed from one person to another, but only through direct contact. Children who drool or place toys in their mouths when they have cold sores should stay home; other children may come to school. Unless otherwise indicated, students with above symptoms need to be absent for at least 24 hours prior to returning to school.
Antibiotics
Children who are placed on antibiotics for impetigo, strep throat, and several other bacterial infections, should be on them for a FULL 24 hours (longer for Pertussis/Whooping Cough) before returning to school to prevent the spread of those infections. If you are uncertain, ask the school nurse. If at any time you are unsure if your child's illness is contagious, you may want to call your child's primary care provider.
