When to Stay Home
We ask that you keep your child home from school if they have:
- Temperature over 100 degrees
- Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
- Undiagnosed rash
- Coughing that disrupts normal activity
If your child is ill, please keep them home. Do not administer fever reducing medication, such as Tylenol or Motrin, and send them to school. Our policy states children should remain home 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting, diarrhea or fever returning to normal without the use of fever reducing medication. Remember, your child’s immune system is on the mend and very vulnerable to contracting other illnesses they can be exposed to in school.
If your child has an unusual rash that has not been diagnosed by a healthcare provider, please keep them home. The rash may be contagious or a symptom of a contagious disease. We recommend calling your healthcare provider for further guidance.
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
Students with pink eye (conjunctivitis) may remain in school if they do not have a fever and are well enough to participate in routine school activities. If students are unable to refrain from touching their eyes with visible drainage present, we ask that you keep your child home from school until symptoms improve.
Communicable Disease
If your child was diagnosed with an communicable disease, please contact the district licensed school nurse. The list includes, but not limited to:
- COVID-19
- Influenza
- Pertussis (Whooping cough)
- Strep throat
- Parvovirus (Fifth Disease)
- Chickenpox
Certain communicable diseases are reportable to the Minnesota Department of Health. For a full list of reportable diseases, please click here
Head Lice
Please contact the District Licensed School Nurse, if you suspect your child has head lice. Students with live lice will be sent home from school until the first treatment is started. The district nurse will contact you to provide education
- Signs include itchy head and neck, a tickling sensation on the head or neck, sores from scratching, lice or nits in the hairline, behind the ears or on the back of the neck.
- Lice are spread through head-to-head contact with an already infested person. It is less common, but lice can also spread through shared clothing, hair accessories, towels, stuffed animals, pillows, furniture, or carpeting. Lice are not spread through pets.
Minnesota Department of Health Head Lice Overview & Fact Sheet
