When a Child Is Sent Home From School
Please be sure to confirm and/or update your current phone number and emergency contacts in Skyward Student and Family Access. When a student is ill and it is determined that they need to go home, they should be picked up as soon as possible for his/her comfort and for the health of the other students. While we know that it may cause an inconvenience and require a parent to leave work, we thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
School Absence
WHEN TO STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL
A child with a contagious illness, disease or fever should not be sent to school. Please specify on the school attendance line if your child is absent due to a fever, contagious disease, or chronic illness. If a child is ill, the school nurse or principal-appointed representative may send the student home with a note and if appropriate, recommend that the family physician be consulted. District policy requires students be excluded from school for the following and/or at the nurse’s discretion:
Fever—oral temperature of 100° F or above. Your child must be fever free (less than 100° F) for at least one (1) full school day after being sent home with a fever. After the full day, s/he may return to school once s/he is fever free (<100˚F) without using fever-reducing medication.
Any rash and fever combined—the student should remain home until fever free for at least one (1) full school day and until fever free (<100˚F) without using fever-reducing medication.
All red or pink eyes with pus or drainage present should be evaluated by a physician. The student may return to school 24 hours after start of treatment or a physician’s note indicating that no treatment is necessary.
Vomiting—the student should remain home for 24 hours until no longer vomiting without the use of medication.
Diarrhea—the student should remain home for 24 hours until no longer having diarrhea without the use of medication.
Impetigo—the student should remain home until treatment has been given for at least 24 hours. Please notify the school nurse of this condition and provide a note from your physician.
Scabies—the student should remain home until treatment has been given for at least 24 hours. Please notify the school nurse of this condition and provide a note from your physician.
Ringworm—the student should remain home until treatment has been started; upon returning to school, the area must remain covered at all times; if the area is too large or cannot be covered, the student must remain home until the ringworm is gone.
Chicken Pox—the student should remain home for five (5) days from the first appearance of pox’s (vesicles) and until all vesicles have scabbed over and no new ones are appearing.
Strep Throat—the student should remain home until s/he has had at least a FULL 24 hours of antibiotic treatment and is fever free (<100˚F) without using fever-reducing medication.
Whooping Cough—if your child is suspected of having whooping cough, s/he must remain home until the test results have been confirmed. If the test is positive for whooping cough, the student must remain home for five (5) FULL days on antibiotics. Please notify the school nurse.
COVID-19—the student should remain home until fever free for 24 hours without using medication to reduce the fever and symptoms are getting better.
Flu Information
In order to help keep your family healthy during the flu season, please see the Flu Guide for Parents shown below.
Please remember to keep our schools healthy. We count on parents/guardians to keep children home according to the school policy to avoid the spread of illness. If your child has been diagnosed with the flu from a healthcare provider, please leave this information on the absence line at school. This information will help the school keep track of the number of children diagnosed with the flu in the building. Contact a healthcare provider if your child has symptoms of the flu.
Your child can return to school once symptoms improve, and they no longer have a fever for at least 24 hours without using medications that reduce a fever. For additional information see "When to Stay Home from School". This may change depending on the severity and number of students and staff diagnosed with the flu in the school.
Flu Guide for Parents (Spanish)
Flu and You (Spanish)
Flu and People with Chronic Diseases
What to Do When Your Child Gets the Flu
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in Athletics
Transmission of MRSA among sports participants is a concern. Possible risk factors for infection include close physical contact, skin damage, and sharing of equipment or clothing. The risk for transmission of MRSA is much greater among sports participants than among students in a classroom. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the following guidance for preventing staphylococcal skin infections in the sports setting:
- Athletes must report skin lesions to coaches and athletic trainer or school nurse. Athletes should regularly assess for skin infections.
- Cover all wounds. If a wound cannot be covered adequately, consider excluding players with potentially infectious skin lesions from practice or competitions until the lesions are healed or can be covered adequately.
- Encourage good hygiene, including showering and washing with soap after all practices and competitions.
- Ensure availability of adequate soap and hot water.
- Discourage sharing of towels and personal items, such as clothing or equipment.
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/
http://www.doe.in.gov/sservices/docs/sn_mrsa_resource_packet.pdf
Hand Foot, and Mouth Disease
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is generally a mild, self-limiting, viral illness occurring most often in children under the age of 10. Cases may also occur in older children and adults. It is characterized by sudden onset, fever, sore throat, and poor appetite followed by lesions in the mouth or on hands one to two days later. Lesions begin as small red spots that blister that may become ulcers. They are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside the cheek. A skin rash then develops which is usually located on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Transmission is through discharges from the nose, throat, and feces. Children should be encouraged to wash hands frequently and dispose of used tissue properly so that the spread of infections can be limited as much as possible. If your child has these symptoms, please consult your physician so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. Your doctor may prescribe treatment to relieve symptoms, but there is no specific treatment, and the virus must run its course.
Communicable Reference Guide https://www.in.gov/health/files/2022-Communicable-Disease-Reference-Guide-for-Schools.pdf
Loss of Control of Bladder or Bowel—if your child experiences repeated loss of bladder or bowel control at school and body fluids cannot be contained or are causing contamination of the school environment, there is a risk of exposure to body fluids, and your child will be sent home for the day. If this is a result of a medical condition, please contact your school nurse.
Head Injury
If a head injury is suspected, please observe for the possibility of a more serious head injury for the next 24 hours. Encourage rest and quiet activities. Some signs or symptoms, you as a parent, should be alert for include the following symptoms:
- Sleepiness/Drowsiness
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Blurred or double vision
- Loss of consciousness
- Paleness
- Unequal pupils
- Confusion
- Slurred speech
- Increasing pain
- Weakness
- Any abnormal behavior
If your child exhibits any of these symptoms, please call your family doctor as soon as possible.
Concussion
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. This fast movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging the brain cells. TCSC will work individually with each student and medical provider regarding return to learn and return to play protocols for students diagnosed with a concussion.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Fact Sheet (Parents)
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Fact Sheet (Student-Athletes)
Heads Up Concussion Fact Sheet
Heads Up Concussion Fact Sheet (Spanish)