Common Communicable Disease General Guidelines for Parents

**Stomach ache, cramping, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, possible fever, headache and body aches—IF YOUR CHILD HAS ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS DURING THE EVENING/NIGHT, THEY SHOULD NOT BE SENT TO SCHOOL THE FOLLOWING DAY. 

*You will notice the time frame of 24 hours is given frequently throughout the guidelines. It is necessary that you follow the FULL 24 hour guidelines as given by the Ohio Department of Health to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. 

These guidelines are for the protection of our students and staff, as well as for your child when they are ill. Please remember, when your child is ill, their immunity is down making them more susceptible to other illnesses that may be occurring in our school. This could cause them to be absent for a longer amount of time and bring other illness into your home. We know it is difficult to miss work then your children are ill, so please plan ahead to have a plan in place for those days that your child needs to remain home. Consult with your physician for the most accurate diagnosis and treatment. Please notify your child’s school of any communicable disease when calling to report them absent, so we can monitor illnesses at school. 

Chicken Pox: A skin rash of small blisters which leave scabs. A slight fever may or may not be present. There may be blisters and scabs all present at the same time. Children who have been vaccinated may still get the disease, but it is typically less severe. Your child should remain home until all blisters have scabbed over, usually 5-7 days after the appearance of the first crop of blisters. 

Common Cold: Irritated throat, watery discharge from nose and eyes, sneezing, chills with mild fever, productive cough, and general body discomfort. Your child only needs to remain home if symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your child’s ability to learn, or if they have a fever. Medical care should be obtained if symptoms last beyond 7-10 days, fever develops, persistent cough that can’t be calmed with home treatment, or discharge becomes yellow to green. 

Covid-19/Coronavirus: Information will be added when we receive guidelines from ODH regarding schools. 

Fever: Temperatures of 100.4 degrees or higher. Your child should remain home until he/she has been without a fever for a full 24 hours without having taken fever reducing medication. 

Flu: Respiratory illness with abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache, dry non-productive cough, severe body aches and fatigue. You may also experience runny nose and sore throat, but not severe. If your child is diagnosed with influenza, he/she needs to remain home until they are symptom free and without a fever for a FULL 24 hours without fever reducing medication in their system. 

Head Lice: Lice are small grayish-tan wingless insects that lay eggs called nits. Nits firmly attach to the hair shafts, close to the scalp. Nits are much easier to see and detect than lice. They are small white specks which are usually found at the back of the neck and behind the ears. Following lice infestation, your child may return to school after receiving appropriate treatment (ie:Nix). Parents need to notify the clinic staff of treatment given at home, and accompany the child upon return to school for a lice check before admittance back to school. Parents should continue to check hair for nits daily for two weeks, removing anything that is found. The TERMINATOR lice comb has been found to be effective in removing lice and nits from the hair. Please talk to your pharmacist or physician for information on products to use to treat head lice. If more information is needed regarding ridding your home of head lice, contact the district nurse, Michelle Johnson, assist you with resources available in our area. 

Impetigo: Blister-like lesions which develop into crusted pus-like sores near the nose and mouth, but can also be found elsewhere on the body. Your child should remain home from school until they have completed 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and sores are no longer draining. Parent should notify the clinic staff of this diagnosis and that treatment has been given. 

Pain: If your child complains, or behavior indicates that he/she is experiencing persistent pain, they should be evaluated by a physician before coming to school. We are unable to diagnose health conditions, and do not have the equipment available to determine the cause of their pain. If your child develops severe pain while at school, they will need picked up and monitored by their parent until they are seen by a physician. If your child has a condition that pain might be a symptom of concern, please consult your physician and obtain written guidelines for when he/she should remain at school or be sent home. 

Pinkeye: Redness, swelling of the eye with burning or itching and matter coming from one or both eyes, or crusts on eyelids. Your child should remain home from school until after they have received 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and discharge from the eyes has stopped. Spread of infection can be minimized by keeping the hands away from the face, good handwashing, using individual wash cloths and towels, and NOT touching any part of the eye with the tip of the medication applicator. 

Skin Rashes: Skin rashes of unknown origin should be evaluated by a physician before your child is sent to school. We can’t diagnose the cause of a rash, and we can’t assume the cause. To prevent the spread of a contagious rash, rashes need to be evaluated by your medical provider before your child comes to school. If a rash is found at school, you will be notified to pick up your child and obtain confirmation that it is not contagious. If your child has a chronic condition that involves a rash, please obtain information from your physician to include in your child’s health file. A lot of communicable diseases are contagious 24 hours before symptoms even begin, so it is important that when a rash occurs we get it evaluated before other students are further exposed. 

Strep Throat and Scarlet Fever: Strep throat usually (but not always) begins with a fever, sore and red throat, pus spots on the back of the throat and tender or swollen glands of the neck. Keep in mind that strep throat is not always classic and cases have been seen that did not have the typical symptoms at all. Scarlet fever usually has the same symptoms as strep throat that are accompanied by a strawberry appearance to the tongue and rash of the skin. High fever, nausea and vomiting may also occur. Your child should remain home from school until they have received a FULL 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and until they are without fever or vomiting for 24 hours without medication. Make sure antibiotic medications are taken and completed as prescribed to completely eliminate infection from the body. Contact your physician if your child has any trouble while taking the medication. 

Vomiting and Diarrhea: Your child should remain at home until without vomiting/diarrhea for a FULL 24 hours. 

Feel free to contact myself, Michelle Johnson, Heath City Schools District Nurse for further information or questions by calling your child’s school and/or me at 740-238-7116. You can also reach me by email at [email protected] 

Thank you for your cooperation & I wish you a happy and healthy school year!