It is sometimes difficult to decide when and how long to keep an ill child home from school. The timing of the
absence is often important in order to decrease the spread of disease to others and to prevent your child from
acquiring any other illness while his/her resistance is lowered. The following guidelines represent the more
common childhood illnesses and the usual recommendations of the Ohio Department of Health.
CHICKEN POX: Your child should remain home until all blisters have scabbed over, usually 6 days after the
appearance of the first crop of blisters.
COMMON COLD: Your child should remain home if symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your child's ability to learn.
FEVER: If your child's temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater he/she should remain home until
he/she has been fever-free (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) for a full 24 hours. Remember fever is symptom indicating the presence of an illness.
FLU: Abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache and sore muscles. Your child should remain home from school
until symptoms are gone and the child is without a fever for 24 hours.
HEAD LICE: Following lice infestation, please accompany your child to school the morning after receiving
treatment. The school nurse or trained staff will check to make sure there are no live bugs and that progress
has been made in removing nits.
IMPETIGO: Your child should remain home from school until receiving 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and sores
are no longer draining.
PAIN: If your child complains, or behavior indicates, that he/she is experiencing persistent pain, he/she should
be evaluated by a physician before your child is sent to school.
PINKEYE: Your child should remain home from school until receiving 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and
discharge from the eye has stopped.
SKIN RASHES: Skin rashes of unknown origin should be evaluated by a physician before your child goes to
school.
STREP THROAT AND SCARLET FEVER: Your child should remain home from school until receiving a full 24 hours of antibiotic therapy and until he/she is without fever or vomiting for 24 hours.
VOMITING AND DIARRHEA: Your child should remain at home until vomiting, diarrhea or fever has ceased for a full 24 hours. If your child has had any of these symptoms during the night he/she should not be sent to
school the following day.
**PLEASE BRING A PHYSICIAN STATEMENT TO SCHOOL IF SEEN FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE ILLNESSES.