American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses recommend the following illness and injury guidelines for school.

Children should be sent home or parents should keep their child home when they display the following symptoms of illness.

• Colds, especially during the first couple of days, and when there is a productive cough and/or thick, yellow, or green nasal discharge. 
  
  
• Fever of 100.4 or higher; temperature should to be normal for 24 hours without taking any medication before a child can return to school.  However, a child without a temperature who presents other symptoms of illness, such as nausea or headache, may also be ill.
  
  
• Vomiting within past 24 hours.
  
  
• Diarrhea within past 24 hours.
  
  
• Sore throat, especially if combined with fever, headache, swollen neck glands.  Minor sore throats are usually not a problem, but a severe sore throat could be strep throat even without fever.
  
  
• Red, swollen, crusted, or draining eyes.
  
  
• Draining ears or earache.
  
  
• Headache, body aches, or pain.
  
  
• Skin rash, unless diagnosed by a doctor as noninfectious.  A doctor's note is required to return to school for a suspicious rash or communicable disease.
  
  
• Communicable diseases or conditions, i.e. conjunctivitis, impetigo, chicken pox, scabies.  A doctor's note is required to return to school for a communicable disease. 
  
  

A child returning to school after an injury (i.e. surgery, hospitalization, wheelchair, or casts) must have a doctor’s note to return to school.  This note must be given to the office before the child can resume regular classroom instruction.   If there are any restrictions or activity limitations (i.e. exclusion from participating in physical education or recess) or precautions, the doctor’s note must include this information.  Based on the information provided by the doctor and to promote a safe school environment, accommodations may need to be put in place prior to the child’s return to school.

Health care is important for a child’s well being and physical development.  Do your children have medical insurance coverage?  If not, there are medical plans for your children that can provide no-cost or low-cost health, dental, and vision coverage, and prescription services.  Please contact The Health Trust at (408) 961-9893 or Covered California at 1-800-300-1506 for more information and/or to sign up for health insurance, including Medi-Cal and Healthy Kids.