Lake Washington School District works with King County Department of Public Health to help protect children from spreading communicable diseases. Keeping children home when they are too sick for school protects other students and staff from potential illness.
Symptoms that child is too sick for school
If your child has any of the following symptoms, please keep him/her home, or make appropriate child care arrangements until they are symptom free for a complete 24-hour period. It will be necessary to pick your student up from school as soon as possible if he/she shows any of the following symptoms at school:
* Fever: temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Child must not have a fever for 24 hours before returning to school.
* Vomiting: Child should not return to school for 24 hours following the last episode of vomiting.
* Lice, scabies: Children may not return to school until they have been treated. Children with scabies can be admitted after treatment.
* Diarrhea: More than one watery stool in a 24-hour period, especially if the child acts or looks ill.
* Chronic cough and/or runny nose: Continual coughing and excessive discharge from the nose. Conditions may be contagious and may require treatment from your health care provider.
* Sore throat: Especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck.
* Rash: Body rash, especially with fever or itching.
* Ear infection: Accompanied by fever. Without fever can attend school, but the child may need medical treatment and follow-up. Untreated ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss.
* Eye infection: Eye infection: pink eye (conjunctivitis) or thick mucus or pus draining from eye.
* Unusual appearance, behavior: Abnormally tired, pale, lack of appetite, difficult to wake, confused or irritable. This is sufficient reason to exclude a child from school.
Tips to Stay Well : Ways to help prevent illness and keep students healthy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of germs is to wash your hands often.
Hand washing
Germs are spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his/her eyes, nose or mouth. The CDC recommends vigorous scrubbing of the hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds, then rinsing with clear water and drying with a clean towel.
Other tips
* Don’t share eating utensils, drinking glasses, towels or personal items. Sharing items creates a potential of transmitting germs and becoming sick.
* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue every time you cough or sneeze. Throw the used tissue into a waste basket. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve. Afterwards wash your hands with soap and water.
* Stay home when you are sick. Don’t pass your germs to someone else.
* Contact your doctor. If you think you have influenza, or another severe illness, contact your health care provider.