Illness Guide for USD 372

Many parents are frequently concerned about when to keep children home or send them to school when they are ill. The following information is intended to help parents with this decision.

Quarantine Time: The length of time a student needs to be absent from school before returning, after being diagnosed with certain contagious diseases. These guidelines are set by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment and are used to determine when a student may return to class. If your child is ill, guidelines please call the school to report the illness.

Fever: Students should stay home with a temperature of 100 degrees or over. They may return to school when their temperature has been fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication to lower the temperature. If a student’s temperature at school is 100 degrees or over, they will be sent home.

Vomiting &/or Diarrhea: Student should stay home until they are free from symptoms for 24 hours. Students who vomit at school will be sent home.

Strep throat: Student may return to school after being on antibiotics for 24 hours. Please report this diagnosis to school.

Pinkeye (conjunctivitis):  Infected children are not required to be excluded from school unless their behavior is such that close contact with other students cannot be avoided. Antibiotic therapy may need to be initiated depending on the source of infection.

Chicken Pox: May return to school on the 6th day after onset of the first lesion, or when all lesions are scabbed over and dry. Please report this diagnosis to the school.

Fifth Disease: Greatest period of communicability is before onset of rash. Not contagious after rash onset. Impetigo May return to school after treatment has started, open wounds must be covered.

Mumps: May return to school on the 10th day after the onset of symptoms. Please report this diagnosis to the school. 

Ringworm: May return to school immediately after beginning treatment with a fungicide.

Scabies: May return to school after treatment has been given. Clothing worn next to the skin and bedding should be laundered.

USD 372 Head Lice Information

Kansas regulations do not require individuals with head lice or nits to be excluded from school or child care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of School Nurses advocate that children should not be excluded for lice or nits.

Head lice can be a nuisance, but they have not been shown to spread disease and are not considered a public health hazard. CDC states that the burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the perceived risks associated with head lice.

What happens if head lice are found on my child at school?

● If a child is found to have head lice at school, that child's parent will be notified. Initiation of treatment will be done at home. The child will not be required to be excluded at this time.

● After treatment is initiated, the student will be examined by the nurse. They will be examined weekly for two to three weeks to help prevent reinfestation.

● Close contacts of infested students such as siblings, housemates, friends, etc. who may have slept over in the last month will also be examined.

● Current evidence does not support the effectiveness of classroom or school-wide screenings for decreasing the incidence of head lice.

● No classroom notifications will be sent home when typical cases of head lice are identified. It is vital to maintain the privacy of our students, prevent stigmatizing, & preserve each family's right to confidentiality. Sending out notification letters has also been shown to heighten the anxiety & distress parents feel about the issue which may lead to misdiagnosis & misuse of treatments.

Information Resources for Parents

KDHE guidelines: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1440/Infectious-Disease-Epidemiology-Response

Information for Schools: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/schools.html

Information for Parents: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/parents.html

Treatment Recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html