As a mother with a child who had a chronic disease, it may be so hard to force her out the door when she was complaining of an ache or a pain. Was it her Crohn’s disease, a basic tummy ache, homework that wasn’t prepared? With measles outbreak, parents should be hyper vigilant. How do you really know if your child is too sick for school?
Experts at the Mayo Clinic report that the top four causes of missed school are:
- The common coldand ear infections
- Stomach flu
- Pink eye
- Sore throat
The Cold Threshold: A Fever
Colds are easily spread by contact with infected droplets in the air; ear infections can start with a cold and keep a child home from school as well. Colds are so common that if kids stayed home every time they had one they’d never graduate. If they are coughing hard, which can spread the infection, or have trouble breathing, keep them home. Mayo Clinic pinpoints a fever exceeding 100.4 F as the magic number to keep your child home. Most ear infections clear on their own so gauge your child’s discomfort level before sending them on the school bus.
Stomach Flu or Minor Tummy Ache?
Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis) spreads through contact with an infected person or by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Children with stomachaches should stay home if they’ve vomited more than twice over a 24-hour period or have diarrhea or fever. If the stomach flu came on suddenly with no other accompanying symptoms, assess whether they may have eaten something that didn’t agree with them. Also consider whether they may be constipated. (Alternatively, perhaps there’s a math test that day for which they are unprepared.)
Pink Eye: Highly Contagious, so Err on the Side of Caution
Pink eye (conjunctivitis) can be bacterial but is generally caused by a virus associated with a cold. Both types are highly contagious. Viral pink eye will run its course, and bacterial pink eye can be treated with antibiotics. Children should be kept home while there’s pus discharge and until they have been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
Sore Throat: Could It Be Strep?
Sore throats, also called pharyngitis, are usually caused by viruses. If a sore throat doesn’t go away within a week and is accompanied by a fever and/or tonsillitis, consider strep throat. This is bacterial, so you’ll need antibiotics to take care of it. Send your child back to school after their fever is gone and they have been on the antibiotic for more than 24 hours.
The Academy of Pediatrics Committees on Infectious Diseases and School Health recommend that a child with minor illnesses go to school unless they are irritable, lethargic, have mouth sores causing difficulty swallowing, have a rash with fever, or are exhibiting behavioral changes. When there is no fever, they can eat and drink normally, and they’ve had enough rest, the party’s over.
How Not to Get Sick in the First Place
Always check with your doctor if you’re unsure what to do, and use these tips to keep your kid in school:
- Prevent illness by having them wash their hands often. They’re soaping up long enough if they do it for the length of time it takes to slowly sing their ABCs or, for older kids, the theme from Frozen.
- If you have a question about your child’s symptoms, check with the school to see if anything is going around.
- Let the teacher/school nurse know if your child is on antibiotics so they can screen for side effects such as diarrhea or nausea.
- Remind your child to cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and tell them that if they can’t grab a tissue, they should cough into the crook of their elbow.
