How sick is too sick to go to school?

Published Nov. 7, 2022

By Andrew Mundhenk, Henderson County Dept. of Public Health

Whether it’s the stomach bug, flu or other ailments, school nurses are seeing a lot of illnesses going around the classroom.

The Henderson County Department of Public Health has seen an increase in respiratory illnesses in the schools as well as our own healthcare clinic. So far, it’s been evenly dispersed among COVID-19, flu and other respiratory illnesses.The health of our schools reflects the overall health of the community. Student health also plays a key role in their academic success. Parents and guardians know their children best, but it can be tough at times to be certain their child is well enough to go to school.

While no doubt a disruption to our daily routines, it’s important to keep children home if they have respiratory symptoms, fever or are not feeling well. It allows them to rest and recover. It also helps cut down on the ongoing spread of illness in schools and the community.

There are some telltale symptoms when students should stay home. Our school nurses and Henderson County Public Schools use these guidelines to determine when and how long a child should stay at home:

  • Fever: Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. A child should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school without the use of fever-reducing medication.
  • Eyes: Thick mucus or pus draining from the eye or pink eye. With pink eye you may see a white or yellow discharge, matted eyelids after sleep, eye pain and/or redness. Your child must receive 24 hours of antibiotics and/or doctor approval before returning to school.
  • Sore throat with fever or swollen glands in the neck: Your child may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics with strep throat.
  • Vomiting: Two or more times in the past 24 hours.
  • Diarrhea: Three or more watery stools in a 24-hour period, especially if the child acts or looks ill.
  • Chickenpox: Children must stay at home for five days after the onset of blisters.
  • Rash with fever or itching: Heat rashes and allergic reactions are not contagious.

Vague complaints of aches, pain or fatigue; sniffles, a runny nose and/or cough without fever; a single episode of diarrhea or vomiting without other symptoms usually means a child is safe to go to school. An ear infection without a fever doesn’t exclude a child from school, but medical treatment is needed, and the child should be kept home if a fever or pain is present.

As always, check with your child’s pediatrician or healthcare provider to address any ongoing health concerns you have. It’s important not to medicate a child, especially one with a fever, to send them to school. Also, keep in mind regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others.

Andrew Mundhenk is the Communications Manager for the Henderson County Department of Public Health.