Contagious Infections - COVID 19, FLU, Strep
Your student should not come to school if there is a fever of 100.4 or higher. They should remain out of school until greater than 24 hours without a fever without taking any fever reducing medications (such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen). Do not give aspirin to children under the age of 18 for illness / fever.
For attendance purposes, please send in at note or email for any days missed to Mrs. Jefferson - [email protected] AND Mrs. Emily Sutherland - [email protected]
Thank you
When Should Your Child Stay Home from School?
You don’t want your child to miss school. We understand that. But you don’t want to send a sick child to school and endanger his or her health and that of other children either. When should your child stay home from school? Here are a few guidelines you might wish to follow:
- A runny nose, or “leaky faucet,” is the way many children respond to pollen, dust, chalk, or simply a change of season. If it isn’t a common cold, then it’s an allergy, and allergies aren’t contagious. Don’t keep the child home. They should not run a fever with allergies.
- A bad cough or cold symptoms can indicate a severe cold, bronchitis, flu (fever typically 102º-103º or more), or even pneumonia. Some children suffer one cold after another all winter long and a run-of-the-mill cold should not be a reason to miss school. But if your child is not acting “right,” has difficulty breathing, or is becoming dehydrated, it could be serious. Check with your pediatrician/health care provider right away.
- Diarrhea and vomiting make children very uncomfortable, and being near a bathroom becomes a top priority. If your child has repeated episodes of diarrhea and vomiting, especially if accompanied by fever, a rash, or general weakness, consult a doctor and keep your child out of school until the illness passes. However, a single episode of diarrhea or even vomiting unaccompanied by any other symptoms may not be reason enough for the child to miss school. Please make sure we know how to reach you or another responsible adult during the day in case diarrhea and/or vomiting recurs and your child needs emergency attention. (This is an important rule to follow whenever you send your child to school with any of the symptoms mentioned here).
- Fever is an important symptom. When fever occurs along with a sore throat, an earache, nausea, listlessness, or a rash, your child may be carrying something very contagious. Most pediatricians advise parents to keep children home during the course of a fever of 100.4º or higher, and for an additional 24 hours after the fever has passed without the aid of Tylenol or ibuprofen.
- Strep throat and scarlet fever are two highly contagious conditions caused by a streptococcal (bacterial) infection. They usually arrive with a sore throat and high fever. Approximately 12-48 hours after the onset of scarlet fever, a rash will also appear. A child with either strep throat or scarlet fever should be kept home and treated with antibiotics, as prescribed by a physician/healthcare provider. After 24 hours on an antibiotic, a child is usually no longer contagious and may, with a doctor’s permission, return to school if the child feels well enough and has been fever-free for 24 hours.
- Chicken pox, a viral disease, is not life-threatening to children, but is very uncomfortable and extremely contagious. If your child has a fever, is itching, and begins to show pink or red sports, with “watery centers,” on the back, chest, and/or face, the chances are good it is chicken pox. Please tell us if it is. It is important that schools have this information. Keep your child home until all the spots have dried or “crusted” over.
- Conjunctivitis or pink eye is highly contagious and uncomfortable, so take heed when your child complains of an eye or eyes burning, itching, and producing a whitish or greenish discharge. Minor cases (caused by a virus) and severe cases (caused by bacteria) require treatment with prescription eye drops. It is best to keep your child home until your doctor says it is OK to return. Generally it is OK to return to school once the eye drops are started, as long as there is no matting of eye lashes or a discharge from the eye(s).
- Ear infections, unless properly treated, can cause permanent hearing damage. Your doctor will guide you in your treatment options. Here again you should follow the 24-hour rule for fever and antibiotic therapy, if applicable. But if your child has been fever-free for 24 hours without Tylenol or ibuprofen, he may attend school.
Please call your school nurse with any questions or concerns.
Healthy children learn better.
Rutherford County School Nurses
A student identified as having a fever at school over 100.4 and picked up from school will have the remainder of
that day excused as well as the following day until the student is fever-free for a 24-hour period. The student may
not return to school until his/her temperature has been below 100.4 degrees, without fever-reducing medications
(Tylenol/acetaminophen or Advil/Motrin/ibuprofen) for a full 24-hour period.
Fever is generally defined as a core body temperature of 100.4 F or greater. Oral, tympanic membrane (ear), axillary
(armpit), or temporal artery (forehead) methods for taking temperature are typically used for school-aged children. A
reading of 100.4 F or more with any of these techniques qualifies as fever.
Fever is an important symptom. When fever occurs along with a sore throat, an earache, nausea, listlessness, or a rash,
your child may be carrying something very contagious and should see a health care provider.
Sick children often do not develop fever until the afternoon or evening. When your child has fever, DO NOT give a feverreducing medication (Tylenol/acetaminophen, Advil/ibuprofen, etc.) then send him/her to school.
Remember to treat fever with Tylenol/acetaminophen, or Advil/ibuprofen and NOT ASPIRIN, due to the risk of Reye’s
syndrome.
Does My Child Need To See a Health Care Provider?
Most illnesses may be safely managed at home with rest, fluids, good nutrition, and symptom-reducing medications if
needed. It is impossible to list every condition for which a child should see a health care provider, but it is better to err on
the side of caution. Call your health care provider if you are unsure how to manage your child’s illness.
The following are conditions for which a child should definitely be seen by a health care provider:
• Fever for more than 4 days or fever greater than 104.0 F
• Fever occurring later in an illness. If a child has had symptoms such as cough and runny nose and then develops
fever several days into the illness, a secondary infection may be developing.
• Very poor appetite for more than a day
• Increased effort with breathing
• Severe headache or neck stiffness
• Lethargy/fatigue such that the child doesn’t want to play even a little bit sometime during the day
• Any of the conditions listed in the preceding symptom section.
Contact your school nurse if you have questions about this message.
COVID 19 Information
Feel free to call the RCS COVID HOTLINE AT 615-904-3892 if you have any questions.
Please follow up with your PCP or local RC Health Department for instructions regarding a COVID positive case and/or contact with your student or household. Clink the below for the TN Dept. of Health Current Recommendations for Isolation and Quarantine: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/Isolation-QuarantineRelease.pdf
Should your child develop symptoms that are concerning to you, please contact your child’s medical provider or the Rutherford County Health Dept 615-898-7880.
If your child is exhibiting two or more symptoms that are associated with COVID contact your regular doctor or the RCHD for guidance. Symptoms include but not limited to fever greater than 100.4 or loss or taste or smell (both are considered 2 symptoms), cough, chills, short of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle / body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.
