When to Stay Home

Cuando Quedarse en Casa

Notify the school nurse immediately if your child is diagnosed or suspected of having chicken pox. There are MA Department of Public Health guidelines that govern your child's return to school.

Sick students should stay home from school until they have been without fever (over 100° F) for 24 hours without the use of antipyretic medications such as Motrin, Tylenol, ibuprofen or Advil.  In staying home, this will prevent the spread of illness to others.

If a student is diagnosed with a communicable disease such as mono, strep throat, chicken pox or conjunctivitis, contact the school nurse. This information is vital to help protect the students and staff who may be medically at risk from exposure to these diseases. Students need to stay home until they are no longer contagious. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your designated school nurse and notify the nurse as soon as possible if your has been diagnosed with any of the following:

• chicken pox,
• conjunctivitis,
• COVID-19,
• Fifth's disease,
• gastroenteritis,
• influenza, 
• impetigo,
• measles,
• mononucleosis,
• mumps,
• scabies,
• scarlet fever,
• strep throat and
• whooping cough

When students have uncontrolled, severe, or bloody diarrhea with or without fever, the student should be symptom free for at least 24 hours before returning to school. When students or staff have mild diarrhea, special precautions should be taken. Please contact the school nurse.

Should a student experience a fever (temperature greater than 100° F) or rigorous chills, they should stay home. 

A student may return to school after being fever-free for 24 hours without the use of any antipyretic medications such as motrin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen or tylenol.

Should you have any questions, please contact your designated school nurse. 

Children may not attend school after hand, foot and mouth until:

• They have not had a fever for 24 hours (without use of fever reducing medications) and
• Do not have excessive drooling due to open mouth sores and skin is intact (no open blisters)
• The child is well enough to participate in routine activities (sores or rash may still be present).

(Our current protocol is evidence based and not exclusive.)

Students diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school. This is a determination that can be made between the school nurse and the parent/guardian. Nits may persist after treatment, but successful treatment should kill crawling lice.

Head lice can be a nuisance but they have not been shown to spread disease. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice. It is probably impossible to totally prevent head lice infestations. Young children come into close head-to-head contact with each other frequently. It is prudent for children to be taught not to share personal items such as combs, brushes, and hats.

Both the American Association of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses advocate that "no-nit" policies should be discontinued. "No-nit" policies that require a child to be free of nits before they can return to schools should be discontinued for the following reasons:

• Many nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp. Such nits are usually not viable and very unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may in fact be empty shells, also known as casings.
• Nits are cemented to hair shafts and are very unlikely to be transferred successfully to other people.
• The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice.
• Misdiagnosis of nits is very common during nit checks conducted by nonmedical personnel.

Check out CDC's Head Lice Treatment for more helpful information.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/measles

Students with strep throat should not return to school until at least 12 hours after beginning appropriate antibiotic treatment and 24 hour resolution of their fever. All students should stay home while awaiting the results of a strep culture.

When students have experienced vomiting, the student should be symptom free for at least a full 24 hours before returning to school. 

Stay home when you have symptoms of any respiratory illness, like flu COVID-19, and RSV. Staying home when sick helps prevent the spread of germs.

Overview of things you can do to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

• Get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19
• Stay home when you are sick (follow the recommendations below)
• Use hand and respiratory hygiene 
• Wear a mask around others 
• Get tested for flu and COVID-19 so you can get treated
• Avoid crowded areas and maintain physical distance
• Increase fresh air 

RELATED

• Tips to protect yourself and others from getting sick 

"Staying Home to Prevent the Spread of Respiratory Viruses." Mass.gov, 3 January 2025,  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/staying-home-to-prevent-the-spread-of-respiratory-viruses?_gl=1*9o11zc*_ga*MTMxMTkwMDUxNy4xNjgzMjkxMjI3*_ga_MCLPEGW7WM*MTcxMTM3NTEzMS45MC4xLjE3MTEzNzUxNDAuMC4wLjA.#schools-and-childcare-settings-.

If your child exhibits any symptoms of:

• Fever (100°F or higher)
• Diagnosed with a contagious illness by a clinician
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Persistent cough/cold
• Runny nose with excessive nasal discharge that may not be clear
• Unexplained rashes, sores, sore throat and/or crusty, inflamed eyes

In order to provide the healthiest school environment possible, please do not send your child to school when symptoms of illness are present.

Children must be fever free without the use of antipyretics (such as motrin, ibuprofen, tylenol, acetaminophen) for 24 hours before returning to school. If a child is being treated for a contagious illness or condition such as strep throat or impetigo, they must complete a full 24 hours of antibiotics before returning to school.  Please contact your designated school nurse with any questions prior to your child returning to school. 

Reasons for Dismissal

• Covid symptoms (see MDPH COVID-19 School Health & Safety Protocols)
• Temperature over 100° F (oral temperature)
• Cough with fever
• Suspected infection of eye, ears, nose, throat, skin, scalp (unless under physician’s care for 24 hours)
• Severe headache or abdominal pain
• Suspected communicable disease and/or rash of unknown origin
• Suspected fracture or any severe or disabling injury
• Questionable need for sutures
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Head injury requiring a physician evaluation
• Mental health crisis
• Immunization delinquencies without exemption documentation

Please notify the school nurse if your child contracts any communicable diseases, including but not limited to:

• chicken pox,
• conjunctivitis,
• COVID-19,
• Fifth's disease,
• gastroenteritis,
• influenza, 
• impetigo,
• measles,
• mononucleosis,
• mumps,
• scabies,
• scarlet fever,
• strep throat and
• whooping cough.

• Fever-free without the use of fever reducing medication for 24 hours
• Completed 24 hours of antibiotics and medical clearance note obtained (if prescribed, consult with your school nurse prior to returning)
• Vomiting/diarrhea has stopped for 24 hours and child is able to tolerate a normal diet and severe symptoms have resolved
• Persistent cough/runny nose/rash has been evaluated by a clinician and student is able to return to school without being disruptive in class and able to wear a mask if necessary to refrain from spreading any illness
• If you are awaiting strep throat results, please keep your child home until those results have returned. Positive results must be treated with antibiotics for a full 12 hours prior to returning and the student must also be fever and vomiting-free for 24 hours before returning to school.