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When Children Should Stay Home

When To Keep Your Student Home From School


The health and safety of our students is extremely important to the Darlington County School District. The health status of a student bears a direct relation to the child's ability to profit from educational experiences. Preventing the spread of illness within the school setting is our best tool to keep students healthy. In order to accomplish this, we need the help and cooperation of parents. If there is any question about the health status of your child, please make arrangements to keep him/her at home. This preventive step benefits your child and his or her classmates.
Symptoms for when a child should remain at home:
 

FEVER:

A child who has had a fever of 100 degrees F. or more should stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever has passed without the use of fever-reducing medications.
 

VOMITING:

Students who have vomited should remain home for at least 24 hours from the last episode and have kept down 2 normal meals.

 

DIARRHEA:

Students who have loose/liquid stool should remain home until free from diarrhea for at least 24 hours.
 

SECRETIONS:

Children with significant runny noses and/or profuse cough need to remain home until the secretions have diminished to a controllable/containable level.
 

GENERAL ACHES/PAINS:

If your child has any physical discomforts (i.e. stomach ache, headache, sore throat, etc.), carefully assess your child. Your child should stay home if they have any of the above accompanying symptoms or are too uncomfortable to be able to concentrate in class.

This is a brief sampling of common reasons children should be kept home. There are many more contagious conditions which would merit exclusion. If your child is diagnosed by a licensed health care provider with a contagious condition and has been at school, please notify your school nurse for tracking purposes and taking any needed action. Our first concern is for the well being of each child. If there are concerns regarding your child's health status please contact your school nurse. Thank you for supporting our efforts to keep all our children healthy!