Sick Child Guidelines Berlanga Elementary staff realizes there are times when it is in the best interest of your child to keep him/her home from school due to illness. We must try to provide a healthy environment for all students and staff members in the school. Young children are notoriously good at spreading germs. Parents know their children best and can help to determine if the child is well enough to remain in school for a 7 hour school day. Therefore, the goal of the sick child guidelines is to assist the parent/guardian with the decision to keep their child home from school due to illness or infection.

**A note from your physician may be required for your child to return to school if diagnosed with a contagious illness or hospitalized due to an illness. (ex. influenza, pneumonia) Please check with the school nurse prior to returning to school if you have any questions.

Your child’s physician can help you determine if your child is able to return to school, however it is important to make sure they are truly feeling better and able to make it through 7 hours of the school day. If they still seem tired, pale, with little appetite, not tolerating solid foods, and generally "not him/herself", PLEASE do not send them to school. With viral illnesses it may take longer before your child is well enough to return to school.

Students should not attend school if:

• The student has a temperature. The student may return to school after having a normal temperature for at least 24 hours while not taking any fever reducing medications (ex. Tylenol or Motrin).

• Antibiotics are prescribed. The student may return to school after taking the antibiotics for a minimum of 24 hours and without a temperature over 100 degrees F for at least 24 hours without taking any fever reducing medications.

• The student is vomiting. The student may return to school approximately 24 hours after symptoms resolve and is able to tolerate a normal diet.

• The student has diarrhea. The student may return to school approximately 24 hours after symptoms resolve and is able to tolerate a normal diet.

• The student has an undiagnosed rash. A rash may be indicative of many things, frequently of illnesses that are contagious. Therefore, a student will be excluded from school until a physician evaluates and determines the nature and contagiousness of the rash. A note is required from the physician upon return to school.

• The student is diagnosed with a communicable disease or illness. (ex: conjunctivitis, Influenza, Pneumonia, Strep Throat, Pertussis, head lice, Chicken pox (Varicella), impetigo, scabies). Please contact your school nurse before sending your child back to school.

• The student has severe cold symptoms, upper respiratory infection, a persistent cough, a runny nose that they cannot manage by themselves &/or contain with tissues, or other symptoms that would interfere with effective school participation.

• They seem tired/lethargic, pale, with little appetite, and generally "not him/herself”.

All Prescription medications to be given at school will require written authorization signed by the physician & parent. No medication will be administered until all the necessary paper work is complete. Below is the link to the necessary forms for medication administration on campus.

Medication Administration Forms

Head lice can be a recurring problem among school children and are not considered a health hazard, as they do not spread disease and/or illness. Head lice are a common frustration, however, the mass screening of all students in a classroom and/or school does not control the spread of head lice. Rather, the spread of head lice can be minimized with routine inspection for live head lice and nits by parents and treatment of those students found with live head lice. Head lice can spread from person to person by having head-to-head contact. Having head lice is not associated with age, sex, race, social class or hygiene. Please consider checking your child when they return home from school today. The following information will help you control the problem of head lice in your home.

CDC Information on Head Lice

Health Office Referrals: You may have received a referral for any of the screenings completed at the Berlanga Elementary (ex. Hearing/Vision, or BMI) for your child. These referrals need to be completed and returned to the Nurses Office before the completion of the present school year. If you do not have the original referral letter, please call the Nurses Office and a new one will be provided. If your child has already had the evaluation, please call the physician's office and ask for a letter to be mailed or faxed to the school with the results and treatment plan, if any. If you have not yet scheduled an appointment for your child, please call to arrange for the appointment as soon as possible and return the form to the school at any time. (Fax to #361-878-2303 or mail to B. Elm 4120 Carroll LN, Attn: School Nurse)