Attendance Guidelines for Illness

To report a communicable illness, please email nurse@ccookschool.org.

As with many illnesses, we may be contagious even before we exhibit any symptoms, including a fever. Anyone who has a temperature of 100.4 or higher should not be at school. Over the counter medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen can lower your body temperature, so please keep in mind that you must be fever free for at least 24 hours without using medications. 

Please do not come to school if any of these symptoms/signs of illness listed below were present in the previous 24 hours:

• Elevated temperature (100.4 F or greater)
• Persistent cough
• Vomiting
• Repeated diarrhea
• Purulent discharge (anything other than clear) from nose or eyes, which indicate a possible contagious condition (green = sinus infection, yellow = bacterial infection)
• Red, inflamed, or discharging eyes (conjunctivitis or "pink eye")
• Suspected scabies, impetigo, acute skin rash or eruptions, any skin lesion with weeping discharge
• Active head lice

It is school policy that with any illness, the child may not return to school without being fever free for 24 hours. Using fever reducing medications is not appropriate as the child may be contagious, and it is for this reason that sick children need to stay at home until fully recovered. If your child was diagnosed with an active infection, s/he may not return to school until s/he has been taking antibiotics and is fever-free for 24 hours. Antibiotic eye drops need to be given for 24 hours before students can return to school.

At times it can be difficult to tell when your child is too ill to attend school. Please feel free to contact the school nurse in the morning to discuss the situation. She is happy to review symptoms and answer any questions. Sometimes there is worry that your child will miss important work or perfect attendance, but it is important to remember that a healthy child is a better learner. Like adults, children will have differing tolerances for discomfort and illness. Even with a common cold, some are able to function well while others are miserable. Staying home when ill serves to protect everyone in our school community.

Please notify the school nurse via telephone or email if your child was diagnosed with any type of communicable illness: strep throat, scarlet fever, mononucleosis, chicken pox, MRSA, or head lice.

Thank you for your help in keeping our students healthy!