Dear Parents and Guardians,
We understand that deciding whether your child should attend school when they are not feeling well can sometimes be difficult. Families know their children best, and we encourage you to consider how your child is feeling and whether they are able to comfortably participate in their usual school day. Our goal is to provide suggested guidance to help families make informed decisions that support both student health and regular school attendance.
Some minor symptoms may not require staying home from school:
A mild runny nose, occasional cough, or other minor symptoms do not always mean that a child needs to miss school. If your child is otherwise feeling well, is able to participate comfortably in classroom activities, and does not have a fever or other symptoms that require staying home, they may be able to attend school as usual.
Please keep your child home when:
Your child has a fever and has not been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
Your child is vomiting or has diarrhea and has not been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
Your child is experiencing significant or worsening illness and is not well enough to participate comfortably in normal school activities.
Your child has symptoms that require frequent one-on-one care that cannot reasonably be provided in the classroom.
Your child has been diagnosed with a contagious illness and your healthcare provider or school health policy recommends staying home (for example, certain bacterial infections like strep throat require 24 hours on antibiotics before returning to school).
If your child has testing pending, please follow the instructions provided by your healthcare provider and the school nurse. Some illnesses have specific exclusion and return-to-school requirements. A negative diagnostic test is not required for return unless specifically required by the applicable illness-specific guidance.
Your child may generally return to school when:
They have been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
They have had no vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours and are able to eat and drink normally.
Their symptoms are improving, and they are well enough to participate in regular school activities.
They can manage their symptoms independently or with the usual support available at school.
They have met all illness-specific protocols (such as 24 hours on antibiotics).
Please remember that individual illnesses may have different requirements for returning to school. If you are unsure whether your child should attend, please contact your child's healthcare provider or the school nurse. ECSD Health Office: (845) 647-0200.
Thank you for partnering with us to support the health, well-being, and regular attendance of all of our students.
Sincerely,
Matthew Salamone
Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics