Back to School - A Healthy Start

  • Parents should notify the school nurse prior to the beginning of the school year if their child has a health concern like asthma, diabetes, or seizures.  Early notification will initiate an individualized healthcare plan that will include physician's orders for any health procedure that may need to be done during the school day.

    Sleep, fluids, regular exercise, proper nutrition, family time, and good personal hygiene, including frequent hand washing, are effective ways to keep everyone in the family healthy.

When should I keep my child home from school?

  • Students with the following signs or symptoms of communicable disease, must remain home for 24 hours after resolution of signs/symptoms, without medication to resolve the symptoms, or until cleared to return by medical provider:

    • Fever - temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater
    • Symptoms related to possible communicable disease (skin rashes, redness of eye(s), swollen glands, etc.)
    • Excessive drainage from eyes, ears, persistent earache, constant cough; or painful sore throat/swollen glands
    • Students with (or having the potential to transmit) an acute infectious disease or parasite

    Students who have taken any fever-reducing medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen in the past 24 hours must  stay home until they are fever-free without the use of medication for 24 hours.

                      

What happens if my child is sent home from school?

  • A student will be sent home with any of the following:

    Temperature of 100.4 degrees or more

    Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea

    Symptoms related to possible communicable disease (skin rashes, redness of eye(s), swollen glands, etc.)

    Excessive drainage from eyes, ears, persistent earache, constant cough; or painful sore throat/swollen glands

    Students with (or having the potential to transmit) an acute infectious disease or parasite

    Head lice and/or nits

    If a student is sent home from school due to illness, the student must remain at home for the full school day following the day dismissed. In addition, the student must be symptom free without administration of any fever reducing medications or other medications to relieve symptoms for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

    Students returning to school after injury, including concussion and/or surgery with crutches, casts or slings should present a physician release to return to school along with a written request for any necessary modifications or accommodations.

    Please discuss any questions regarding when to return to school with the school nurse and/or health services.

Head Lice Absence /Exclusion

  • It is the expectation of Springfield Public Schools that students excluded for head lice/nits should be treated immediately and return promptly back to school. Students should not stay home for an extended period related to head lice.

    When initially excluding a student for head lice, the school nurse or designee will notify the student’s parent/guardian to pick up the child and will provide treatment instructions to the parent/guardian. The student may return to school after treatment and nit removal (This could be the same day of exclusion).  Upon return to school, the school nurse or designee will check the student’s hair before the student can return to class. If lice or nits are still present, the school nurse or designee will send the student home for further treatment.

    If the student does not return to school on the day following exclusion for head lice, the Attendance Advisor will contact the parent/guardian and/or will make a home visit.

    Absences for students not returning on the day following the initial head lice exclusion will be coded Elective.