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Illness Guidelines

We coordinate with the Spokane Regional Health District in protecting children from communicable diseases. If your child has any of these symptoms, please keep him/her home, or make appropriate child care arrangements.

Illness Guidelines for Keeping Your Child at Home

  • APPEARANCE, BEHAVIOR – unusually tired, pale, lack of appetite, difficult to wake, confused, or irritable. This is sufficient reason to exclude a child from school.

  • COUGHING, CHRONIC COUGH – If persistent and accompanied by other symptoms such as episodes of coughing followed by gagging, or a whooping/barking sound, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, or weight loss, then medical evaluation is needed.

  • COVID – Positive test. You can leave isolation after 5 days have passed since symptoms first appeared if: You have had no fever within the past 24 hours (without medication), AND your symptoms have improved. Wearing a well-fitting mask through day 10 is recommended, but not required.

  • EAR INFECTIONS WITHOUT FEVER – do not need to be excluded, but the child needs to get medical treatment and follow-up. Untreated ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss. When blood or pus is draining from the ear, the student needs to be referred for medical evaluation.

  • EYES – appear red and irritated, thick mucus or pus draining from one or both eye(s). Contact your health care provider for possible conjunctivitis (pink eye) and treatment.

  • DIARRHEA – 3 or more watery stools in a 24 hour period. Keep your child home until symptoms subside. Contact your health care provider if symptoms persist.

  • FEVER – temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Students need to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school, WITHOUT using medications to reduce fever.

  • GREENISH NOSE DISCHARGE – Nasal discharge accompanied by a fever or headache, may need medical evaluation.

  • IMPETIGO – a bacterial skin eruption beginning with a small blister and later may contain pus and become scabbed. The secretions from the sores, which are frequently found around the nose and mouth, are very contagious. Contact your health care provider.

  • LICE – May return to school after live lice have been removed.

  • SCABIES – May return to school after treatment.

  • RASH – body rash, especially with fever or itching. Heat rashes and allergic reactions are not contagious. Please contact your health care provider for evaluation to determine if infectious.

  • SORE THROAT – a persistent sore throat with additional symptoms (i.e. fever, swollen glands in the neck, stomachache, or headache).

  • VOMITING – within the past 24 hours.

If your child shows any of the above symptoms while at school, it will be necessary parents/guardians to pick up their child from school.

  • Bringing a child to school with any of the above symptoms puts other children and staff at risk of getting sick.

  • If all parents keep their sick children at home, we will have stronger, healthier, and happier children.

  • While we regret any inconvenience this may cause, in the long run this means fewer lost work days and less illness for parents too.

Head Lice - Examine, Treat and Comb

  • An itchy scalp is the most common symptom of having head lice and may continue for a while after treatment.

  • Notify anyone who may be affected. If possible, children should be nit-free before returning to school or childcare.

  • Anyone with clean or dirty hair can get head lice, and it can be difficult to get rid of them.
  • Head-to-head contact is the most common way lice are spread.
  • Lice don’t jump or fly, but they are fast crawlers. Pets do not carry human lice.
  • Lice need human blood to live. They’ll die within 48 hours if they can’t get it. It takes the eggs about a week to hatch.
  • Lice treatment products help remove lice, but you must still physically remove the lice and nits by combing or picking them out.
  • Don’t panic or re-treat if you see live lice after treatment. Remove any lice you find.
  • When using NIX, do not apply any type of hair conditioner, hair spray, mousse or gel, or get chlorinated pool water on treated hair for one week.
  • The use of mayonnaise, kerosene, Vaseline®, vinegar, and other home remedies are not proven to be effective and can be dangerous. Shaving the head is not necessary. If you do not want to use an over-the-counter treatment product, just comb out the nits with a good lice comb.
  • For more information about head lice, go to: https://srhd.org/health-topics/environmental-health/head-lice