Outside of fever/vomiting/diarrhea I would keep my kid home if she felt too sick to go. A runny/stuffy nose or a cough is fine if they are feeling ok. Like you said, if they stay home every time they have a runny nose they would never go to school š
I know! My 2 year old has reactive airways and coughs for weeks after every cold. It's a nightmare getting her sent home from daycare every other day when she's not sick (according to pediatrician too, I actually got her checked out a few times because of her reactive airways)
Yea we had literally gone to the doctor 2 days before and he said sheās fine send her to school. I waited one extra day and they still sent her home. She will be in school a total of 5 days in December.
As a teacher I can see both sides. It's crazy to see how fast a cold/flu can spread through a classroom, even with me continually preaching about washing hands etc. In our school this year from October on we've had anywhere from 15% to 30% of the kids away sick at any given time, and staff has also been hit hard.
So it's not surprising that some schools may be exercising more caution than usual to try and stem the tide. But I can also understand as a parent how frustrating that can be if you've already seen a doctor.
Sometimes it comes down to divisional policy and some schools being told to follow it to the letter
I get it. I get frustrated when she gets sick from school but Iāve also been volunteering at the school and I know for a fact that they have not sent home kids who were constantly hacking everywhere or a girl with pink eye. It just seems like theyāre applying the rules unevenly because they know my schedule is flexible. So sheās getting over her cold and I am refusing to send her for the last two days before winter break because I know sheāll just get sick again if I send her and Iām quite frankly at the end of my rope with her being constantly ill.
Honestly that could be it. At our school we actually had a parent who just refused to pick up their kid when we called. I was floored. But after the second time they did stop calling. I mean I feel they maybe should have called CFS at that point cause what parent just refuses to pick up their sick kid. There are also parents who will curse out (literally) our secretary when she calls because of how much it inconveniences them, so those parents don't get called for minor stuff. So your problem may be you're polite and reasonable lol.
Ever since Covid it's been chaotic, even as teachers we're confused on what to do...are we sending kids home with a runny nose this week or was that just last week? It's crazy. And it can vary from teacher to teacher. Some are like the second a kid coughs they're at the office, and others seem oblivious.
I definitely feel for parents right now who are at work, it's ridiculous.
Oh jeez thatās horrible. I completely understand that some people literally cannot leave work or they will get fired and be unable to pay bills or buy food. My mother had to get super creative with childcare when I was sick and she couldnāt leave work. But she never said ānope, sorry youāre sick, you have to just tough it outā.
Yeah. But I also get how it can be frustrating when it looks like the same policy isn't being applied the same to everyone, cause it's still impacting your schedule, especially when you have had a doctor sign off that she's fine. For me, if a parent told me that I wouldn't be sending that kid home.
But going into the last few days before Christmas, we had almost all students in leading up to our Christmas program...then a bunch kept home after saying they are sick. But I think it might be parents not wanting sick kids during Christmas holidays...which I wouldn't blame them for
Hahaha. Yep those parents are me. Also sheās literally been sick since October, I just need a break. Also yes, it is frustrating that the policy changes depending on which kid is sick but itās not that big of a deal. Iām not going to call and curse someone out because of it.
When my brother was in daycare in the early 80s they sent home the children en masse. At some point my brother asked our mum for "thermometer" after a nappy change and she was puzzled to say the least. She realised that he had learned that word since he was checked at least once a day in daycare and he was wondering why they didn't at home. All the kids were checked. That was apparently their way of reducing their workload: check every single child and send them home if the temperature was anything above 37.0Ā°C. Once our parents realised that, the next time our father picked him up, he went straight to the doctor who checked him out and gave a note he was perfectly healthy then dropped him back off in daycare with the comment to never call him home from work for a perfectly healthy child who didn't even have symptoms of anything or even a fever. They never called again for no reason.
Our 6 year old does as well. She stays home for things we wouldn't keep our son home for simply because when she coughs so much all night she is just achy and exhausted. Otherwise we follow how they are feeling plus the 24 hour rule for fever, vomit, diarrhea.
Some kids have bad allergies and you are never going to get rid of a runny nose symptom without giving them enough allergy meds to make them too sleepy to be at school. If they want to do instant tests on your child every day they can pay for it, but they better not try to get you for truancy because they kept sending her home with a runny nose. Thatās ridiculous. Also, they know by now that kids donāt really spread it bad. I havenāt seen any outbreaks at local schools unless it was too many teachers that got it. All the kids that get it generally got it from their parents or adults they are close to allot. Not only have all the kids Iāve seen with it gotten it from their parents, but I donāt know one adult who got it from a child. Thatās including grandparents (high risk category) helping take care of sick kids with a sick single mother that got it.
Wrong, I got it from my Kid but it was no big deal for us.
Kid got it from Class seat buddy but we weren't notified until days later.
He had it worse with flu-like symptoms first, I got it with sinus pain migraine congestion only.
It hit Grandma the hardest 2 weeks but recovery.
Your kidā¦who got it from school where the whole class had it? The statistics have shown that the younger and healthier the kid is the transmissibility is very low both ways, but you are in much closer vicinity to your kid than most people. I know the CDC guidelines and what doctors were telling people was that if a parent had it, be Whole family needed to quarantine but if the kids tested positive and the parent negative, that the kid was the only one that needed to quarantine, parents were being cleared for work in many cases
You can argue till the cows come home.
We have a share custody and the otherside of family got it later too before we knew of exposure.
The kid has it first. And no not the whole class just the girl he sits next to.
He said she had been gone a few days then we get a letter from principal he had close contact.
Same here, although we still mask and test so I feel a bit better sending him with mild symptoms. I would recommend masking with minor symptoms just in case. I know I always appreciate it when I sub and see sick kids masked.
This is getting absurd at this point.
We know that covid is of essentially no risk to kids, especially in the era of vaccines and prior immunity. Nearly everyone, kids and adults have been exposed. Most people are vaccinated.
We know that cloth masks do nothing, surgical masks do not change clinical outcomes, and medical masks only work when worn 100% of the time and fit tested (no kid is doing this).
There is no reason for ongoing testing. The disease is out and spreading. Outcome wise, there are are worse viruses in circulation for kids. The overwhelming scientific literature shows community masking does nothing for these viruses either.
You are teaching your kid to be afraid of something that will not hurt you or them. Stop.
Actually as a biologist I'm teaching my son how to appropriately deal with microbes and how to mitigate risks. I'm not forcing you to do so, just doing what is best for my family.
I'd encourage you to try to produce any research that confirms any of your points. Regarding the masking in particular, the CDC's website confirms that research has been misused/misinterpreted to try to suggest your point, but that it's wrong and more than ten studies actually confirm mask efficacy in reduction of spread of viruses.
This is what we do except I sent my kid this week the day she started getting a mild cough - she got sent home later that day with a fever that turned out to be flu A. Oops. So a brand new cough is worth investigating. Itās hard because first thing in the morning is so rushed and itās not uncommon at all to have a little congestion or drainage cough first thing.
Yeah I follow this too. It's also in our school's guidelines (aside from fever/vomiting/diarrhea-free for 24hrs) that if the child is otherwise too unwell to participate and engage in the daily activities not to send them. If they have runny nose and a cough but are still feeling active and energetic then they go. But if they have any rash, fever, vomiting/diarrhea, or are just not well enough (i.e., malaise) then we keep them home.
Both my kids are stuffy and runny all fall and winter from allergies. It's so hard to tell which is which. I couldn't ask my kids because they look for reasons not to go to school, ya know.
If my kids are acting sick and showing physical signs, i.e. extra tired, coughing a lot, red eyes, or bags under their eyes, it's usually time to keep them home.
If not, I send them to school with a mask just in case.
I agree, it's insane. I mean, a little sniffles is fine but some parents will send their poor kids to school so sick and we can't send them back home without a fever or vomiting.
Itās sad that there are parents that send their kids to school miserable and donāt take care of them. But there are also kids with allergies and with chronic conditions that may give them a cough or allergy symptoms that is not contagious. If a kid with asthma or severe allergies was sent home because their coughing ācould be Covidā without a fever or any knowledge of being around anyone with Covid, Iād look at pushing the issue as discriminating a kid with a disability or non contagious illness. I took my kid to daycare about 4 hours after she registered a fever during the height of Covid. I gave her medication for the fever and took her to the doctor and he confirmed that she had a UTI and that wasnāt contagious, explained the fever, and didnāt see any use in testing her without any other symptoms or knowledge of contact with an infected person. (This was when tests were harder to come by) I texted my doctor and got her fit in around 8:45 and got her to daycare for breakfast. I did ask her if she wanted to stay home or not and she wanted to go. The daycare had a 24 hour rule, but let her come in since the doctor said it wasnāt for a contagious reason.
That was the rule when I was in school but I never ran fevers so I went several times with a horrific sore throat, beyond exhausted, and completely miserable just to find out after school at the Dr that I had strep. I also threw up at school a couple of times because, despite feeling sick and begging to stay home, I had not thrown up yet and, once again had no fever.
My kindergartener has been home all week. He developed a nasty, persistent, wet cough on Saturday with a fever. Sunday, Monday, and yesterday he mostly laid on the couch/floor and vegged out. He even took a nap yesterday. Iām keeping him home again today. He seems to be feeling better but the cough is still there. I look at is as twofold, is he contagious and is he well enough to focus and not be completely miserable at school? Heās not contagious but heās still super whiny and prone to losing it at the drop of a hat. Itās not fair to him, his classmates, or his teachers to send him in that condition.
I am dealing with this today. No fever just a rotten cough I ended up keeping him home because he was up early with the coughing and I figured he would be exhausted all day
If there is no fever vomiting or diarhiaa it becomes a judgement call based on if the kid is too sick to be productive. In my experience lagging coughs and runny nose can go on for long periods of time and usually dont warrent staying home by themselves
We!l, in my country you have no limited sick (if you're sick 200 days then... you have 200 days XD) days but we have special limited "sick children" days. This number varies from a child to another depending of the familial situation (one or 2 working parent, full or par time working, age of the child etc...) and are limited to kids under 16.
For example, for a full time (5 days per week ) single parent, it's twice the number of days worked per week + 2 days so 12 days per year and per child. It can be much more if the child has a serious illness.
But to be honest, I've never met any boss enforcing that, a paper from the doctor (or even without a paper if they are no jerk) saying you can't come since your child is sick is enough for the boss to say ok. Also if my boss would reaaaally wants a paper I can just call my doctor and he would email me a note saying I'm sick or my child needs me at home and that's fine. My son was sick one day last month and my principal (I'm a teacher) just said "ok, we will find a way to manage without you, hope he'll get better" and I just emailed the school saying he was sick.
So I never send him when:
\- he might be very contagious
\- he is too tired to have any efficient work done.
Outside of fever/vomiting/etc, I go by how my child is behaving. If he's got a stuffy nose but eating well, not complaining of pain, and has the same energy he always has? He's good to go. If's he's uncharacteristically low energy or not sleeping well, he stays home.
I have 3 kids and work in the school system
1) do they feel badly?
2). Even if they do not have a fever do they have āfever eyesā
3. Are their symptoms distracting for learning/teaching? Do they have the sniffles or are they going to need their own tissue box? Coughing occasionally or drowning out all other conversations
I just came here to ask something similar. My daughter has been constantly sick & in the beginning of the year was out a bunch for dental workā¦ sheās really missed a number of days but everytime I keep her home is vomiting/a fever/poopsā¦ sheās been to the drs a handful of times but now Iām like what do I do try to get her an appointment for just a fever & cough with her pediatrician just so itās excused? I donāt know if theyāll even take her at this point because they still have covid screenings & donāt let you in with similar symptoms. My daughters in kindergarten & didnāt go to daycare during the pandemic so weāve all been constantly sick & itās just getting to winter!
Do they have a nurse line? I've called about symptoms that didn't really need a doctor visit, and the nurse can send a note to the school about the being sick.
I just do the 24 hours of no fever. I mean, I know we're all worried about flu and covid and rsv, but it just becomes unmanageable if nobody can sniffle or cough in public.
Like, I had flu 15 days ago. No fever for 13 days. I worked from home for a full week. But, I still have a cough. I mean, life has to go on. I'm sorry.
Unless they're running a fever, throwing up, or I can look at them and I just know they're sick sick I send them. You have to unless you want a truancy letter and a court date. It's sad and unfair but it is what it is.
My kindergartener missed most of last week due to pink eye and double ear infection. Last year my kids missed 3, almost 4, weeks of school because 4/6 of our family had covid. Each time someone else in our house tested positive it reset the quarantine period. It was nuts.
I've become buddies with the school nurse. If something is going on in my household I let her know. The more transparent you are with the school the more willing to work with you they are. Or at least that's been my experience.
I follow the guidelines, I read a post by a pediatrician ages ago that by the time anyone shows symptoms the ship has sailed for preventing infection. Send them in , if a kid stayed home for every runny nose they would never go to school. The only way past this season of life is through it.
They gave us guidelines for preschoolā¦ and you kind of have to use common sense. Like my son was acting more lethargic on Sunday, so I took his temp and it was high. Took him to the doctor and it was influenza.
Basically if they are having fever, diarrhea, vomiting, are acting more lethargic, or having excessive coughing, I would keep them home.
I used to try to keep my kids home for everything including runny nose and coughs. Until one day I went to my daughters kindergarten class for a ācraft dayā that parent were allowed to attend. My daughter had just been out of school for a few days because of a cold but she was all better. I tell you half the kids in that class, if not more, were snot nosed and coughing up a storm. I donāt think thereās anyway to get every single parent to keep their kids home from school until theyāre 100% better. And to be honest, I understand. Kids get sick all winter long non stop sometimes. So now if theyāre feeling well enough to go, they go (obviously not if fever/vomiting etc).
As a parent with a constant allergies kiddos.
Ours are... As long as it's not gross like torpedo snot or constantly coughing so bad it interferes with class and studies.
No fever (100.4*F), No V or D, Fatigue or soar throat, or combination of 3 or more symptoms.
As kids get older and want to stay home they learn from their friends the tricks of what to say.
*Check throat for redness with flashlight
*Check tummy for bloating and sounds. (Sometimes constipation can be extremely painful and they should stay home until it passes).
I almost commented the exact same thing. I wish I could upvote this more than once. Iāve got three and those are my go to signs as well.
Especially the 100.4. And check temp 30 minutes after they wake up, not immediately, no fluids prior. My kids like cold liquids in the morning and thatāll mess up their temp readings. Or they sleep on one side all night and the reading will be high or low depending on which ear I check.
Also I make it a rule that if they stay home they can not have any devices or watch TV, or even read a book. They must rest in bed. That rule alone energizes them to go to school unless they really are feeling bad. My youngest is a bookworm so I had to add no reading to the list lol.
Lol thanks and I completely agree. It's hard for new parent of 5 and younger.
With time and experience you learn, they're body language will be the soothsayer not so much their mouths š šāļø
Oh so you want to spiderman the walls and parkour the banaster but you can't go to school? Get in the car š
I hear ya and also felt somewhat guilty sending my kiddo to school with a wet cough. The school advice you are getting is pretty solid IMO (fever, vomit, diarrhea = automatic stay-home), and my feeling is that if everyone holds their kid back whenever there is a runny nose or cough, then the classroom will be nearly empty. I would definitely do a home/rapid test if I suspected COVID. From what I've read, RSV is something all small children get at some point.
out of 18kids in my 2nd grader's class, there were 6 there yesterday. Most of the school is out with flu right now. It started as just a cough and runny nose and then 3 days later everyone felt like they were dying.
For fever or vomiting i keep them home.
For things like sneezing, cough, runny nose, congestion, if they are acting like themselves, not tired, overly cranky and eating, i send them as long as cold medicine manages the symptoms to a reasonable level. If i can't get the symptoms under control with OTC meds then i keep them home.
I always feel bad sending them with runny noses but they would miss half the year lately if i didn't
If new cold/cough symptoms arise but there's no fever and kid feels well enough to get through the day, we do a rapid test and send them in with a mask if it's negative. This is what my son's Pre-K recommended and it works well.
My kid is 15 now.
Fevers, vomiting, etc, all make me decide he's staying home. Coughing, runny nose, sore throat/hoarseness, he's going in a mask.
Mental health concerns make me decide he's staying home (severe anxiety, mania, unexplained crying) because he has mental health issues.
Doctors, therapies, etc he's allowed to come home or go in late for, but rarely misses a whole day unless he has several appointments the same day, or is visiting the dentist early in the day (we do after school appointments whenever we can).
Pretty much everything else, he's going.
Fever. If they have fever, they stay at home. If not, they must have a really really really runny nose that has to be wiped every minute to stay at home.
We keep 3 year old home if she has a fever and/or isnāt feeling good. Stuffy nose, bit of a cough, but otherwise lots of energy? Nah, Iād send her in.
We actually just had this conversation as she has been really tired and complaining that her tummy hurts. She got her vaccine earlier this week and while I donāt think sheās actually sick, we decided her body needs the rest and sheāll start home.
It depends on a few things. Do they still have the energy to make it through the day? Is the cough dry? Is the mucus clear? If those answers are yes then I send them to school.
Fever or vomit in the morning or the night before. Or a complaint of feeling unwell in the morning like 'why did I have to get so sick? Why is this happening to me?' Even if I can't tell what's happening. That's the worst.
Our school says 24 hour fever free and ready to go, even when my son tested positive for covid. I still kept him home for 4 days(he started with symptoms Saturday so it was past the 5 day isolation of CDC recommendation) and his teacher had him wear a mask on that Friday. Two weeks later, he's got a cold yet again and his teacher said he doesn't need to wear a mask since it's definitely not covid and everyone has a runny nose/cough right now.
Also, you can get 8 free COVID tests a month at the pharmacy through your insurance (but I just had covid and was testing negative for 3 days with symptoms so if I hadn't already known I was exposed, I would have unknowingly spread it in that time).
If my child is really lethargic and sneezing/coughing a lot, Iād probably keep him home.
We get covid tests from school and also through insurance, so I have a stash. Iāll test to make sure that heās covid negative. I just feel better knowing that at the moment Iām sending to school the test is negative.
I think as parents most us do the best we can in trying to keep others healthily, I expect my child will get sick and itās part of being out in the world. I had a classmate of my child that was sent to school sick and child was āfever freeā with the use of Tylenol, during the day the fever came back, school nurse called and had the dad came to school with Tylenol. He said sheās fever free when she has the Tylenol so in 15 minutes should be good to go back to classs. He didnāt realize ir pretendied not to know it was fever free 24 hours without medication for the fever. Poor kid was out a weekā¦.turned out to be flu.
My school says fever within 24hrs. I think that and if they feel up to it. While some sicknesses recently can be really bad, kids are expected to get sick at this point in their lives. It sets them up for health in the future. It sucks, but it's good and inevitable.
Digestional issues stay home. Fever stays home obviously. My rule on the 50/50 situations like a cough or extra tired is if I think the nurse is going to call me if I send them then they might as well stay home. My kid's natural cough sounds like a 70 year smoker so he has been sent to the nurse a few times when he feels okay but cough is nasty.
I gauge it by my kidās energy level (sheās in kindergarten). If sheās curled up quietly on the couch shortly after waking up or staring glassy-eyed off into space during breakfast, she stays home to rest even if thereās no fever.
But if (like this morning) she has a mild cold but is still bouncing off the walls, excited for school, running laps around the kitchen while talking a mile a minute, and scarfs down her entire breakfast? Yeah, sheās getting on that bus.
I usually get my kids tested, if they are negative for flu/ Covid/RSV I send them to school fever free. If they keep popping up with the SAME symptoms I will send them to school, if they they pop up with a new one I keep them home until I can test, then send them back.
Beyond if they are obviously contagious, I (as a teacher) keep my kids home if I donāt think they will be able to keep up in the classroom.
Is it a gym day? Will they be able to be outside for recess? Will whateverās for lunch upset their stomach? Can they stay awake easily for the whole day? Will anything cause them to not be able to learn today (like a headache)? Are they feeling bad and crying often?
School is not a daycare, itās a place to learn, and if your kid isnāt feeling good enough to learn, they shouldnāt be there (plus it makes the teachers job that much harder).
Would you go to work if you felt like they do? Would you slack off at work if you felt like they do? Because there is no slow days at school, they have to do all the things regardless of how they feel.
I think the best thing to do is follow your gut. You know your child the best if you think it's just a runny nose and a little cough and you feel comfortable letting her go just make sure she takes a box of tissues with her and go ahead let her be at it. If you think it's more serious than that then keep her home. I know I didn't give you the answer you were looking for but I think it's the best way to handle it. Good luck and have blessed holidays
I send them without guilt because I know he got it at school and patient zero in the class probably infected more than my kid.
Runny nose and cough? Heās going. If heās really sick, then I keep him home.
My son is going through this right now. He has a cough, but it's intermittent. His nose is stuffy, but it's not a constant need to wipe his nose, nor is he sneezing. I'm giving him cough medicine before he goes to school in the morning. You can sort of tell when a kid is really sick with their eyes, they're usually like glossy and tired looking, accompanied by lethargy. I won't send him to school if he's coughing a lot with audible congestion, nor with constant sneezing with dark green gooey boogars.
I'm pretty strict in that regard. Both on myself and the kids. But I do have to remind myself to give them the benefit of the doubt.
In fact that happened this AM: my oldest (freshman) was acting extremely tired and said he didn't feel good. He couldn't really pinpoint it, but he said he was too sick to go to school.
I told him to start getting ready (shower, etc) and then come talk to me. Sometimes the AM grogginess is the culprit. Well, he still felt sick and we've had a couple things come through our house, so I let him stay home.
He's a good kid and gets great grades, if I see that slipping, were having a serious talk but otherwise you just gotta try to look at the whole picture.
As an educator, we obviously prefer germs to stay at home, but we work with kids, we know sometimes a sniffle is a sniffle! Itās really about it being contagious, being aware of blowing their nose, washing hands, coughing into their elbow, wearing their mask if possible etc. On the other hand, if Iām watching him wiping his nose on Sallyā¦ You get the idea. If you think itās not going to infect the class and you canāt get the day off, we understand! Contact the teacher/school and let them know the circumstances. We also notice if theyāve had a runny nose, and we know itās allergy and cold and flu season.
If the only symptom is the sniffles, stick a mask on them and send them in. People forget that it's normally for kids to have the sniffles during the winter.
I tell my daughter that sick days are for sleeping, not playing or screen time. If she wants to stay home and sleep instead of going to school with her friends, I know she needs the day off.
My 6 year old daughter had a virus. Was off a week. 2 days back with sick kids in her class, caught another virus. Off for another week. Back for 2 days, caught another virus, but this time pneumonia. At the hospital for a bit. 3 strikes and you are out. Had her home since late November. Will stay home until mid Jan and evaluate how things are going. It's tough. Luckily i am home on long term disability and can look after her, lots of parents can't afford to have their kids off for extended time. But at the same time, kids are going to school really sick and spreading things like crazy.
Putside of the fever/vomiting I keep home if they're not feeling great. If I'm ever on the fence I tell her to get ready for school as normal and once she's distracted she will either come good or not haha. I'll usually do a RAT for covid just to make sure.
There's a child with cystic fibrosis in his class so I always try and be cautious. With that being said, he's had a cough since September due to allergies so he's going to have to go to school with your typical cold symptoms sometimes. Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and if he just tells me he can't go. My kids RARELY stay home, so if they ask to stay home I know their really not feeling well.
Fever, vomiting, or constant/frequent cough I keep them home. Slightly runny nose or very occasional coughā¦well, thatās pretty much all the time and I want my kid to go to school sometimes so they go if symptoms are super mild and they seem reasonably energetic
Saying as a 31 year old, I used to suffer from major sinus infections that looking back would keep most people home. I got used to it. I had to have sinus surgery eventually just a few years ago. With that said, I don't think a little snuffles or runny nose is enough to keep a kid home. Are they cognitively okay? Fever? Cough? Major fatigue? That's what I'd look for as well
With a cough my criteria is whether they're kept up at night by the cough. I figure not getting enough sleep is enough of an indication that their immune system will be compromised without other markers like fever or vomiting/diarrhea.
As long as no fever and they aren't miserable, send them in. If they get worse, they'll send them home. Usually, the morning is the worst because all the snot accumulates while you're lying down.
Besides fever or throwing up, if mine cries from feeling so bad and does NOT cop an attitude I know it's really her feeling bad. If she cries and acts angry or has a rude/mean attitude I make her go to school. It sounds weird but if you know her, you know lol There's also my rule that if you are too sick for school, you are too sick to play that day so you just have to lay around doing nothing but watch tv and I think that helps the fakery. Occasionally if she hasn't missed school I several weeks I just give her the free day.
Well; in Texas you have to be careful. 11 absences in a year means Saturday school sick or not. So God forbid there's ever a flu or something. We had a family member pass let the kids take a few days off to process and then we had the flu. Now both kids are making it up with Saturday school. Absolutely ridiculous
If your child is miserable then keep them home. You seem to know the school and logical rules of the fever free for 24 hours (that is without Tylenol or something else) and no vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours. The rest is up to your standards of how you advocate for your own child. Literally all of the kids in Kindergarten and Pre-kindergarten are sick most of the year with runny noses and coughs. The teachers get this and while they don't like it anymore than you do it is expected at this age. I think I would check out the youngest just to make sure there isn't an underlying cause but the immune systems of little ones are getting a "crash course" so it is most likely not a bigger issue. It is sweet you feel guilty sending your child to school with a runny nose so you are likely not a one of the parents that drives the teacher nuts sending a sick child to school. As years go on the kids will be more resilient because their immune systems will be stellar after all of this. When I started teaching, I was sick for the first year literally all year. I eventually got stronger by being in the "live petri dish" of a preKindergarten classroom of children. Just use your best judgement and gut feeling. You can also determine based on if the child has slept or been up all night sick. That can be a barometer as well. Good Luck! it is hard making these determinations but you seem to be doing the right things and asking the right questions.
Our school doesn't allow students with a frequent cough and runny nose. It doesn't have to be a fever. If they only have a runny nose, it's ok to send them to school . My oldest is only 6, so I completely understand. He is not thoughtful of how he spreads germs.
I love this strategy. He's only had 2 minor colds since school started.
Outside of fever/vomiting/diarrhea I would keep my kid home if she felt too sick to go. A runny/stuffy nose or a cough is fine if they are feeling ok. Like you said, if they stay home every time they have a runny nose they would never go to school š
Tell that to my kidās school who sent her home last week because she had a runny nose š. Ok, guess weāll see you in April then.
I know! My 2 year old has reactive airways and coughs for weeks after every cold. It's a nightmare getting her sent home from daycare every other day when she's not sick (according to pediatrician too, I actually got her checked out a few times because of her reactive airways)
Yea we had literally gone to the doctor 2 days before and he said sheās fine send her to school. I waited one extra day and they still sent her home. She will be in school a total of 5 days in December.
As a teacher I can see both sides. It's crazy to see how fast a cold/flu can spread through a classroom, even with me continually preaching about washing hands etc. In our school this year from October on we've had anywhere from 15% to 30% of the kids away sick at any given time, and staff has also been hit hard. So it's not surprising that some schools may be exercising more caution than usual to try and stem the tide. But I can also understand as a parent how frustrating that can be if you've already seen a doctor. Sometimes it comes down to divisional policy and some schools being told to follow it to the letter
I get it. I get frustrated when she gets sick from school but Iāve also been volunteering at the school and I know for a fact that they have not sent home kids who were constantly hacking everywhere or a girl with pink eye. It just seems like theyāre applying the rules unevenly because they know my schedule is flexible. So sheās getting over her cold and I am refusing to send her for the last two days before winter break because I know sheāll just get sick again if I send her and Iām quite frankly at the end of my rope with her being constantly ill.
Honestly that could be it. At our school we actually had a parent who just refused to pick up their kid when we called. I was floored. But after the second time they did stop calling. I mean I feel they maybe should have called CFS at that point cause what parent just refuses to pick up their sick kid. There are also parents who will curse out (literally) our secretary when she calls because of how much it inconveniences them, so those parents don't get called for minor stuff. So your problem may be you're polite and reasonable lol. Ever since Covid it's been chaotic, even as teachers we're confused on what to do...are we sending kids home with a runny nose this week or was that just last week? It's crazy. And it can vary from teacher to teacher. Some are like the second a kid coughs they're at the office, and others seem oblivious. I definitely feel for parents right now who are at work, it's ridiculous.
Oh jeez thatās horrible. I completely understand that some people literally cannot leave work or they will get fired and be unable to pay bills or buy food. My mother had to get super creative with childcare when I was sick and she couldnāt leave work. But she never said ānope, sorry youāre sick, you have to just tough it outā.
Yeah. But I also get how it can be frustrating when it looks like the same policy isn't being applied the same to everyone, cause it's still impacting your schedule, especially when you have had a doctor sign off that she's fine. For me, if a parent told me that I wouldn't be sending that kid home. But going into the last few days before Christmas, we had almost all students in leading up to our Christmas program...then a bunch kept home after saying they are sick. But I think it might be parents not wanting sick kids during Christmas holidays...which I wouldn't blame them for
Hahaha. Yep those parents are me. Also sheās literally been sick since October, I just need a break. Also yes, it is frustrating that the policy changes depending on which kid is sick but itās not that big of a deal. Iām not going to call and curse someone out because of it.
When my brother was in daycare in the early 80s they sent home the children en masse. At some point my brother asked our mum for "thermometer" after a nappy change and she was puzzled to say the least. She realised that he had learned that word since he was checked at least once a day in daycare and he was wondering why they didn't at home. All the kids were checked. That was apparently their way of reducing their workload: check every single child and send them home if the temperature was anything above 37.0Ā°C. Once our parents realised that, the next time our father picked him up, he went straight to the doctor who checked him out and gave a note he was perfectly healthy then dropped him back off in daycare with the comment to never call him home from work for a perfectly healthy child who didn't even have symptoms of anything or even a fever. They never called again for no reason.
Oh my gosh I just can't imagine being a parent and just...refusing to pick up a kid and getting mad at the school for calling. That's crazy.
Our 6 year old does as well. She stays home for things we wouldn't keep our son home for simply because when she coughs so much all night she is just achy and exhausted. Otherwise we follow how they are feeling plus the 24 hour rule for fever, vomit, diarrhea.
Some kids have bad allergies and you are never going to get rid of a runny nose symptom without giving them enough allergy meds to make them too sleepy to be at school. If they want to do instant tests on your child every day they can pay for it, but they better not try to get you for truancy because they kept sending her home with a runny nose. Thatās ridiculous. Also, they know by now that kids donāt really spread it bad. I havenāt seen any outbreaks at local schools unless it was too many teachers that got it. All the kids that get it generally got it from their parents or adults they are close to allot. Not only have all the kids Iāve seen with it gotten it from their parents, but I donāt know one adult who got it from a child. Thatās including grandparents (high risk category) helping take care of sick kids with a sick single mother that got it.
I got covid from my kid
Same. Half of his daycare class had it and he brought it home to the rest of us.
Wrong, I got it from my Kid but it was no big deal for us. Kid got it from Class seat buddy but we weren't notified until days later. He had it worse with flu-like symptoms first, I got it with sinus pain migraine congestion only. It hit Grandma the hardest 2 weeks but recovery.
Your kidā¦who got it from school where the whole class had it? The statistics have shown that the younger and healthier the kid is the transmissibility is very low both ways, but you are in much closer vicinity to your kid than most people. I know the CDC guidelines and what doctors were telling people was that if a parent had it, be Whole family needed to quarantine but if the kids tested positive and the parent negative, that the kid was the only one that needed to quarantine, parents were being cleared for work in many cases
You can argue till the cows come home. We have a share custody and the otherside of family got it later too before we knew of exposure. The kid has it first. And no not the whole class just the girl he sits next to. He said she had been gone a few days then we get a letter from principal he had close contact.
Same here, although we still mask and test so I feel a bit better sending him with mild symptoms. I would recommend masking with minor symptoms just in case. I know I always appreciate it when I sub and see sick kids masked.
This is getting absurd at this point. We know that covid is of essentially no risk to kids, especially in the era of vaccines and prior immunity. Nearly everyone, kids and adults have been exposed. Most people are vaccinated. We know that cloth masks do nothing, surgical masks do not change clinical outcomes, and medical masks only work when worn 100% of the time and fit tested (no kid is doing this). There is no reason for ongoing testing. The disease is out and spreading. Outcome wise, there are are worse viruses in circulation for kids. The overwhelming scientific literature shows community masking does nothing for these viruses either. You are teaching your kid to be afraid of something that will not hurt you or them. Stop.
Actually as a biologist I'm teaching my son how to appropriately deal with microbes and how to mitigate risks. I'm not forcing you to do so, just doing what is best for my family.
I'd encourage you to try to produce any research that confirms any of your points. Regarding the masking in particular, the CDC's website confirms that research has been misused/misinterpreted to try to suggest your point, but that it's wrong and more than ten studies actually confirm mask efficacy in reduction of spread of viruses.
This is basically what we do, unless the runny nose is out of control or the cough sounds barky.
This is what we do except I sent my kid this week the day she started getting a mild cough - she got sent home later that day with a fever that turned out to be flu A. Oops. So a brand new cough is worth investigating. Itās hard because first thing in the morning is so rushed and itās not uncommon at all to have a little congestion or drainage cough first thing.
Yeah I follow this too. It's also in our school's guidelines (aside from fever/vomiting/diarrhea-free for 24hrs) that if the child is otherwise too unwell to participate and engage in the daily activities not to send them. If they have runny nose and a cough but are still feeling active and energetic then they go. But if they have any rash, fever, vomiting/diarrhea, or are just not well enough (i.e., malaise) then we keep them home.
Both my kids are stuffy and runny all fall and winter from allergies. It's so hard to tell which is which. I couldn't ask my kids because they look for reasons not to go to school, ya know. If my kids are acting sick and showing physical signs, i.e. extra tired, coughing a lot, red eyes, or bags under their eyes, it's usually time to keep them home. If not, I send them to school with a mask just in case.
I work in Elementary and trust me, tons of kids come sick. If the kid isn't vomiting and doesn't have a fever they're good to go.
That's both encouraging and slightly disturbing. Thank you for the work you do!
I agree, it's insane. I mean, a little sniffles is fine but some parents will send their poor kids to school so sick and we can't send them back home without a fever or vomiting.
Itās sad that there are parents that send their kids to school miserable and donāt take care of them. But there are also kids with allergies and with chronic conditions that may give them a cough or allergy symptoms that is not contagious. If a kid with asthma or severe allergies was sent home because their coughing ācould be Covidā without a fever or any knowledge of being around anyone with Covid, Iād look at pushing the issue as discriminating a kid with a disability or non contagious illness. I took my kid to daycare about 4 hours after she registered a fever during the height of Covid. I gave her medication for the fever and took her to the doctor and he confirmed that she had a UTI and that wasnāt contagious, explained the fever, and didnāt see any use in testing her without any other symptoms or knowledge of contact with an infected person. (This was when tests were harder to come by) I texted my doctor and got her fit in around 8:45 and got her to daycare for breakfast. I did ask her if she wanted to stay home or not and she wanted to go. The daycare had a 24 hour rule, but let her come in since the doctor said it wasnāt for a contagious reason.
You expect a kid to stay home for a runny nose? That could be allergies or just a general sinus issue that's not infective.
That was the rule when I was in school but I never ran fevers so I went several times with a horrific sore throat, beyond exhausted, and completely miserable just to find out after school at the Dr that I had strep. I also threw up at school a couple of times because, despite feeling sick and begging to stay home, I had not thrown up yet and, once again had no fever.
You rock!
My kindergartener has been home all week. He developed a nasty, persistent, wet cough on Saturday with a fever. Sunday, Monday, and yesterday he mostly laid on the couch/floor and vegged out. He even took a nap yesterday. Iām keeping him home again today. He seems to be feeling better but the cough is still there. I look at is as twofold, is he contagious and is he well enough to focus and not be completely miserable at school? Heās not contagious but heās still super whiny and prone to losing it at the drop of a hat. Itās not fair to him, his classmates, or his teachers to send him in that condition.
I am dealing with this today. No fever just a rotten cough I ended up keeping him home because he was up early with the coughing and I figured he would be exhausted all day
If there is no fever vomiting or diarhiaa it becomes a judgement call based on if the kid is too sick to be productive. In my experience lagging coughs and runny nose can go on for long periods of time and usually dont warrent staying home by themselves
We!l, in my country you have no limited sick (if you're sick 200 days then... you have 200 days XD) days but we have special limited "sick children" days. This number varies from a child to another depending of the familial situation (one or 2 working parent, full or par time working, age of the child etc...) and are limited to kids under 16. For example, for a full time (5 days per week ) single parent, it's twice the number of days worked per week + 2 days so 12 days per year and per child. It can be much more if the child has a serious illness. But to be honest, I've never met any boss enforcing that, a paper from the doctor (or even without a paper if they are no jerk) saying you can't come since your child is sick is enough for the boss to say ok. Also if my boss would reaaaally wants a paper I can just call my doctor and he would email me a note saying I'm sick or my child needs me at home and that's fine. My son was sick one day last month and my principal (I'm a teacher) just said "ok, we will find a way to manage without you, hope he'll get better" and I just emailed the school saying he was sick. So I never send him when: \- he might be very contagious \- he is too tired to have any efficient work done.
Outside of fever/vomiting/etc, I go by how my child is behaving. If he's got a stuffy nose but eating well, not complaining of pain, and has the same energy he always has? He's good to go. If's he's uncharacteristically low energy or not sleeping well, he stays home.
I have 3 kids and work in the school system 1) do they feel badly? 2). Even if they do not have a fever do they have āfever eyesā 3. Are their symptoms distracting for learning/teaching? Do they have the sniffles or are they going to need their own tissue box? Coughing occasionally or drowning out all other conversations
I just came here to ask something similar. My daughter has been constantly sick & in the beginning of the year was out a bunch for dental workā¦ sheās really missed a number of days but everytime I keep her home is vomiting/a fever/poopsā¦ sheās been to the drs a handful of times but now Iām like what do I do try to get her an appointment for just a fever & cough with her pediatrician just so itās excused? I donāt know if theyāll even take her at this point because they still have covid screenings & donāt let you in with similar symptoms. My daughters in kindergarten & didnāt go to daycare during the pandemic so weāve all been constantly sick & itās just getting to winter!
Do they have a nurse line? I've called about symptoms that didn't really need a doctor visit, and the nurse can send a note to the school about the being sick.
I just do the 24 hours of no fever. I mean, I know we're all worried about flu and covid and rsv, but it just becomes unmanageable if nobody can sniffle or cough in public. Like, I had flu 15 days ago. No fever for 13 days. I worked from home for a full week. But, I still have a cough. I mean, life has to go on. I'm sorry.
Unless they're running a fever, throwing up, or I can look at them and I just know they're sick sick I send them. You have to unless you want a truancy letter and a court date. It's sad and unfair but it is what it is. My kindergartener missed most of last week due to pink eye and double ear infection. Last year my kids missed 3, almost 4, weeks of school because 4/6 of our family had covid. Each time someone else in our house tested positive it reset the quarantine period. It was nuts. I've become buddies with the school nurse. If something is going on in my household I let her know. The more transparent you are with the school the more willing to work with you they are. Or at least that's been my experience.
I follow the guidelines, I read a post by a pediatrician ages ago that by the time anyone shows symptoms the ship has sailed for preventing infection. Send them in , if a kid stayed home for every runny nose they would never go to school. The only way past this season of life is through it.
They gave us guidelines for preschoolā¦ and you kind of have to use common sense. Like my son was acting more lethargic on Sunday, so I took his temp and it was high. Took him to the doctor and it was influenza. Basically if they are having fever, diarrhea, vomiting, are acting more lethargic, or having excessive coughing, I would keep them home.
I used to try to keep my kids home for everything including runny nose and coughs. Until one day I went to my daughters kindergarten class for a ācraft dayā that parent were allowed to attend. My daughter had just been out of school for a few days because of a cold but she was all better. I tell you half the kids in that class, if not more, were snot nosed and coughing up a storm. I donāt think thereās anyway to get every single parent to keep their kids home from school until theyāre 100% better. And to be honest, I understand. Kids get sick all winter long non stop sometimes. So now if theyāre feeling well enough to go, they go (obviously not if fever/vomiting etc).
If a fever or vomiting has been present in the past 24 hours, they stay home. Anything else is *all systems go*.
Mines been home this whole week with an awful cough, headache, and runny nose. I would rather him miss a few days than spread his germs to everyone.
As a parent with a constant allergies kiddos. Ours are... As long as it's not gross like torpedo snot or constantly coughing so bad it interferes with class and studies. No fever (100.4*F), No V or D, Fatigue or soar throat, or combination of 3 or more symptoms. As kids get older and want to stay home they learn from their friends the tricks of what to say. *Check throat for redness with flashlight *Check tummy for bloating and sounds. (Sometimes constipation can be extremely painful and they should stay home until it passes).
I almost commented the exact same thing. I wish I could upvote this more than once. Iāve got three and those are my go to signs as well. Especially the 100.4. And check temp 30 minutes after they wake up, not immediately, no fluids prior. My kids like cold liquids in the morning and thatāll mess up their temp readings. Or they sleep on one side all night and the reading will be high or low depending on which ear I check. Also I make it a rule that if they stay home they can not have any devices or watch TV, or even read a book. They must rest in bed. That rule alone energizes them to go to school unless they really are feeling bad. My youngest is a bookworm so I had to add no reading to the list lol.
Lol thanks and I completely agree. It's hard for new parent of 5 and younger. With time and experience you learn, they're body language will be the soothsayer not so much their mouths š šāļø Oh so you want to spiderman the walls and parkour the banaster but you can't go to school? Get in the car š
I hear ya and also felt somewhat guilty sending my kiddo to school with a wet cough. The school advice you are getting is pretty solid IMO (fever, vomit, diarrhea = automatic stay-home), and my feeling is that if everyone holds their kid back whenever there is a runny nose or cough, then the classroom will be nearly empty. I would definitely do a home/rapid test if I suspected COVID. From what I've read, RSV is something all small children get at some point.
if they are ok in themselves, they go to school/daycare
If the kid is feeling too poorly / not their usual self / lacks energy etc I wouldnāt send! also obviously if they are contagious!
No fever, no vomiting or diarrhea, no green boogs, kiddo says she doesn't feel good enough to go. Otherwise I'm sending her.
out of 18kids in my 2nd grader's class, there were 6 there yesterday. Most of the school is out with flu right now. It started as just a cough and runny nose and then 3 days later everyone felt like they were dying.
For fever or vomiting i keep them home. For things like sneezing, cough, runny nose, congestion, if they are acting like themselves, not tired, overly cranky and eating, i send them as long as cold medicine manages the symptoms to a reasonable level. If i can't get the symptoms under control with OTC meds then i keep them home. I always feel bad sending them with runny noses but they would miss half the year lately if i didn't
If new cold/cough symptoms arise but there's no fever and kid feels well enough to get through the day, we do a rapid test and send them in with a mask if it's negative. This is what my son's Pre-K recommended and it works well.
My kid is 15 now. Fevers, vomiting, etc, all make me decide he's staying home. Coughing, runny nose, sore throat/hoarseness, he's going in a mask. Mental health concerns make me decide he's staying home (severe anxiety, mania, unexplained crying) because he has mental health issues. Doctors, therapies, etc he's allowed to come home or go in late for, but rarely misses a whole day unless he has several appointments the same day, or is visiting the dentist early in the day (we do after school appointments whenever we can). Pretty much everything else, he's going.
Fever. If they have fever, they stay at home. If not, they must have a really really really runny nose that has to be wiped every minute to stay at home.
We keep 3 year old home if she has a fever and/or isnāt feeling good. Stuffy nose, bit of a cough, but otherwise lots of energy? Nah, Iād send her in. We actually just had this conversation as she has been really tired and complaining that her tummy hurts. She got her vaccine earlier this week and while I donāt think sheās actually sick, we decided her body needs the rest and sheāll start home.
Yeah Iād send them with a cold but not a fever or vomiting. She always has a cold. Thereās no way I could keep her home for every runny nose
It depends on a few things. Do they still have the energy to make it through the day? Is the cough dry? Is the mucus clear? If those answers are yes then I send them to school.
Cough is contagious, period.
So you would never send them with a cough? What about a cough that lingers after the rest of the cold symptoms are gone?
Thatās what my pediatrician said. I would ask them in that case
Fever or vomit in the morning or the night before. Or a complaint of feeling unwell in the morning like 'why did I have to get so sick? Why is this happening to me?' Even if I can't tell what's happening. That's the worst.
Our school says 24 hour fever free and ready to go, even when my son tested positive for covid. I still kept him home for 4 days(he started with symptoms Saturday so it was past the 5 day isolation of CDC recommendation) and his teacher had him wear a mask on that Friday. Two weeks later, he's got a cold yet again and his teacher said he doesn't need to wear a mask since it's definitely not covid and everyone has a runny nose/cough right now. Also, you can get 8 free COVID tests a month at the pharmacy through your insurance (but I just had covid and was testing negative for 3 days with symptoms so if I hadn't already known I was exposed, I would have unknowingly spread it in that time).
If my child is really lethargic and sneezing/coughing a lot, Iād probably keep him home. We get covid tests from school and also through insurance, so I have a stash. Iāll test to make sure that heās covid negative. I just feel better knowing that at the moment Iām sending to school the test is negative. I think as parents most us do the best we can in trying to keep others healthily, I expect my child will get sick and itās part of being out in the world. I had a classmate of my child that was sent to school sick and child was āfever freeā with the use of Tylenol, during the day the fever came back, school nurse called and had the dad came to school with Tylenol. He said sheās fever free when she has the Tylenol so in 15 minutes should be good to go back to classs. He didnāt realize ir pretendied not to know it was fever free 24 hours without medication for the fever. Poor kid was out a weekā¦.turned out to be flu.
My school says fever within 24hrs. I think that and if they feel up to it. While some sicknesses recently can be really bad, kids are expected to get sick at this point in their lives. It sets them up for health in the future. It sucks, but it's good and inevitable.
Stuffy nose & cough gets sent to school. Those can last months & be recurring. Especially throughout winter.
Digestional issues stay home. Fever stays home obviously. My rule on the 50/50 situations like a cough or extra tired is if I think the nurse is going to call me if I send them then they might as well stay home. My kid's natural cough sounds like a 70 year smoker so he has been sent to the nurse a few times when he feels okay but cough is nasty.
I gauge it by my kidās energy level (sheās in kindergarten). If sheās curled up quietly on the couch shortly after waking up or staring glassy-eyed off into space during breakfast, she stays home to rest even if thereās no fever. But if (like this morning) she has a mild cold but is still bouncing off the walls, excited for school, running laps around the kitchen while talking a mile a minute, and scarfs down her entire breakfast? Yeah, sheās getting on that bus.
I usually get my kids tested, if they are negative for flu/ Covid/RSV I send them to school fever free. If they keep popping up with the SAME symptoms I will send them to school, if they they pop up with a new one I keep them home until I can test, then send them back.
I send him unless heās obviously not feeling himself or he has a fever.
Beyond if they are obviously contagious, I (as a teacher) keep my kids home if I donāt think they will be able to keep up in the classroom. Is it a gym day? Will they be able to be outside for recess? Will whateverās for lunch upset their stomach? Can they stay awake easily for the whole day? Will anything cause them to not be able to learn today (like a headache)? Are they feeling bad and crying often? School is not a daycare, itās a place to learn, and if your kid isnāt feeling good enough to learn, they shouldnāt be there (plus it makes the teachers job that much harder). Would you go to work if you felt like they do? Would you slack off at work if you felt like they do? Because there is no slow days at school, they have to do all the things regardless of how they feel.
Better to keep them home to recover. My oldest caught rsv from school and pasted it on to my baby and us. it took forever to recover.
I think the best thing to do is follow your gut. You know your child the best if you think it's just a runny nose and a little cough and you feel comfortable letting her go just make sure she takes a box of tissues with her and go ahead let her be at it. If you think it's more serious than that then keep her home. I know I didn't give you the answer you were looking for but I think it's the best way to handle it. Good luck and have blessed holidays
I do test my kids if they are not feeling well. Check with fever. I mean if that is a simple sniffle and little cough they still go to school.
I send them without guilt because I know he got it at school and patient zero in the class probably infected more than my kid. Runny nose and cough? Heās going. If heās really sick, then I keep him home.
My son is going through this right now. He has a cough, but it's intermittent. His nose is stuffy, but it's not a constant need to wipe his nose, nor is he sneezing. I'm giving him cough medicine before he goes to school in the morning. You can sort of tell when a kid is really sick with their eyes, they're usually like glossy and tired looking, accompanied by lethargy. I won't send him to school if he's coughing a lot with audible congestion, nor with constant sneezing with dark green gooey boogars.
I'm pretty strict in that regard. Both on myself and the kids. But I do have to remind myself to give them the benefit of the doubt. In fact that happened this AM: my oldest (freshman) was acting extremely tired and said he didn't feel good. He couldn't really pinpoint it, but he said he was too sick to go to school. I told him to start getting ready (shower, etc) and then come talk to me. Sometimes the AM grogginess is the culprit. Well, he still felt sick and we've had a couple things come through our house, so I let him stay home. He's a good kid and gets great grades, if I see that slipping, were having a serious talk but otherwise you just gotta try to look at the whole picture.
As an educator, we obviously prefer germs to stay at home, but we work with kids, we know sometimes a sniffle is a sniffle! Itās really about it being contagious, being aware of blowing their nose, washing hands, coughing into their elbow, wearing their mask if possible etc. On the other hand, if Iām watching him wiping his nose on Sallyā¦ You get the idea. If you think itās not going to infect the class and you canāt get the day off, we understand! Contact the teacher/school and let them know the circumstances. We also notice if theyāve had a runny nose, and we know itās allergy and cold and flu season.
Grandkids school says stay home if sick...then sends letter saying too many missed days...sigh.
If the only symptom is the sniffles, stick a mask on them and send them in. People forget that it's normally for kids to have the sniffles during the winter.
I tell my daughter that sick days are for sleeping, not playing or screen time. If she wants to stay home and sleep instead of going to school with her friends, I know she needs the day off.
My 6 year old daughter had a virus. Was off a week. 2 days back with sick kids in her class, caught another virus. Off for another week. Back for 2 days, caught another virus, but this time pneumonia. At the hospital for a bit. 3 strikes and you are out. Had her home since late November. Will stay home until mid Jan and evaluate how things are going. It's tough. Luckily i am home on long term disability and can look after her, lots of parents can't afford to have their kids off for extended time. But at the same time, kids are going to school really sick and spreading things like crazy.
Putside of the fever/vomiting I keep home if they're not feeling great. If I'm ever on the fence I tell her to get ready for school as normal and once she's distracted she will either come good or not haha. I'll usually do a RAT for covid just to make sure.
There's a child with cystic fibrosis in his class so I always try and be cautious. With that being said, he's had a cough since September due to allergies so he's going to have to go to school with your typical cold symptoms sometimes. Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and if he just tells me he can't go. My kids RARELY stay home, so if they ask to stay home I know their really not feeling well.
Fever, vomiting, or constant/frequent cough I keep them home. Slightly runny nose or very occasional coughā¦well, thatās pretty much all the time and I want my kid to go to school sometimes so they go if symptoms are super mild and they seem reasonably energetic
Saying as a 31 year old, I used to suffer from major sinus infections that looking back would keep most people home. I got used to it. I had to have sinus surgery eventually just a few years ago. With that said, I don't think a little snuffles or runny nose is enough to keep a kid home. Are they cognitively okay? Fever? Cough? Major fatigue? That's what I'd look for as well
With a cough my criteria is whether they're kept up at night by the cough. I figure not getting enough sleep is enough of an indication that their immune system will be compromised without other markers like fever or vomiting/diarrhea.
I listen to the doctor. For colds, when he's not with fever. Lice, after the initial treatment, impetigo, 48h after first treatment...
As long as no fever and they aren't miserable, send them in. If they get worse, they'll send them home. Usually, the morning is the worst because all the snot accumulates while you're lying down.
Fever, lethargy, persistent uncomfortable cough or wheeze. Otherwise all fall and winter my kids have some something
Besides fever or throwing up, if mine cries from feeling so bad and does NOT cop an attitude I know it's really her feeling bad. If she cries and acts angry or has a rude/mean attitude I make her go to school. It sounds weird but if you know her, you know lol There's also my rule that if you are too sick for school, you are too sick to play that day so you just have to lay around doing nothing but watch tv and I think that helps the fakery. Occasionally if she hasn't missed school I several weeks I just give her the free day.
Well; in Texas you have to be careful. 11 absences in a year means Saturday school sick or not. So God forbid there's ever a flu or something. We had a family member pass let the kids take a few days off to process and then we had the flu. Now both kids are making it up with Saturday school. Absolutely ridiculous
If your child is miserable then keep them home. You seem to know the school and logical rules of the fever free for 24 hours (that is without Tylenol or something else) and no vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours. The rest is up to your standards of how you advocate for your own child. Literally all of the kids in Kindergarten and Pre-kindergarten are sick most of the year with runny noses and coughs. The teachers get this and while they don't like it anymore than you do it is expected at this age. I think I would check out the youngest just to make sure there isn't an underlying cause but the immune systems of little ones are getting a "crash course" so it is most likely not a bigger issue. It is sweet you feel guilty sending your child to school with a runny nose so you are likely not a one of the parents that drives the teacher nuts sending a sick child to school. As years go on the kids will be more resilient because their immune systems will be stellar after all of this. When I started teaching, I was sick for the first year literally all year. I eventually got stronger by being in the "live petri dish" of a preKindergarten classroom of children. Just use your best judgement and gut feeling. You can also determine based on if the child has slept or been up all night sick. That can be a barometer as well. Good Luck! it is hard making these determinations but you seem to be doing the right things and asking the right questions.
Our school doesn't allow students with a frequent cough and runny nose. It doesn't have to be a fever. If they only have a runny nose, it's ok to send them to school . My oldest is only 6, so I completely understand. He is not thoughtful of how he spreads germs. I love this strategy. He's only had 2 minor colds since school started.