From WCS inFocus
With widespread cases of flu being reported across Tennessee, parents are encouraged to review the Williamson County Schools Illness Guidelines when deciding whether a student should go to school or stay at home.
In addition to seasonal flu, school nurses are seeing students with respiratory viruses, stomach viruses, and strep throat.
Here are some important considerations for parents when making the decision to keep a student at home:
- A student should be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. If your child has a temperature of 100.0 or above, do not send them to school. Do not give your child Tylenol or Advil and send them to school if you suspect they are coming down with something.
- When antibiotics are prescribed, students must wait 24 hours before returning to school, regardless of whether they have a doctor’s note.
- A student should not experience any signs of diarrhea/vomiting within 24 hours of school start time. If a student vomits in the evening, don’t send them to school the next morning. Students should be symptom-free and able to tolerate regular food.
- If your child is coughing uncontrollably, they should stay home or seek advice from a health care provider. An uncontrollable cough is disruptive to the classroom, and it is difficult to manage the spread of germs.
Student absences related to illness are excused with documentation from a parent for up to eight days. After eight days, parents need to provide a doctor’s note to the school attendance office.
Williamson County schools are following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help reduce the spread of seasonal influenza, including the routine cleaning of surfaces and allowing extra hand-washing time in student schedules.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact your school nurse or the health services department.
