Hand Washing Guidelines
During this “cold and flu” season, it is vital that everyone, adults and children, be reminded of the importance of frequent hand washing in reducing the risk of getting a cold or the flu (influenza). Hand washing is the BEST defense against the spread of bacteria and viruses that may cause illness.
It is recommended that everyone wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or as long as it takes to hum the Happy Birthday song twice. It doesn't matter if antibacterial soap is used vs regular soap. Both are equally effective. Hand washing is required:
- Before eating
- After handling animals or animal wastes
- After coughing or sneezing
- After using the restroom, or changing diapers;
- After touching garbage
- When dirty.
- Certainly, more frequent hand washing is recommended if you are sick, or come in contact with someone who is sick.
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At times it is difficult to know if your child is too sick to go to school. The following are guidelines for you to use when determining if your child is to be kept home. These guidelines will also be used by school staff when deciding if a child needs to be sent home.
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- Children with a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher are to stay home from school. They should not return to the school until their temperatures have been within the normal range for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication such as Tylenol or ibuprofen.
- If a child has any (axillary or arm pit/forehead,oral or rectal) temperature of 100.4 or greater, the child is to stay home. Do not give a child who has an elevated temperature and/or is not feeling well ibuprofen or acetaminophen (Tylenol), then send them to school. When the medicine wears off, the child often times feels worse due to being in school instead of home resting. This also exposes other children to unnecessary risk of illness.
- If your child has been diagnosed with a contagious illness such as Strep throat, impetigo, bronchitis, pneumonia, Pink Eye, etc., and has been placed on an antibiotic, the child is to remain home until he/she has been on the medicine for 24 hours.
- If your child has been diagnosed with a contagious viral infection such as 5th Disease or Hand, Foot and Mouth disease, your child is to be kept home until your health care provider believes the risk of spreading the illness is minimal. If the child has any reportable condition like Chicken Pox, the child will be required to have a doctor’s note indicating they are not contagious and may return to school.
Children who are nauseated, and/or vomiting are to stay home until there has been no nausea or vomiting for 24 hours.
The child is to be kept home if he/she is experiencing diarrhea stools, and is not to return to school until free from diarrhea for 24 hours.
If your child is found to have a live louse (head lice), you will be notified. Your child may remain in school on the day of discovery; however, will not be able to return to school until proper treatment has been given. Parent/guardian will be required to provide documentation treatment has been received (a form will be issued requiring the parent/guardian to complete, indicating treatment). The child will have a “head check” upon return to school, and this will be repeated in 7-10 days. The child will be allowed to remain in school if nits (eggs) are found, as long as no live louse is seen. If live infestation is again noted with either head check, the child will be sent home for repeat treatment. Documentation will again be required upon return to school. This process will continue until the child is found to be free from any live infestation. If symptoms are very suspicious for scabies, the child will be sent home and is not to return to school until proper treatment has been given.
Click here to view an informational PDF on lice fleas and bedbugs written by Stephanie Thiede of the Langlade County Health Department.
If the child has a chronic illness which causes one of the above situations on a regular basis without posing a risk to others, accommodations may be made after receiving documentation from the child’s medical provider.
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If your child will not be attending school, the parent or guardian must notify the school office by phone or writing on the day a student is absent. When they return to school you must also provide written verification as to why the student was absent.
Check your Student-Parent Handbook for more information on rules and regulations regarding school attendance.
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If your child is prescribed antibiotic medication, then your child should not return to school until the child has been on their prescribed antibiotic for at least 24-48 hours. If the prescribed dose of antibiotic medication is only once or twice daily, then the child is expected to receive the prescribed dosage at home. If medication dosing is 3 or 4 times daily, then parents are permitted to administer medication to the child in the school setting or parents can complete a medication form for trained school personnel to administer the medication to their child(ren) during the school day.
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- Most colds, viral in nature, can last 5-14 days. When symptoms are severe, worsen after the first week, or continue past 10-14 days, then evaluation is appropriate. An associated fever is not a disease, but a sign the body is fighting off an illness.
- A productive cough with green, brown, or bloody sputum does warrant a further medical evaluation.
- Nasal secretions that are green in color do not indicate a need for antibiotics. Associated symptoms and/or length of symptoms is key.
- Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis) is not the flu since influenza is a respiratory condition. Gastroenteritis is generally caused by viruses, bacteria, or even parasites and generally lasts 1-2 days, rarely up to 10.
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