Davenport Community School District Illnesses at School

Illnesses/Injuries At School- Our primary goal is to protect the health of our students, families, faculty and staff. Ways that you can help to minimize the spread of illness at your child’s school are:

• Teach your child about good hand washing and cough hygiene practices.
• Let the school health office staff know if your child has a medical condition that could make them more susceptible to becoming ill.
• Discuss with your doctor additional measures that might reduce your families chance of becoming ill. Seasonal flu shots and updating your immunizations are two measures.
• Plan for how your child will be cared for if they need to remain home from school due to illness. Students with the following symptoms should remain home or may be sent home from school:
  • The child’s temperature must remain below 100 degrees for 24 hours without benefit of use of fever reducing medications before they can return to school.
  • Vomiting- should be free of symptom for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Diarrhea- should be free of symptom for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Persistent nasal congestion, reddened eyes, sore throat, cough or headaches that disrupt the student’s learning or pose a risk of disease transmission to others.
  • Unexplained skin eruptions or rashes. When in doubt, consult your child’s doctor before sending your child to school.
  • Any other health condition that in the school health office staff’s judgment is of concern for others health and well-being and that of the child.
  • Communicable illnesses in which you have been advised to remain out of school until cleared to return by the county health department or your child’s doctor.
  • Most illnesses are allowed back to school after 24 hours of treatment  ie:  Strep Throat, Impetigo.
  • Health conditions such as Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis), MRSA, and Ringworm do NOT need to be excluded from school unless child meets other exclusion criteria. Over the counter treatments are available for these conditions and should be used. Sites of ringworm and MRSA must be covered to attend school.

Common Child Care Illnesses & Exclusion Criteria
(download below)

The school health office staff will contact the parent/guardian listed as priority if the child becomes ill or seriously injured at school. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, other individuals listed on the emergency form will be contacted. For the child’s safety, students will be released only to adults whose names appear on the emergency form. It is very important that you notify school when there are changes to emergency contacts or health care providers.

Children should not attend school if they have had diarrhea or vomiting the past 24 hours, or have an undiagnosed rash, or have an uncontrolled cough. Your child’s temperature should be maintained without the benefit of medication under 100 degrees for 24 hours before returning to school.

To minimize the spread of illness among students, report communicable diseases such as influenza, measles, whooping cough, hepatitis A, tuberculosis, chickenpox, etc. to the school health office immediately.

Absences: 

Students are required by law to attend school. If your child must be absent from school, please notify the school office with two symptoms as early as possible on the morning of the absence. Serious illnesses that may require a long-term absence must be verified by a medical doctor. Home instruction is available for students on written request of the attending physician.

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