Flu season is here. If your child is showing flu symptoms, please keep them home until feeling better. As always, good handwashing , staying home to avoid spreading germs, covering your mouth and nose are the best defenses for contagious illness.
Is it a COLD or the FLU?
Symptoms Cold Flu
fever rare high fever (102-104) for 3-4 days
headache rare prominent
general aches/pains slight usual, often severe
fatigue/weakness mild can last up to 2-3 weeks
extreme exhaustion never early and prominent
stuffy nose common sometimes
sneezing usual sometimes
sore throat common sometimes
chest discomfort, cough mild to hacking cough common, can become severe
Complications sinus congestion, earache bronchitis, pneumonia
Prevention good handwashing, rest annual flu shot, antiviral medications
liquids rest, fluids
Deciding when children can go to school can be difficult.
Strep throat, impetigo, or "pink eye" child should stay home until on antibiotics for 24 hours.
Fever above 100 F Child should stay home for 72 hrs until fever free without the help of fever reducing medicine
Vomiting, diarrhea -accompanied by sore throat or fever consult your child's doctor before sending to school
rest, fluids and medication to bring down the fever. If symptoms persist, a visit to your child's doctor may become necessary. Coming to school sick (and possibly contagious) not only exposes other children to the illness, but also delays your child’s healing time. Once the medicine wears off and the fever returns, your child must be picked up anyway, and valuable healing time has been lost.
- If your child has 2 or more episodes of vomiting in 24 hours, please keep your child home until they are feeling better.
- A diagnosis of chicken pox by doctor for a child excludes them from school until all lesions are crusted over.
- If head lice are found on your child, students may return to school after a treatment with lice killing shampoo has been done. The nurse must check the child's head to make sure that no lice lice are present before returning to the classroom.
- Skin rashes– if the rash has any fluid or pus coming from it, the child must remain out of school until the rash has been treated and a note from the doctor states it is ok to return to school, or until the rash is gone, dried, or scabbed over with no new spots appearing. Anytime a rash is associated with fever, the child may not come to school until that fever is gone for 24 hours without medication. Sometimes a rash is a sign of a contagious disease such as chickenpox. Sometimes, rashes are not contagious, but are uncomfortable and itchy from contact with something the child is allergic to. In that case, although school is certainly a good option, please consider comfort measures such as an antihistamine, following the district policy for medication administration at school and discussing possible treatment with your doctor and/or the school nurse.
- Red eyes, especially if there is crusting around eye- this can often mean your child has conjunctivitis, also known as pink-eye. Not all pink-eye is contagious. Sometimes it is just allergies or other irritations that are causing the red color, but until we know for sure, which means we must have a note from the doctor stating the condition is not contagious, or until the redness and drainage are completely gone, your child must remain out of school.
- Any injuries to your child which may require exclusion from school activities such as PE, recess or field trips must be accompanied by a doctor's note describing the specific limitations required. The need for crutches, wheelchair or any supportive devices such as a sling or ace wrap also need to have doctor's documentation. Parent should call the school nurse to notify her of the injury and any restrictions that need to be in place. For any questions relating to documentation, please call your school nurse.
It is our policy in Woonsocket to keep the school environment free of contagious disease. If your child has an illness that can be transmitted to other children, please keep them home and notify the school nurse.
COVID 19 2022/23 school year
- Students/Staff who test Covid positive will need to isolate for 5 days. You can return to school on day 6 wearing a mask up through day 10.
- If you or your child are close contacts of a positive case, they can come to school every day, wearing a mask. It is recommended that you do a covid test on day 2 and day 5 of exposure to ensure that you are not infected.
- You will be notified if there has been a Covid positive case in your child's classroom. We ask that you monitor for symptoms for 10 days and test if your child has any symptoms of Covid. Covid tests are available in the nurse's office.
- Most insurances will pay for you to get 8 Covid home tests per month. You just need to present your insurance card at time of purchase.
- Please notify the school nurse if there are any Covid positive case in your household.
- We must all work together to keep each other safe and healthy.
- The best way to protect yourself and your children is to get vaccinated.
- You may still get Covid but the symptoms will be decreased and it may prevent you from getting hospitalized. Any questions, feel free to contact your school nurse at 767-4822 or by email [email protected].