Illness & Injury

If a child becomes ill or severely injured while at school, parents/guardians will be contacted. Emergency contact information is provided by parents/guardians at the beginning of each school year. Parents/Guardians are asked to keep this information current and alert the school of any changes during the school year.

When to Stay Home

To ensure the health and wellness of our students, faculty and staff, please keep your child home from school if they have any of the following symptoms:

• Vomiting and/or diarrhea. Children should not have had vomiting and/or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Fever greater than 99.6 degrees. Children should be fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications) before returning to school.
• Persistent dry or productive cough.
• Unexplained rash on any part of the body.
• Crusty drainage and/or unexplained redness of one or both eyes.
• Cold symptoms associated with fever and/or lethargy.
• Sore throat accompanied by white "dots" on throat (with or without a fever).

Children being treated with antibiotics should be on medication for 24 hours before returning to school.

Returning to School after an Illness or Injury

• An absence of five or more consecutive days requires a doctor's note. No note is required for absences less than five days.
• Children should not have had vomiting, diarrhea and/or a fever for 24 hours before returning to school. They should be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications).
• Children being treated with antibiotics should be on medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Prescription and nonprescription medications may be administered during school hours. Any medication that is to be administered during school hours:
  • Must be accompanied by a note from the parent/guardian.
  • Must be accompanied by an order from a physician, dentist or orthodontist containing the child's name, date, medication, dosage, time of administration, diagnosis, length of time order is in effect and the physician’s signature.
  • The prescription must be in its original container (many pharmacists provide a separate container for school). Over-the-counter items must be in their original packaging.
• Parents should notify the school nurse when their child returns to school after surgery, hospitalization or significant injury or illness. They may also need to contact the Athletic Director to resume their participation in any after school sports.

SPS makes every effort to prevent head lice from becoming a serious problem.

CDC Head Lice Treatment

Reporting Head Lice:
Please notify the school nurse if your child contracts head lice. Only through your continued cooperation can we keep the lice situation at St. Paul School under control. After being treated for head lice, students must report to the Nurse's Office for a hair check before returning to their classroom.