Management of Student/Staff Illness

In the absence of testing, it is difficult to know if individuals with symptoms, particularly children, have COVID-19 or another illness. As a result, individuals with COVID-19 symptoms should not be in school and they should be tested. Negative test results would allow them to behave as they normally would (back to school or not, depending on illness severity and symptoms). However, national/regional/local testing capacity will likely not adequately support testing demands of ill children excluded from school.

Standards of practice are evolving for the care of our community and our school nurse will monitor federal, state and local guidelines.

A student or school employee will be sent home and/or required to stay home if:

ɒ An individual experiences symptoms related to COVID-19 including fever (100 degrees or higher), cough, shortness of breath, chills, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, congestion or runny nose.

Any one of these symptoms alone or in combination puts students at greater risk for

COVID-19 infection, necessitating that the affected student be medically isolated and sent home from school.

ɒ Someone in the students’ or employees’ household tests positive for COVID-19 (unless instructed otherwise by the Health Department).

ɒ An individual tests positive for COVID-19. A confirmed COVID-19 test-positive student should not report to school. If at school, the individual will be isolated immediately and required to depart campus within an hour.