General Guidelines for Keeping your Child Home from School

Listed below are some helpful guidelines on when to keep your child home from school.

If your child has:

  • A contagious illness such as strep throat, flu, or chickenpox. Your child’s doctor will

usually recommend how long your child should remain at home if you are uncertain,

please call your child’s school nurse.

  • A fever within the past 24 hours.
  • Been vomiting or has diarrhea.
  • Red/pink eyes or has drainage from their eyes.
  • Live head lice. Your child must receive appropriate treatment before

returning to school.

Please note that this list is a guideline. The school nurse reserves the right to dismiss students who, in her professional opinion, are too ill to be in school.

To comply with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, section 56, if a child is found to be suffering from disease, injury, or illness requiring treatment, the parent/guardian or emergency contact will be notified by the school nurse, principal, or designee to request dismissal of their child to seek proper care.

Please report all student injuries and important medical information to the school nurse as soon as possible and notify her if your child will be out of school for an extended period of time.