Health Office

Health Office Recommendations For Health Absences:

Below are some guidelines for when a child should be kept home from school due to illness. Open communication with your school nurse is the best way to ensure that the correct decision is made. The guidelines below are the basics. However, situations/illnesses will surface that require a clinical assessment from the school nurse, and oftentimes a reflection of current guidelines by the CDC and the Vermont Department of Health. Sometimes the decision to send a student home, or to keep a student home is simple, other times it is not so clear. Knowing when to return to school after an illness is one of those times that can be tough to judge. This year, unlike last year, we are allowing students to return to school following an illness as long as they are:  1.)  ready to access their learning, 2.)  are largely recovered from their symptoms, and 3.)  are fever-free and/or vomit/diarrhea-free for at least 24 hours without the use of medication. 

When making clinical decisions surrounding health absences, school nurses will consider health history, trends in illnesses present at school, length of illness and whether or not the student is at the beginning and more contagious stage of illness, or whether they are on the tail-end with lingering symptoms, and recommendations from the CDC/VT DOH. These decisions are rarely cut and dry. Thank you for your communication and patience as we work to navigate illness at school following a pandemic.

• Stay home when newly sick ~ Whether you have new symptoms of COVID-19, the flu, or another contagious illness, please stay home if you are sick and call your healthcare provider if needed. This helps keep germs from spreading, protects those who may be at risk of serious illness, and gives you a chance to get well. 
• We know that people with new symptoms are more likely to be contagious and so would like people coming down with something to stay home. If you have lingering symptoms that have vastly improved; i.e. cough, runny nose, please feel free to return to school. 
• Fever (greater than 100°) ~ Your child’s temperature should be back to normal (less than 99°) for at least 24 hours before returning to school without the aid of medication.
• Coughing (excessive) ~ Your child’s cough should be “dry” sounding and easily controlled by a drink of water or cough drop before returning to school.
• Vomiting or Diarrhea ~ Your child should be able to eat food and drink liquids without vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours before returning to school. 
• Red or Draining Eyes ~ Please keep your child at home and check with a physician to ensure your child does not have conjunctivitis. If being treated for an infection please follow the Infection recommendation below.
• Excessive Nasal Drainage ~ Please keep your child at home and check with a physician to ensure your child does not have an infection. If being treated for an infection please follow the Infection recommendation below. 
• Unusual Rash ~ Please keep your child at home and check with a physician to ensure that the rash is not contagious. If being treated for an infection please follow the Infection recommendation below.
• Infection ~ If your child has been tested or treated for any contagious infection, please have them stay at home until test results are available. If positive for infection, they should have had their medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school. This is to best ensure the infection has not spread and your child does not have a medication reaction/allergic response in school. If medication is to be given at school, please contact the Health Office prior to your child returning to school to make arrangements. Parents/Guardians must personally give the medicine to the Health Office with the medication permission form. Forms can be found on the website or requested from the school.

For access to all of our forms, resources and immunization information, please visit our Resources Page.

The top priority for the school nurse is to keep children safe, healthy, in school, and ready to learn. To assist with that, our school nurses are available to administer medications, provide routine hearing and vision screenings, respond to emergencies,as well as other health concerns of the students and staff.

In addition, our nurses coordinate health needs due to injury or illness to help students access their education. They play a key role in assisting with the Return-to Learn Protocol following a TBI.

The nurses  are involved in the district SHAC and assist with coordinating policies and procedures for health and wellness.

School nursing, a specialized practice of nursing, protects and promotes student health, facilitates optimal development, and advances academic success. School nurses, grounded in ethical and evidence-based practice, are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, advocate for quality student-centered care, and collaborate to design systems that allow individuals and communities to develop their full potential. 

- Adopted by the NASN Board of Directors February 2017.

Special Notice for School-Wide Immunization Data:

To comply with the legislative requirement that schools make publicly available the aggregate immunization data of their students, we have provided the following link to the Vermont Health Department's webpage:  State of VT Vaccination Coverage