When to Keep Your Child Home from School
Illness What to do?
Chickenpox Keep child home until they have no new sores for 24 hours AND all
sores are dried and crusted.
**During an outbreak of chickenpox, children who are NOT vaccinated
for chickenpox (Varicella) and have been in close contact with someone
sick with the infection will not be allowed at school for 21 days after they
were last exposed to chickenpox, even if they are not sick.
Diarrhea that cannot be
controlled and/or with a fever.
Keep child at home.
Fever with temperature 100°
or higher and not feeling well
enough to participate in class.
Keep child home until fever-free for 24 hours without using feverreducing
medicine such as Motrin or Tylenol.
Flu-like symptoms with
fever, chills, sore throat, runny
nose, muscle aches, tiredness;
may also have vomiting and
diarrhea.
Keep child home until symptoms are gone.
Head lice If lice are first found at school, child may stay until end of the day but
may not return until treated and all live lice are gone.
Impetigo Keep child home until 24 hours after antibiotics have been started.
MRSA Keep child home if sore is draining and cannot be covered with a clean,
dry bandage. Keep child home if they cannot keep from picking at sore.
Rash Keep child home until seen by a doctor and treated if needed. The school
may request a doctor’s note to return to school.
Strep throat Keep child home until 24 hours after antibiotics have been started.
Pink eye with discharge Keep child home until seen by a doctor and 24 hours after first dose of
medicine, if prescribed.
Ringworm If ringworm is first found at school, child may stay until end of the day if
it can be covered. Child may not return until treatment has been started.
Area must remain covered until completely healed.
Scabies Child must stay home until after treatment is started.
Vomiting 2 or more times
within 24 hours
Keep child home until able to tolerate regular diet.
Reference: American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) Managing Infectious Disease in Child Care and Schools, second edition