Student Illness Protocols
Children should only be in school when they can fully participate in their educational program. Therefore, children with the following should stay at home and or will be referred home by the nurse or other school personnel:
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If a child has a fever over 100 degrees, parents must keep the child home until he/she is fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of medication.
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If a child has diarrhea, parents must keep the child home for 24 hours after the condition ends. Diarrhea is 3 or more episodes of loose stools in a 24 hour period.
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Vomiting (not related to an event such as gagging, positioning, mucus, running after eating, etc). Student must be symptom free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.
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Pink/red eye(s) or purulent conjunctivitis (defined as pink or red conjunctiva with white or yellow eye discharge). The student must receive treatment for 24 hours before returning to school or be symptom free before returning to school
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Under state and local Health Department regulations, if your child has been diagnosed with certain illnesses they must remain home until readmission criteria have been met. To review the full list of Communicable Diseases please view the Texas Administrative Code.
For questions or concerns please call your child's school nurse.
Documentation after an Absence (All Grade Levels)
A parent must provide an explanation for any absence upon the student’s arrival or return to school. The student must submit a note signed by the parent. The campus may accept a phone call from the parent but reserves the right to require a written note.
A note signed by the student will not be accepted unless the student is age 18 or older or is an emancipated minor under state law. The campus will document in its attendance records whether the absence is excused or
unexcused.
Note: The district is not required to excuse any absence, even if the parent provides a note explaining the absence, unless the absence is an exemption under compulsory attendance laws.
Doctor’s Note after an Absence for Illness (All Grade Levels)
Within 3 days of returning to school, a student absent for more than 3 consecutive days because of a personal illness must bring a statement from a doctor or health clinic verifying the illness or condition that caused the absence. Otherwise, the absence may be considered unexcused and in violation of compulsory attendance laws.
Should the student develop a questionable pattern of absences, the principal or attendance committee may require a statement from a doctor or health clinic verifying the illness or condition that caused the absence to determine whether an absence will be excused or unexcused.
Certification of Absence Due to Severe Illness or Treatment
If a student is absent because of a serious or life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes a student’s attendance infeasible, a parent must provide certification from a physician licensed to practice in Texas specifying the student’s illness and the anticipated period of absence related to the illness or treatment.