Schools and Health Department Request Help

With the flu season in full swing and many people falling ill, Frederick County Public Schools and the Frederick County Health Department sent tips and requests to families and the community today.

They request that children be kept home from school if they have any of the following symptoms:

• a temperature of more than 100 for more than 24 hours,
• nausea or vomiting,
• stomachache,
• diarrhea,
• pale or flushed face,
• headache,
• persistent cough,
• earache,
• thick discharge from the nose,
• painful sore throat,
• rash or infection of the skin, or

• red or pink eyes.

Further, they request that a child having a fever the evening before or through the night be kept them home. Children should have a normal temperature under 99 degrees for 24 hours prior to returning to school. If the symptoms are severe or persist for more than 24 hours, the Health Department recommends contacting your private source of medical care.

Parents should notify the staff in the health room if a child develops a contagious condition, such as chickenpox, strep throat, lice, pink eye, mono, pneumonia, etc. As an employee of the Frederick County Health Department, the Registered Nurse for each school follows CDC guidelines to investigate and to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The Registered Nurse tracks student illness by monitoring absenteeism, noting the number of student visits and symptoms of illness seen in the health room, and gathering information from families and staff.

Children sometimes use illness as an excuse to miss school. On the other hand, some children force themselves to go to school even though they are sick. Frederick County Public Schools and Health Department urge parents to be alert to the health of their children and to decide when it is best to send their children to school. A major consideration for parents includes if a child would be contagious to classmates.

Parents are urged to update their contact information. If a child complains of being sick or does not look well after they reach school, the schools will contact you.

The school health rooms also ask parents to reinforce hand washing to help minimize the spread of germs. Hand washing and tissues are excellent barriers and deterrents.

The school health staff in each school’s health room can be contacted with questions.