Health Need-to-Know

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) - Infected students may remain in school once any indicated therapy is implemented, except when viral or bacterial conjunctivitis is accompanied by systemic signs of illness. However, infected students should refrain from attending school if their behavior is such that they cannot avoid close contact with other students.  For more information visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Head Lice - Students diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school; they can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after appropriate treatment has begun.  Nits may persist after treatment, but successful treatment should kill crawling lice.  For more information visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Influenza - Students should be kept home when home when they are sick, avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth and cleaning and disenfecting surfaces and objects.  For more information visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.    

Mononucleosis - A student diagnosed with mononucleosis, "mono', may remain at school as long as the student is well enough to participate in routine activites and is not sick.  Because students/adults can have the virus without any symptoms, and can be contagious for such a long time, school exclusion will not prevent the spread of mononucleosis.  For more information visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - Symptomatic students with pertussis should be excluded from school until 5 days after appropriate antibiotic treatment begins.  During this time the student with pertussis should NOT participate in any childcare or community activities.  If not treated with 5 days of antibiotics, school exclusion should be for 21 days after the onset of a cough.  If there is a high index of suspicion that the student has pertussis, the student will be excluded until they have been evaluated by a medical provider and deemed no longer infectious by the local health department, 5 days of antibiotics are completed or until the laboratory test comes back negative.  For more information visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.