Showing up to school every day is critical for children’s well-being, engagement and learning.
When your child is sick, do they always have to stay home from from school? Not always—there are many times when it is okay for a child to come to school when they have mild symptoms.
Make sure to send children to school if they are:
- Generally healthy and well.
- Participating in usual day-to-day activities.
- Children can even go to school if they:
- Have a mild cold, which may include a runny nose and/or cough.
- Have eye drainage without fever, eye pain, or eyelid redness.
- Have a mild stomachache.
- Have a mild rash with no other symptoms.
- Have head lice. Though they are annoying and should be treated, lice are not a reason to exclude a child from school. Note: If live bugs are present, children need to stay home from school.
- Haven’t had a fever overnight and they have not taken fever-reducing medicine during that time.
Avoid keeping children at home unless they are too sick to participate. Please see the Health Guidance for more details. Note that in most situations, a health-care provider’s note is not needed to return.