It's normal for children to get sick from time to time. But when should a parent keep a child home from school? 

Below are some guidelines to help you make the decision about when to keep your child home from school. The recommendations are based on the guidelines provided by the Communicable Disease Program of the Clackamas County Department of Health and Human Services. They were developed to help prevent the spread of potentially contagious diseases. Please keep your child home from school if:

• Fever: With fever greater than 100.4° F; student may return when fever-free for 24 hours (WITHOUT use of fever-reducing medicine).
• Vomiting/Diarrhea: Any unexplained vomiting episode. May return 24 hours after last episode. Diarrhea equals three or more unexplained episodes of watery or loose stools in 24 hours OR sudden onset of loose stools. May return 24 hours after last episode.
• Cough: Serious, sustained coughing, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing.
• Rash: Any new rash accompanied by a fever. May return after rash goes away or clearance given by a health care provider.
• Skin Lesions/Sores: Drainage from a sore that cannot be contained within a bandage OR sores are increasing in size OR new sores are developing day-to-day.
• Other: Symptoms that prevent the student from active participation in usual school activities OR student is requiring more care than school can safely provide.

Home is the best place for a child who is ill. If your child is sick with a diagnosed communicable disease, please notify the school as soon as possible. This notification will greatly assist others who, due to medical reasons and/or treatments, have weakened immune systems and may require immediate and specialized care.

Can my child receive medication at school?

Yes. Any medication that is necessary for your child to be able to remain in school. All medications must be brought to the school by a parent or guardian with the proper paperwork. We are unable to accept medications brought in by students.

What are the procedures I must follow?

The parent or guardian must complete the Authorization for Medication Administration Form. You can pick up these forms in the school office, or print off at home from the list below.

A physician's signature is required for all prescription medications. This may be in the form of a current prescription label.

All medication must come in the original container.  The label must include the name of the student, medication, dosage instructions, and the name and phone number of the physician.
The parent or guardian must provide all supplies necessary for proper administration of the medication.  Medication dosing spoons and precut pills are required.

All over the counter medicines required during school hours and necessary for the child to remain in school require completion of the medication assistance form also. The medication provided must be in the original labeled container with the age appropriate dosing instructions.

Some medications can be carried by the student for self-administration. These are special circumstances to discuss with your school nurse. A Self-Medication Agreement Form must be filed in the school office with a Medication Administration Form.

•  Authorization for Medication Administration 
•  Administering Medication Board Policy
•  Medication Administration Handbook
•  Medication at School

How are allergies handled?

The school nurses work closely with parents and school staff to keep students safe and healthy at school.  Parents of students with life threatening allergies are encouraged to speak with their school nurse regarding safeguards available at school.

We are committed to maintaining a safe school environment for all students. For details about allergy awareness, see our Guidance about Allergy Awareness and Nut-Free Tables

• 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.

  Head lice can be a nuisance but they have not been shown to spread disease. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.

  Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) advocate that “no-nit” policies should be discontinued. “No-nit” policies that require a child to be free of nits before they can return to schools should be discontinued for the following reasons:

  • Many nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp. Such nits are usually not viable and very unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may in fact be empty shells, also known as ‘casings’.
  • Nits are cemented to hair shafts and are very unlikely to be transferred successfully to other people.
  • The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice.
  • Misdiagnosis of nits is very common during nit checks conducted by non-medical personnel.

  More on: Head Lice Treatment

  The information is gathered from the Center for Disease Control.

• What is the purpose of immunizations and what are the state requirements?

  Disease prevention is the goal of public health. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Vaccines prevent disease in those who receive them and in the community who come in contact with unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in the U.S. These include polio, whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, rubella, mumps, tetanus and Haemophilus influenzae type B, and varicella.  Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent.

  The laws regarding Oregon's immunization requirements occasionally change. Please review updated requirements and timeline below.

  • Oregon Immunization Requirements

  • Oregon Immunization Requirements Spanish

   

  • Oregon Law on School Immunization (ORS, OAR)

  • Clackamas County Immunization Rates Grades Pre K-12 English and Spanish 

   

  • After the shots

  Where do I go to get my child vaccinated?

  Options include taking your child to their health care provider, contacting the Clackamas County Health Department Clinic for an appointment at 503-655-8471, or calling 1-800-723-3638 for free immunization clinic availability in the tri-county area.
  
  Always give your school a written record of the dates the vaccinations were given to your child so that your child's health records can be kept up to date at school.

• After my child has had their vaccines, who do I notify?

  Please go to your child's school and let them know you need to update your child's immunization  record.

• What about Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions?

  Nonmedical Vaccine Exemption information can be found on the Oregon Health Authority's website. OHA recommends using a web browser other than Google Chrome when accessing this information and participating in online training.

  ALWAYS KEEP A COPY OF YOUR CHILD'S IMMUNIZATION RECORD IN YOUR HOME FILE. YOU WILL NEED THEM THOUGHOUT YOUR STUDENT'S SCHOOL LIFE. PROOF OF UP-TO-DATE VACCINATIONS ARE NEEDED EVEN FOR COLLEGE AND EMPLOYMENT.