Hello South Row families,
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful and healthy winter break. As many of you are aware, influenza is currently widespread across Massachusetts, along with other common seasonal illnesses. While we have had some cases of flu at South Row, there are no concerning patterns or clusters at this time.
As we move through the winter months, I wanted to take a moment to re-share Chelmsford Public Schools’ illness policy as a reminder of when students should remain home due to illness. Please see the illness policy below:
We recommend children do not come to school if they appear to be ill. We advise to keep your child home if he/she has a sore throat, severe cold, rash, fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Your child needs to stay home if he/she has any of the following:
Strep Throat: If strep throat is suspected and the child either has had a negative throat culture or has been on antibiotics and fever free for a full 24 hours.
A fever over 100: May return to school when he/she is fever free for 24 hours without medication (e.g. Tylenol or Advil).
Vomiting and/or diarrhea: May return to school 24 hours after his/her last vomiting and/or diarrhea episode.
Red or pink itchy eyes with crusty and or green/yellow drainage: May return to school the day after treatment for 24 hours or has no further eye discharge.
Head Lice or nits (eggs): The nurse will assess the student for the presence of head lice or nits. If head lice or nits are detected, the nurse will contact the parent/guardian and provide education on lice treatment. Based on the discretion of the school nurse, some situations may warrant a dismissal from school
A rash of unknown cause: May require to MD clearance at the discretion of the school nurse.
If a child is too ill to remain in school the nurse will call parent/guardian and/or emergency contact numbers for dismissal. The student should not place the call from a school phone or mobile phone.
Parents/guardians are required to notify the school if your child contracts any contagious diseases (e.g. Chicken Pox, Strep Throat, Whooping Cough, Fifth’s Disease, Conjunctivitis, Scabies, Impetigo, Ringworm or Head Lice, etc.). If a child has been absent due to a communicable disease, a physician’s release may be required before returning to school.
If you have any questions about this policy please do not hesitate to reach out!
Screenings are also still in progress here at South Row. I will be finalizing the rescreenings next week and should be sending follow-up via email if your child did not pass any hearing or vision screenings at school. If you receive a referral email for your child and have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Respectfully,
Nurse Martin
