Health & Safety Protocols

District 34’s goal is to keep all students, in person, every day in the safest environment possible.

When to Keep Your Child Home from School

It is difficult for a child who is not feeling well to learn. It's best for them to stay home until they are well enough to have a positive, productive and healthy school experience. 

There are many reasons why a child may not be feeling well, including:

  • Common Cold

  • Strep Throat

  • Influenza

  • RSV

  • Stomach Flu/Norovirus

  • Conjunctivitis

  • Bronchitis/Pneumonia

  • Hand Foot and Mouth Disease 

Please keep your child at home if they have:

  • Fever (temperature of 100.4°F or greater)

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Undiagnosed rash

  • Communicable diseases (such as strep throat, influenza, chicken pox, measles, etc.)

  • Pink eye (conjunctivitis)

  • Head lice infestation (live head lice)

Before a student may return to school, he/she must be free of fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea (without fever-reducing medication) for 24 hours. If a student has been prescribed antibiotic medication for a rash, communicable diseases and/or pink eye they may return to school after completing 24 hours of prescribed medication.

When the above noted symptoms occur during school, parents will be contacted to pick the child up from school within the hour. An ill or injured student who is sent home may only be released to the parent/guardian or emergency contact provided by the parent/guardian. In the event of a serious or life-threatening injury or illness, EMS services/911 will be called to provide care. It is important that the school has accurate parent phone numbers and emergency contacts. Please keep the school office up to date with current contact information.

Attending after-school events should be avoided when your child does not attend school due to illness symptoms or is sent home from school with illness symptoms. Best health practices recommends children remain home, in recovery, until they are no longer contagious and free from symptoms for 24 hours.

It is required that parents/guardians call school to report their child’s absence. To prevent the spread of illness in the classroom, parents/guardians are encouraged to report symptoms and the student’s diagnosis to the school.

We encourage you to have your child evaluated by a health care provider to determine the cause of their illness. 

 

To reach that goal, the District will continue to follow guidance from the leading public health agencies, as it has done throughout the pandemic. The District will utilize existing and emerging avenues available to keep students in school and will continually monitor the migration to an endemic environment.

Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance on August 11, 2022 (summarized here). 

The District will exercise its authority, as described in the Communicable Disease Code and as otherwise authorized by law and according to schools’ infectious disease policies, to align that guidance to District health and safety protocols to address all infectious disease cases among students and staff. The Board of Education grants the Superintendent the authority to make adjustments to this plan as necessary to address any changes in the local health environment. The District will keep the protocols updated on this website, and in newsletters, emails and other notifications to staff and families. 

CDC Updated COVID-19 Guidance

Health & Safety Protocols

Frequently Asked Questions

Vaccination for Children 5-11 FAQs