Skip to main content
Parents » USD 207 Health Policies

USD 207 Health Policies

Our district school facilities and staff are not equipped to provide services to children who are ill. Therefore, the following policies were adopted to assist parents and schools to determine when a child should be cared for at home or alternate arrangements should be made for the care of your child while not in school.


No medications, including over-the-counter medications, are to be kept in your child’s possession. All medications must be locked up in the nurse’s office and be accompanied by a doctor’s order with a parent signature requesting administration of medication during school hours. Blank forms are kept at the clinic and the school office. Junior High students MAY be allowed to keep their inhalers on their person IF they have written permission from the administration and a parent.


Children with the following signs or symptoms will NOT be allowed to attend school for the time applicable to their condition:

  • Temperature in excess of 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Coughing or sneezing excessively. Usually the student should stay home if these conditions disturb the previous night’s sleep.
  • Runny nose with green or yellow mucous or cough with green or yellow sputum.
  • Red, watery or puffy eyes with yellow or green discharge.
  • Vomiting, nausea or persistent abdominal pain.
  • Diarrhea
  • Anyone with a positive throat culture must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Symptoms of other contagious diseases such as hepatitis, measles, scarlet fever or chicken pox.
  • Lice and scabies.
  • If your child has received any type of sedation for medical/dental procedures he/she should remain at home for the rest of the day to insure full recovery.


After an absence the school nurse may request a note from the health care provider stating that the child has sufficiently recovered to return to school. Any recommendations for limited activity or observation should be specified so that the school staff is able to determine participation in school activities. Students that have a medical condition that prevents or limits participation in physical education or recess must have a note from their health care provider prescribing said limitations. Students with casts or stitches will not be allowed to participate in PE or recess until the nurse receives a note signed by a doctor stating the child has been cleared to participate.


If your child has been absent due to any of the above conditions, he/she should not
return to school until:

  • Fever has been absent for 24 hours without administration of fever
    reducing medications.
  • Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea has been absent for 24 hours.
  • Chicken pox lesions are all scabbed over and no new lesions have appeared for 24 hours. This happens about 7-10 days from the onset of the disease.
  • Antibiotics have been given for 24 hours for strep or other bacterial infections. Medication must be administered at home for the first 24 hours.
  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye) has diminished so that the eyes are no longer draining and pink and antibiotics have been given for 24 hours prior to readmission.
  • Ringworm treatment has been administered for 24 hours prior to readmission to the classroom.
  • Scabies treatment is completed successfully and cleared by the health care provider.
  • Lice treatment has been administered.
  • Lesions from impetigo are no longer weeping and antibiotics have been given for 24 hours prior to readmission.


If the student develops a minor health problem after arriving at school, the school nurse will notify the parent/guardian and keep the ill child out of class in the nurse’s office until the child is picked up. The parent/guardian is expected to pick up the child in a reasonable amount of time (30 minutes if the parent is on post) and arrange for appropriate follow-up.


You, as a parent/guardian, need to provide an alternate contact number of a local person or persons who can care for your child in your absence. We desperately need alternate local emergency phone numbers if your child is ill or injured at school.