The Sick Kid Syndrome: When Should You Keep Your Kid Home from School?

It's a new year starting and along with that comes school for your kids. Plus colds, infections and other contagious things. Chances are it won't be long before you have to decide if your child is sick enough to keep home from school.

Jewish people have always prided themselves on their commitment to education. They also pride themselves on being dedicated parents. And these days, most Jewish parents--fathers and mothers --also see themselves as loyal professionals who need to show up in the office.

"Caught between the demands of work and family," writes Katy Abel for Family Education (www.familyeducation.com) many parents are sending kids to school sick. School nurses say it's happening more often, as the demands on parents grow."

So how do you know if you should keep your kid home?

No Sneezing in the Halls

Schools and daycare centers are breeding grounds for illness. Children are often huddled together in a room and experience unavoidable exposure to dozens of viruses and bacteria. As the weather gets worse during the school year, kids are usually kept inside more often where bugs multiply and spread.

Children--like the elderly --are just more susceptible to common infections. Besides the common cold, ear infections and the flu, there are several conditions that kids suffer from that usually necessitate absence from school. These include: streptococcus (strep throat), cold sores and conjunctivitis (pink-eye). These conditions are highly contagious, and the school will usually require you to keep your child home and under medical treatment for at least 48 hours before returning. This policy decreases the chances of spreading the bacterial infection.

However, experts stress that the majority of childhood infections--approximately 80 percent--are caused by viruses which cannot be treated by antibiotics. Instead, these infections usually must run their course. But this doesn't mean that your child may not appear and feel very ill, making it necessary to keep your child home.

Making the Decision

Listen to your school's policy. At the beginning of the year, schools often send home information on illness and required absence, rules on giving medication in school and other facts about your child's health while he is in school. The school's responsibility is two-fold: First, the school wants to ensure that your child does not come to school too sick to learn and interact with the other children. Second, it wants to reduce an epidemic among its students. One contagious child can cause dozens of other kids to get sick.

-Fever isn't everything. A child may be ill but have a normal temperature in the morning because that's when a child's temperature is lowest. Check out how the child looks, acts and the nature of the complaint. If in doubt, call your pediatrician's office or the school nurse, according to Family Health.

-If your child seems sick, keep him home. If you have to stay home, try to see this as a parenting priority. In the long run, that meeting you miss at the office may not matter that much. But later on, both you and your child will remember how you cared for him when he was not feeling well.

-Have a good back-up system. This means getting one together before the first health crisis. Enlist friends, neighbors or relatives who agree to be called at the last minute to provide mild sick care coverage. (A serious illness requires your presence). While still in the planning stage, talk about how you might reciprocate. For example, offer to baby-sit on the weekend for someone who steps in to take care of your sick child.

-If you need to hash out who should stay home--you or your spouse--do it calmly so your kids doesn't feel guilty about being sick.

-Be straight with your boss. Offer to make up the time or ensure him or her how you plan to finish a project. Ask a colleague to swap shifts or cover for you if your absence at work will really be a problem.

When a child is ill, the best thing is not to play games with the school, office or especially with your child's health.

Source:

This article originally appeared several years ago on JewishFamily.com.