When to Keep Your Child Home from School
It's crucial to recognize when your child is too sick for school to ensure their well-being and prevent the spread of illness.
Keep Them Home If They Have:
Fever (100.4 F or above)
Cough
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Contagious disease
Medication Needs: If your child requires medication to manage symptoms, it might be a sign they need to stay home. In some cases, we may advise consulting with your healthcare provider before returning to school.
Current Outbreaks: We'll communicate any information about illness outbreaks at school and within the community.
If Your Child Becomes Sick at School
Immediate Care: We'll do our best to care for them and follow our "How Sick is Too Sick" policy.
Pick-Up: For certain illnesses, we'll contact you to pick them up promptly. Please ensure your contact information is up to date with the front desk.
Your Cooperation: We appreciate your timely response in picking up your ill child, so they can rest and recover.
Please consult the resource below for more details, and don't hesitate to contact us with any concerns!
General Exclusion Requirements
Children and staff must be excluded from schools and childcare facilities when they have certain symptoms of illness, including if they are unable to participate or perform the functions required for their position.
A “child” means any child enrolled in the childcare program or a student at a school.
A “staff member or staff” means any person working or volunteering to perform duties in a childcare facility or school.
Symptoms that require exclusion are listed in the attached document; How Sick is Too Sick? When Children and Staff Should Stay Home from Child Care (How Sick is Too Sick). The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Infectious Diseases in Child Care and School Settings (Infectious Disease Guide) will be used to determine exclusion for symptoms of illness not included in How Sick is Too Sick. There may be additional requirements for specific illnesses like COVID-19 symptoms and illnesses per the federal, county, and town of Telluride guidelines.
Excluding Children
Staff is responsible for observing children at drop-off and throughout the day for signs of illness. If a child arrives at the facility or school with signs of illness that require exclusion, they may not be accepted. If a child develops symptoms of illness that require exclusion during the time of care, the parent/guardian will be contacted to pick up the child. The child will be provided with a place to rest which is separate from the other children until the parent/guardian arrives. The child may return to childcare, or school based on the requirements in How Sick is Too Sick, the Infectious Disease Guide, or as directed by their healthcare provider or public health professional.
Information will be recorded on an illness log when children are sent home due to symptoms of illness that require exclusion. All items used to care for the child (cot, bedding, etc.) will be cleaned and sanitized or cleaned and disinfected if contaminated by body fluids after the child leaves the childcare or school. The date and time when the child returns to the childcare facility or school will be recorded on the illness log.
Excluding Staff
The person in charge of staff is responsible for observing the staff for signs of illness throughout the day. Staff members have the responsibility of reporting, to the person in charge, any signs of infection or illness that may pose a hazard to the health of children and other staff. If a staff member is not well enough to work, they may return based on the requirements in How Sick is Too Sick, the Infectious Disease Guide, or as directed by their health care provider or public health professional.
Outbreaks
When a school or childcare facility has a child or staff member with an illness that is required to be reported to the health department, the health department will be contacted immediately. Outbreaks of illness must also be reported to the health department when there is a larger number than normal of children or staff ill with the same symptoms. For example, above normal seasonal absenteeism for a school or childcare facility would be concerning and the health department will be contacted. The health department will also be contacted when there are two or more people who do not live together and are ill with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice.
Food Handling Staff Exclusion Requirements
Special attention will be given to staff members who handle food because many illnesses can be spread through food from an infected person. Food handling activities include the preparation of any food (i.e. washing, cutting, cooking, and portioning), the mixing and feeding of bottles, and feeding infants and toddlers solid foods.
Food handling staff must notify the person in charge:
*In addition to waterproof bandages covering wounds on hands and wrists, single-service gloves must be always worn when handling food.
Staff will be allowed to return to work based on requirements in How Sick is Too Sick, the Infectious Disease Guide, as directed by the health department, or as directed by a health care provider, or public health professional.
Download the How Sick is Too Sick Guidelines by CDPHE (English/Spanish)
There are four main reasons to keep children and adults at home:
When to seek emergency medical attention:
These are not all possible indications of a medical emergency, Call 9-1-1 or your health care provider for any any other documents that are severe or concerning to you.
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This document was developed in collaboration with pediatricians, medical epidemiologists, and public health professionals.
The information presented is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to take the place of your personal doctor’s advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information should not be used in place of a visit, call consultation, or advice of your doctor or other health care provider.
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools: A Quick Reference Guide. Aronson SS, Shope TR, eds. 5th ed. Itasca, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2020.20.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Infectious Diseases In Child Care and School Settings: Guidelines for Child Care Providers and Health Consultants, School Nurses, and Other Personnel. 2022.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. COVID-19 Resources. https://covid19.colorado.gov/. September 2023.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a coronavirus discovered in 2019 that caused a worldwide pandemic. Different variants of the virus emerged throughout the pandemic.
The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 can vary based on the variant causing the illness.
The incubation period for COVID-19 is thought to extend to 14 days, with a median time of onset of four to five days. The incubation period may be shorter or longer depending on the variant that is circulating.
Treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients remains largely supportive and includes management of complications. NIH treatment guidelines recommend Paxlovid or remdesivir for children aged 12-17 who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19. Remdesivir can also be considered in those <12 (aged ≥28 days and weighing ≥3 kg).
Please refer to our How Sick is Too Sick Guidelines (Spanish)
Questions or Testing: Call your provider. Ensuring people who are ill stay home (and people with COVID-19 follow isolation requirements, regardless of vaccination status) is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.