Guidelines for School Attendance


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Guidelines for School Attendance

When making a decision about your child (ren)’s school attendance, please be mindful that several members of our Macon Community are at an increased risk when exposed to communicable illness.  This is what we recommend:

1Fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.(Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen).This means a morning temperature no higher than 99.9 when taken orally.(Please note that children and teenagers should never be given Aspirin for a fever and that Ibuprofen should be administered with food.)


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On Antibiotic therapy for 24 hours when being treated for a contagious bacterial infection (such as strep throat).  Ear infections are not contagious, so school attendance is dependent on the child’s level of discomfort.                                       

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An aliment such as a cold needs to be evaluated carefully.  If your child has copious nasal discharge, frequent cough, or a fever, he or she is best treated by a day of rest and drinking fluids at home.  However, if the cold does not affect activity tolerance and the nasal discharge, sneezing and coughing are only occasional, the child is fine to attend school.

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Stomachache is a very nonspecific term and is often difficult to assess.  A child with vomiting and/or diarrhea should be kept home until symptoms have resolved for at least 12 hours-24 hours is best,  and he or she is able to keep down food and liquid.  Be sure to call your physician if fever and stomach pain persist or if your child has poor oral intake and appears dehydrated (dry mouth, no tears, urinates less than 4 times in 24 hours).

A good night's sleep the night before-if your child is awake much of the night (vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, etc.) then he or she will most likely not have a productive school day. 

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Generally, any complaint that causes your child to lose a significant amount of sleep is a strong indicator that a day home from school is warranted.

The education of your children is top priority here at Macon R-1.  However, if a child is not able to concentrate because he or she is too tired, or is frequently coughing, sneezing, or is in and out of the classroom going to the nurse's office, then chances are high that not much learning is taking place.  In addition, the illness is most certainly spreading to others in the classroom.


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