Contagious Illnesses

Too Sick for School

Guidelines for Keeping Students Home from School Due to Illness

Keep your child home from school if:

1. If your child has had one of the symptoms below, we request they be free of those symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of medication(s) before they return.
2. 1. Temperature of 100.4 or higher
   2. Vomiting
   3. Diarrhea
3. If your child has a respiratory illness, it’s important to have them evaluated for flu and COVID-19.
4. If your child has symptoms of a fever, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, or difficulty swallowing food or water, it is recommended your child be evaluated for strep throat. Treating strep can reduce your child’s duration of illness, relieve symptoms and prevent complications. If your child is being treated for strep throat, we request your child be on antibiotics for 24 hours and bring a note from a provider before coming back to school.
5. If your child is diagnosed with ringworm, scabies, pink eye, or other highly contagious illness, we recommend consulting with the student’s medical provider for return to school guidance.

Communicable Diseases

The school may send a student home if it appears that they may have a contagious illness. The parent may be asked to provide a doctor’s note indicating the symptoms have been evaluated before the student is allowed to return to school. The Ohio Department of Health Communicable Disease Chart serves as the guidelines for determining recommendations for the student. Please refer to the Cincinnati Public Schools Communicable Disease Response Plan for more information.

In some instances, the Guidelines for Keeping Students Home listed above are modified to prevent or contain an illness outbreak in a school.

Please call your doctor or school nurse if you have any questions or concerns, or if your child does not seem to be getting better.

GOOD HAND-WASHING PREVENTS THE SPREAD OF ILLNESS

Check the seams of mattresses or other upholstered furniture for eggs. Finding many small insect bites on legs and other body parts are a clue that bed bugs are active. Bed bugs are hard to kill, and it may take several treatments. Bed bugs do not cause disease.

How can I get rid of bed bugs?

Most people are not allergic to insect bites or bee stings and should be able to recognize the difference between a normal reaction and an allergic reaction.

More information on Bites and Stings

Once very common, chicken pox has been greatly reduced by the vaccine. However, it is highly contagious, and any child with chicken pox should stay home.

View and download information on chicken pox here: Chicken Pox - Varicella Fact Sheet

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. It can be very contagious and spreads quickly.

COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia.

While CPS does not require the use of face masks, we welcome our students, staff and visitors who choose to wear one.

More information on COVID-19

Dental problems are a leading cause of infection, which can be spread by sharing drinks, toothbrushes, etc. It is easily treatable with proper dental care, provided in many CPS schools.

These include virus and bacteria-type illnesses such as Shigella and Salmonella. The best protection is good  hand washing after bathroom use.

Common symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat and body aches. Flu shots are recommended for children and are available in the fall each year.

• When to Keep Your Child Home
• Hand Washing

This is a common problem that does not cause disease. It spreads quickly by sharing hats, combs/brushes and other hair accessories. It can be treated easily with a specific shampoo or conditioner.

Head lice information sheet

Impetigo is a staph or strep infection on the skin and is contagious. Treatment can involve keeping the infected area cleaned and applying an antibacterial ointment.

Impetigo instruction sheet

Methacillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) is a staph bacteria skin infection that may be resistant to many antibiotics and can cause serious illness that requires immediate treatment. For contact sports, this infection can spread quickly through a team, so frequent disinfection of facilities is important.

Read more about MRSA

There has been a resurgence of this disease, commonly known as "whooping cough." Being up-to-date on immunizations helps prevent the spread of this illness. It can be devastating to infants so vaccination is key.

More about pertussis

Pink Eye shows up as redness in the eye or eyelid, along with a thick discharge and itchy burning eyes. It spreads readily from person-to-person by touch and it can travel quickly through a classroom. Good hand washing is the key to stop the spread of this illness.

More information on conjunctivitis

This fungal skin infection shows up as a red ring-like rash and spreads by contact with people and, sometimes, cats. It requires treatment with a cream and may take a month or more to clear the infection.

Scalp ringworm instruction sheet

This is a tiny mite that burrows under the skin causing intense itching and multiple bites which may look like a rash. It does not cause disease, but is spread rapidly from skin contact. There is a prescription treatment for the skin.

Scabies information sheet

The primary symptoms are fever and a really painful sore throat. If suspected, a test should be done by a health professional.