School Illness 

2022-2023 School Year we continue to encourage AT HOME Illness screening for all staff & students and remain home when ill. 

Exclusion Criteria: This list refers to NEW symptoms or Change in usual symptoms: 

 Students and staff are NOT to report to school if they are experiencing: 

• Feeling Feverish, having chills, or temperature of 100.4 or higher
• New or unexplained persistent cough
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
• Loss of taste or smell
• Fatigue, Muscle Aches, Headache, Sore Throat, Runny Nose/Congestion
• GI (Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea)
• Other signs of illness require exclusion (see illness guidelines “How Sick is too Sick”): https://cdphe.colorado.gov/child-care-health-regulations
• since even minor symptoms such as a cold/allergies have been linked to COVID-19 may require follow up with a primary care physician who may advise testing for COVID-19, especially if your student may have had exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 14 days.  

Q: What if my student tests positive for COVID-19? 

A:  KEEP YOUR STUDENT HOME, encourage to report positive cases to school nurse/attendance:  Follow Isolation Guidelines from El Paso County Public Health.

What if my student becomes ill during school? 

*Please note that individual schools reserve the right to send students home based on presentation of symptoms that are consistent with school illnesses currently present within the school. 

If your student becomes ill during school, the school health room will contact the parent/guardian listed under student emergency contact immediately. 

• We encourage parents/guardians to ensure emergency contact information is up to date in PowerSchool
• We encourage parents/guardians to have a plan developed to pick up an ill student from school quickly, including a secondary or back-up contact should the parent be unable to pick up the student.
• Any student presenting with respiratory symptoms potentially linked to COVID-19 will be immediately placed in an isolation area and be provided a mask/face cover. 
• Students who become ill during school and are picked up will be advised not to participate in any athletics or clubs until cleared to return to school under illness guidelines “how sick is too sick”. 

References & Resources

https://cdphe.colorado.gov/child-care-health-regulations

https://www.elpasocountyhealth.org/

• PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

  • The following preventative measures we should all follow restore us to a more “standard” posture about health conditions and health privacy. While on campus or visiting our buildings, wear a mask if you wish, maintain respectful and appropriate distance and wash hands frequently.
    
    

  • Masks: 

    • Masks are not required on any of our campuses. We know some will still feel comfortable wearing masks at school, and we respect the personal preference to do so. 

  • Social distancing 

    • We encourage our staff, students and visitors to maintain respectful and appropriate physical distance.

  • Hygiene/Hand Washing 

    • We will continue to encourage frequent hand-washing while we resume our traditional schedule of cleaning and sanitizing our buildings and campuses. 

  • Stay Home

    • We encourage students or staff who are sick to stay home and return when you feel better! 

  PROCEDURES

  Individuals who test positive should follow guidance for isolation from El Paso County Health. At this time, school nurses continue to report positive cases to county health. School administrators, in coordination with school nurses, will determine when it is appropriate to communicate information to their community - following communicable disease processes. For more specific information, please see the Illness/COVID Information for 2022-2023 from our Nursing Services team.

   

  Updated August 2022

  Reviewed January 2023