WASHINGTON (TN) — Children are going back to school and parents may soon have to deal with illness and decide when to keep their children home.
“We can expect that children will get upper respiratory infections during school hours. This is normal and happens. We want to make sure we recognize these signs and symptoms early,” said Dr. Stephen Ferrara, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
We’ve seen an increase in COVID infections across the United States, so COVID is certainly a concern, and we know the flu is always a concern.
Ferrara said children should have all required vaccinations, eat a balanced diet and wash their hands regularly.
“Children with fever should stay at home and not go to school. It is also important to drink plenty of fluids and fight the fever with fever-reducing medication,” he noted.
Things get difficult when children do not show severe symptoms.
Earlier this year, the CS Mott Children’s Hospital National Survey of Children’s Health found that in situations where it is unclear whether their child is sick enough to miss school, 53% of parents of middle and high school students would be most likely to keep their child home for safety reasons, 25% would send their child to school and hope for the best, and 19% would let their child decide. Only 4% say they would call the child’s doctor and ask for advice.
“As a parent, you really want to find out if that’s really the case. Or if there’s something going on in the background that’s influencing the child in one direction or the other,” says Sarah Clark, co-director of the survey.
When one in five parents say they would consider a mental health day, that’s a pretty big deal. I don’t think we would have seen that 10 years ago.
Clark said if students have days when their mental health issues persist, their parents should use the time at home to help resolve the issue.
“Anxious about school, anxious about social life? Use your mental health day to develop a plan to come up with strategies to make things better.”
The survey also found that when deciding to keep their child at home, most parents consider whether their child can survive the day and pose a danger to others.
With many students still trying to catch up on missed schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic, some parents are also considering academic aspects in their decision.
Thirty-four percent of parents take into account whether their child has a presentation or a test when deciding whether or not to stay home. Additionally, two in three parents say their child is worried about the impact on their grades if they are not at school.
“We also emphasize that if someone sneezes or coughs, they should sneeze into their elbow or arm,” Ferrara added. “Wiping chairs and desks with antiseptic wipes is also a good practice. Tissues should be thrown in the trash and not left on the desk.”
