If your student becomes ill while at school, we will follow specific steps to assess whether they need to go home. We follow guidelines that clearly outline when your child should be kept home.
If your student reports symptoms like a headache, stomachache, or cold symptoms but does not meet exclusionary criteria, we will offer a period of rest, if appropriate, and a second assessment if symptoms persist or worsen. A call may be made home if the student demonstrates an inability to participate in their daily routine. Calls will be made according to the contact list and by priority listing.

STAY HOME GUIDELINES:

GENERAL ILLNESS
Students must stay home if they are showing signs of general illness, including:
Unable to participate in routine activities.
Needs more care than the school can provide.
Unusually tired or lethargic.
Uncontrollably coughing.
Difficulty breathing or wheezing.
Persistent crying.
Unexplained irritability or other unusual signs for the student.

FEVER
Oral temperature of 100.0°F or higher, accompanied by other signs of general illness.
Temperature should be taken prior to giving medications to reduce fever.
The student may return if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

DIARRHEA or VOMITING
Students should stay home for 24 hours after the last episode of diarrhea or vomiting.

RASH
Students should stay home if they have an unidentified rash that may be disease-related.
If the rash is accompanied by behavioral changes or a fever, the student should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

EYE DRAINAGE
Students are not excluded for eye conditions, including pink eye, unless it disrupts the student’s ability to participate in routine daily activities.

COVID-19
Duluth Edison Charter Schools follows the MDH and CDC guidelines, which currently align with general exclusion guidelines such as:
Fever of 100.0°F or higher.
Persistent cough.
Shortness of breath.
Lethargy.
Diarrhea or vomiting.
Return to school can happen when a student has been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications and general symptoms are improving.

CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASE

Duluth Edison Schools follows the guidelines recommended by the Minnesota Department of Health as outlined in the Hennepin County Infectious Diseases in Childcare Settings and Schools Manual.
The manual outlines infectious diseases commonly seen in schools, including prevention and control information. Diseases such as pink eye, impetigo, chicken pox, head lice, strep throat, influenza, COVID-19, and others are referenced. All standards for handling these diseases in schools follow recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association.