Care for Special Needs
Providing necessary care to individuals with special needs may help them resist infection. Children with chronic health conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, are more susceptible to infection if their medical condition is not under good control. If special care or medication is required, the student’s health care provider can complete any required care plans or medication permission forms. This will allow the school and the school nurse to accommodate that special need.
2. Infection Control and Prevention
Implementing routine practices as well as structuring and managing the school environment can help to reduce the likelihood of contact with germs that might cause infectious disease.
Screening Tool
We strongly encourage all parents and caregivers to check their children for symptoms of illness before they go to school.
*If symptoms are present, do not send your child to school to prevent dissemination of any potential infectious agents. Stay home and contact your school nurse.
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Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
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Sore throat
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Cough (for students with chronic cough due to allergies or asthma, a change in their cough from usual)
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Difficulty breathing (for students with asthma, check for a change from their baseline breathing)
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Diarrhea or vomiting
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New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever
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If your child DOES have any of the symptoms above:
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Keep them home from school
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Get your child tested for strep throat, COVID-19, and the flu if symptoms continue
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Contact your child’s school nurse and report that your child is sick
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We want to thank you for your continuous cooperation and helping us have a safe and successful back to 2022-2023 school year for all our CISD Community.
Hand Hygiene
Germs on hands are often transferred by touching the hands to the mouth, nose, eyes, other body openings, or surfaces that other people touch. Proper hand hygiene is key in the control of infectious diseases. Handwashing with soap is preferred over any other method. If washing with soap and water is not possible, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers is an acceptable alternative.
Cough and Sneeze Etiquette
When a person coughs into the air, they can send germs out as far as 3 to 6 feet in front. If a person coughs into their hands, they could transfer germs from place to place when they touch something else. Using a tissue to cover the mouth and nose, or coughing into your elbow, if a tissue is not available, reduces the risk of spreading disease-causing germs.
Preventative Oral Health
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease/condition during childhood. By 5 years of age, 50% of children have at least one cavity. Decay of “baby teeth” can cause problems with a child’s permanent teeth and lifelong oral health problems. Children’s teeth should be brushed at least twice a day with the right amount of fluoride toothpaste.
Surface Hygiene
Surface hygiene removes germs from surfaces that are likely to be contaminated during routine use and contact with body fluids. Routine cleaning and sanitizing or disinfecting when indicated, decreases the number of surfaces and areas where germs can be spread.
3. Exclusion
Exclusion of Children Who are Ill
Sending home (excluding) those who are mildly ill is not an effective way to control the spread of the most common germs. Children with mild illness may need to be excluded if they are unable to participate in planned activities or they require more care than can be reasonably provided. Families should have backup arrangements made in advance to use when a child needs to be excluded from school. Some specific symptoms or diagnoses require exclusion. They generally meet all 3 of these criteria: they are transmissible one person to another, they are particularly harmful, and there is evidence that exclusion may reduce the spread of illness. The Sick Child Policy, shared with families at online registration can be referred to when a decision about exclusion is needed.