Communicable Disease

When to Keep Your Child Home From School

  • Fever of 100.0 or greater is an indicator of a contagious illness and your child should remain away from school until the fever subsides without the benefit of a fever reducing medicine.
  • Sore throat accompanied by fever or rash
  • Diarrhea and /or vomiting
  • Nasal or respiratory drainage that is thick, green, yellow or grey is a sign of infection
    The School Nurse is available by phone to help you make decisions about keeping your student home.

Links and Resources

Communicable Disease Chart and Notes for Schools and Child-Care Centers

What You Need to Know About Staph/MRSA Skin Infections

Head Lice
Can be a nuisance but have not been shown to spread disease or cause illness.  Personal Hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school also have nothing to do with getting head lice. "No Nit" policies that were in effect in the past under which a student was not allowed to return to school until all lice eggs (nits) were removed has been discouraged by both The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses.  The Center for Disease Control also discourages a "No Nit" policy and cites these reasons...

  • Many nits are more than 1/4" from the scalp. Such nits are usually not viable and unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice,or may in fact be empty shells, also known as casings.
  • Nits are cemented to hair shafts and unlikely to be transferred successfully to other people.
  • The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice. 

Although no one is immune from head lice, the problem can be controlled.  The school nurse inspects students hair if they exhibit symptoms of lice and advises parents if treatment is indicated.

We no longer exclude students for lice in Spring Branch ISD or conduct mass screenings.

We appreciate your cooperation in assisting us in the prevention and control of head lice in our schools with routine family inspection, prompt and effective treatment and avoiding direct or indirect contact with other people's hair.

 

Cold/ Flu Differences

Cold/Flu Differences for Parents

Flu information:

Center for Disease Control

Texas Department of State Health Services