Illness and Disease Information/Guidelines

To help reduce the spread of infections throughout the school, we ask students and staff members to remain at home for the following symptoms:

  • Cough-new onset
  • Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
  • Loss of taste and smell
  • Fever of 100.4 or greater
  • Undiagnosed rash
  • Eye drainage with thick white or yellow drainage and redness of the eye; or eye pain.

Or for 2 or more of the following symptoms:

  • Chills
  • Sore throat
  • Muscle pain
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Congestion/stuffy or runny nose
  • Extreme fatigue/very tired

*If a student/staff member has a new symptom, it is recommended that they speak with their healthcare provider regarding their symptoms and possible testing for COVID-19 or other viral/bacterial illness. 


Students and staff members with

  • Positive COVID-19 test OR
  • Waiting for COVID-19 test results OR
  • Negative COVID-19 test, but symptomatic OR
  • Symptoms of COVID-19, but not tested 

SHOULD:

  • Stay home at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared AND
  • Stay home until no fever has been present for at least 24 hours without medication AND
  • Stay home until there is improvement of all other symptoms
 

For students and staff with other diagnoses (e.g., norovirus, strep throat) that explain the symptoms, or when a health care provider says symptoms are connected to a pre-existing condition, stay home for 24 hours after: fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or starting antibiotics. In addition, follow specific return guidance from the health care provider or follow The Infectious Diseases in Childcare Settings and Schools Manual. Siblings and household members DO NOT need to stay home.


Please notify the program LSN or designee of positive COVID-19 test results or a suspected case. It is also important to notify the school of any contagious conditions such as strep throat, head lice or scabies, gastrointestinal or respiratory influenza, pneumonia or otherwise, to which a student is ill with or has been exposed. The licensed school nurse or health associate/designee will be able to take appropriate measures for your child and other students.


*COVID-19 symptom exclusion modified from Decision Tree for People with COVID-19 Symptoms.



Parent fact sheets
The following fact sheets have been modified to include contact information for Dakota County Public Health:

Bronchitis, Acute (chest cold/bronchiolitis)
Campylobacteriosis
Chickenpox (varicella)
Conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
Croup
Cryptosporidiosis
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection
Diarrhea (infectious)
E. coli O157:H7 infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
Enteroviral infection
Fifth disease
Giardiasis
Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease
Head lice
Hepatitis A
Herpes gladiatorum
Herpes, oral
Impetigo
Influenza - seasonal influenza, H1N1 novel influenza (formerly called swine
    flu), and influenza-like illness (ILI)
Measles
Meningococcal disease
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Molluscum contagiosum
Mononucleosis
Mumps
Norovirus
Parapertussis
Pertussis (whooping cough)
Pinworms
Pneumococcal infection
Pneumonia
Respiratory infection (viral)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection
Ringworm
Roseola
Rotaviral infection
Rubella (German measles)
Salmonellosis
Scabies
Shigellosis
Shingles (zoster)
Staph skin infection
Streptococcal infection (strep throat/scarlet fever)
Viral meningitis
Warts
Yeast infection (candidiasis)

For more information