Frequently Asked Questions
Communicable Disease Policy 453.3
When to Keep Your Child Home from School:
- A fever greater than 100° F
- Serious cold symptoms, i.e. persistent coughing, sneezing, severe nasal congestion
- Muscle or body aches
- Sore throat that interferes with swallowing or with a fever or rash
- Cough with wheezing or moderate to severe chest pain
- Headache severe enough to interfere with learning
- Diarrhea or vomiting
- Open sores with drainage or undiagnosed rash
- Untreated head lice (call the health office with questions)
- “Pinkeye” (recommended that students 8 years and younger stay home)
- Menstrual cramps accompanied by vomiting or fever
FEVER –greater than 100° F 
A fever is usually a signal that all is not right with the body. The best way to check for fever is with a thermometer, which every home should have. No child with a fever over 100 degrees should be sent to school. When a thermometer is not available, check the child’s forehead with the back of the hand. If it is hot, keep the child home until fever can be checked with a thermometer. Do not allow the child to return to school until s/he has been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
COUGH, SORE THROAT, RUNNY NOSE
A child with a hacking cough and/or a very runny nose belongs home in bed, even without a fever. If your child is having thick, colored nasal discharge for more than 10 days, consult your doctor to determine if it is a bacterial infection and the child should stay home until seen by a doctor. Here is a resource about influenza: Flu take 3 actions.pdf Here is a resource to help distinguish between colds, flu, and pertussis: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/communicable/influenza/ColdFluPertussis.htm
If your child complains of a sore throat and has no other symptoms, he may go to school. If white spots can be seen in the back of the throat or if fever is present keep him/her home and call your doctor. If your child has been diagnosed with strep throat or scarlet fever, your child needs to be on an antibiotic for 24 hours and fever free before returning to school.
RASH
A rash may be the first sign of one of childhood’s many illnesses, such as measles or chicken pox. A rash, or “spots” may cover the entire body or may appear in only one area. Do not send a child with a rash to school until your doctor has said that it is safe to do so.
STOMACHACHE, VOMITING, DIARRHEA
Consult your doctor if your child has a stomachache that is persistent or severe enough to limit his/her activity. If vomiting occurs, keep your child home until he can keep his food down. A child with diarrhea should be kept at home. Call your doctor if prompt improvement does not occur. Your child must be free of symptoms for 24 hours before returning to school.
PAIN
EARACHE: Consult your doctor without delay.
HEADACHE: A child, whose only complaint is headache, usually need not be kept at home unless there are other complaints. If the headache is severe enough to interfere with learning, keep him/her at home.
Please refer to the Infectious/Communicable Diseases Policy and Administrative Guidelines (453.3) for more information.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY CHILD NEEDS TO HAVE MEDICATION GIVEN TO HIM AT SCHOOL?
District Medication Form for Prescription and Non-prescription Medication
A medication form must be filled out and signed by the parent/guardian for all
medication taken during the school day. This includes inhalers and epinephrine that students may be self-carrying. Should the student have medication on them, like an inhaler, and need assistance using it, the school needs to have information on what the medication is, the appropriate dose to give, when to give it, and why the medication is needed. Additionally, parent/guardian written consent is required for school personnel to administer medication.If the medication is a prescription, a physician's signature is also required. The school health aide can fax the form to the physician to make the paperwork a little easier for parents/guardians.
For controlled substances, the parent/guardian needs to be the one to bring the prescription to the health office. Students may forget to bring the medication to the health office at the beginning of the school day leaving it in their backpack and available to other students to potentially access.
All medication must be dropped off in the original medication container with the manufacturer's label and/or pharmacy label intact. Expired medication will not be accepted or administered. Prescription medication bottles must be dated no older than 3 months. Ex: if you are dropping off medication on October 1, 2017, the medication label must state the medication was filled no earlier than July.
All medication not picked up by parents/guardians is discarded at the end of the school year and will not be available the following year.
For more information refer to the Medication Administration Policy and Administrative Guidelines (453.4).
WHAT IMMUNIZATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR MY CHILD?
Wisconsin State law requires parents to provide written evidence of immunizations to the school or sign a waiver stating the reason student should not receive an immunization. This must be done within 30 days of admission.
If you received a Legal Notice in the mail, the Shorewood School District is missing your student’s vaccination records. For more information about what the legal notice means and actions required, click here.
Required Vaccinations
To protect students from diseases that are preventable by immunization, Wisconsin law requires all students to show that they have received the required immunizations or have a signed waiver. Below you will find links to information about the law and materials that schools, day cares, and public health agencies use to implement the law (dhs.wisconsin.gov).
Recommended Vaccinations
Although some vaccinations are not required by the State for entrance to public schools, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Wisconsin Department of Health Services and American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommend students receive the following vaccinations:
- Childhood -
- Hepatitis B*
- Rotavirus
- Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP)*
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal
- Inactive poliovirus*
- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)*
- Varicella (Chicken Pox)*
- Hepatitis A
Adolescent (Click for fact sheet) -
- Meningococcal/Meningococcal B
- Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap)*
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
Annual (All ages) -
- Influenza (Flu Shot)
* - Required Student Immunization Record and Waiver Form
IMMUNIZATION LAWS
WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF MY CHILD’S IMMUNIZATION RECORD?
practitioner and either have them mailed to you or faxed to the health office.
The WI Immunization Registry (WIR) website offers the ability to view immunization records that have been entered by the healthcare practitioner. You must provide a social security number or Medicaid ID to access the record.
Immunizations may be scheduled by calling your child’s pediatrician, or by calling the North Shore Health Department at 414.371.2980. Please notify the health office, in writing, when a student receives any immunizations.
For more information, refer to the Shorewood School District Immunization Policy and Administrative Guidelines (453.2).
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF MY CHILD HAS A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT REQUIRES SOME ASSISTANCE AT SCHOOL?
i.e. Asthma, Seizures, Diabetes, Severe Allergies, Heart condition, Cancer/Chemotherapy treatment, etc, should be discussed with the District Nurse. The District Nurse will work with you and yourhealthcare practitioner to develop an individual health plan or allergy action plan or emergency care plan.
Please refer to the Managing Serious Adverse Allergic Conditions Policy and 
Administrative Guidelines (453.61) for more information on life threatening allergies.
If your student has asthma that requires an inhaler or a life-threatening allergy that requires an epinephrine auto-injector, please be sure your student's school is aware of this health condition. Additionally, please be sure your child has a supply of the medication they need, whether they self-carry the medication or keep it in the health office.
Typically, students K4-5th grade do not self-carry or self-administer their medication. Beginning in 6th grade through high school, it is common that those students self-carry and self-administer their inhalers and epinephrine. It is best practice and strongly recommended that regardless of the student having a supply of medication on them, there should be a secondary inhaler or epinephrine auto-injector in the health office. Middle and high school students often leave these medications locked in their main lockers, making it difficult to access should they be in a class or out on the field/track and need their medication. Stock epinephrine auto-injectors are limited and will not cover all student's with life-threatening allergies.
Please ensure a supply of epinephrine is provided to you student's school health office with the pharmacy label attached and double check the epinephrine auto-injector is not expired.
Please note: if the student self-carries their inhaler or epinephrine auto-injector, they are ultimately responsible for ensuring that medication goes with them on field trips. Student's with medication in the health office will automatically have their medication packed in the first aid/medication packs that go with the teacher for field trips.
WHEN DOES MY CHILD NEED A PHYSICAL/DENTAL/EYE EXAM BY A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER?
PHYSICAL/DENTAL/EYE Exam(s)Parents are strongly encouraged to provide the nurse/health aide
with records of physical, dental, and eye exams, especially if there are any health-related problems that might limit the child’s ability to participate in any portion of the school program. While recommended, neither a physical exam nor a dental exam nor eye exam is required to enroll in school. Physical exams may be required to participate in sports.STUDENT HEALTH FILE
The student’s health/medical file is kept in the health office. The contents may include transfer health records from previous schools attended, local health forms completed by parent/guardian, healthcare practitioner and notations made by the district nurse and health aide.
WHAT ARE SOME WEB RESOURCES THAT WILL PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHILDREN’S HEALTH-RELATED PROBLEMS?