Illness Policy – Wash, Sanitize, Disinfect.

illness policy

Children become ill by catching viruses

Your child becomes ill by catching viruses/germs: from other children at school, from you (after getting something from work or elsewhere), from neighbors, from brothers and sisters, etc. Viruses are transferred: by touching others, breathing airborne viruses, touching items with viruses on them etc. Colds are not caused by cold weather, rain, exposure to cold, air conditioning, or changes in temperature. The ONLY way to catch a cold is to be infected by a virus.

At Halsey Schools we follow this strict illness policy to help keep your child from getting ill too often.

  • All families & teachers self-check at home and are checked before entry for any signs of illness. Temperatures are checked. Anything >100° stays home. All illnesses stay home.
  • Any COVID-19 symptoms require 1+ negative COVID-19 tests and/or quarantine and no symptoms. And administration/director approval. Read More
  • If your child visits a doctor, please ask for a return authorization note. Halsey Schools reserves the right to exclude a child from school at any time for any reason, even if a doctor or other recommends otherwise
  • If we have 3 or more children come down with something we provide more information on the illness.
  • If there is any possible exposure to COVID-19 families would be notified immediately.

If your child is sent home with an illness today
he/she will not be permitted back to school tomorrow.

Illness Can my child come to school?
Chicken Pox Must stay home until blisters have scabbed over. Six days to two weeks or more.
Cold, Runny Nose Stay home until symptoms are gone. (Runny nose due to allergies o.k.)
Cold Sore Must stay home until the cold sores are no longer blistering or oozing. May return when sores are completely dried out.
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) Must stay home for at least 24 hours after receiving doctor prescribed medication. There must be no eye discharge.
Croup Must stay home until a doctor provides a return authorization.
Diaper Rash Keep clean & dry & apply over the counter treatments. Children can attend as normal.
Diarrhea (2-3 times) and/or Vomiting that is/are not symptomatic of an illness. Should stay home for 24 hours after symptoms stop as long as not symptomatic of an illness.
Epidemic or Pandemic (Like COVID-19) Any COVID-19 symptoms require 1+ negative COVID-19 tests and/or quarantine and no symptoms. And administration/director  approval. Read More
Fever – Any fever registering above 100 degrees, or any signs of a fever: warm touch, lethargy, sweating, chills… Should stay home until fever is gone. Child must be fever free for 72 hours w/o being on any fever reducing medication before returning to school.
Flu (aches, fever, vomiting/diarrhea, chills, etc) Must stay home for at least 24 hours after ALL symptoms have stopped.
Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (Rash/blisters) Must stay home until blisters & scabs are completely gone. Usually 3-5 days.
Impetigo Must stay home until all blisters are gone after using Dr. prescribed antibiotics.
Lice Must go home immediately to receive treatment at home and can return the next day as long as there are no live lice present. Consult pediatrician, pharmacist…
Roseola and other rashes, blisters, etc. Not permitted back to school until cleared by a doctor and Halsey staff. You must get a return authorization from the doctor. Never send your child to school with an unidentified rash.
Running nose with green or discolored discharge (May be a bacterial infection) Must stay home for at least 24 hours after receiving doctor prescribed medication. May return if Doctor sends return authorization explaining the cause of discharge and confirming it is not contagious.
Strep Throat Must stay home for at least 24 hours after receiving doctor prescribed antibiotics.
Thrush (white patches inside the mouth) Must stay home for 24 hours after being prescribed anti-fungal medication.

Children are observed at drop off time & throughout the day

Upon arrival every child is welcomed and checked in by a teacher. If a child appears to be ill and/or has a fever >100° the child cannot be dropped off. Parents must make sure their children are accepted into the classrooms before signing in & leaving.   If a child gets sick during the day, we let the child rest away from other children and call the parents for an immediate pickup.

Parents must have an illness plan

It is important that you decide ahead of time what you will do when your child can not come to school due to illness. You might:

  • Keep your child at home with you
  • Have a backup care plan with Grandma or Grandpa or another loved one
  • Take time off work
  • Work from home
  • Trade off stay at home duties with your spouse, friend or neighbor

Medication can be administered at school

With a doctor’s note or prescription, medication can be administered at school. Please complete this medication form weekly. Please bring the medication into the school yourself and hand directly to an adult. Never give it to a child or leave it in a bag, etc.

Teachers trained in Illness Prevention and CPR & First Aid

To help keep your child as healthy as possible all teachers are trained in illness prevention, universal precautions, CPR and First Aid. All teaches complete disinfection training and clean and disinfect all day long. Learn more about our teachers here.

Cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting helps prevent the spread of viruses

We help control the spread of viruses with regular cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting of changing tables, sinks, bathrooms, floors, carpets, toys, equipment etc. We dispose of waste, trash and diapers properly. We prepare and keep food in clean areas and wash and sanitize all dishes, utensils, etc. We clean and disinfect constantly.

All Children and Teachers are required to be immunized

Immunization is one of the best ways parents in Woodland Hills and around the world can protect their infants from 14 serious childhood diseases before age two. Make sure your child  is up to date on immunizations with this schedule; 0-6yrs-immunizaton-schedule-infants-preschool (provided by CDC).

Washing hands often helps prevent the spread of illnesses

We, both teachers and children, wash our hands regularly throughout the day and always before we eat for at least 20 seconds. We sneeze and cough into tissues or elbows and keep our hands off our face. And when needed we wear masks or face coverings.

Always wash yours and your child’s hands before leaving school

Did you know you can decrease your child’s illnesses by as much as 50% by simply washing his or her hands before leaving schools, grocery stores, movie theaters, or other social gatherings? It’s true! So be sure to wash those hands.

No policy will prevent all illnesses

If you and/or your child come into contact with others you are very likely to contract an illness no matter how careful you are. Illnesses pass from person to person in any social setting.  We make every effort to minimize their spread at school, but nothing can prevent it all the time.

Managing Allergies

  • If a child has a food allergy, all employees are informed and we make note of the allergy on our allergy document hung by food & snacks.  Parents can also let us know  if they want us to ONLY serve food provided by the parents.
  • If a child has a severe allergy and requires an EpiPen,  parents must provide the EpiPen and complete Parent Consent For Administration of Medications LIC 9221. All teachers are trained to use EpiPens and will be informed of the allergy.

If your child will be out for any reason please call or email the school by 10:00 a.m.

[email protected] | 818-992-1942

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Jenni Rice - Owner & Director
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