Dear Fellow O'Hara Parents,
As you are aware, we are deep into cold and flu season. There are many illnesses circulating in the community, including influenza, RSV, common colds and gastroenteritis. Norovirus recently infected many in Creswell. Everyone remembers how awful it was to have to close our school due to our norovirus outbreak last year. It is up to us to keep our
sick kids at home to prevent others -students & staff- from becoming ill.
In addition, some
children have underlying conditions whose reaction to an illness can be more severe than that of other
children. As a community of those who rely on each other and who want to see all our
children safe and healthy, please adhere to the O'Hara "
sick
child" policy, which is designed to limit transmission of illness.
- Do not return to school until 24 hours after the last fever (without medication).
- Do not return to school until 24 hours after the last vomiting or diarrhea episode.
- If your
child
has a fever, do not give fever reducer (such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen) in order to send them to school. Masking a fever is not the same as not having a fever.
We are all trying our best at home and at work. O'Hara administration knows it is very difficult for parents to make decisions about staying home with a
sick
child. O'Hara does not expect parents to keep a
child at home if they just have a cold. You don't need to sit at home for a week to watch their nose run. We are concerned about the more severe, contagious illnesses that are accompanied by fever, vomiting or diarrhea. Just as we expect O'Hara to keep our
children safe and healthy, we must do our part as well.
Please talk to
your
child
's doctor if your workplace requires FMLA or
sick
leave paperwork for time off to care for dependents; as medical providers invested in keeping our community healthy, we are always happy to help families with that.
Please talk to your
child
's teacher if there are concerns about missing tests or project deadlines; I know they will be happy to work with your
child
.
Sincerely,
Dr. Katherine Crenwelge
Pediatrician
