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Flu

Shawnee Mission School District Influenza-like illness Symptom Screening Tool

The symptoms of influenza (flu) include fever, cough, sore throat, and sometimes body aches, headache, chills and feeling tired. Some people also have diarrhea and vomiting. The most important thing that you can do to keep flu from spreading in the community is to keep your sick student at home. Use the following checklist to help decide if you or someone in your family may have influenza like illness:

__Does your student have a fever of 100 degrees or higher?
__Does your student have a cough?
__Does your student have a sore throat?
__Does your student have a headache?
__Does your student have body Aches?
__Does your student have chills?
__Does your student have vomiting or diarrhea?

SHOULD I KEEP MY STUDENT HOME?

  • If you checked yes to fever of 100 degrees or higher and one or more of the other symptoms, your student has an influenza-like illness. Keep your student home until they have been fever free without fever reducing medications for 24 hours or until your student is completely well for a full day, whichever is longer. Even though your student is feeling better they still can pass the virus to other people.
  • If you checked “yes” to only one of the questions above, or if your student is ill with other symptoms, keep your student at home at least one day to observe for other symptoms. If other symptoms develop, use the checklist questions again to decide whether to continue to keep the student home. Send your student back to school after he or she has been completely well for 24 hours.


WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY STUDENT’S SCHOOL?

  • If you checked “yes” for fever AND one of the other symptoms, tell your student’s attendance office that your student is home with influenza-like illness and specify which symptoms they are experiencing.
  • If your student has been diagnosed by a healthcare provider with a different illness, such as strep throat, tell your student’s attendance office and follow your healthcare provider’s recommendation and school guidelines for when to return to school.