November 10, 2008
Dear Parents:
Tis the season along with all the germs and viruses and there is no escaping it. Norovirus has made its entry with the closure of a public school in SE Portland and, more closely, me. I was struck suddenly last Thursday and it surged with such force that it had literally put me on my back. Without going into vivid description I was sick; sicker than I had been in 30 years. Today, we had to send a little guy home from Meridian Campus with similar symptoms.
Along with this letter, teachers will include information regarding the Norovirus. For most individuals, it will last 24-48 hours. For others with weaker immune systems, the elderly (J) or young children, it could last longer and rapidly deteriorate their condition especially with dehydration.
If your child complains of a stomach ache, loose bowels, nauseated, or feverish please do not bring them to school. Our parent handbook clearly outlines the conditions that a child may attend school if under the weather. These are guidelines set forth by the State of Oregon’s Health Department.
With our children being young and not able to verbalize the beginning of illness it is our duty as parents and teachers to monitor all our children closely during this time. What may be mild for your child can be severe for another like me, staff members are often more prone because of exposure and clean-up procedures after ill children. We are very aggressive in sanitizing and cleaning. With illnesses such as the Norovirus, Rotavirus, or any virus or germ that places an extra burden on each teacher as they clean and re-clean to avoid cross-contamination and minimize the exposure.
As with any virus, it has to run its course and will not respond to antibiotics. The number one preventative is hand washing. This cannot be emphasized enough both at home and at school. Shopping carts and public doors, restrooms etcetera are breeding grounds. A sanitizer follow-up after hand washing will cut down on transmission.
For your convenience, we have attached a copy of the health guidelines as a reminder.
Ms. Patty
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ILLNESS GUIDELINES FOR CHA
It is in the best interest of the other children that your child does not come in with a fever of 100.5 degrees and higher; vomiting for an unspecified cause during the past 24 hours, or diarrhea. We will send a child home when:
- He/she an oral temperature of 100.5 degrees.
- He/she is vomiting or has diarrhea.
- He/she seems to feel so badly that constant one-on-one care is necessary.
Please keep your child home:
- Until his/her temperature has been normal for 24 hours without the use of medication and he/she feels well enough to return to school.
- Until diarrhea is resolved for a period of at least 24 hours and they are on a normal diet.
- Until vomiting has stopped for 24 hours or longer and the child can take a normal diet.
Your child may be at school if:
- He/she has a MILD discharge from eyes associated with a cold. It is usually viral and needs to run its course. We will request a visit to the doctor if the eye gets red and full of matter.
- He/she has a MILD cold and feels well enough to attend.He/she is taking over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and parents have signed the medication form. Parents must provide labeled medications in their original containers.
A child who shows signs of illness,as defined in Health Division OAR 414-300-220, “…shall be isolated and the parent(s)notified and asked to remove the child from the center as soon as possible."
A specific place for isolating a child who becomes ill shall be provided. The isolation area:
- Shall be located where the child can be seen and heard by staff; and,
- Shall be equipped with a cot, mat, or bed for each sick child.” OAR 414-300-220
If your child becomes ill, we will isolate him/her from the other students in the office.
An outbreak of communicable disease or food poisoning shall be reported to the parents of all children who attend the facility.
DISEASES THAT ARE LISTED AS LEGALLY RESTRICTABLE INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING:
- Amebiasis
- Chickenpox
- Diphtheria
- Epiglottis
- Giardiasis
- Haemophilus
- Influenza Hepatitis A and type unspecified
- Measles
- Meningitis
- Meningococcal Disease
- Mumps
- Pediculosis (Lice)
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- Plague
- Pneumonia
- Polio
- Rubella (German Measles)
- Salmonellosis
- Septiceman
- Scabies
- Shigellosis
- Staphylococcal infections
- Streptococcal infections
- Tuberculosis
