Whenever your child is experiencing real symptoms of sickness, you can regularly make an adequate judgment call on whether they should stay home, stay off school, or go and see a GP. The measure you take as a parent is dependent on the actual symptoms and their severity.
In India, if your kid won’t be able to take a full part in lessons and school activities, they ought to stay home. As well, you have a responsibility to ensure your child does not spread some illnesses and conditions to other kids and school staff.
So, what really is too sick to go to school in India? Below is a list of symptoms that are certain signs that they MUST stay home.
A bad cough and cold symptoms: If your kid is experiencing a bad cough with or without severe cold symptoms, they may need to stay off school and perhaps taken to their GP. It may ordinarily be a bad cold, but it could possibly be something more severe like bronchitis, flu, or even pneumonia. A child who has a raised temperature should not go to school.
Mild cold symptoms: We are talking some sniffles, a runny nose, and a slight cough. If there’s no raised temperature and your kid feels adequately well, there is no reason for them to miss school. Ensure your child knows to cover up their nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, properly dispose of it and wash their hands afterward.
Diarrhea and vomiting: It’s hard to pin down the cause of diarrhea and vomiting—anything from food poisoning to gastroenteritis (the virus commonly known as stomach flu) or lactose intolerance could be the culprit. When making a decision if your child is adequately well to go to school, take his/her overall wellness and ability to manage symptoms into account.
A sore throat – A sore throat of its own accord should not stop a child from going to school if they feel well enough otherwise. If they have a high temperature of 38C (100.4F) as well, they ought to stay at home. Sore throats can be caused by bacteria or viruses. For some viruses, a child’s temperature should be normal for 24 hours (without medicine) before they go back to school.
Other symptoms include:
- A temperature more than 100 degrees orally
- Earache
- Pale or flushed face
- Thick yellowish discharge from nose
- Red or pink eyes
- Rash or infection of the skin
- Loss of energy or decrease in activity
Now, what about the symptoms that are easy to fake by kids: a headache, stomachache, or a sore throat? Those are the hard calls.
They should stay home and make them stay in bed all day and night. Explain to them that before they decide to stay home, they must understand the course of the day. They will lay in bed with no TV, no video games, no music, no ANYTHING. They will simply rest, the entire day, the entire night. They can only come out of their room to eat and then use the restroom.
As the day is going on, you will know if they are indeed sick and you can make them more comfortable. If eventually, you become aware that they have been incredibly cured of what ailed them, you will start to see their boredom build. Ensure you DON’T lighten their boredom. Let this be an experience that will stay with them. Before they decide to fake an illness again, they will think twice.
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