Regular attendance and on-time arrival to school are critical to a child’s success in school. Lifelong patterns are developed in the early years and last throughout one’s lifetime. We encourage parents to insure that children come to school on time, as even a few minutes tardy disrupts the child’s day and his or her classroom.

When children have minor discomforts and are not suffering from a contagious illness, they should be sent to school. If you are ever uncertain about whether or not a child should be sent to school, please call the office.

You may want to keep your child home if:

• A rash is present and has not been evaluated by a physician.
• A child’s oral temperature is above 100 degrees, or is 1-2 degrees above that child’s normal temperature.
• IF A CHILD HAS HAD A FEVER: he/she must be free of fever, WITHOUT the use of a fever reducing medication (such as Tylenol), for a full 24 hours before returning to school.
• Your child vomits and continues to experience nausea and / or vomiting.
• Your child complains of severe, persistent pain. This should be evaluated by a physician.
• Your child shows signs of an upper respiratory infection (i.e., cold symptoms) and they are serious enough to INTERFERE with learning.
• There are signs of pink-eye (conjunctivitis) such as : the eyes were crusted with matter upon waking, there is itching in one or both eyes, or there are crusts on the lashes and / or eyelids. The child should be evaluated by a physician.
• There are open sores that have not been evaluated by a physician.
• There are signs of lice infestation, such as nits in the hair and / or an itchy scalp. Consult the school nurse or your health care provider for guidance. Children with head lice are allowed to return to school once they have been treated and the school nurse has determined that there are no nits present.

Attendance patterns are monitored regularly by school staff. If the number of days missed PLUS tardies to school is equal to 10% of the total days that school has been in session, a referral will be made to the DuPage County Truancy Office. This means that the truancy officer will contact you for problem solving in order to improve the child’s school attendance. A student who misses 10% or more of school every year will lose ONE FULL ACADEMIC YEAR of learning before reaching high school graduation.

If your child has a medical condition that is contributing to missed school days, contact the school nurse.