Lee County Kids Ill

[Guest guest]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=3326594 & BRD=2048 & PAG=461 & dept_id=3

43874 & rfi=6

Schools see rise in illness

By: Sara Griffitt February 20, 2002

Parents urged to keep kids at home when they are sick to prevent spread of

flu and other infectious illnesses

By SARA GRIFFITT

Herald Staff Writer

SANFORD - Lee County school district officials are asking parents to use

good judgment when deciding whether to send sick children to school.

The district has seen a dramatic increase in the number of students absent

from school - as many as double or triple the usual number - in recent days

because of a number of different illnesses, community schools coordinator

said.

Students are complaining of everything from upper respiratory infections to

strep throat to chicken pox, said.

According to , 89 children were absent from J. Glenn Monday and

72 stayed home from the school Tuesday. At Broadway Elementary, 74 children

were out sick on Monday, and 53 were absent on Tuesday. At Greenwood

Elementary School, 70 students were absent Tuesday; 42 were absent from Deep

River Elementary Tuesday; and B.T. Bullock Elementary and J.R. Ingram

Elementary had 35 and 45 absences, respectively, on Tuesday.

Those schools - each with an enrollment of about 600 to 650 students -

typically have about 25 students absent each day, said.

Lee County Supervisor of School Nurses B. Oates will send a letter home

to parents today urging them to keep children at home if they are sick so

that other students will not become ill. By keeping sick children at home,

the illnesses will be unable to spread to other students, she said.

" Students cannot learn to their potential when they are not in school, so we

emphasize good attendance, " Oates said in her letter. " Students also do not

learn to their potential if they are at school sick and they spread their

germs to classmates as well. "

Parents whose children become sick at school could be asked to come pick

them up, she said. Students who will be sent home from school include those

who have a fever (temperature over 100), are vomiting and/or have diarrhea,

have symptoms of strep throat, scarlet fever, chicken pox, conjunctivitis or

otherwise do not feel good, Oates said.

" If your child has any of these symptoms before school, then a day home in

bed, drinking lots of fluids and taking appropriate medication or a visit to

the doctor may be the best choice, " she said.

If a child needs to take prescription or over-the-counter medication while

at school, a note from a doctor and the parent is required.

©The Sanford Herald 2002