School, Health and Safety Guidelines

POND COVE ILLNESS GUIDELINES:

General Health

Your child should come to school if they can fulfill the following requirements:

  • Energetically participate in classroom activities, recess/PE class without use of fever/symptom-reducing medicine  (e.g. tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough medicine)

  • Is FEVER-FREE (temperature below 37.8℃  /100.4 F)

  • Has no symptoms of Covid-19 or Influenza (such as respiratory symptoms, muscle aches, with or without fever)

  • Has no symptoms of vomiting/diarrhea

  • Has cold symptoms (coughing/sneezing/sore-throat) that would NOT BE disruptive to the classroom environment or require cold medicine throughout the day.

You child should stay at home/will be sent home if they have any of the following: 

General illness: They appear or complain of feeling unwell or they have a suspected communicable disease. 

Fever: Students with a temperature of 38 C/ 100.4 F or higher will be sent home from school and should not return to school until they are FEVER FREE for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine (e.g. tylenol, ibuprofen etc.). 

Cough: A child with an uncontrolled cough should stay home until they are coughing with less frequency.

Cold symptoms: frequent, drippy nasal discharge or yellow-greenish mucus should stay home until symptoms improve.

If cold symptoms are accompanied by a fever, cough, and/or sore throat, it is recommended to test for COVID-19 prior to returning to school. 

Diarrhea and/or Vomiting: Students who vomit or have diarrhea (one or more times) while at home should stay home until they do not vomit/have diarrhea for 24 hours. 


Impetigo other bacterial infections: requiring antibiotics - keep your child home until they have been on antibiotics for a full 24 hours

Strep Throat: child should be on antibiotics for 12 hours and fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours prior to returning to school

COVID-19: Cape Elizabeth Schools continues to following the guidance of the U.S. CDC. Students may return to school if their symptoms have improved and they have been fever free without the use of fever reducing medicine for 24 hours. 

 Children with any of the above symptoms cannot comfortably participate in program activities and unnecessarily expose others to their illnesses. If you believe your child is too sick to go out to recess or participate in after-school activities, they are probably too sick to attend school. 

Attendance Works:  Health Guidance for Going to School 

Attendance Works:  Keep Your Child Healthy and in School

Illness Prevention:

  • Staying up to date with vaccinations (COVID, Influenza) and RSV (if eligible) is highly encouraged.  These prevention measures are especially important to protect those most at risk for severe illness, including those over 65 and people with weakened immune systems. 

  • Practice good hygiene by covering coughs/sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces

Please review with your child these good hygiene techniques:

Show children how to wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (as long as it takes to sing the ABC’s)

Hands should be washed: 

whenever they are visibly dirty

after coughing, sneezing, or blowing noses

after using the bathroom

before eating food

*When coughing or sneezing, one should cough/sneeze into their elbow (if you cough/sneeze into your hands or a tissue, wash hands)

Good videos to share with your child:

Stop Germs from Spreading: Wash Your Hands

How to wash your hands (handwashing technique taught by a student)

If you have any questions about these health guidelines, please contact our school nurse, Erin Taylor (etaylor@capeelizabethschools.org).