Health Guidelines
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Illness at School and When to Keep Your Child At Home
School nurses play a critical role in maintaining the health and safety of schools. West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) collaborates with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Polk County Public Health Department (PCHD), and local health care professionals to provide guidelines that identify when it is safe for children to attend school.
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General Illness Guidelines
Stay or go home if you have one or more of these symptoms:
- fever over 100.4 within the last 24 hours
- new loss of taste or smell
- vomiting two or more times during the previous 24 hours, unless the vomiting is known to be caused by a condition that’s not contagious
- conditions that suggest the possible presence of a more serious illness, including
- fever
- rash
- sluggishness
- persistent crying
- irritability
- difficulty breathing
- diarrhea (must be diarrhea free in the 24 hours prior to returning to school)
- Impetigo until 24 hours after treatment has started. Impetigo is a skin infection with erupting sores usually under the nose or by the lips. This drainage is generally described as “a golden crust”.
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COVID-19 Guidelines
All individuals, including students, staff, and visitors, are encouraged to follow CDC guidance regarding face masks.
Guidance for individuals who test positive for COVID-19
- Contact your school nurse for guidance.
- Individuals must isolate themselves at home from days 0-5. Day 0 is the first day of symptoms, or the day of the positive test if no symptoms have developed.
- Individuals may return after 5 days, if:
- they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications;
- their symptoms improving; and
- they wear a mask for days 6-10 when around other people. If the individual tests negative twice (at least 48 hours apart) between days 6-10, then the mask can be removed before day 10.
Learn more on the CDC's website >
Guidance for individuals who are exposed to a positive COVID-19 case
- Individuals should mask when around other people for a total of 10 days. Testing is recommended on or after day five.
- If the initial test is negative, the individual is encouraged to test again 48 hours after the first test.
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Communicating About Illness
To minimize the spread of illness, report contagious diseases to the school nurse.
- Contagious diseases: COVID-19, influenza, measles, whooping cough, hepatitis A, tuberculosis, chickenpox, etc.
The school nurse or another school representative will contact you if your child becomes ill or seriously injured at school.
- It is very important to provide an emergency contact and keep it updated throughout the year. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, other individuals listed on the emergency form will be contacted.
- Students must be picked up within one hour after being contacted unless arrangements have been made with the school nurse or administrator.
- Contagious diseases: COVID-19, influenza, measles, whooping cough, hepatitis A, tuberculosis, chickenpox, etc.
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Medications
If it is necessary for your child to take medication at school, please observe the medication process in effect for the West Des Moines Community Schools.
- If your child needs to take a medication at school, please contact your school nurse to set up an appointment time to bring in the medication and fill out the medication administration form. Printable versions of the daily, as-needed (PRN), and asthma medication forms can be found on our Health Forms web page.
- All asthma medications are recommended to be administered via metered-dose inhaler or dry powder inhaler when available. A current prescription is required to be on file, per the WDMCS medication policy and a holding chamber/spacer is recommended for students. To reduce the spread of respiratory droplets/aerosols, nebulizer will be used minimally during the school day. The school nurse will work individually with students and families to accommodate children with medical conditions that may require nebulizers during the school day.
- The Health Office must have a written daily or as-needed authorization form from the parent/guardian. Please include the student’s name, name of medication, amount to be given, time of medication is to be given, reason for the medication, and parent/guardian signature.
- The medication must be in the original current container (NO plastic bags or envelopes with loose pills).
- All medications (prescription and over the counter) must be kept in the Health Office at all times. A student must have an Authorization to Self-Administer Asthma or Epinephrine auto-injection medication on file and it requires a healthcare provider's signature.
Health Fact Sheets
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Student Insurance
Parents and/or guardians are responsible for their children’s medical costs even if the child is injured while at school. The school does not carry individual accident insurance on students. The state of Iowa provides health insurance for uninsured children.
