Pender County Schools is committed to keeping classrooms safe, healthy, and ready for learning. Working together, families, students, and staff can help prevent the spread of illness across our schools.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided guidance for K-12 schools on preventing infections. Families can support this effort in several ways: encouraging children to wash their hands often, making sure they are up to date on yearly check-ups and vaccines, and keeping children home when symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or worsening respiratory issues are present.
PCS nurses have also shared updated guidelines to help families know when students should remain at home. Children must stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medicine, vomit and diarrhea free for 24 hours, or after treatment has begun for contagious conditions such as strep throat, conjunctivitis, or head lice. For more serious illnesses like chickenpox, pertussis, or measles, students should return only after meeting medical clearance timelines.
“Parents play a vital role in creating a healthy learning environment,” said PCS Lead Nurse Cynthia Avery. “By keeping children home when they’re sick and encouraging healthy habits, we can reduce the spread of germs and keep more students in school learning.”
