School Health

Is my child too sick for school?

Parents have several ways to determine if a child is too sick to go to school. Making the right decision is sometimes difficult, but here are a few indicators from our school nurses that can help you decide what’s best for your child:

1. A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher indicates that a child’s body is battling an infection and may be too sick to gain much benefit from classroom instruction.
2. A child who is vomiting, who has diarrhea or who is nauseated will not be able to sit through a day of classes.
3. Upper respiratory symptoms such as heavy coughing and a green or yellow nasal discharge may indicate the flu as well as the common cold.
4. A sudden severe sore throat accompanied by a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and tonsils, and white or yellow spots in the throat are symptoms of a strep infection.
5. Red and irritated eyes with a yellowish discharge may indicate pink eye, or conjunctivitis. It is highly contagious.
6. An undiagnosed rash may be a symptom of an infectious disease such as measles, chicken pox or impetigo.

Handwashing Tips

Please remind your children to wash their hands thoroughly to help stop the spread of germs and stay healthy.

Check out these tips from the CDC

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

At some times, we have identified cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in our district. Pertussis is spread through contact with the germs when an infected person coughs them into the air. It starts out as cold symptoms with a mild cough and the cough becomes more severe. The coughing episodes can last from 4-6 weeks and often occur more frequently at night. If your child has a cough, or if you have any concerns regarding your child's health, contact your child's physician. Early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment help reduce the severity of pertussis, as well as preventing the spread of the disease.
 
Vaccines are available for persons of all ages to protect against pertussis. Check with your family's vaccine provider to ensure everyone is up-to-date with their pertussis vaccine.
 
If you or your doctor have further questions, please contact Public Health-Dayton and Montgomery County at (937) 225-5700.

Check out More Information from the CDC

Health-related Forms

Please see the Forms & Documents page for any health-related forms.

Hearing/Vision Screenings

Centerville City Schools nurses will provide hearing and vision screenings according to the Ohio Department of Health guidelines as follows:

Hearing Screening
Preschoolers attending a school-based program shall be screened each year he/she is enrolled in preschool. Children who cannot be screened using approved and/or optional methods shall be referred for a complete medical/audiological evaluation.

School-aged students shall have their hearing screened at six grade levels: kindergarten, first, third, fifth, ninth and 11th. Please note that Centerville does the hearing screening in eighth grade instead of ninth grade.

In addition, the following students shall be screened annually or upon occurrence:

• Students new to a school (and not tested within the past 12 months)
• Students referred by a teacher or other school personnel
• Students who were referred within the past year with no documented follow-up, regardless of grade
• Students absent during the previous hearing screening
• Students at risk for noise exposure (e.g., band, vocational education, industrial education, automotive mechanics)
• Students who request a hearing screening
• Students whose parent/caregiver requests a hearing screening
• Preschool students attending a school-based program shall be screened each year he/she is enrolled in preschool. Students who cannot be screened using approved and/or optional methods shall be referred for a complete medical/audiological evaluation.

• Students in kindergarten, first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth grades, according to the tests and methods in this document. Please note that Centerville does the vision screening in eighth grade instead of ninth grade.
• All new and transfer students regardless of grade
• All hearing-impaired students, annually
• All students referred by a teacher
• Preschool-age students enrolled in school-based programs upon entrance to the program and every year before entering school
• Students who request a vision screening
• Students of parents who request a vision screening