• Section 1: Symptoms

    In children, signs/symptoms of COVID-19 are often mild, and it may not be possible to distinguish COVID-19 from other illnesses. The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) recommends that any child with COVID-19 compatible symptoms should not return to school until they have either received a negative viral test for COVID-19 or they have completed an isolation period of at least 10 days since symptom onset. The child should be fever free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medications, and with symptom improvement. Please check your child daily for these symptoms:

    Category A Category B
    Chills Sore Throat Fever (100.0 or higher) Shortness of Breath
    Rigors (shivers) Nausea Vomiting Difficulty Breathing
    Myalgia (muscle aches) Fatigue Diarrhea New Loss of Smell
    Headache Congestion or Runny Nose Cough New Loss of Taste

     

    Students who are sick should not attend school in person. If TWO OR MORE of the fields under Category A are checked off OR AT LEAST ONE field under Category B is checked off, please keep your child home, notify their health care provider for additional guidance, and follow up with your school. For students with chronic illness, only new symptoms, or symptoms worse than baseline, should be used to fulfill these criteria

     

    Section 2: COVID-19 Exposure

    The CDC recommends that individuals who were exposed to COVID-19:

    • Wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after exposure. 
    • Exposed persons, regardless of vaccination status, are strongly recommended to get tested 5 full days after exposure, on day 6 (date of exposure is considered day 0). 
    • If testing is unavailable, school attendance can continue. 
    • If the test is positive, they must follow isolation recommendations.

    Please contact your school nurse with questions.