Sick Kids Belong at Home Not at School
Please respect that in this environment it is more important than ever to respect the school's illness policies. If your child has developed symptoms of illness, including vomiting overnight, a new onset cough, headache, sore throat, etc. please keep them home. It is not pleasant for your children to find themselves at school when they don't feel well, it increases anxiety levels in the classroom to hear coughing or see vomiting, and you risk getting other children and their teachers sick as well by using tricks like "dose and drop." We know working families struggle with providing care to a child home from school and continuing to be able to work--it's one of the key reasons St. Thomas More worked so hard to reopen in the fall of 2020. Please show your love of neighbor by keeping home your children who are displaying signs and symptoms of illness.
Please respect that in this environment it is more important than ever to respect the school's illness policies. If your child has developed symptoms of illness, including vomiting overnight, a new onset cough, headache, sore throat, etc. please keep them home. It is not pleasant for your children to find themselves at school when they don't feel well, it increases anxiety levels in the classroom to hear coughing or see vomiting, and you risk getting other children and their teachers sick as well by using tricks like "dose and drop." We know working families struggle with providing care to a child home from school and continuing to be able to work--it's one of the key reasons St. Thomas More worked so hard to reopen in the fall of 2020. Please show your love of neighbor by keeping home your children who are displaying signs and symptoms of illness.
While the best defense for spreading illness in school is to keep your ill child home in the morning, we understand that sometimes kids will start to show signs and symptoms of illness at school. Please note that the school lines will show on your phone as 703-528-XXXX. It is important that parents and guardians answer when the school calls. "Screened" calls and overfull voicemails make it difficult for the clinic to reach you in an emergency.
For the health and safety of the broader school population, please make arrangements to have your child picked up as soon as possible. Please remember that the STM Handbook states "[p]arents must arrange to pick up their sick or injured child within 90 minutes when contacted." (p. 54). If parents find themselves in a situation where they will not be able to retrieve a child from school within this time frame, please alert the clinic at [email protected] with the name and contact information of a designated emergency contact who can reliably be at school within that time frame.
For the health and safety of the broader school population, please make arrangements to have your child picked up as soon as possible. Please remember that the STM Handbook states "[p]arents must arrange to pick up their sick or injured child within 90 minutes when contacted." (p. 54). If parents find themselves in a situation where they will not be able to retrieve a child from school within this time frame, please alert the clinic at [email protected] with the name and contact information of a designated emergency contact who can reliably be at school within that time frame.
Covid Test Results
If your student has been tested for Covid they may not return to school until the result has returned, provided that result is negative. If your child tests positive for Covid, please reach out to the school clinic as soon as possible.