24 hour vomit free before returning to school?

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Do you have a statement in your student handbook that states that a student must be 24 hours without vomiting before returning to school? If so, is there a common sense factor built in that helps to weed out those students who may have vomited due to something they ate or phlegm, etc.? So that the ones that stay home, are the ones that are truly sick?

This may be a crazy question, but this has come up in 2 of my schools this past week.

Happy Tuesday to all-

a.

Specializes in critical care.
Nope! :-) lol

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I think this needs to be my next avatar.

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

This is straight out of our student handbook....it gives the school nurses the option to assess for "illness" or some other reason for vomiting not associated with illness.

Vomiting / DiarrheaStudents with vomiting or diarrheal illnesses must stay home until they are symptom freewithout diarrhea-suppressing or nausea medications for at least 24 hours. A full list ofconditions for which the school must exclude children can be obtained from the schoolnurse.Students must not have had vomiting and/or diarrhea for at least 24 hours before returningto school.

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
I think this needs to be my next avatar.

But add the red lipstick.....

Specializes in critical care.
But add the red lipstick.....

Holy crap if only I knew how to photoshop! 😂😂😂😂

From our handbook: A student with vomiting two or more times in 24 hours will be excluded from school, unless a physician feels the cause of vomiting is not an infectious disease and the child is in no danger of becoming dehydrated. A child should have one or two meals without vomiting before returning to school. Your child may be sent home from school for vomiting one time.

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

ours is 24 hrs symptom free without the use of medications, but yes - i add my own common sense factor. the kid that just barfed up his nachos after sprinting his way through the mile run - rest, water and a moment to catch his breath. the special needs child that has a behavior where he or she forces themselves to vomit to avoid work, uh nope, clean up, check for any other suspicious symptoms and back on task. The kid that "vomits" the tiniest speck of phlegm in my trash - water and a discussion on head colds and the difference between vomiting and bringing up a mouthful of phlegm.

The kid that "vomits" the tiniest speck of phlegm in my trash - water and a discussion on head colds and the difference between vomiting and bringing up a mouthful of phlegm.

I just had this a couple days ago! A kid telling me he had been "vomiting" in the restroom. I have talked to his mom before about him coughing phlegm up and calling it vomit. So I reminded him about that conversation and he spent the next 10 minutes in my office forcefully coughing and then spit some phlegm into the trash right in front of me and gave me his best "I told you so" look. I assured him that it was not vomit and sent him on his way. I called the classroom to give the teacher a heads up and it was a sub-- the perfect storm :)

Specializes in Acute Care, CM, School Nursing.
ours is 24 hrs symptom free without the use of medications, but yes - i add my own common sense factor. the kid that just barfed up his nachos after sprinting his way through the mile run - rest, water and a moment to catch his breath. the special needs child that has a behavior where he or she forces themselves to vomit to avoid work, uh nope, clean up, check for any other suspicious symptoms and back on task. The kid that "vomits" the tiniest speck of phlegm in my trash - water and a discussion on head colds and the difference between vomiting and bringing up a mouthful of phlegm.

Oh, if only I could blow this up in size, print it, and post it all over my school.... Everyone here runs around screaming in panic whenever a kid "vomits". The teachers love to throw the policy in my face constantly. I keep telling them there is also a "common sense" factor to the policy... *sigh*

I have one student who can vomit on command. And then she cries.... it's always fun. Whenever she doesn't want to be in school she knows what to do to get her free ticket home. Unfortunately mom doesn't want to address it at all!!! UGH!

Specializes in critical care.

My own kid vomits when she drinks water too fast on an empty stomach. I can't wait until she figures out she can do it to get out of school. I'm PRN at her school and reading this thread I have to wonder.... How do you separate the sick ones from the ones that just throw up sometimes? Or can you? I'd be inclined to send them home either way.

My own kid vomits when she drinks water too fast on an empty stomach. I can't wait until she figures out she can do it to get out of school. I'm PRN at her school and reading this thread I have to wonder.... How do you separate the sick ones from the ones that just throw up sometimes? Or can you? I'd be inclined to send them home either way.

Green skin. If they are sick they usually have that sick look. My son throws up after sports and then he is fine. If they just come from gym I'll let them lay down for a bit, and see how they do.

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Pale skin, glassy eyes, vomit on clothes (haha) is a dead giveaway, some kids just get that look.

beyond that, i give it the 20 minutes and some water factor with some kids. With first time visitors that tell me they vomited and feel lousy and want to go home, i'll just make the call, especially if it's March and their first visit all year or all previous visits have been bandaid or something else that barely blips the radar.

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