When to send a sick kid to school?

You hate the parent who sends a noticeably sick kid to school… but it might not be that parent’s fault when your kid comes home sick.

An article by Dr. Perri Klass in the New York Times challenges popular notions of contagious illness–just because a kid is showing symptoms of illness like runny nose, cough and sneezing does not necessarily make him more contagious than one who seems perfectly healthy.

She argues that schools are so filled with germs from kids who didn’t get sick or are already over being sick that it doesn’t make sense to focus only on the noticeably sick children.

So what is a concerned parent to do?

Lots of handwashing. And of course, keep your kid home if he/she has a fever or is generally not feeling well enough to go to school.

Dr. Klass admits herself that as a working parent, she is much more motivated than some to send her kids to school, but also the Times is on a big “expose your kids to germs” kick lately as per this article. Stay tuned for news about schoolyard epidemics in NYC…

Full story from Dr. Klass:

The Cough-and-Sniffle Question – When to Keep a Child Home? – NYTimes.com