• Symptom Monitoring

    Staying home when sick is one of the most effective ways to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Both symptom screening and testing are strategies used to identify individuals with COVID-19. Staff and students should not come to school if they are sick. A staff member or student must contact school officials if they are sick with COVID-19 symptons, test for COVID-19, or are exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or to someone with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.  

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have documents which further discuss signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and the importance of staying at home if sick. See the CDC Symptoms Fact Sheet and the CDC Prevent the Spread of COVID-19.

    Lower Dauphin will not screen students and staff before they enter school. Before leaving for school, school staff and families should use the state Department of Health Symptom Screening Tool to monitor symptoms and health, which is found below.

    PA DOH Symptom Screening Tool

    What is your/the student's temperature:

    Are you/is the student taking any medication to treat or reduce a fever such as Ibuprofen (i.e. Advil, Motrin) or Acetaminophen (Tylenol)?

    Are you/is the student experiencing any of the following?

    Group A
    1 or more symptoms    		 Group B
    2 or more symptoms

    Cough*
    Shortness of breath
    Difficulty breathing
    New loss of taste or smell

    Fever (100.4 or higher)**
    Sore throat
    Congestion or runny nose*
    Chills
    Muscle pain*
    Nausea or vomiting
    Headache*
    Diarrhea*

    * Disregard this symptom if school personnel are already aware of non-COVID-19, pre-existing condition that causes the symptom AND if the nature of that symptom (duration, intensity, etc.) is consistent with what school personnel are familiar. 

    **Students with a fever and no other symptom from Group B may return to school after the student is fever-free for 24 hours.  No student with a fever should attend school.

    Stay home if you:

    • Have one or more symptoms in Group A OR
    • Have two or more symptoms in Group B OR
    • Are taking fever-reducing medication.

    If the answer to all the above questions is NO: Attend school based on your child's schedule.

    If the answer to any of the above questions is YES: Stay home. Contact your child’s school to report them absent. 

     

     

    In order for the student to return to school and in-person instruction:

    • People with COVID-19 should isolate themselves for 24 hours after they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours). They may return to school and wear a face covering for five (5) days when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.

    • Parents have the option to keep their student home longer but are urged to communicate this option with the school nurse and/or school principal.

     

    YOUR STUDENT MUST REPORT TO THE MAIN SCHOOL OFFICE OR NURSE'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY UPON RETURN TO SCHOOL!