Health Policy

Stay Healthy, Stay Informed

GENERAL HEALTH & ILLNESS POLICY

The Blacksburg New School has adopted the following policy regarding illness for students attending the school. It is important to the overall health of the school community that EVERY family follow these guidelines:

A student having a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater must be picked up from school immediately. The student may not return to BNS until they have been without fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.

Any student with chicken pox may not attend school for at least 5 school days. All blisters must be “scabbed over” prior to the student's return.

If a student has more than one episode of diarrhea or vomiting, they should not attend school until 24 hours after the last episode. A signed note from a physician stating that a student is well (non-contagious) and can return to BNS prior to the timelines stated above will be honored.

If a teacher determines that the student should not be in school, and a parent cannot be reached, then someone designated as an emergency contact is required to take the student home. In case of a serious accident, the student will be taken to the hospital emergency room and the parents will be notified immediately.

Other illnesses for which a student may be asked to leave school for a period of time include but are not limited to head lice, “pinkeye”, or impetigo. Parents are asked to inform the school within 24 hours, if their child or any member of the immediate household has developed any reportable communicable disease (as defined by the Virginia Department of Health).

RESPIRATORY ILLNESS (including COVID-19) HEALTH POLICY

We go by the latest CDC guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/precautions-when-sick.html).

Students should stay home for 24 hours (after onset of symptoms).
If the student's symptoms improve and they are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medicine), they may return to school.
It is recommended that they mask, distance, and wash hands diligently for five days after returning.

The Board recommends that students mask at school for three days after being in close contact with a household member who has a respiratory illness such as Covid, Flu, or other respiratory illness symptoms (defined by the CDC here: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/about/index.html).

These same policies apply to our teachers, ASP staff, and on-site TRO helpers. The health committee's new email address is health@new-school.org. You can send health/illness-related questions to this email, and this will also be your contact for reportable diseases.