"Since then, school policies have softened significantly. At L.A. Unified, for example, parents are directed to send their children to school if they have a mild cold or cough. The main symptoms that require keeping a child home are fever of 100.4 and above, vomiting or diarrhea, according to district instructions on "How to Safely Send Your Student to School.""
"But the rules aren't catching on among families. "Parents still keep kids home for a light case of the common cold or some sniffles. And we're beyond that reality," LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho said in an recent interview."
"Many parents disagree - especially parents of children in kindergarten and transitional kindergarten, who have the highest rates of chronic absenteeism statewide - as well as the germiest hands, snottiest noses and least developed immune systems. "I honestly wouldn't want to jeopardize his health for the learning," said Dulce Valencia, the mother of a kindergartner at San Fernando Elementary School, whose son has already been out sick two or three days this year."
During the pandemic, rules required keeping a child home at any sign of illness. Policies have since softened: L.A. Unified directs parents to send children with mild colds or coughs to school and to keep children home only for fever of 100.4°F or higher, vomiting or diarrhea. Many families nonetheless continue to keep mildly ill children home, particularly parents of kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students who face high chronic absenteeism and have less mature immune systems. Pediatricians say the rapid shift in recommendations created confusion for parents. Young children are sick eight to 12 times each year. Some parents prioritize avoiding spread or worsening of illness over in-person learning.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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