The Marshalltown Community School District Nursing Staff are committed to supporting student success by providing a safe and healthy learning environment and working with the educational team to address health related barriers to learning. All schools in our district have a school nurse who can be a primary source of information in student health related matters.

2022-23 MCSD Communicable Disease Procedures

COVID-19 variants are still circulating in the world and in our community, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The good news is that these variants have not been shown to cause more serious illness or deaths, mainly due to protective factors such as COVID vaccinations. New treatments for COVID, and vaccines, have dramatically decreased the numbers of people who get seriously ill. In light of this we will return to our regular illness guidelines for the 2022-23 school year:

Students should stay home when they are sick. Students will be sent home for:

  • A temperature of 100.4º F or higher 
  • Active, illness related vomiting or diarrhea

The parent/guardian will be called and the student will be sent home. Other symptoms that influence the decision to send the student home include general appearance and functioning in the classroom. After a period of observation a decision will be made to do one of the following:

  • Notify the parent/guardian for symptoms of illness, as determined by the school nurse. Not all student visits to the health office will result in parents/guardians being contacted.
  • Allow the student to rest in the health office for a brief period then return to class.

During times of high rates of illness, such as during influenza season, the length of time a student must remain home after fever/symptoms of illness may change as recommended by Marshall County Public Health.

Returning to school after an illness

  • Students are to be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication (such as Tylenol or ibuprofen)
  • No active vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours
  • Other symptoms improving
  • COVID testing is not required to return to school

COVID-19 Updated Guidance 

The CDC and Iowa HHS have updated the recommendations for persons diagnosed with Covid-19.  Due to the Covid-19 vaccine and boosters widely available the guidelines have become less restrictive. Iowa HHS released an updated version of Childhood Illnesses and Exclusion Criteria for Education and Child Care Settings.   It now lists Influenza, COVID-19 and RSV under a new category entitled Respiratory Illness. The CDC also updated their Respiratory Virus Guidance.  

Children with respiratory illness, including Covid, are to remain home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications (Tylenol or Ibuprofen) AND other symptoms are mild and improving. It is no longer required to isolate for 5 days before returning.    

Please contact your school nurse if you have questions or concerns about illness and when your student may return to school.  Please see the COVID-19 fact sheet.

Learn more: Iowa Health and Human Services COVID-19 General Public Fact Sheet

FAQ:
Can students return with a cough? Symptoms need to be mild and improving. A cough may linger for quite a while, making it one of the last symptoms to resolve, but it should be improving before return.

Fever is gone but my student still feels very unwell – when can they return? Fever is only one part of the guidance; all other symptoms need to be mild or improving. Please keep your student home until they are feeling better, and symptoms are improving.

What about masking? The updated guidance from Iowa HHS does not require masking for the general public. However, it is a personal choice. A mask should not be used as a substitute for staying home when ill. Some individuals and healthcare settings may continue to use masking as a tool to reduce personal exposure and spread of respiratory illness during high transmission periods.