School guidance around when students should stay home due to illness has become a key focus point as chronic absenteeism has skyrocketed since COVID-19, fueling learning loss.
During the pandemic but when schools were open, educators were advising parents to keep their children home at any sign of sickness due to fear it could be COVID-19. Now, guidance is largely back to where it was pre-pandemic, but the switch is not so simple.
Administrators and health care professionals are adamant about finding a balance between the necessity of letting sick students stay home and the consequences of children missing school.
