New Poll Finds Parents Are Unsure When To Keep Sick Kids Home From School

Research released today by the University of Michigan in the US says most parents are unsure about when to send their sick child in to school and when to keep the little snotsers at home. We've all been there; the whispered discussions "How sick do you think he is? He's ok to go in isn't he? I dunno is he? He hasn't puked in four hours." Ever taken a chance on sending your little one in (dosed up on neurofen and with extra tissues packed in the schoolbag) and then felt guilty all day? You're not alone. A new poll on children's health that was published today shows that opinions among parents differ widely when it comes to how sick is too sick, or the importance of sick day consequences such as mum and dad missing work, or children missing exams. The poll was made up of responses from 1,442 parents who had at least one child aged between six and eighteen. Lead author Dr. Gary Freed said:

"Parents often have to make a judgment call about whether their child's sickness warrants staying home. We found that the major considerations were whether attending school could negatively impact a child's health or the health of classmates."

The doctor says that many parents may recognise that symptoms like diarrhoea or vomiting would significantly disrupt their child's school day. However, most parents did not see common symptoms such as a runny nose or dry cough without a fever, as serious enough to keep their child at home:

"It can be difficult to predict if a child will feel worse after going to school or how long symptoms of minor illnesses will last, so parents are often basing decisions on their best guess."

The poll found that the top factors in parents' decision to keep their child home from school included concern that the illness would get worse or spread to classmates. Symptoms were also found to make a difference with 80 percent of parents 'not likely' to send a child to school with diarrhoea. There was less agreement about vomiting (58 percent) and regarding a slight fever but acting normally (49 percent). A total of 84 percent of parents said that they would send a child with red watery eyes but no fever in to school, and 88 percent said that they wouldn't keep a child with a runny nose, dry cough and no fever at home. Good old practicalities have a significant influence on parents' decisions to keep a child home from school with 11 percent of parents citing 'not wanting to miss work' as very important. Childcare also reared its ugly head with 18 percent of mums and dads stating 'not being able to find someone to stay home with their sick child' as a very important decision-making factor. This is less of an issue for parents of older children, with 32 percent of parents allowing them to stay home alone when sick. Only 6 percent of parents cited missing after-school activities as being very important. What do YOU think? Is it irresponsible to send a child into school who is even a little bit under the weather? Is the reality of finding last-minute childcare a factor in sending sick kids in to school? Let us know your thoughts in the Facebook comments.