Student Health Guidelines

We stay committed to providing students and employees with a healthy and safe learning environment and we appreciate the individual actions you take that play a critical role in keeping our community healthy. Please reach out to the Student Health Team at health@oes.edu if you have any questions. 

Whooping Cough (Pertussis) Outbreak in Oregon

Oregon is experiencing a large rise in whooping cough (pertussis) and ended 2024 with a registered 1,105 cases of pertussis (the highest it’s been in 74 years). If you notice symptoms of whooping cough, please call your health provider and follow all recommendations. If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please notify us at health@oes.edu as soon as possible so we can align on return to school policies and notify individuals who may have been exposed. Vaccination (DTaP/Tdap) remains the most effective way of protecting yourself against whooping cough (you can view our school’s immunization rates here). 

Preventive Health Measures

• Stay up-to-date on Oregon required immunizations.  Upload all immunization records to Magnus.
• Make sure your child has a current flu and Covid-19 vaccine.  
• Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. 
• Use a tissue or inner elbow to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. 
• Encourage healthy sleeping, eating, exercise and screen-time habits for your child. 

Do not send an ill child to school

Please review the exclusion criteria chart for guidance on when a child should remain at home and return to school. Exclusion examples include:

• temperature of 100.4℉ or greater
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• new, unexplained rash
• unusually sleepy or lethargic
• active cough
• any symptom(s) that prevent the student benefiting from or participating in all classroom activities (e.g. excessive runny nose)

​​Respiratory Viruses (e.g., Covid-19, flu, RSV)

We continue to monitor trends for respiratory viruses locally and nationally and are aligned with CDC guidelines. 

• We strongly recommend wearing a mask when you have mild respiratory symptoms for which our guidelines do not recommend exclusion. 
• If you have symptoms of a respiratory virus that meet exclusion criteria, you should remain home until:
  • (1) you have not had a fever for at least 24 hours (without the use of fever reducing medicines) AND
  • (2) your other symptoms are improving.
  • For at least 5 days upon return, you should wear a well-fitting mask while indoors around other people.  
• Other Scenarios: 
  • If you tested positive for a respiratory virus and do not have any symptoms, you can come to school and should wear a well-fitting mask for at least the next 5 days while indoors around other people.
  • If you have a known exposure to someone with a respiratory virus and do not have any symptoms, you can come to school and should monitor your symptoms closely. To protect others, consider wearing a well-fitting mask while indoors around other people for 5 days. 

Communication

Notify the school (via SchoolPass or Parent Portal) if your child is sick with a contagious disease as it helps us track health trends at the school and potentially notify families or work with our county health office, if there is a suspected outbreak.

• In addition, we may have follow-up questions if your child was diagnosed with any of the following contagious diseases:
  • Varicella (chickenpox) 
  • Diarrhea caused by E.coli, Salmonella or Shigella 
  • Hepatitis 
  • Measles 
  • Mumps
  • Pertussis (whooping cough) 
  • Rubella 
  • Scabies 
  • Tuberculosis (TB) 
• It is also helpful to briefly describe the symptoms of the illness, if the student doesn’t have a diagnosed contagious disease.  

Please reach out to the Student Health Team at health@oes.edu if you have any questions.