Health Services

School Attendance

School attendance is necessary for students to be successful. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. Therefore, it is important to follow public health guidance to ensure that children are encouraged to be at school.

COVID-19 and Other Contagious Disease Information

JCPS remains committed to the health and safety of our students and staff. JCPS leaders continue to monitor developments in our community and are in close contact with local and state health officials. 

Prevention

Vaccines are the most important tool to help prevent contagious diseases, such as COVID-19, flu, and measles. If you are unsure if your child is up to date on their immunizations, please contact the nurse at your school or call (502) 485-3387.  If you do not have health insurance, there are many community health centers in Louisville that see patients, and cost is based on your income. They can be very helpful for families who are worried about the cost of medical care. See a list of locations in Louisville. 

If your child tests positive for COVID-19 or Another Contagious Illness, Such as Flu, RSV, or Measles

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, flu, RSV, measles, or other contagious illness, please let the school nurse or Healthy at School officer know. If it is after hours, please call Health Services at (502) 485-3387 to let them know. A nurse will talk to you, go over dates your child might return to school, and help with any questions or concerns you may have.

Generally, students who are positive for COVID-19 are able to return to school when at least five days have passed since symptoms first appeared, symptoms are improving, and they have been fever-free for 24 hours. A well-fitting mask should be worn through day ten. Other illnesses will have different time frames, so it’s important to talk to a school nurse. 

COVID-19 Dashboard

The JCPS dashboard is available for the community to view information about the number of positive COVID-19 cases and the number of contacts who have to be quarantined at each school in our district. View the current counts of positive cases and those who are currently in quarantine. The information included in this COVID-19 in JCPS dashboard reflects the total number of students and staff who have ever tested positive or were quarantined since the start of the 2022-23 school year.

COVID-19 Testing

Any student or staff with proper consent may be tested for COVID-19 by school health services staff.  

To participate in this testing, students must have a consent form on file. You'll find that form under the required forms list in Parent Place, or testing may be done if you have a nurse office consent on file.

At-Home COVID-19 Tests

JCPS students and household members, as well as JCPS employees, may have access to at-home COVID tests as long as supplies are available from the Kentucky Department of Public Health. Tests can be requested by completing this form. You can also request tests by calling the Health Services Office at (502) 485-3387.

Employees who need a home test verified in order to have documentation for leave purposes may do so by following these instructions. When students need a verified test, the same process may be followed. 

Mask Medical Waiver

Waiver forms for students who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons are available from the child's school. The waiver form must be signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant licensed to practice as such in Kentucky and returned to the school. It will be reviewed by a district committee.

Illness Guidelines

Illness Guidelines Quick Reference

Students only need to stay home from school if any of the following exist:

Fever

  • Fever that is 101.0 F or higher (in children over 2 months old) without fever-reducing medication, such as Tylenol or Motrin

  • Children should be fever-free for 24 hours without taking any fever-reducing medicines before coming back to school.

  • Temperature of less than 101.0 F, and fever is associated with behavior change or they have other signs of illness.

    • Parents should have their child evaluated by a healthcare provider at once if they are having trouble breathing, unusual sluggishness or feeling very tired, irritability, crying for a long time, blurry vision, confusion, and/or disorientation.

    • If you do not have health insurance for your child, or if you have a high copay and cannot take your child to a healthcare provider, please reach out to the nurse or Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSC) coordinator at school or call Health Services at (502) 485-3387.

    • You can also reach out to one of the Community Health Centers in Louisville, which provide ongoing medical care for families, and the cost is based on how much money the family makes. Community Health Centers—Louisville, Kentucky

Students with physical symptoms:

  • Diarrhea is defined as an increased number by two of stools compared with the child’s normal pattern and/or stool that is not contained by diaper or toilet use. 

  • Vomiting two or more times in the previous 24 hours, unless the vomiting is found to be due to something that cannot be spread to someone else and the child is not in danger of being dehydrated. The child may come back to school when vomiting has gotten all better.

  • Undiagnosed rash

    • A rash with a fever, enlarged lymph nodes (glands), or behavioral changes, until a healthcare provider has found that it’s not an illness that can be spread to others or if the rash is draining and can’t be covered

    • A student with a rash should stay home from school unless they have a current statement from a licensed healthcare provider that says:

      • The rash cannot be spread to others.

      • If you do not have health insurance for your child, or if you have a high copay and cannot take your child to a healthcare provider, please reach out to the nurse or FRYSC coordinator at school or call Health Services at (502) 485-3387.

      • You can also reach out to one of the Community Health Centers in Louisville, which provide ongoing medical care for families, and the cost is based on how much money the family makes. Community Health Centers—Louisville, Kentucky

  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye) with purulent (pus) drainage 

    • Parents should have their child seen by a healthcare provider. Children do not need to miss school unless there are other signs of illness.

  • If a child is diagnosed with strep throat, they can return to school when they have been on antibiotics for 12 hours.

  • Head Lice and Scabies
    • Children should not be sent home until the end of the day and can come back to school once they have started treatment.

Information About Head Lice for Parents and Staff

General Information about Head Lice

Printable Resources for Families and Schools

Treatment Information

Parents/Caregivers

If you do not have running water at home, you do not have a washer and dryer, you are staying in a homeless shelter, or if you do not have health insurance or resources to help cover the cost of medication to treat head lice, please follow up with your nurse at school.  

There are also community health centers in Louisville that will only charge parents based on the family’s income. You can find a list of these clinics at Community Health Centers—Louisville, Kentucky.

Head Lice Do Not Spread Disease to Others

Position Statements on Head Lice: National Association of School Nurses; American Academy of Pediatrics

Resources

American Academy of Pediatrics (2020). Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools, 5th Ed. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Head Lice. Head Lice