HARTFORD — It’s a tough decision that could cause headaches for the rest of your day. How sick do your kids have to be before you make the decision to keep them home from school?
You have to weigh the different factors: how sick is he really? Will she miss a really important test/class/project today? Can I get the time off from work or find someone else to watch him?
A new poll from the University of Michigan took at look at this decision and how parents come to their final answer.
Of the nearly 1,500 parents surveyed from across the country, the top factor in parents decision to keep a child home was concern the sickness would worsen or spread to others.
75 percent of parents report at least one sick day for their child in the past year.
Symptoms also played a big role in deciding whether a child should stay home or not. Most parents said kids with diarrhea, throwing up, or a fever should stay home, while watery eyes, runny nose, dry cough, and no fever were more often grounds for having them tough it out in class.
“Parents often have to make a judgment call about whether their child’s sickness warrants staying home,” says lead author and Mott poll co-director Gary Freed, M.D., M.P.H. “We found that the major considerations were whether attending school could negatively impact a child’s health or the health of classmates.”
Now you can weigh in: What is the most important factor for you in deciding whether your child should stay home?
You can also let us know on the FOX 61 Facebook page.
