This week will be “make up homework” week though, ugh.

I thought about this for awhile (while at the gym. I do a lot of thinking while I’m walking.) and I think you are better to err on the side of caution.

A temperature is the sign of an immune reaction. Yes, there are cases where the reaction may be do to an issue that is not contagious, but you don’t know that for certain. So if you go out when you have a fever, chances are you are contagious, and you are sharing whatever cooties you have with those with whom you come in contact.

This becomes an issue when the people you expose are immune suppressed or come in contact with an immune suppressed individuals.

As an adult, you can take precautions and wash your hands frequently and try not to expose others. Kids in school? Not so much.

My opinion would be that if you are willing to send your kids to school wearing masks, which would reduce the risk of exposing others, that’s one thing. But I don’t know many kids who would enjoy having to wear a mask all day at school, and instead would probably be embarrassed by the entire thing.

In your specific case, the fact that all your kids are running fevers means that whatever they have is almost certainly contagious.

Yeah, it could be some mild bug that isn’t going to cause serious problems, but it could also be that they have a mild case of it, but there is no guarantee another who is exposed would be so lucky.

What I would like to see is schools making classwork and homework readily accessible to those who stay home. Yes, there are some concepts that can’t be self-taught or taught at home, but at least they’ll have seen it, and it shouldn’t take them as long to catch up when they go back.

So my recommendation is have them stay home, not for their health, as much as for the health of others.

It’s really at that border between “stay home” or not. And there are 40+ schools closed in Northern Michigan due to the flu, so everyone is on high alert. The schools are being more lenient with sick days, but still, kids learn best when they’re AT school, so we’re torn. I might end up staying home tomorrow with the 2 youngest, so Donna can come to work. I just wish it was Thanksgiving break this week. That would be 5 full days home for everyone.

Anyway, this is the odd situation we find ourselves.

Shawn, low grade fever most likely isn’t the flu. Once temps reach 101 though, you’re likely into the flu range.

I know some schools are increasing the number of sick absences students can have, because of that issue. Better safe than sorry.

If the flu that is closing schools in Northern Michigan is like this for all parents, I certainly see why it’s spreading. It feels irresponsible to keep them home when they barely have a fever — yet they do have a low grade fever.

See the problem? :(

Yep, there are people who just don’t know. And yep, I only get 2 sick days (and that’s up from 0 that we had for the first four years I worked here) and I already used 1 with the kidney stone. Guess what I’m going to do if I get the flu. (even though our HR people have posted signs all over the place, um, I don’t get paid if I’m not here, you’ve already cut my wages back, and if I didn’t work in a critically sensitive position I would be having rolling layoffs, yeah, I’m working for the money).