Niagara Falls, N.Y. (WBEN) - As we enter the post-pandemic era, some parents are still keeping their kids home at the slightest sign of sickness. But when is a little cold just enough to let kids go to school anyway? That's a question muddled in this relatively new era.
Niagara Falls School Superintendent Mark Laurrie says he leaves that decision to the parents when their child has a little cold. "With every child, their tolerance is different, with every child, their symptoms are different, so to say a little means many different things to meet different people," says Laurrie. He encourages parents to err on the side of safety. "We still are cognizant of the RSV that's going around and other conditions," adds Laurrie.
Laurrie says he'll occasionally get calls from parents on whether a child is sick to the point of staying home from school. Again, he says that's the parents' call. "I'm not going to diagnose somebody from the phone or an email or a message and tell them what to do. They've got to make that assessment," emphasizes Laurrie.
Laurrie notes parents of younger children do keep them home if they have a little cough or cold. He says the district's pupil services team keeps a close eye on attendance. "They're keeping daily logs, we're making daily nudge phone calls, we're following up with our social workers," says Laurrie. He adds he gets more calls when weather is inclement and the child has a cough or cold, leading to the child to stay home.
Laurrie says the pandemic saw one thing go away. "Things like perfect attendance awards, and those incentives have kind of gone by the wayside for schools. In most cases, you don't see that too often," adds Laurrie.
