'Too sick to learn': Schools warn parents to keep kids home as viruses surge

Cost-of-living pressures are forcing parents to send sick children to school because they can’t afford time off work as a wave of winter illnesses grips the country. 

Now schools are pleading with parents to keep unwell kids at home, as some report more than 100 absences a day. 

And there are warnings that children who arrive at class under the weather will be sent to the sick bay – and parents summoned to collect them. 

Auckland Primary Principals Association executive Lucy Naylor said parents cannot afford to have a “she’ll be right attitude” as schools grapple with staffing shortages because of sickness. 

But she acknowledged schools were dealing with “conflicting messaging” over when sick children should be kept home, with parents left to make difficult judgment calls about coughs and colds. 

Official guidance says children with a mild cough or runny nose can attend school if they are otherwise well, despite those symptoms also being associated with influenza. 

Saint Kentigern College in Pakuranga has asked parents to keep sick children at home. Photo / Jason Oxenham 

St Kentigern College emailed parents this week saying its health centre was experiencing “an exceptionally high number of student visits”. 

“A significant proportion of these students have ultimately needed to be sent home due to illness.” 

The email asked for assistance to keep the school community healthy and stop viruses from spreading. 

“If your child is unwell, please keep them at home rather than sending them to school. 

“We appreciate that managing time away from school can be challenging for families. However, keeping unwell students at home is one of the most effective ways we can support their wellbeing and help protect the health of others.” 

Beach Haven Primary School messaged parents last week warning that if children were “too sick to learn”, they needed time to rest and recover. 

“We ask our whānau to please help us reduce the spread of germs by keeping tamariki at home when they are unwell.” 

Health sector under pressure from winter bugs 

It comes as the health system battles exceptional demand that led to Hato Hone St John experiencing its busiest-ever day this month. 

Last week, Point Chevalier School principal Stephen Lethbridge told the Herald the daily number of absent students started at about 110 and peaked at 140. 

Most absences were for illness, he said. 

“We had lots of reports of people testing positive for the flu.” 

Cases of influenza A and B are circulating the country, experts say. 

St John declared a major incident on August 9 after its busiest day on record, as soaring winter illness puts pressure on the health system. 

St John is dealing with record levels of demand this winter. Photo / St John NZ 

The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners has since asked practices nationwide to reinstate some Covid-era infection controls, including phone-first triage and separating patients with respiratory symptoms. 

Flu-related hospitalisations in Auckland have also risen sharply, while practices are being urged to review PPE, ventilation and respiratory triage arrangements. 

Naylor said officials’ advice on when to keep kids home from school could be difficult to determine for parents. 

Guidance generally encouraged children with a mild cough or runny nose to attend if they had energy, no fever and were otherwise behaving normally. 

But Naylor said deciding when those symptoms became serious enough to warrant staying home was subjective. 

“One parent might interpret a slight sniffle as a severe cough and another one, vice versa, so it’s really hard for schools to manage that.” 

Winter germs are putting schools and health services under pressure. Photo / 123rf 

She said schools wanted genuinely sick children kept home but recognised some families could not afford a parent missing work. 

“What I am hearing is that because of the cost of living more parents are probably going, ‘She’ll be right, send the child to school’, because they have to work and they can’t afford to take a day off.” 

That had consequences beyond individual pupils, with illnesses spreading to teachers at a time when schools were already struggling to find relief staff. 

“If we have a lot of sick children, we get a lot of sick staff, and there are no relievers.” 

Lingering infections keeping kids off school longer 

Winter sickness followed a familiar annual pattern, she said, but some infections appeared to be lingering longer this year. 

“A cough or a cold might have, in the past, taken a couple of days to go; now it seems to be taking a week.” 

That was resulting in longer stretches away from the classroom for some pupils. 

Naylor said clearer guidance from health or education officials would help schools and parents navigate when children should stay home. 

Schools regularly reminded families about handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes and disposing of tissues, she said, but winter health problems extended beyond respiratory illnesses. 

Schools were also reporting cases of skin conditions including eczema flare-ups and highly contagious scabies. 

The Ministry of Education’s advice to parents, updated less than a month ago, says children with mild symptoms do not necessarily need to stay home. 

The guidance says it is okay to send a child to school if they have been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, and have only mild symptoms such as a cough, headache, or runny or blocked nose. 

Children should also appear otherwise well, including being happy, eating and drinking normally and able to focus on their learning. 

However, the ministry cautions that even children who appear well enough for school could still be infectious. 

“Even though your child may seem well enough to attend school, it is still possible they could have an infectious illness they could pass on,” the guidance says. 

Parents are advised to remind children to cover coughs and regularly wash their hands to reduce the spread of germs. 

The ministry says the key test is whether a child is well enough to participate in their normal school day. 

“You should keep your child at home from school if they are too sick to learn and need time to rest and recover.” 

Ministry of Education group general manager Helen Hurst said schools typically experienced higher illness levels during winter, but there was no known widespread national staffing disruption. 

Schools could use relief teachers, adjust operations and work with Health New Zealand when needed, she said, while families were encouraged to follow health guidance on attendance. 

Rachel Maher is the education correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. She also covers other topics such as Auckland issues, crime and local government. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.