School Administrator & Office Resources

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Our collection of newsletter inserts provides information on a variety of health topics. Schools can use these inserts to keep parents and families informed about health topics being taught at school and to share additional information that supports student health and well-being at home.

PDFs for the 2026-2027 school year are available for download to include in your school newsletters throughout the school year:

Occasionally, schools may notice an increase in absenteeism due to illness.

Schools are required to report to the Health Unit when absenteeism due to illness reaches 30% of the student population. However, if a significant number of students are ill in one class, this should still be reported. For example, if a primary classroom has 6–7 children absent with similar symptoms within a day or two, this is significant and should be reported.

Reporting absenteeism to public health serves three purposes:

  1. Public health can provide recommendations to prevent further spread among staff and students
  2. If illness is related to a special event or field trip, public health can investigate to prevent another incident
  3. It provides surveillance on infectious disease activity in the community

When reporting increased absenteeism, please provide:

  • Symptoms
  • Grades/classes affected
  • Number of staff and students absent
  • Total student enrollment
  • If symptoms include diarrhea/vomiting, whether there was a school event/field trip in the prior 3 days in affected classrooms

If your school is experiencing increased absenteeism related to illness, start these recommendations right away:

  • Ensure sick children and staff stay home (see Exclusion Criteria on the Common Childhood Illnesses resource)
  • Encourage good handwashing, especially before meals
  • Ensure washrooms are stocked with liquid hand soap and paper towels and cleaned throughout the day
  • Increase cleaning and disinfecting, focusing on affected classrooms, washrooms, water fountains, common areas, and high‑touch surfaces
  • Follow your school board’s enhanced cleaning guidelines and use the correct disinfectant (ideally a high‑level disinfectant)
  • Clean and disinfect large play centres in primary classrooms
  • Close sensory stations if illness occurs in a kindergarten classroom
  • Remove plush toys and play clothes from classrooms and launder if possible
  • Clean and disinfect toys that were in the classroom at the start of the outbreak

To report increased absenteeism or consult with a public health nurse, contact the School Health Team:

Haldimand-Norfolk: Call 519-900-9600 ext. 3285 or email schoolhealth@geph.ca.

Brantford-Brant: Call ​519-753-4937 ext. 6459​ or email schools@geph.ca.

Students and staff may be exposed to a variety of communicable diseases during their years in school settings.

If a student or staff member is sick, have them stay home — break the chain of infection by stopping exposure.

If a child/student or staff member has any of the following symptoms, they should be excluded from attending:

  • Fever 38.0°C or higher — stay home until fever is gone and feeling better for at least 24 hours
  • New or unusual respiratory symptoms — stay home for at least 24 hours (for example, cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, shortness of breath)
  • New or unusual gastrointestinal symptoms (for example, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) — stay home for 48 hours after symptoms stop

Measles Toolkit for Schools and Childcare Centres

Measles Prevention Poster

Health Information – Measles

Measles Vaccine Fact Sheet

General resources

Kindergarten resources