Clarifying Student and Staff Exclusion Requirements & Recommendations Due to Illness
As we enter spring break season, I am writing to emphasize the requirements for schools to coordinate with local health authorities to prevent and rapidly respond to illness in school settings. I am also highlighting the state guidance related to this topic.
Parts of Nevada experiencing higher burden of pertussis cases in 2025-2026 than in previous years and ongoing measles outbreaks in neighboring states are a reminder of the importance of infection control in school settings.
We understand that school administrators and school nurses face the difficult job of balancing student learning with student health, and that absences can delay learning. However, to protect the health of all students and school staff, children and staff with symptoms of illness may sometimes need to be temporarily excluded from school attendance to prevent the spread of illness.
This wall chart outlines the state’s recommendations for excluding students and staff from school and reporting requirements to the appropriate local health authority. For some specific diseases, exclusions are mandated in the Nevada Administrative Code. However, even if a child’s or staff member’s illness has not yet been confirmed, we strongly recommend the exclusions outlined in the wall chart based on symptoms alone, because often individuals do not get tested and so they would be considered a suspected case of a given communicable disease based on symptoms. Exclusion based on symptoms alone helps prevent the spread of illness in schools and can help reduce the overall number of student and staff absences.
Additionally, NAC 441A.245 indicates the duty of the person in charge of a school to promptly cooperate with the local health authority during their efforts to investigate the case, suspected case, outbreak, or suspected outbreak and implement prevention and control measures, which may include exclusions.
Reporting Diseases
NAC 441A.245 requires that the person in charge of a school report communicable diseases (or outbreaks or suspected outbreaks, regardless of the disease) to their local health authority. Report any cases of diseases considered to be reportable in Nevada, or outbreaks of any disease, to your local health authority. The list of reportable disease in Nevada may be found here. Contact information for each local health authority in Nevada is listed below.
Table 1: Nevada Local Health Authorities
| Local Health Authority | County(ies) | Fax & Phone Number to Report |
| Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) | Carson City, Douglas, and Lyon | Fax: 775-887-2138 Ph: 775-887-2190 (24 hours) |
| Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) | Churchill, Mineral, Eureka, and Pershing | Fax: 877-513-3442 Ph: 775-866-7535 (24 hours) |
| Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH, formerly WCHD) | Washoe | Fax: 775-328-3764 Ph: 775-328-2447 (24 hours) |
| Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) | Clark | Fax: 702-759-1414 Ph: 702-759-1300 (24 hours) |
| Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DBPH) Office of State Epidemiology | All other counties | Fax: 775-684-5999 Ph: 775-400-0333 (24 hours) |
Resources
Below are some resources available on the Office of State Epidemiology’s website related to infection prevention and control in school settings:
Infectious Diseases in Childcare Settings and Schools Manual
Exclusion Guidelines for Staff and Children
Questions
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of State Epidemiology at dpbhepi@health.nv.gov. Thank you for your partnership in keeping Nevadans healthy, happy, safe, and thriving.