James Otis Elementary School

Kids at James Otis Elementary School spend the day in one room with the same classmates, so a single bug usually shows up as a cluster in one grade before it reaches the rest of the school. Watching what parents in your child's grade are logging is the earliest signal you get.

• Strep throat and scarlet fever cluster by classroom and need a swab to confirm
• Stomach bugs and norovirus move through lunchrooms and shared bathrooms
• Head lice peak right after breaks when hats and coats pile together
• Flu and COVID-19 arrive later in the fall and spread school-wide, not grade by grade

Every school sets its own sick policy, so check yours first. These are the rules of thumb most schools and daycares follow:

• Fever-free for a full 24 hours without fever medicine before returning
• No vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours, and eating normally again
• On antibiotics for at least 12 to 24 hours for strep throat or impetigo
• Eye discharge cleared, or cleared by your pediatrician, for pinkeye
• Well enough to take part in a normal school day, not just well enough to sit through it

James Otis Elementary School is one of many elementarys in Chicago tracked on Ickly. October activity around Chicago tends to follow the seasonal pattern above, and illness rarely stops at one campus: siblings, sports, and playdates carry it between nearby schools across ZIP 60622 within a week or two. Checking neighboring schools alongside this one gives you a fuller picture than any single page can.