Flu and Strep Illness Update — February 5, 2026

Posted February 5, 2026

Dear McKinley-Thatcher families,

We want to let you know that cases of both flu and strep throat are currently circulating in our school community.

Flu symptoms may include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Fatigue
• Headache

Strep throat symptoms usually start abruptly and may include:

• Sudden sore throat
• Pain when swallowing
• Fever
• Headache
• Stomachache
• Red or swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches

To help keep everyone healthy, please remember:

• Students must stay home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication.
• Students diagnosed with strep throat may return to school after at least 12 hours of antibiotics and being fever-free for 24 hours.

Free Medical Care for Students

The Denver Health School-Based Health Centers offers free medical care to all Denver Public School students and can perform free strep tests. To make an appointment, please call (303) 602-8958.

Thank you for helping us keep our school safe and healthy. Please feel free to reach out to the school nurse, Jennifer Iltis, at (720) 424-5606 or Jennifer_Iltis@dpsk12.net with any questions.

Additional Resources:

• How Sick Is Too Sick? – ENGLISH (PDF) – this document from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provides guidance for decisions about when children stay home from school due to illness.
  • How Sick Is Too Sick? – ARABIC (PDF)
  • How Sick Is Too Sick? – DARI (PDF)
  • How Sick Is Too Sick? – NEPALI (PDF)
  • How Sick Is Too Sick? – SOMALI (PDF)
  • How Sick Is Too Sick? – SPANISH (PDF)
  • How Sick Is Too Sick? – VIETNAMESE (PDF)
• Flu vs Cold
• Strep Throat
• Denver Department of Public Health & Environment Respiratory Illness Alert – ENGLISH (Google Doc)
• Denver Department of Public Health & Environment Respiratory Illness Alert – SPANISH (Google Doc)