Originally Posted by Catherder:
I send home at 101 SUSTAINED for 45 minutes.
From time to time kids can spike a healthy fever, it means their immune system is working.
If it is still elevated after 45 minutes, they may need more help so are sent home for bed rest and fluids; possibly even a doctors visit depending on coexisting symptoms.
Fever is not an illness. I have to explain that to parents alot. Fever is a good thing.... The scary illnesses are the ones that fever never/barely happens because it overwhelms them.... Cold Sepsis. 
Rushing to break a fever (tylenol) before it has a chance to fight illness is not a good thing.
I like that policy.
I too have a hard time explaining to my dcps, and even my DH, that an elevated temperature itself is not the problem. DH tends to get antsy if our kids temps are even slightly warm. He asks, all panicked, "Does she need Motrin?!" My DD had a fever over the weekend in the AM (101.2) so we made his parents (who live 2 hrs away) stay home and not come up here to get professional photos done with the kids, and they have been calling *all week*..."How's DD? Is she still sick with that really high fever?" omg guys, no wonder your kids were so sickly as children...you never gave their immune systems time to FIGHT anything!