TURLOCK -- A dozen students who returned to an afternoon kindergarten class Monday at Julien Elementary first stopped in the nurse's office for a screening.

According to school officials, none had a cough, a fever or other symptoms associated with an illness suspected of striking one of their classmates, so the children were allowed to attend school.

The scare over the girl's suspected illness prompted Turlock parents to keep about a dozen children at home Monday, including two members of the girl's class, a few children in other grades at Julien and six children at other campuses.

"We have some families who decided to keep their children home, but the families are very few," said Eloise Reyes Preiss, an assistant superintendent for Turlock School Districts.

"They said they don't feel safe unless the issue is resolved."

Friday, Stanislaus County health officials announced that a 6-year-old Julien student has symptoms of SARS, a respiratory illness that has sickened 2,600 worldwide and killed almost 100.

The girl, who has suffered from pneumonia and a high fever, is at home in voluntary isolation.

Officials have not confirmed that she has SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. But officials were taking no chances because her father returned with a respiratory illness last month from China's Guangdong province, where the SARS outbreak is believed to have begun.

Officials said Monday the girl's condition has improved. A public health nurse meets with the family daily and the girl remains under the care of her family physician. She has not been hospitalized.

Her father has recovered from his illness, and no other family members have symptoms, said David Jones, a spokesman for the county Health Services Agency.

Officials have not sought to isolate other family members; a sibling of the girl continues to attend Julien Elementary.

The fact that a child from the household continues to interact with students was not included in official notices to parents.

"That would bother me," said Maria Rivera, who picked up her granddaughter from Julien on Monday. "I didn't know about that."

Preiss said the school district is following the county's advice in allowing the sibling to attend school.

School officials have promised to monitor the kindergarten class daily and have asked all parents to keep an eye on their children's health.

Any child with symptoms will be sent home and the parents instructed to contact a doctor. The classroom the girl attended is used only by the afternoon kindergarten class, Preiss said.

Bobby Gold of Turlock took his daughter to morning kindergarten Monday despite the suspected case. "It was spooky at first, but I hear she is doing better," the father said.

Jones said the county is following federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in asking the family to keep the girl at home.

SARS patients cared for at home are asked to avoid contact with other people and remain at home until 10 days after their symptoms are gone. In the absence of fever or symptoms, people who might have been exposed to the SARS virus are not excluded from school or work, the CDC says.

County officials have said that SARS is not as contagious as common colds or flu. It is most likely spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs and a person nearby comes in contact with the droplets.

Last week, President Bush issued an order that gives the CDC the authority to quarantine people with SARS. State and local governments also have authority to isolate patients with contagious diseases, but the county is not considering a quarantine, Jones said.

"The CDC has not changed its protocol in terms of approaching these cases, so voluntary isolation remains the appropriate course," he said.

Lab tests, due within three weeks, are expected to confirm if the Turlock girl has SARS.

Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at 578-2321 or kcarlson@modbee.com.

Reprinted by permission of the Modesto Bee.