My dauhgter said her freind who she goes to school with, try,d to call mom at the office in school to pick her up she wasnt feeling well. The office took her temp and it was normal and told her to go back to class. And while she was waiting to have her temp taken another kid came in throwing up. The office just gave him a drink of water and told him to go back to class. My daughters freind had a cell phone and wasnt supposed to use it in school but they didnt call her mom so she text her mom that she was sick. mom came and the office said How did you know she was sick? And she yelled at them My daughter used her cell phone! They said they were going to give her a refferal slip for texting her to pick her up in class. The mother started really yelling at them She wouldnt have had to text me if you guys would have called me! They dropped it but isnt this insane! What would you guys do or not do in this situation
Well on the day this happened (today) my daughter was home sick from school. She said many students were out sick with the same as her coughing, chills, backache, stuffy noses. She would cough so hard and couldnt lay down cause it was worse. The kids mentioned are 14 yr olds and do not have a habit of lying or fakeing vomiting. I do believe that the school should call the parent no matter what if a child is sick. And refusing the right to a phone call I thought was for jails. Infecting the rest of the kids in school looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen. Since many kids are out sick! Including my own whom has been out sick a few times and brought it home to her family members including toddler and her grandmother who doesnt need any viruses at her age. Thankyou all for your sgg
I don't think this is grounds for a lawsuit OR homeschooling! LOL
Do you have a handbook from the school? Find out what their policy is, exactly. My son is 8 and probably 50% of his "tales" are embellished--a bit.
I work at a school....so I know firsthand that we cannot send students home for less than a fever, throwing up or severe diarrhea. As the teacher, I do make contact with the parent to tell them that their child is complaining and allow the parent to decide whether or not to pick the child up if there hasn't been any fever, vomitting or diarrhea. I once got told off by a parent for calling about their child's complaints....imagine that!
I think that the school has the responsibility to make a contact and let the parent decide, but I also know that many students say they feel sick to get out of a test or just go home when they are really fine.....BUT like I said, I do feel it is the school's job to provide some sort of information to the parent, if only to cover their rears should the sickness become something serious later in the day.
I wouldn't do anything because I wouldn't believe half of what I heard. It all sounds a little embellished. Don't get sucked into teenage drama. Things usually aren't as bad as they are made out to be.
I think your daughter and her friend may be stretching the truth. As another parent suggested, get the written policy. If you are unhappy with the school, contact the school board.
Blessings....
I think you are jumping to conclusions. You are basing your judgement on hearsay and you really don't know the full story. These kids could be in the nurse's office all the time. This could be a chronic problem.
You don't say whether your daughter has first hand experience with being legitimately sick and being turned away by the school nurse. If that were the case and your child was legitimately sick than you have something to take up with the school.
This is hearsay. Kids can be dramatic when relaying events and it is best if your daughters friends parents deal with what happened. This isn't to say there isn't truth to the matter or a problem but it doesn't sound like you now exactly what went on. I wouldn't start writing letters to the school board or making any waves for something that is currently gossip and rumour. It's a good idea to know what the sick policy is and if you have any questions as to how it affects your family ask the administrators.
I'm going to play devil's advocate here...this story is 2nd hand at best...your daughter's friend said...I would call the school and ask for a copy of the "going home from school sick" policy. I can't think of any reason the school would benefit from keeping sick children in school.
This isn't going to help much/at all...
1. Be grateful for reason #436 to homeschool.
2. -If I was feeling perky- Take it up with the school board that they are
a) endangering children's lives (not to mention usurping parental rights/privilege)... not allowing sick children to go home isn't just an inconvience... for all of their immunocompromised children, and families that are immunocompromised (in case they are silly enough to say that in their ENTIRE DISTRICT there is not one student who has cancer, recieved a transplant, or an autoimmune disorder... which is a statistical improbability... they CANNOT know that no child in their district has a sibling under 6mo of age, nor immunocompromised parents)
b) Opening themselves up for lawsuit that I would personally stand witness for, giving evidence of their past total disregard for public health (and in my state) the law, which clearly states that sick children are not allowed to be in school. ((Some districts have tried this in our area... because they get paid per DAY that each child is in school for a full day they've reduced the number of sick days down to 9 per year (instead of 15 per semester), 0 tardies, and have TRIED to keep sick children in school... the schools here are disgusting cess pools of illness. Nothing can be done about parents adhering to overly strict attendence policies (it's very easy to circumvent them, however)... but something CAN be done about them retaining sick children in school. Threaten them with publicity and legal action if they do not IMMEDIATELY rectify both policy AND practice.))
c) Contact
- local children's hospital (they need the warning that their patient's schools are doing this, it radically affects treatment plans)
- local news
- public health
- lawyer (as I said before, in our area, it's because schools are paid based on how many children are in school for a FULL day)... so my friends and neighbors have had to threaten to hurt them worse financially in order to protect their children's health.
Gods above, I am soooooo glad we homeschool.
After 19 years in the classroom, I can't tell you how many students fake being sick (including self-induced vomiting) to get out of something. Still, the school should make the parent decide, rather than being so arbitrary. At the school I work at, students can go to the office and call home. But, after 9 days of absence, they risk losing their credit for the semester. THEN, parents really yell because "the school sent them home." <chuckle> Schools can't win on this one.
My youngest son is a drama king. He's always in the nurse's office for something. Nine times out of ten, it's nothing, but he causes huge inconveniences by calling me at school. I get taken out of class to discover he has no fever, no vomiting, drama, drama, drama. I tell him to go back to class. But, as irritated as I am to be pulled from class, it's ultimately my choice, not the school's.
Good for this mom for fussing at the office staff for not even calling and fussing more for the whole cell phone thing. I would've done the same thing.
You have to remember that many kids will do anything to get out of school. This kid that your daughter said her friend told her was vomiting in the office could be a kid who is in there every other day. Had I never taught school, I would agree with you. The policy stinks for good kids who genuinely don't feel good. It's too bad that there are simply too many who really do cause trouble.
Try not to overreact. Find out information about the policy. If it still bothers you, talk to your child's teacher or the secretary and try to find out some more information. If it still bothers you, then talk to the principal. If you're still upset, then approach the school board. Use the "chain of command." You very well might find out there is great wisdom being used.
As a teacher once told all of us parents, "I will make you a deal, You believe 50% of what your child tells you about what happened at school and I will also only believe 50% about what your child says goes on at home. "
Never get pulled into these types of situations unless YOU first verify it with the Parent and then the school..Or you actually witnessed the entire situation yourself. Otherwise you are not going to be credible.
I am going to guess,, somewhere in there is the truth. But the story is very dramatic..
Standard procedure is a child that doesn't feel well goes to the nurse. The nurse makes the determination to either send them back to class, lay down to see if they feel better, or call parents and/or send them home. It is normal to not let the kids call home.
The mom knew her kid wasn't supposed to use the cell phone and she told them she did. It is the child's and parent's fault that the kid is now in trouble.
Find out the schools sick policy, this doesn't sound right to me. Why would a school keep children there if they weren't feeling well?
@Everyone:Regardless whether we are really sick or just faking to get out of class, the school should have let my friend call home if she's not feeling good. All our school does is check our temperature and if it's not high they send us back to class. My friend wouldn't FAKE being sick because she likes school,and she wouldn't lie either. You can't stereo-type Teenagers as being dramatic and liers, Not all of us are like that. If I would have been my friend that used her cell phone, I would've used mine infront of their faces and not of cared if they gave me a reffearl. This school can't treat us like we don't have rights,and dicipline us if we don't comply to things like this.
I know the school would do what they did to my friends & I know the rules and how they treat students.
-Sheris Daughter
Ty to everyone who believe me and my friend. Because it happened to me once too.
I would find the school's criteria for going home and make sure I knew it and the child knew it. Frankly, I think puking (forced or not) should be going home. I had a heck of a time in HS because you had to have over 100F to go home and I run cold. When I'm 100F, I'm really sick. I spent time resting in the nurse's office more than once because I couldn't deal with class while feeling feeverish.
At my SD's school, if it's iffy, they'll talk to the parent first. If we know that there's something going around the family or something else that might be affecting her, we'll say we'll come get her. If it's close to the end of the school day, we'll probably ask if she can get an ibuprofen or rest or something and tough it out. (You practically need Congress to approve OTC meds from the nurse.) It's hard sometimes, but if your child doesn't tend to exaggerate, consider taking him home.
This needs to be dealt with in a BIG way. I would get the contact #'s for the school board members and write them all. I would send letters to the local editors and contact the television news media as well. I would definitely contact the other mother of the child throwing up and talk with them as well. Maybe even contact the pta. Poor kids.
In your case I don't know if it was all a big story from these kids, but will say, for my own child, if she were refused the option to contact me, I would be pissed off and they would NOT hear the end of it from me. My kid is NOT a complainer, so if she was asking to call me it would be a big deal. Shes a shy type so just going to the nurse would be a big deal. I would personally not let the issue drop and would advocate for my own child. I don't care if the many ruin things for the few....I would be doing all I could to stick up for my own child. But only with first hand scenarios.
And remember...schools get paid government money per day for kids being in school and accounted for, so they DO have their own agenda for keeping kids in the school each day. This is why they have in school suspensions and such other programs these days, as compared to when I was young.
Perhaps they are worried about having to close school due to illness. I know that they had to do that when my school got the chicken pox in elementary because 80% of students were absent.
That does seem pretty extreme, but I think as a parent maybe you have the right to go to the school and ask what happened and the policy so that you and your daughter know. There should be times when a child can call a parent. I would encourage you to go and find out the full story, not just the side that your daughter's friend told your daughter.
I would have been mad. If my child says they are sick you better damn well call me, if they are faking I will be the one to deal with it.
Have a talk with Superintendent.
What a situation!
I see plenty of kids sick at school but, it's usually because the parents sent them there. I heard from a nurse last week that she gets parents calling in saying how ill their children are and that they need to get in with the doctor that day. But, please make it after 4:00 they are in school. I thought that was horrible.
If my child was sick at school and they didn't call me, I would be on the phone with the Superintendent of that school district and with the news outlets. That's just wrong!
Just another reason why I homeschool, and mine is 13.
You have to throw up on the school staff to get home sometimes.
And I do let my girls not do school or not go, one is in HS, when they are PMSing.
They are still too young to deal with it properly and until they learn which medication works and how pms affects them, they can stay home. Soon they won't be able to do that, they know that, and my 15 yo is pretty much able to function through it now.
I'd find another school. I would also contact an attorney!
N.
Is this even ethical or legal? My daughter was sent to office by her 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Burnett. Once in the office another teacher Mrs. McNair & the so called hilter...I mean pincipal of this blue ribbon school refused to let my daughter call home!!! Sent her back to class! The principal told my daughter "Oh! No! I will call your Mother"! And never proceded to do so! WTH? At around 12:30pm I received a phone call from another parent who overheard the teacher & principals refusal to let my daughter call home! What can a parent do about this? It is a blue ribbon school...shirley Hills elementry warner robins ga...but everyone, right on down to the crossing guards say this schools principal is psychotic!
I would go to the principal and if no satisfaction were reached I would turn to the school board. How reprehensible of the person who'd expose a whole school full of children to one who is too ill to be there.
