Bypassing Nurse? HELP!

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Middle School- Grades 6-8

Any suggestions on how to prevent students from texting/calling their parents (they are not even supposed to have their phones out) asking to go home because they are "sick" ...but they have not even been assessed by the nurse (myself) yet? This is happening quite a lot recently!

Should I try to help combat this...or just let it go?

HELP

Losing battle. When the parent shows up, they get sent to me, I call the kid out of class and enter " medically excused" in the computer. No admin backing on this issue so I don't even try anymore.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

This would be immediate discipline here. Under no circumstances are phones to be used, the child would be going home through the administrative office, and would probably buy themselves a few more days they can't make up.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

The only time it really comes down to argument is when a student exceeds the number of unexcused days allowed.

I din't take issue with a parent that elects to pick their child up. It is your child and if that's what you choose to do, I have nothing to say about it. It's when the extra component of bringing me into the absence excusals discussion (which usually happens months after the fact when it's noted that the child has reached a certain point) and the parent gets upset because I have no record of seeing the student and can't change anything for them.

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The only time it really comes down to argument is when a student exceeds the number of unexcused days allowed.

I din't take issue with a parent that elects to pick their child up. It is your child and if that's what you choose to do, I have nothing to say about it. It's when the extra component of bringing me into the absence excusals discussion (which usually happens months after the fact when it's noted that the child has reached a certain point) and the parent gets upset because I have no record of seeing the student and can't change anything for them.

Yes to this ^^^^. This is where I have issues. I really don't care if you take your kid out of school because they are complaining they are sick - you are the parent, it's your decision. It sometimes becomes a problem when attendance contracts are made between the parent & school or they are actually sent to truancy court - at that point ALL sick/medical absences must go thru me unless the parent has a doctors note to cover the absence.

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I've been following this post for a couple of days now and wouldn't you know it......a father walks in to pick up his "sick" son (who I have not seen all day). I call the teacher (bilingual class) and she says "Oh yes the student had teeth removed and he has some kind of big cyst or abscess on his mouth so I called dad (who speaks only Spanish). This is a kindergartener by the way. I said ok, but please in the future I should really take a look at the student. She says "oh but he was at lunch". HUH?

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Specializes in School nursing.

We are not perfect. We don't claim to be. Every year, my 7th grade students are new to me. I made a lot of phone calls home and work with parents to get to know their child. If something is "off" I'll call home and and have even said "you know you child best." Parents have appreciated this and are forthcoming about the student's habits, etc. We become a team to help identify a truly "sick" day vs a "I don't want to be in school" day. It helps me form a good relationship with the student and also helps me help them learn to cope on a "I don't want to be in school day." Because having a child be able to learn to the best of his/her capacity is the common end goal.

My school does not allow cell phone use by students in school. Because it is often distracting from learning. The students have access to the technology they need in school and if they need to call home, they can ask and go to the office to do so.

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Losing battle. When the parent shows up, they get sent to me, I call the kid out of class and enter " medically excused" in the computer. No admin backing on this issue so I don't even try anymore.
Whaaaa? No way! I would not do that. When the parent shows up at my school and they call me for the child, I tell them, "I never called the parent, don't know where the child is or what the problem is." No way am I documenting it as a nursing dismissal. I don't know about any of you, but our dismissals/back to class rate is tracked here. If our back to class rate is less than 92% for the month, and we cannot explain why, we have to write up an improvement plan. So, for instance, if I see 10 students in a day (yeah right- lol) and send 1 home, I am already under 92% back to class. I can fail all on my own, I don't need the students help.
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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.
If our back to class rate is less than 92% for the month, and we cannot explain why, we have to write up an improvement plan. So, for instance, if I see 10 students in a day (yeah right- lol) and send 1 home, I am already under 92% back to class. I can fail all on my own, I don't need the students help.

That's insanity! I can't stand when we a professionally held for things we have no control over. My district has student guided objectives that we all must complete. They gave me a sample to follow - vision screenings for one grade with the data proving efficacy by parents returning documentation from the eye doctor. I did not use that sample for my objective - i creaated my own

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
She says "oh but he was at lunch". HUH?

It wasn't your lunch, therefore we wouldn't want to interrupt someone's lunch.:sarcastic:

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