May I please vent?

Specialties School

Published

To all the parents out there,

:banghead: Please, please please do not, repeat, do not send your child in to school if they vomited or had a fever this morning. Yes, I know you're a single parent and you have to work. However, there are many other single mothers here, too, that do not appreciate their child sitting next to your sick child and catching whatever they have. And I don't think you'd be too happy if your healthy child had to sit next to a sick one because their mother wouldn't keep them home! Please also keep in mind that I'm not the babysitter and the clinic is not a holding place where you can stop by when you're done for the day to pick your daughter up. Guess what - it's YOUR responsibility to come get her. The poor kid needs to be home in bed, not in my tiny, crowded clinic vomiting with 4 other children watching..

Oh, and my other vent.

I'm sorry you don't have a way to pick your child up. What did you think would happen if they got sick, or there was an emergency? Keep them here and send them home on the bus? Drive them home myself?

I'm sorry folks - you made the choice to bring these kids into the world. You need to suck it up and work something out, don't always expect others to work around you.

(For editorial purposes, I am the 4th child of a single working mother so I'm not picking on them. My Mom managed to do what she had to pick us up from school when we were sick and would never had expected the school to do her job)

(down off soapbox now...)

I feel better :cat:

mc3:blink:

Specializes in School nursing.

Yes!! I just send home my first "From the Nurse's Office" newsletter this year and the first item on it? When you NEED to keep your child home from school. (Also, facts about lice, pinkeye, and a couple of other things I also get questions on).

Here in MA, there is a question on the ballot next month to give workers more earned sick time to deal with issues such as staying home and/or picking up your sick child. YES, PLEASE.

autumnmom

27 Posts

Do you have a copy of your newsletter? I am always looking for things to put in a newsletter that may convey the message about keeping kids home when sick, otherwise they just wind up in the clinic anyway.

Vent away!!!! Had at least 1 student every day this week who told their parents they were ill, got Tylenoled up (yes tylenoed is a word) and was in my office by 8:00 (school starts at 8:30) with a temp of 100 or above. Now, that means it was probably a 102 before the medication. BUY A ******* THERMOMETER !!!

What burns my **** is that most of my students come from money. If you can afford to hire a nanny to bring your kid fast food for lunch every single day while you are vacationing in the South of France, you can afford to BUY A ******* THERMOMETER!!!

I have a lot of physician kids at my school as the neighborhood is very close to a hospital. They will send their kids to school with all kinds of stuff and then get mad at me when I will not accept their advil in a baggie. Hello, you should know better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Specializes in School nursing.
Do you have a copy of your newsletter? I am always looking for things to put in a newsletter that may convey the message about keeping kids home when sick, otherwise they just wind up in the clinic anyway.

If you can, shoot me a PM and I can send your way :).

mc3, ASN, RN

931 Posts

I've been putting it in our newsletter since September. Doesn't seem to do any good:mad:..... My school is not Title 1, but is over 70% free or reduced lunch. I would have thought folks in the medical field, or higher income at least, would understand.

Silly me :sarcastic:

mc3:cat:

coughdrop.2.go, BSN, RN

1 Article; 709 Posts

Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.

My schools are Title 1 and yes it's a pain in the butt when they send kids to school sick AND there's no working numbers!!! Seriously you can get a phone for $25 a month and I see your kid is playing with a iPhone and you have no working phone?! Don't you think about what happens if there's an emergency?!!

fetch, BSN, RN

1 Article; 481 Posts

Got one of these right now . . .child was up all night with asthma problems, used his inhaler and said it didn't help . . . PLUS he says he didn't tell his parents! :eek: Do I have an inhaler at school? Well if you count the one he brought in this AM in his pocket I do . . . but I can't give it. Since the parents only have one number and it's turned off this week, I had to call aunt and uncle (who thankfully did answer). We're at hour 1 of waiting for someone to show, let's see if they actually get here before dismissal time . . .

OnlyDreaming

79 Posts

Yet another reason why we Homeschool. :)

I have 3 kids of my own. It would break my heart if they were injured or ill and I could no tbe reached. it is neglect is what it is!!!

rbytsdy

350 Posts

Sing it!!! Ugh!!! I always wonder if it's just my school. Apparently not! It's October and I already have parents with numbers that don't work. I had a call a landlord to get a current number for one of my sick kids. In that case, mom was simply too lazy to send contact forms back.

I had a child sit in diarrhea for 2 hours because his mother could not be reached. I can't clean up diarrhea. I tried giving him clothing and directed him to change himself (as he cried saying he couldn't do it). But he pooped right through the change of clothing.

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