Contract for parents before students return to school

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I'm curious if anyone is making parents sign an agreement before the start of school that includes something along the lines of ...

-not sending in sick children

-always having an updated phone number available

-agreeing to picking student up immediately if symptoms are present

-proper quarantine

-etc.

If you have something already typed up, would you mind sharing ? Thanks!!

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I like the idea of this, but I am not sure if it'll give the teeth we'd want it to. I might bring up this idea to my boss.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

It’s a good idea in theory but what do you do when (not if...cuz we all know it will happen) they break their end of the contract?

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Specializes in retired LTC.
Quote
32 minutes ago, SaltineQueen said:

It’s a good idea in theory but what do you do when (not if...cuz we all know it will happen) they break their end of the contract?

SaltineQueen - You guys even have trouble having family 'pickup or callback' when you try contacting them!! There'll never be any real way to enforce this type of policy - what else can you do??? Evict lils to the street?!?!

Learned a long time ago, that the more laws, R&R, P&P, etc are created, the question remains --- HOW WILL YOU ENFORCE THEM???????

I have the greatest respect for you SNs, so I just see this as another sad boondoggle being heaped upon you for compliance.

Hope something workable happens for you!

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We have parents sign that they have "read and agree to everything" in the parent handbook that includes much of this type of thing. They definitely sign and do not follow.

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I understand that there will still be issues with pickup but if this contract gets the attention to at least a handful of parents I think I'd be worth it! I was also thinking it would be more of a teaching platform than a contract. I would include things like when the student needs to stay home, when a student can return back to school, the importance of keeping the nurse informed about positive/negative tests or any symptoms the student exhibited, etc....We also have a handbook that parents sign but lets be real nobody is reading 50 pages of rules. Maybe, just maybe, if I make this COVID-19 contract a separate contract it'd be taken more seriously?!

I have no clue...I'm at a lost with this whhhhooollleeee situation ?

I'll type something up today and add it here. PLEASE give me all of your thoughts and ideas! THANKS

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Specializes in school nursing.

We have had something similar to this in the past within our student/parent handbook that is signed (but definitely not read as evidence by years of parents "not knowing").

In a perfect world, this would work, and I think you are right that it will catch a few parents. But as we all know, there are always going to be exceptions. Also, I feel like the idea of a contract insinuates that a breach of contract requires consequence...not sure how we can "punish" parents while still providing their student with their right to an education.

I love the idea of providing it as more of an educational material for parents/guardians. Do you already have other forms you send out at the beginning of the year? Maybe it could be included with any emergency forms/normal school year paperwork that parents have to go through anyway. Also, I find that posting things to our schools facebook/Google classroom/website gets much more attention than anything I send home in paper form.

Also, for your normal day-to-day nursing practice: A hack I've found for reaching parents when a child is sick, is setting up Google Voice so I can text them from a secured, not personally owned, telephone number. It's amazing how quickly some parents can respond to a text when I've been trying to call them for the past hour. It can even be sent as a mass text without sharing everyone's information with each other. Just a thought!

**edit: I always call the parents first and leave a voicemail before using Google Voice. But I follow it up with a "Hi, this is ... nurse at Johnny's school. It's not an emergency but ... You can call me at 555-5555 or reply to this text with your response"

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Specializes in retired LTC.

A terrible thought crosses my mind - what happens if a child/staff/teacher etc DOES come up positive for C19? Will you be REQUIRED to inform parents of the situation??? I mean, with HIPAA/FERPA how will this happen???

Hey, you guys even have nosey families going crazy with LICE. This would start such a riot!

Again, good luck to you guys as the school year tries reopening.

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Specializes in school nurse.
On 7/11/2020 at 4:01 PM, amoLucia said:

A terrible thought crosses my mind - what happens if a child/staff/teacher etc DOES come up positive for C19? Will you be REQUIRED to inform parents of the situation??? I mean, with HIPAA/FERPA how will this happen???

Hey, you guys even have nosey families going crazy with LICE. This would start such a riot!

Again, good luck to you guys as the school year tries reopening.

If other people (students, teachers, etc.) have had significant exposure to a COVID + person, all potentially affected people will have to be informed. (and quarantine)

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Specializes in School nursing.
2 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

If other people (students, teachers, etc.) have had significant exposure to a COVID + person, all potentially affected people will have to be informed. (and quarantine)

And while names can't disclose, we likely won't be able to stop anyone else from talking. Finding that balance as my school looks ahead to the what is the COVID amendment of our handbook. Which we do have families and students sign off on.

But I have already brought up the issues on my re-opening committee (I'm lucky to have a seat at the table) issues with picking up and the many, many students I previously had permission to send home on their own with written parent permission - usually on public transportation. That is a huge issue to rethink and I want to let parent know early to game plan put up options. Having an Uber pick up your possibly COVID positive student is also now an issue. I'm not knowingly exposing an Uber driver.

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Specializes in kids.
On 7/16/2020 at 11:52 AM, Jedrnurse said:

If other people (students, teachers, etc.) have had significant exposure to a COVID + person, all potentially affected people will have to be informed. (and quarantine)

I'm thinking Public Health will be helping with this part, I hope!

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