I have a special ed teacher who is in her 2nd trimester of pregnancy. She is convinced that she is having a high risk pregnancy though nothing she is telling me suggests high risk. I think it took her a while to get pregnant and she is a bundle of nerves. I am a per diem perinatal educator at the local hospital so I've been trying to reassure her that everything her doctor tells her indicates positive news.
I completely understand her desire to protect her baby. However, she is paranoid about all the students now. I have to do daily temp checks on most of her class. If they are out one day, I have to "assess" them before they are allowed to walk though the door. It's really wearing me down. I get that nobody wants illness in their classroom. But it's an elementary school. I can guarantee you will see vomit, fevers, and lice every year. We have had quite a few kids with Fifth disease and she is really upset about that. Again - I understand the concern but I can't figure out a kid has Fifth's until the rash appears and they are not longer contagious.
I actually suggested she speak to her OB about getting out on disability early. I think she needs it for her emotional well being.
Ditto what everyone is saying. Our job is to include kids as much as possible so they get an education and exclude those who will make everyone sick. Screening all those kids, aside from HIPAA, is depriving them of their educational time, exposing them to other sick kids in the clinic, and is a waste of your time. Sorry the teacher is anxious but it is her problem. The entire school does not revolve around her.
Perhaps the teacher needs to wear a mask. I would be very careful about screening for any illness on kids who were healthy when they left home that morning, it will open a huge box of worms. Get the principal involved and get support for you to not screen these kids. If they are being treated differently than students in other classrooms, you might be getting into some trouble with the parents. If the teacher cannot work in the environment of the elementary school, then she needs to initiate maternity leave now.
You might suggest that she have her OB/midwife do titers for things like ParvoB19 (Fifth disease), CMV, varicella, etc. A rubella titer is standard prenatal care, but some of the other ones are not depending on the practice. This might help allay some of her fears. Re: doing temp checks in the classroom, that is ridiculous. That has to stop. Does she realize how many pathogens she's exposed to at the dang grocery store?
I was exposed to Fifth disease in my first pregnancy, CMV in my second. Went to OB, he drew titers, they were immune, we all slept better. The kids are alright. Sheesh.
I should suggest the Fifth Disease titers. She's been a teacher for a good 10 years or so. I tried to tell her that she must be immune. But one of our other teachers developed Fifth's and his wife is pregnant. I can't convince these teachers that there is nothing I can do about Fifth Disease. We have no idea kids have it when they are at the contagious stage.
I did suggest she talk to her OB about getting written out early.She was threatening to do that when a lot of cases of Fifth's were going around. Our administrator told her to do it! She wasn't getting a hard time from administration. They will do whatever the doctor says.
She was out today which made things a little less stressful. I'm going to have to remind the teacher about HIPAA violations. I'd be upset too if my kid was constantly being sent to the nurse for temp checks. They usually have some reason that most of the kids need a check. So-and-so feels warm. So-and-so was out yesterday. So-and-so said he had a fever yesterday.
Thank you for all the replies! Definitely some food for thought here. I know we all deal with some uber germaphobic teachers... this is just getting to the next level of germaphobia!!
I've really always hated that they call it "Fifth Disease". Makes it sound worse than it is, which is just another virus. Also called slapped-cheek disease. Maybe she should just watch for kids with cheeks that looked slapped.
You should not be checking temps, as others have stated. Just say no.
first of all...you are a school nurse...not her OB GYN...stop everything you are doing. No more. you don't have time, this is her fight and cause not yours.
Yep, you guys are right!!! I'm just between a rock and a hard place. This is the smallest classroom with 12 kids. They always have a reason the kid needs to be check - he feels warm, he's not himself, he's been falling asleep, he said he got medicine this morning, etc. Last week 2 of the kids in her class were genuinely ill. One kid was brought in at 8:30 (when school starts) because he told the teacher he didn't feel good. He had a fever. I called the dad who said he shouldn't have a fever anymore since he got Tylenol this morning. Another kid caught the flu from his brother. The teacher was convinced the mother sent the kid in knowing he was sick. It's not even worth pointing out that non-sick siblings are allowed in school. Quite frankly, she does have a lot of crazy parents (it's the self-contained special needs room) but I can't correct that. Last week we had over 80 kids out one day (student population is 500). Oy....
I'm not a school nurse so I'm honestly asking: are you really between a rock and a hard place?
I went through two pregnancies as a SPED teacher, and she's doing a major 'no no' in regards to isolating these kids, kids needing special services as identified by law, to get 'assessments' and temp checks that interfere with such. Honestly, as an educator she should be ashamed of herself.
As a parent, I would be infuriated if I found out that my kid was receiving daily temp checks, despite being asymptomatic. Missing out on instructional time due to personal insecurities and doubt... She thinks she has crazy parents NOW? Just wait until they hear about what's been going on...
I'm trying to imagine the reaction of my principal if I tried to do that way back when. It wouldn't have been a positive on my yearly eval, that is for sure.
So, at least from this former teacher's point of view, you have common sense on your side over emotional lack of sense. All you have to say is "missing instructional time as stated by their IEP/504." Done.
I'm not a school nurse so I'm honestly asking: are you really between a rock and a hard place?
I went through two pregnancies as a SPED teacher, and she's doing a major 'no no' in regards to isolating these kids, kids needing special services as identified by law, to get 'assessments' and temp checks that interfere with such. Honestly, as an educator she should be ashamed of herself.
As a parent, I would be infuriated if I found out that my kid was receiving daily temp checks, despite being asymptomatic. Missing out on instructional time due to personal insecurities and doubt... She thinks she has crazy parents NOW? Just wait until they hear about what's been going on...
I'm trying to imagine the reaction of my principal if I tried to do that way back when. It wouldn't have been a positive on my yearly eval, that is for sure.
So, at least from this former teacher's point of view, you have common sense on your side over emotional lack of sense. All you have to say is "missing instructional time as stated by their IEP/504." Done.
I'm not going in there to line kids up and do temp checks. It's just that by the end of the day, I've seen at least half of her class for something that usually includes a temp check. The "rock and a hard place" is that she sends the kids down with an assistant with some sort of an issue. I'm not being called to the classroom. The assistants totally get it. I hear the same thing from every one of them - "I'm just doing what I am told." She always sends them down with a reason.
But today I put my foot down. This kid came in with a red mark on the pina of his ear. It was maybe 1/4" in diameter. He's white. White people show red marks very easily. I told the assistant to take the kid back and I was not documenting a red mark. I told him that my constant "assessments" are turning into a HIPAA violation if the kid is not c/o of discomfort and/or not asking to see me. This poor kid does have a crazy mother who is very brash. She comes flying in pushing a stroller and then can't get off school property fast enough to light up cigarette after cigarette. The teacher is also convinced this kid has bed bugs because he tells stories of being bitten at night. There is no evidence at all of bed bug bites.
I agree with you all and I appreciate the perspective. This one is just new to me!!!
I'm not going in there to line kids up and do temp checks. It's just that by the end of the day, I've seen at least half of her class for something that usually includes a temp check. The "rock and a hard place" is that she sends the kids down with an assistant with some sort of an issue. I'm not being called to the classroom. The assistants totally get it. I hear the same thing from every one of them - "I'm just doing what I am told." She always sends them down with a reason.
But today I put my foot down. This kid came in with a red mark on the pina of his ear. It was maybe 1/4" in diameter. He's white. White people show red marks very easily. I told the assistant to take the kid back and I was not documenting a red mark. I told him that my constant "assessments" are turning into a HIPAA violation if the kid is not c/o of discomfort and/or not asking to see me. This poor kid does have a crazy mother who is very brash. She comes flying in pushing a stroller and then can't get off school property fast enough to light up cigarette after cigarette. The teacher is also convinced this kid has bed bugs because he tells stories of being bitten at night. There is no evidence at all of bed bug bites.
I agree with you all and I appreciate the perspective. This one is just new to me!!!
I have a very similar situation. The only difference is that instead of pregnant teacher it is a "brand new grandma" that does not want her new grandbaby exposed to anything. She takes the passive aggressive route also. Sends practically the entire class of non-verbal autistic kids to me one by one but always FINDS a reason so what do you do?? Turn the kid away???
And really??? She sees that baby once a week on the weekends only.......
Retire already PLLLLEAAASSSSEEEEE!!
I have begun to call the parents on every single visit and I always start out with. "Ms. brought ____________ to see me because she seems concerned that ______________________"
It has slowed down a little since I started doing this. I am hoping the parents will start to complain and voila! I can be twice as passive aggressive as her!
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Windchaser22
408 Posts
Ditto what everyone is saying. Our job is to include kids as much as possible so they get an education and exclude those who will make everyone sick. Screening all those kids, aside from HIPAA, is depriving them of their educational time, exposing them to other sick kids in the clinic, and is a waste of your time. Sorry the teacher is anxious but it is her problem. The entire school does not revolve around her.