Pet Peeve #456657352

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Oct 3, 2014

:banghead: Just keep your kid home then. They will still get unexcused absence if you have to pick them up 1st period and you will still have leave work, etc.

Pet peeve #456657353: Parent sending his/her clearly very sick child to school, then when I call for the parent to pick up his/her clearly very sick child, get told "I'm at work, they have to stay because I can't pick them up or get anyone else to pick them up." Clearly very sick child then spends miserable day in my office. ::sigh::

allnurses Guide · Oct 3, 2014

I was listening to a news show this morning where docs were being interviewed about Ebola and Enterovirus D68.

The #1 way to keep Enterovirus (or flu) from spreading was to keep your sick child at home!

I realize both parents work nowadays but if you decide to have kids, you simply have to build in some system where if your kid gets sick, they can stay home with an adult.

Wave Watcher · Oct 3, 2014

I give my little speech every year to the parents of new kindergartners. I always say, "If you tell your child you will pick them up from school if they continue to not feel well............you better be parked in the parking lot right after they walk into school. I promise...I WILL be calling you within 30 minutes so you CAN come pick your child up." I also tell them that situations like these I typically call right as they get to work or pull into their driveway at home so please don't tell your child you will come and get them. Keep your kiddo home if you really don't think they feel well.

schoolnurse64 · Oct 3, 2014

Had this one earlier in the week. Kindergarten student came in first thing in the morning complaining he's sick and needs to go home. Says he's coughing a lot and threw up during the night. No fever, no coughing while in office, keeps holding his stomach saying "I'm sick" but no complaints of stomach pain. Called mom to clarify vomit during night-mom laughed and said "he's there already?";mom said he coughed up mucus the night while having coughing fits and told him if he doesn't feel well during school go the nurse and she'll come pick him up. So of course, he's in my office wanting to get picked up!!! Nicely told the child that he seemed fine and to come back in an hour or two if he still isn't feeling well. Student kept saying "but I'm sick and I have to go home!" Finally convinced him that he was ok to stay in school...

Nurse ABC · Oct 9, 2014

I quit calling parents with these notes unless the student has a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, horrible cough, etc. (the same reasons I'd send anyone home). If the student says they were vomiting or running a fever last night I will call parent to clarify and if they did have those issues I make them pick them up due to our 24 hr without rule. Sometimes I will wait until the student leaves my office and call parent to let them know student was in my office and I don't feel they need to go home if they are a helicopter parent. I've never had a parent call and complain I didn't call them right away except once and I explained they didn't meet the criteria to be sent home and that if they truly felt the child was ill they shouldn't have sent them. Parent understood and no more issues because student just said they were sick and I wouldn't call. I could see how with some parents this could become an issue but most parents say that because they are pretty sure their kid can make it but the kid is making a fuss about not wanting to go to school.

I agree my biggest pet peave is parents sending obviously sick child to school (sometimes with a fever but they just had Tylenol so they'll be ok when that kicks in right?!) and then not available to pick them up. Also, the parent that just sends student back to school on bus that had lice day before trying to sneak them back in without being rechecked. :banghead:

BSNRNHS · Oct 9, 2014

Totally echo the above sentiments. In high school, the kids roll in and announce "my mom said if I go in to take my 1st period quiz I could call her after that". Again, no fever, no vomiting etc. It takes EVERYTHING in me to not tell them that I am willing to bet that their mom is praying she doesn't hear anything from them all day....

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Oct 9, 2014

Totally echo the above sentiments. In high school, the kids roll in and announce "my mom said if I go in to take my 1st period quiz I could call her after that". Again, no fever, no vomiting etc. It takes EVERYTHING in me to not tell them that I am willing to bet that their mom is praying she doesn't hear anything from them all day....

Sometimes I lose my filter and say just that.......

fetch, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2014

Totally echo the above sentiments. In high school, the kids roll in and announce "my mom said if I go in to take my 1st period quiz I could call her after that". Again, no fever, no vomiting etc. It takes EVERYTHING in me to not tell them that I am willing to bet that their mom is praying she doesn't hear anything from them all day....

Hahaha my wife is a HS AP teacher and she gets the flip side of this all the time!

"My child was SO SICK but they insisted they had to come in and take your quiz. I CONVINCED them to stay home because they were SO SICK and so why won't you let them take the quiz that they missed?"

Well ma'am, your child had five days to make up the quiz, just like every other student has, just like it spells out in the handbook that both you and your child signed at the start of the year. As this was three weeks ago and they never even bothered to ask me about it, they have missed their chance (and I am a little suspicious they were that concerned about this quiz to begin with)!

fetch, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2014

Pet peeve #456657354: Student comes in for a reddish eye. You check them over, are reasonably sure it's allergies and 100% sure the child is old enough to wash hands responsibly (for my district at least, that means they can stay in class unless it gets worse). Send them back to class . . . and some teacher passes them in the hallway and says "OH MY GOSH YOUR EYE IS SO RED YOU NEED TO GO TO THE NURSE RIGHT NOW AND GO HOME."

Witch please. That eye is barely pink, and that is not your student, and NOT your call!