Students using cell phones to call home sick

Specialties School

Published

Hi

Does anyone an opinion on students by-passing the school nurse; calling the parent directly from school to be picked up because the student doesn't feel good? This is a growing issue and was wondering if anyone has any advise? Cell phones are here to stay, and though it is against policy, and the student is not medically excused, there doesn't seem to be concern by the parent or student.

I almost feel like I am missing an opportunity to implement a new procedure that incorporates the use of cell phones by students.

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

A little graph for you:

Amount of effort required to make everyone happy:

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Amount of effort required to tick everyone off:

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I do not fight this issue. I have learned we are a customer service industry, not a place for education. As long as all the parents and students are happy, admin is happy. Do I sound salty? Yeah, it was that kind of Monday.

Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.

My rule:

If the child called their parents to come pick them up, the absence is not excused. It's only excused if the call came from me and I knew the student was sick and was going home.

Students are not allowed to use their phones in school here. Doing so is a disciplinary write up, a second offense is a detention and so on.. so when I do get the calls from either the office saying that a perent is here to pick up a student that i haven;t seen, then it raises a red flag or when i get the occasional call from an irate parent that tells me that their prescious little darling called them and why didn't I call them - it all becomes pretty clear quickly. The more irate and rude the parent is with me, the more likely i am to turn the student in for unauthorized cell phone use. Ditto with the student.

On the other hand - there have been the times that the parent hasn;t answered my calls from the office to pick the student up and in frustration i've asked the student to try with their cell phone (in front of me, with my permission - so no rules being broken) - it's amazing how those phones get picked up magically!!

Same here. Though the staff could do a better job here following through on punishment for use of a cell phone.

Most times I don't care, that practice is an admin/parenting issue. If given the right opportunity my conversation goes something like this... so I understand that you texted your mom to come pick you up because you're not feeling well and I want you to understand that anytime that you are not feeling well you are always welcome to come to the health office and call your mother from our telephone. using your cell phone during school hours is against the rules and I do not want you to get into trouble. I will never, ever, not allow you to use my phone to call your mother. So this allows the student to call the mom have a conversation to which I will then say let me speak to mom for a moment I will then let mom know that I've taken the temperature there is no fever the child appears to look normal and if it was my child I would probably send them back to class, or bring them cold medicine or Tylenol, but this is your child so it is your decision. this usually leads to a conversation between Mom and student that lasts anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes of the child begging to go home and parent pleading for them to go back to class. I might interject if I feel the student is becoming rude and remind the students they may not speak to their parents like that in front of me. I might also take the phone away at that point and ask the parents if they would like me to play bad cop. This has lead to a low success rate of mom coming to pick the child up but if the parent decides to pick the child up or the student convinces them to come get them then that's between the two of them not on me.

Specializes in School Nursing.

In elementary, if a parent comes to pick up a student because they got a call, I'm always the first one the office asks, because nobody is supposed to call a parent to pick up a sick child but me. In the past I've had issues with teachers bypassing me, and the office is always on top of it. I can imagine it being much different in high school and middle school, and I have had my son text me to tell me he isn't feeling good. His school rarely give out nurse passes, and he never fakes sick, so I did pick him up and take him to the doctor. Nobody in the office questioned me about how I knew to pick him up. I just told them I'm picking him up to take to the doc. My right as a parent and as a school nurse! ;)

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Some of the teachers use a texting app to communicate with the parents about homework, assignments, ect. I get annoyed when I see a kid for a stomachache or find out the kid is upset because they had big plans of sitting home and playing xbox and then goes back to class and sulks with their head down and the teacher takes it upon themselves to sens the parent a message without even contacting me to see what my evaluation was. There is a reason I sent them back. Maybe I did call. For cripes sakes, you call be about every other thing under the sun, you can't call me to find out why i sent Jimmy back to you.

Specializes in kids.

Frustrates the bejeezums out of me. I will say to them, especially when they have done it before, that a little cellular device in their hand does not afford the privilege to call and self-dismiss. Often I get just get a blank stare.

I have a principal who doesn't get it, he says "It's probably what I would have done"...Say what???

The one I use on parents is that if I have no idea why children left the building, I have no control over the public health issue. So, if you call me to ask "what is going around?" I cannot give you an accurate answer. Some get it, some don't...or won't

I do not fight this issue. I have learned we are a customer service industry, not a place for education. As long as all the parents and students are happy, admin is happy. Do I sound salty? Yeah, it was that kind of Monday.

Very well stated!!! No point fighting a losing battle....

Specializes in Peds,Geri-Psych,Acute Care Rehab.

Its always irked me when my students call, dont show up to the nurses office and than I have parents in there asking where there kid is and whats wrong. I almost feel like it makes me look stupid/as if I lost there kid or something!

If your going to call and not see me just go to attendance.... :/

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