Teacher wants no hand sanitizer in classroom

[geocachingRN]

I have a medically fragile student in the classroom 1:1. She is in third grade out sick about 50% of the time. Last week I started squirting hand sanitizer in the entire class when they come in the morning and after lunch and recesses. This morning the teacher said to stop, that it can be done only once per day after lunch. I usually do it before lunch since they eat with their fingers and the teacher does not direct them to the bathroom before hand. She considers it a classroom management issue in a classroom she doesn't have much control over.

Also, she has never cleaned the desks ever.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

dont think this is within her area of expertise......

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

Ditto that! Also, if the child has an IEP, you can try to see that this gets included on it. It seems that this is an accomodation that is necessary to keep the child healthy and in school, and the teacher should accomodate!

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I also had a medically ill student once, she was required to wash her hands before lunch after recess and etc. You may not have the right to have the whole class do it. Luckily we had hand sanitizers stations all over the school so that most of the kids where directed to santize after lunch. See if the student has a IEP or 504 plan.

[bergren]

What would the parents say if the hand sanitizer can only be used to when it protects the teacher's health (after lunch), but not before lunch (to protect the children's health)?

This would make a great research opportunity. Compare the absentee rates of this class with the others.

[geocachingRN]

Thank you Bergren!

That's exactly what I wanted to do and I will next semester when I'm in the class all the time. Right now when I'm not there the students clean their hands "all the time," she said. "and it's disrupting." After the holidays, I can monitor better and initiate a study.

Thanks to all for your support!

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Sounds like someone feels like you are in "their" territory. Tell her that there is a medical reason, and since she does not have a medical background it is not her call. With the flu season why not take precautions, especially for a medically fragil child. Get a MD note if that is what it takes.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

The first rule of prevention is hand-washing. It it inexcusable that these kids are forced to eat their lunches with dirty hands--ewww, no telling where their hands have been. Is there a really good reason that she doesn't want to use the hand sanitizer? Do the kids lick it off their hands(that actually happened in my district--1st graders were getting tipsy from licking!) Unless they are allergic to the hand sanitizer or have some other pressing reason I would insist that they either wash hands at the sink(just as effective) or use hand sanitizer. And if you don't get anywhere with her, go to your principal. And if she won't do anything, go to your supervising nurse. Sometimes they can put pressure on teh principal to do the right thing. Good luck.