couldn't go to the nurse ~ WWYD

[calv]

I'm kind of upset. DC came home yetserday w/a bruise on her cheek. She got elbowed or something while playing outside. So this morning I called the teacher. she replied by email:


Just got your message that you called. Just wondering if I can answer by email. I won't be able to call you back until later today or after school. Anything important?



and this is what i said:

Good morning. Hope all is well. Not urgent and I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding so I wanted to get your take. ABC said XYZ hit her head with her arm by accident out at recess, asked you if she could go to the nurse (for ice or whatever) and you said no. I just want to make sure that she is taken care of when something like that happens. Maybe she did not explain what happened clearly? I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Again, my main concern is that she get proper attention when something like that does happen.

Thanks


teachers reply:

Hi
Yes, ABC did tell me what happened out at recess and I did assess the situation. She and XYZ came in happy and cheerful and said "Can we both go to the nurse?" They clearly seemed fine and if I thought it was serious, I certainly would have sent her to the nurse. The nurse's office is a place that children love to go and if I sent every child to the nurse that asked to go, I am sure Mrs. Nurse would not appreciate that. Therefore we try to assess the situation ourselves first and go from there.
In the future, if something happened, of course ABC would get the attention she needs.
Thanks,


WWYD I want to reply back but not sure what/how. I'm pretty upset. Like I said, DC has a bruise on her cheek. And our child isn't one to be a drama queen or take daily trips to the nurses office. HMPh. yes i'm pist the more I think about it.

[egoldber]

Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing if I were the teacher. From her account, your DD seemed fine and cheerful. And I am sure that kids often goof off and play on the way to and from the nurse's office.

I would let it go.

[Indianamom2]

Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing if I were the teacher. From her account, your DD seemed fine and cheerful. And I am sure that kids often goof off and play on the way to and from the nurse's office.

I would let it go.

:yeahthat: If she was bleeding, maybe that would have been different, but not for what you describe. I'd definitely let it go.

[o_mom]

Honestly, from what the teacher said, I am inclined to agree with her. Bruises are not always obvious at first, so seeing nothing, the girls acting cheerful and asking to go together, I probably would have thought the same thing.

[twowhat?]

Honestly, this wouldn't bother me. If anything I would have wished that the teacher explained to your DD that a bruise on the cheek isn't something that needs nursing care, or something like that.

Maybe you can email back asking to just be sure to explain that to your DD if it happens again? Was your DD upset about it when she related the story to you? The teacher's story makes sense to me - I remember as a kid everyone loved to make excuses to go see the nurse - any little bruise or bump.

Mine come home with bruises every so often and it really just doesn't bother me - accidents happen on the playground.

I hope you and the teacher find a compromise you're comfortable with!

[waitingforgrace]

I guess I'm not sure what you are thinking the teacher should have done. The girls said it was an accident and seemed fine. It stinks your DD has a bruise but honestly there's nothing the school nurse could have done to change that.

I'd let it go, the teacher used her best judgment and the bruise will heal.

[MMMommy]

Not that this justifies anything, but perhaps the bruise wasn't visible at the time the teacher assessed the situation? I can understand how you would be concerned, especially b/c of the visible bruise. I can also understand the teacher's need to assess the situation before sending every student to the nurse's office. At DDs' elementary school, it seems like the younger grades love to go to the office and see Mrs. M (our office person/nurse). She is a grandmotherly type that is so warm and loving, that the kids love to have any excuse to go see her. Also, whenever any little one is hurt, a friend escorts them to the office. That "friend" takes great pride in escorting the hurt child to the office. So I can see how too many kids going to the office can be a problem at some schools. I wouldn't be concerned based on what you mentioned.

[calv]

a pack of ice on DD's face would of helped her face/bruise. she's complained all night and is (obviouly sore) today. at least let the child go down alone then. but this teacher always has them travel together. the other child had a scrapped/bloody arm.

[TxCat]

Honestly, from what the teacher said, I am inclined to agree with her. Bruises are not always obvious at first, so seeing nothing, the girls acting cheerful and asking to go together, I probably would have thought the same thing.

:yeahthat:

Because they were both cheerful, and it sounds like they asked to go together, the teacher probably did think that it wasn't that serious. Also, perhaps your DD is an "easy bruiser" - I bruise all the time from pretty minor stuff, even tickling. Since childhood, I've always looked like I'm getting into serious scrapes, but nope, just bruise easily.

[calv]

:yeahthat:

Because they were both cheerful, and it sounds like they asked to go together, the teacher probably did think that it wasn't that serious. Also, perhaps your DD is an "easy bruiser" - I bruise all the time from pretty minor stuff, even tickling. Since childhood, I've always looked like I'm getting into serious scrapes, but nope, just bruise easily.

no not easily bruised. LOL, surprisingly she got a softball to the face and it didn't buise. yesterday she gets an arm/elbow to the face and it's a bruise of about a 1/2 dollar

[gatorsmom]

at least let the child go down alone then. but this teacher always has them travel together.

Children being paired up to go anywhere in the school without an adult was a common practice at our other school.

If your daughter is a bit sore from a bruise, give her a little Tylenol. It will certainly relieve her pain better than an ice pack.

If I were the teacher, I would have probably done the same thing. If the girls were happy and smiling and there was no blood on your daughter, then I wouldn't have sent her to the nurse. I think bumps and bruises are a normal part of childhood. jmho

[egoldber]

Our school has a policy that kids have to be sent in twos out of the classroom.

[elektra]

I'll be the voice of dissent! I would have been PISSED. This actually happened to me when I was a child. In 7th grade, I was changing for PE and while I was trying to take my pegged jeans off without unpegging them, my legs slipped out from under me and I landed right on my elbow. It hurt SO bad, but I was half naked, on the ground with everyone laughing at me. I fought back the tears so hard, pulled myself together and went to the nurse. The nurse (Mrs. Kick, I'll never forget) told me to put ice on it for 5 minutes and get back to class, and said she knew I was just trying to get out of PE. It was the FIRST time I had ever been to the nurse! I was an athlete and didn't mind PE at all! I was humiliated and was accused of being a liar when that was not the case whatsoever. I remember sitting there by myself in the nurse's office feeling horrible, and that is where I began to cry.
My mom ended up having to take me to the Dr. to get x-rays because my elbow swelled up so much that she thought it might be fractured.
If I were you I would take a picture of the bruise and draft a calm response to the teacher, acknowledging that you understand that children probably use the nurse to get out of class, but then ask if YOUR child has ever do so before.
If yes, then I would ask why you had not been informed. If no, I would ask then why would she assume your DD was lying? Just because other kids do? Your DD could have been seriously hurt, even if there were no physical signs. I would also say you have taken a picture and there is a definite bruise on her face, or else you would not have even bothered emailing the teacher.
I remember how my mom totally stuck up for me too. And I think it taught me a lesson of how I better not lie about such things because my mom would believe me and stick up for me. I was a good kid. I am still bitter about this situation if you can't tell!

[MMMommy]

I think the other child with the scraped/bloody arm changes the picture now. I think the teacher should have sent the other child with the bloody arm to the office if it was something more than just a small cut. If it was an obviously larger wound (not just small, bloody scrape). I know that some "invisible" injuries also warrant a trip to the office. Like anytime a child has a head injury at our elementary school, the child must go to the office, and the parent must be telephoned.

I think b/c the two girls were happy and in a cheerful mood, that led the teacher to think it wasn't so serious. I think the teacher's judgment sounded right if the kids were cheerful and happy, the teacher didn't see bruising on OP's DC, and and saw no major cut on either child. I don't think a small cut (even with a little blood) warrants a trip to the office. But a larger cut, yes.

[JamiMac]

I would not be upset about this. Kids LOVE to go to the nurse and my DD's have both been "turned down" before when the teacher didn't think it was applicable. A bruise may not show up right away and if they did go up happy and cheerful, the teacher probably did what she thought was right. What really could the nurse have done anyway? KWIM? Unless it's a large bump showing up or something with swelling, I'm not convinced ice does much.

[calv]

I'll be the voice of dissent! I would have been PISSED. This actually happened to me when I was a child. In 7th grade, I was changing for PE and while I was trying to take my pegged jeans off without unpegging them, my legs slipped out from under me and I landed right on my elbow. It hurt SO bad, but I was half naked, on the ground with everyone laughing at me. I fought back the tears so hard, pulled myself together and went to the nurse. The nurse (Mrs. Kick, I'll never forget) told me to put ice on it for 5 minutes and get back to class, and said she knew I was just trying to get out of PE. It was the FIRST time I had ever been to the nurse! I was an athlete and didn't mind PE at all! I was humiliated and was accused of being a liar when that was not the case whatsoever. I remember sitting there by myself in the nurse's office feeling horrible, and that is where I began to cry.
My mom ended up having to take me to the Dr. to get x-rays because my elbow swelled up so much that she thought it might be fractured.
If I were you I would take a picture of the bruise and draft a calm response to the teacher, acknowledging that you understand that children probably use the nurse to get out of class, but then ask if YOUR child has ever do so before.
If yes, then I would ask why you had not been informed. If no, I would ask then why would she assume your DD was lying? Just because other kids do? Your DD could have been seriously hurt, even if there were no physical signs. I would also say you have taken a picture and there is a definite bruise on her face, or else you would not have even bothered emailing the teacher.
I remember how my mom totally stuck up for me too. And I think it taught me a lesson of how I better not lie about such things because my mom would believe me and stick up for me. I was a good kid. I am still bitter about this situation if you can't tell!

thank you for understanding/seeing my frusteration. And I'm sorry that this happened to you but it's a great story. Thank you for sharing it. I get the whole kids love getting out of class for a band-aid, etc at the nurse. that is not our child and we know that for a fact. maybe I should ask the teacher otherwise. I'm going to let this one go because the teachers already knows that we're fully aware that DD tells us what happens and she'll obviously see the bruise today. Uggh. i'm pist and both DH & I told her the next time anything like this happens and the teacher or an aid say no you can't go to the nurse, to march right out of the classroom & go to the nurse. I don't care if she get's spoken to or sent to the principals office. we said all this to her last night and told her we'd stick up for her as long as she always tells the truth. Like i said, DD isn't one to overreact. she actually needs to grow a pair and we're trying to teach her that yes to respect your teachers and elders but she needs to stick up for herself more. and not always take no for an answer (if that makes sense).

ETA: yes our kids do always travel in pairs w/the exception of going to the restroom, hence why our DD asked. but if the teacher thought they were going out to have fun together maybe she pick another child who wasn't hurt to travel w/each child.

[designermv]

I'm sorry your daughter got hurt. I'm confused as to exactly what happened. The other child hit accidentally elbowed her in the face? How did the other child's arm get scraped and bloody? I would say if it had caused a big scene and lots of tears on the playground, a trip to the nurse would have been warranted. But the teacher seems like she handled it well. She assessed the situation and said both girls seemed fine and happy. So I honestly can't blame her for not sending them both when at that moment your DD did not appear to be in need of medical attention. Maybe the bruise hadn't shown up yet? Were there any adults who witnessed the accident? Were the girls able to keep playing/finish recess, or were they injured to the point of needing to come inside immediately? I guess I'd need more information on exactly what happened before I'd get too upset with the teacher.

I hope your dd recovers quickly.

[Green_Tea]

I can understand why seeing a bruise on your child's face is upsetting, but honestly, I think the teacher reacted appropriately. And I think advising your child to disobey her teacher in the future is asking for trouble. JMHO.

[Roni]

I change my opinion a little now after hearing more from OP. I think the other child with the scraped/bloody arm changes the picture now. I think the teacher should have sent the other child with the bloody arm to the office. Especially with visible blood or an open wound that would need treatment of some sort (even if just some Neosporin and a band-aid). I know that some "invisible" injuries also warrant a trip to the office. Like anytime a child has a head injury at our elementary school, the child must go to the office, and the parent must be telephoned.

I think b/c the two girls were happy and in a cheerful mood, that led the teacher to think it wasn't so serious. I think the teacher's judgment sounded right if the kids were cheerful and happy, the teacher didn't see bruising on OP's DC, and and saw no bloody arm on the other child. I do think a bloody arm warrants a trip to the office for the other child.

I agree. Any time there's blood involved, universal precautions dictate that it should be covered up. And, I agree that ice would have helped prevent bruising. But, the teacher is probably not trained in first aid and was going by the girls' happy faces. I definitely don't think there was malicious intent on her part. OP, my 2 cents is that if you do follow up with the teacher, you will likely get further if you keep that in mind, rather than coming across as angry. It stinks that your dd got hurt, but you can't go back in time and change how the teacher handled the situation. At best, she will think twice the next time. Also have you tried giving your dd arnica? It's a homeopathic remedy.

[calv]

IMO it's common sense when a child get a hit to the head, especially the face area ice can only help & not really harm anyone. DD bruise is about 1/2 by her nose, straight below her eye. I don't know exactly what happened. I guess it was a 3 or 4 kid collision. they tripped and all fell on each other somehow. and the lunch/recess aid did pull them aside and sat down for the remainder of the recess since DD was pretty shaken up. Again, all this coming from DD.

[bisous]

I wouldn't be angry. I'm actually glad to read your perspective because likely if I were the teacher I would have reacted exactly the same and then have been shocked that it was an issue.

[elektra]

I'm sure it is SO hard being a teacher and dealing with the kind of BS kids dish out, about wanting to leave class and such. I do see where the teacher is coming from.
BUT if my kids says they are hurt, the teacher better treat it as something serious, especially if they have never complained about anything before.

[Roni]

I agree that ice was warrented--I'm a huge fan of ice. When in doubt, give a kid an ice pack. Just remember that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. (Is that even how the quote goes? You get the idea.)

[Tondi G]

I am with you. If my child asked to go to the nurse and was told no I would be pissed. My kid isn't a complainer... if he asks to go then he should go and allow the nurse to decide if he needs an ice pack or a band-aid or just to be sent back to class. They have a nurse for that reason.... they are trained medically to make that call not the teacher. One time DS bumped his head into the metal part of the play structure during the school day and I got an incident report in his folder and the nurse or office manager called me at home to let me know that he had bumped his head, been given and ice pack and was fine and back in class.... they needed to inform me though. If your DD had been given an ice pack when it happened it may have lessened her bruising and swelling.... teacher dropped the ball.

I agree with what you said to your DD.... if in the future she feels as though she wants to be seen by the nurse to just go. I'm surprised the 2 kids didn't just head in to the nurse right when it happened (I know kids out at recess do this at our school).

In the future ... Arnica is really great for minimizing bruises and swelling.... worked wonders on goose eggs my babies got when they were toddlers.... It works best when applied right away but it might help even if you applied when DD got home.

I think I would tell your DD's teacher that in the future if your child comes to her asking to be seen by the nurse you would like her sent there so the nurse can decide if she needs attention or not.

[calv]

I feel like I'm that PITA parent but again, IMO, and yes i'm sticking to it, DD should of been able to go to the nurse for an ice pack. after discussing it w/DH i wanted to email her at first and he said no because of tone mixup and such to call. sure enough that's what I did and it ended up via email anyway.

i just dont know what to say, just not reply to her email to me? again, any head trauma/bumps and yes trauma is a big word, thankfully dd wasn't hit badly, I worry about hits when it comes to a childs head.

And I did take a pic of her cheek this morning of the bruise. obviously the teacher hasn't replied/looked at DD"s face and commented on it.

[nellonello]

Our school has a policy that any issues that involve a "knock" to the face or head requires a visit to the nurse due to the potential for concussion issues. They feel anything above the shoulders warrants "professional" assessments and not that of teachers or playground supervisors.

[waitingforgrace]

OP if you want to respond to the teacher you should just explain to her that DD got a nasty bruise (that I'm sure she saw today) and that in the future you would like DD to be able to put ice on it to minimize the bruising as much as possible. I also don't think it would be unreasonable for you to say you were surprised you didn't get a quick note sent home explaining what happened/explaining the bruise. This will totally depend on the teacher though as to whether that's something they would do.

[calv]

Our school has a policy that any issues that involve a "knock" to the face or head requires a visit to the nurse due to the potential for concussion issues. They feel anything above the shoulders warrants "professional" assessments and not that of teachers or playground supervisors.

I like that policy. when I go in to volunteer, I'll be sure to ask if there is one.

Thank you everyone for your help/thoughts & advice. again it wasn't super serious and we're thankful for that. But come it was bright red as soon as I picked her up from class yesterday. maybe the downfall of having 25+ kids in your class. maybe the teacher didn't even really look at her. shrug?

[designermv]

I'm actually surprised the adult overseeing recess didn't send them directly to the nurse, especially since the injuries were so bad that the girls had to sit out the the remainder of the break.

All the teacher saw was two happy girls who didn't *appear* to be injured. Had they been in obvious distress, and still been denied the opportunity to visit the nurse, yes, I'd be pissed.

[o_mom]

IMO it's common sense when a child get a hit to the head, especially the face area ice can only help & not really harm anyone. DD bruise is about 1/2 by her nose, straight below her eye. I don't know exactly what happened. I guess it was a 3 or 4 kid collision. they tripped and all fell on each other somehow. and the lunch/recess aid did pull them aside and sat down for the remainder of the recess since DD was pretty shaken up. Again, all this coming from DD.

If the recess aide had to have her sit, then I agree that she probably should have sent her to the nurse. As well, if the other child had blood, that should be covered (not just a scrape, but blood that could transfer - not mentioned in your original post).

However, I still maintain that by what the teacher saw well after the fact - two happy girls with no apparent injuries (again - bruises do not always show up right away) asking to leave class - I would probably say no. From what you have shared, IMO, this isn't an obvious situation where the teacher saw her hit her head, she was crying and in pain (like the PPs story), etc. and clearly needed medical attention that was denied. The teacher made a judgement call that I think was perfectly appropriate based on the information you have given. At this point, I think the teacher is aware that you didn't agree with that and has seen DDs bruise so belaboring the point is just going to sour your relationship.

[calv]

this reply to her?

Totally understand the rules of not sending children to the nurses office for every nic/cut. If child ABC is constantly asking to go down to Mrs. Nurse office, please let us know. Our concern was that she said she got hit in the face and was in pain, hence resulting in a bruise and her complaing that it hurt, so she wanted ice. Our understanding of her asking to go together (assuming w/child XYZ ) is because the children when going down to the nurse/office, routinely travel together.

[ahisma]

I can understand why seeing a bruise on your child's face is upsetting, but honestly, I think the teacher reacted appropriately. And I think advising your child to disobey her teacher in the future is asking for trouble. JMHO.

This. I think that the teacher had to make a judgment call. Sometimes, as parents, we aren't going to like those judgement calls. It's definitely appropriate to discuss your concerns with the teacher. Given your level of concern, I'd personally ask to sit down with the teacher.

While I don't doubt that your daughter is honest and telling the truth, the perception of a child is different than that of an adult. Perhaps there is more to the story than you know. Did you see the other girl's arm? I know that my DD has many, many times come home relating incidents that were not entirely as she perceived them. I think that it can be helpful to objectively gather the facts of the circumstance before making a final decision.

As to the suggestion that your DD disobey the teacher, personally, I would be uncomfortable making that suggestion. I think that there could be larger impacts to that recommendation than you'd think, initially. Lack of respect for the teacher's authority can undermine learning in the classroom and, in specific situations, could even create a safety issue if your DD was to leave to go to the nurse's office without approval.

That said, my DD did have a teacher who I felt was an awful match, and whose classroom polices I had a real problem with, even after meeting with her several times. I was definitely that parent, and the school knew exactly what my concerns were.

[o_mom]

this reply to her?

Totally understand the rules of not sending children to the nurses office for every nic/cut. If child ABC is constantly asking to go down to Mrs. Nurse office, please let us know. Our concern was that she said she got hit in the face and was in pain, hence resulting in a bruise and her complaing that it hurt, so she wanted ice. Our understanding of her asking to go together (assuming w/child XYZ ) is because the children when going down to the nurse/office, routinely travel together.


I think this is fine if you are going to send a follow up.

[billysmommy]

If the recess aide had to have her sit, then I agree that she probably should have sent her to the nurse. As well, if the other child had blood, that should be covered (not just a scrape, but blood that could transfer - not mentioned in your original post).

However, I still maintain that by what the teacher saw well after the fact - two happy girls with no apparent injuries (again - bruises do not always show up right away) asking to leave class - I would probably say no. From what you have shared, IMO, this isn't an obvious situation where the teacher saw her hit her head, she was crying and in pain (like the PPs story), etc. and clearly needed medical attention that was denied. The teacher made a judgement call that I think was perfectly appropriate based on the information you have given. At this point, I think the teacher is aware that you didn't agree with that and has seen DDs bruise so belaboring the point is just going to sour your relationship.


agreeing with this.

I would think that the aide who was on the playground would be the one to make the call to send them to the nurse. If I were the teacher and they were smiling and happy by the time they got inside and hadn't been sent to the nurse by the adult that was there when it happened then I would have made the same judgement call.

[ha98ed14]

I agree with the teacher's assessment of the situation in the moment. I would have made the same decision. I think her response to you was the perfect balance of explaining her reasoning and reassuring you that she takes injuries seriously and would not deny a student medical care.

FWIW, the "rule of thumb" about who goes to the main office to call mom or the nurses office at our school is anything involving broken skin, body fluids, obvious breaks, and complaints of pain that don't subside. In the case you describe, DD came in from recess happy and complained later at home. I think the situation would have been handled the exact same way here.

[TxCat]

I think at this point, it's a "you have to pick your battles" situation. Since you emailed the teacher already and questioned what happened, I think she's probably aware of your displeasure about how things were handled. So now the question is how far you continue to pursue it.

In situations like this, I try to ask myself what it is that I ultimately hope to accomplish. Do you want to change or establish a school-wide policy, like a PP mentioned, where anything that is possible face/head trauma automatically gets evaluated by the school nurse? Are you hoping for an apology from the teacher or an acknowledgment that maybe she assessed the situation incorrectly? If you are hoping for the former, I would maybe continue to pursue the situation, including talking to school administrators who could maybe help clarify policy. If it's the latter, it might be gratifying, but will it be gratifying enough to justify pursuing the issue? You can't go back and get a re-do of the day, and the end of the school year is approaching.

If it was me, I'd let it go. I'm guessing the teachers at this school do get some pressure to be gatekeepers for access to the nurse (maybe it's been an issue in years past?), and she tried to make the best judgment call she could on the fly. It's hard to always be on the correct side of those.

[swissair81]

I would be annoyed. The teacher isn't a medical professional. I had to call my daughter's teacher this year and explain that my daughter has a constipation issue and if she spends more than 30 seconds in the bathroom, that should not be cause to deny her the ability to ever go to the bathroom again because she thinks she wastes too much time there. My daughter was in hysterics that she might have an accident because the teacher wouldn't let her go. If that didn't work, I would have gone straight to the principal. The school I send my kids to doesn't have a nurse, but if they fall and get banged, they can go to the office to get some ice at least. If it is a big bang, I usually get a call from the teacher as well.

[hbridge]

I would ask that a policy be put in place that if your child wants to go to the nurse she can. I have actually told DC on occasion to ask to go to the nurse if various things crop up since I know she will never even think of it otherwise.

Also, tears and being upset are not the only indicators that a child is hurt. My DC will NEVER admit to pain or discomfort. If the adult isn't paying attention or see an incident happen they will NEVER know. DC sprained her ankle and said all was fine until I took her for an x-ray 5 days later because she will still limping. About two weeks later, after the pain was gone, DC finally admitted that her ankle had hurt.

While I understand the teachers not sending students to the nurse for every little thing, I know that my child needs to go if she asks. I would be VERY upset if the teacher didn't respect that.

I would e-mail the teacher back and let her know that if DC wants to see the nurse, you would like her to be able to go whenever she needs to or requests to. If nothin else it's important that the kids know that they can ask and their request is respected. If not, they may not be willing to ask when it really is something that needs to be tended to.

[dogmom]

I just had a quasi interview for a substitute nursing job in our school district, so we had this whole discussion about when the job entails and who winds up in the office. I made an observation that kids get sent to the nurse for things that would never occur to me. Like my son coughs a lot after he's has a cold or lingering upper respiratory infection, annoying, but that's it. Has all his life, some kind reactive airway thing, probably like asthma, but doesn't effect his breathing. The Teacher sent him, and I was like, "Really? It's a cough, not TB." So call from nurse, whatever, some kind of action plan, I kid you not, about him "bringing in cough drops and having water at his desk." OK, whatever, but I think the teacher could have just sent a note home to me without a nurse trip, especially since she knows I'm a nurse AND my son has stopping into the nurses office every day at lunch to get an OTC med that I can't just put in the lunch box. (an exlax) At home I just kept telling him to cover his mouth with his arm.

The nurse director told me different school nurses have different personalities. In our K-2grade school we have 3 diabetics the RN has to manage and she still has a very open door policy, send everyone. Her job is sort of crazy, all the lice checks, med handouts, blood sugar checks, insulin pump, other issues, and general sick calls. Plus she's the person that get's the sick calls and checks the attendance every am, and the house get's called if there is no call in.

At other schools the nurse director says it goes in cycles, the teachers will start sending just about everyone to the nurses office, the nurse finally says something to the principal, the principal addresses the teachers, the teachers start doing a little gate control, and then it ramps up again.

[DebbieJ]

Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing if I were the teacher. From her account, your DD seemed fine and cheerful. And I am sure that kids often goof off and play on the way to and from the nurse's office.

I would let it go.

:yeahthat: I volunteer at my son's school every week and I see this happen with my own eyes. Once you let one kid go, they all make up an ailment and want to go to the nurse's office.

[Moneypenny]

Our school has a policy that any issues that involve a "knock" to the face or head requires a visit to the nurse due to the potential for concussion issues. They feel anything above the shoulders warrants "professional" assessments and not that of teachers or playground supervisors.

Our school is the same and they also send home a "head injury" form. DD once got hit in the head with a frisbee at recess which automatically requires a visit to the health room for 30 minutes of observation and the head injury form which explains what happened and things for parents to watch out for that may indicate concussion. I think it's a good policy.