My son & I were asked to leave DD's elementary school!

[Corie]

There was an hour long presentation at DD's school yesterday. It
was for her 1st grade class project.

The kids have been working very hard for the past month on Sea Creatures
reports. Each child picked a sea creature. They wrote a 5 paragraph
report and drew an illustration. They also had to create a model of their
sea creature. (My DD did a shark out of clay and then we suspended
it with fishing line from a shadow box that she had painted to look like
the ocean.)

I was also the class mom in charge of turning all the reports into a book. Our
elementary school has a Publishing Center project each year. I turned the kids' reports into a 60 page book which will be published and available for purchase
by the parents. (It was a big job!)

Each class (K-5) at the school has a parent creating the class book for the Publishing Center. I volunteered to do DD's class.

Yesterday morning was the big presentation. DD's teacher was going to present
and then each child was going to read their report. I'm sure that I was
going to be introduced too since I put together the book.

But, when my son and I were signing into the school yesterday and DS started
coughing, the school nurse came out from her office. She said that she
didn't feel comfortable having DS at her school with *that* cough and she
wanted us to leave. She also asked if he had a fever and I said no.
I waited for my husband to arrive and explained the situation to him. Then I explained
to DD that DS & I had to leave. I gave my camera to my husband and
left.

My son did have a doctor's appt. yesterday afternoon because this cough is keeping
him up all night. But you can't tell me that every child at the elementary school
is cough-free.
The result of the doctor's appt. was:
*No fever (which I knew)
*Lungs clear, no wheezing, no rattling.
*Bad cough, nothing can be done about it.
*Discovered he had a double ear infection. (He had not complained of ear pain.
Had no idea.)



I am still very upset about this incident and I wish that I had not left the school.

Since it is still bothering me, I actually put in a call to the school principal today.
My husband thinks I should leave it alone but I'm angry.

[mamicka]

That's ridiculous. I'd be angry, too, if I were you & I think a call is appropriate.

[hellokitty1]

oh, that stinks. i wish you had not left either but i'm sure you were just in shock when you were asked and didn'r have a clear head to question it. hope dh got lots of pics.

[LBW]

That's nuts. I'm glad you called the principal. I'm sorry you missed the presentation, especially after all the work you and your DD put in.

[Ceepa]

Is the nurse the top of the food chain at a school as far as medical issues go? Would an administartor have been able to override her? Would they want to? I don't lknow how that works.

Anyway, Corie, I would have been very angry too.

[Corie]

Let me ask you guys this,

Does the school nurse have the right to ask me to leave the school?


And, what should I say to the principal?
I'm sure that she will back the school nurse and her policies. Especially with the nervousness going around about the Swine Flu. She'll just say the school nurse
was being cautious.

[ThreeofUs]

I would have been pretty p!ssed, too.

[ett]

That's just crazy. I would also have been very upset. I do think you should call the principal.

[KBecks]

It sounds like they are freaking over swine flu. I would be upset too but I don't know that there's anything to be done about it.

[g-mama]

That totally stinks, but why didn't you stay and have your dh take your ds home?

[sste]

I'm sorry, that is awful! Why don't you sleep on it for another day and still if you are still upset enough to take action. I have some idea how you feel. My 18 month old has been obsessed for a couple of months with a fake cough - - he actually has several variations of it, a fake hack, a fake single cough, a fake multiple cough. We have been getting alot of LOOKS these days with the swine flu. I find myself saying lamely, "Its a fake cough" while they look at me like I am a crazy person.

[DietCokeLover]

I would be very angry about that too. I just think people are going WAY overboard about this whole swine flu thing.

I would definitely discuss it with the principal.

[TwinFoxes]

That totally sucks. Unfortunately I agree that the principal will back the nurse. Not only that I'm sure their are parents who would have been upset if she hadn't stopped you. This is what happens when hysteria gets the best of people.

[Octobermommy]

I would be very angry about that too. I just think people are going WAY overboard about this whole swine flu thing.

I would definitely discuss it with the principal.


:yeahthat:

[mom2one]

I feel for you. I was asked to pick up my preschooler last friday due to a runny nose. This whole swine flu thing is way out of hand. My DC has not had a fever is sleeping and eating well. Yes, he has a runny nose and I don't know if it is a mild cold or allergies.

I would talk to the principal. Probably better to write you points down on a piece of paper so you can stay on task with what you wanted to say. I would be angry too, you missed a very special day.

[mamicka]

I feel like coughing on purpose every time I'm out in public now.

[MMMommy]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'd be livid. If kids had to be sent home b/c of a cough, I'm sure half the school population wouldn't be in school. That was a bit of an overreaction on the school nurse's part, in my opinion. Also, was it just a fluke that the school nurse happened to even hear your son coughing? Why would the school nurse even be there to hear it? Either way, I'm sorry you went through this, especially after all your hard work on the project.

[s7714]

Well darn, if my DDs school had a nurse like that, about 75% of the school would have been sent home with "that" cough in the past couple of weeks!

My guess is she's just being overly cautious right now, because you just know there are parents on the other side cringing in horror at the slightest cough emitted from someone else's child. Personally I think if your DS didn't have a fever (which I would have happily let the nurse take to feel assured there wasn't one) she shouldn't have asked you to leave.

What is your school's protocol for sending regular students home right now? Would a normal student have been sent home with only a cough or would they have to have exhibited other symptoms? If she was following the protocol set for ALL students on campus, then as annoying as it was I think she was just doing her job. If she would not have sent home a regular student with only "that" cough then IMO she had no right to ask you to leave either.

[Fairy]

I'm with your husband, only because I don't think any change will be affected right now. The world is agog over the Swine Flu, and the precautions being taken seem insane to me. As if the regular flu didn't need these precautions. As if good hygiene is any more important with this variation of the flu. My friend's son's entire softball season has been cancelled. THE WHOLE SEASON. Granted, it's just intramurals, but come ON. There was a woman working out right next to me last week, and I saw she was wiping down machines before she got on them, so out of courtesy, I wiped down mine extra carefully; and she saw me. And she proceeded to re-wipe it down immediately thereafter and did all the machines in every nook and cranny that could be reached. Took her three minutes of wiping before she even got on it. Why? She siad she's worried about Swine Flu. So, while I understand why people are being cautious, and I agree that to turn you away for one cough from your son without even questioning exactly what he may or may not have (how'd she know he wasn't asthmatic?), I have a feeling your voice will not be heard.

[Jen841]

I am so sorry you had to deal with this after all of your work.

I do feel a bit for the principal, school administrators, day care directors,... everyone who is being given strong directives to protect us and our children right now. There are some fine lines and everyone is scared. Policies are being made that are very conservative right now out of fear, but you need to follow them or you look like the bad guy that is not trying to protect the lives of others.

I have a co-worker in true fear right now b/c her son is at a school (college) with 20 confirmed cases. Imagine you child being sick or scared far away and not being able to help (parents are asked to leave the children there to risk further exposure and to allow the CDC to appropriately care for those affected.)

It is a scarey time for our world. I feel for you, that principal and all that are making some tough calls they may not agree with.

Can't wait for this to be behind is all!

[maestramommy]

I feel like coughing on purpose every time I'm out in public now.

:hysterical:

[rgors]

I would like to unanimously jump on the bandwagon of mama-solidarity, but I have to wonder -- was the school nurse just doing her job? Was it a judgment call on her part or was she being guided by directives handed down to her? Did she have the background to understand how special this ceremony was to you specifically? Was she polite and firm, or snippy and flippant?

It is hard to be the Unpopular Enforcer, especially when public paranoia is such a rampant factor. I would not have wanted to work for TSA during 911, kwim?

[DrSally]

Wow. I would be mad too. Another reason for coughing at night is seasonal allergies. DS has some coughing and sneezing/drippy nose, due to seasonal allergies. I would hate to be told to leave somewhere b/c of this. I think she should've asked more questions about his symptoms. How does one cough= the swine flu? Do they have a protocol for who to send home or is it just b/c you happened to be in the office and she heard him cough? If nothing else, if you do talk to the principal, ask him/her to clarify what the policy is on when they ask someone to go home.

[Corie]

That totally stinks, but why didn't you stay and have your dh take your ds home?

We talked about this scenario but I'm more involved with school and volunteering
since I'm a SAHM. My DD already knew that I was working on the class book.
It's extra-special for her that DH was able to be there. :) I'm old news. :)

[Corie]

Do they have a protocol for who to send home or is it just b/c you happened to be in the office and she heard him cough?


I'm not sure of the school's cough policy. :)

She heard my son coughing because her office is right down the hall
from the main office. (approx. 5 feet down the hall, I would guess)

[lorinick]

Oor school nurse is in charge of any illness and is backed by all staff. She is crazy she sends kids home all the time. I've picked up my son many times when a dr. appt. was even needed. Many of us parents think she's over the top. But she rules the going home thing. I'm sorry you missed the show and I'd be mad too. But I think nothing will come of calling the school at this point.

[Corie]

But I think nothing will come of calling the school at this point.

And I completely agree with you.

I just want to call the school and let the principal know my thoughts. I have
everything written down so I don't veer off track.

[american_mama]

Just an hour or so ago, I was talking to a wise friend about a problem which I encountered at my daughter's school. My friend pointed out that the central question is about how I respond to unfair treatment, and that is an issue which will come up again and again, so she advocated taking action. So I say yes, you should talk to the principal.

It might help to review this website:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

Per the CDC's guidelines there, your son had only one of the symptoms, making the school nurse seem over-reactive. However, to make the nurse's case, she also hear the cough from 5 feet away - which implies a rather bad cough - and took the CDC's recommended action of sending a child home to limit public contact.

It sounds like the school nurse could have done a far more tactful job of "protecting" public health while also treating your more fairly, and that expecting her to balance both demands ought to be a requirement of her job, especially when the school probably invited you there in the first place.

As an action step, you might suggest the nurse lend tissues and hand sanitizer to anyone who seems to have one symptom but not enough to warrant sending them home. I doubt that will pacify the super cautious, but it seems like the most reasonable course of action.

I would be very upset too.