A plea: please stop sending your sick kids to school

[Anonymous]

I will cry for you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach preschool. There are 18 kids in the class. 2 weeks ago one child was out sick. She missed one day and returned with a cough. Parents insisted she was only coughing at school. Guess how many kids are now out sick (very sick)…13!
I have been in early childhood teaching for nearly 30 years and have never seen anything close to this.

Can you send the coughing kid home? Sincerely asking. I’m so sick of seeing visibly sick kids at drop off. There are exclusion policies but they’re not enforced.

To some degree, yes. When the child really is not themselves, I call and tell the parents. Right now the kids are small and the cough is bad. In fact I sent one home (had been out a week, came back but sounded awful) last week, later in the day the mother called to thank me for sending her child home. They ended up going straight from picking the child up to the emergency room where it was determined they weren’t getting enough oxygen and began breathing treatments.
I don’t claim to be an expert on much, but I do know when a 4 year old is too sick to be at school (for their own well being as well as the rest of the kids).

[Anonymous]

These are reasons to keep a kid home:
-fever
-vomiting
-kid feels really bad
-positive test for something like COVID or strep.

Otherwise, send them on. Our pediatrician’s office even has a chart up about how long a cough can linger following illness. Keeping kids home for every cold would mean tons of missed days & is not practical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The parents that can keep their kids home, will. The parents that can’t, won’t. It’s been this way since the beginning of time. Learn to deal.

I also wonder if attitudes have shifted over time, or if my memories are family and region specific. Because when I was a kid, you stayed home for fevers or stomach bugs. That's it. You have a cold? Tough, you suck it up and go to school! You can't miss a spelling test! Now its, "how dare you send your child with a cold to school?!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so confusing why no one wants to be a teacher any more. So confusing!

This is nothing new. You used to only be allowed, as in the rule, to keep you kid home for fever and vomiting. A cold was never a valid excuse to miss school, and you wouldn't be able to get a doctor's note for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did keep my kids home. I kept them home when they had low fevers and weren’t feeling well. Four/five/six days later, their fevers are gone and they feel back to normal, but they will have a lingering cough for at least a week, probably more. I’m not keeping them home for a non-contagious cough.

How do you know it's not contaigous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and I have to strongly disagree with you. Kids stay home for everything now. Kids are kids and everything hurts them too. Unless a fever or the child is visibility uncomfortable, they can power through. They can put their head on the desk if needed, have personal tissues, drink plenty of water. A cough that lasts for weeks does not mean they should stay home. Yes, I am a teacher and get sick too but guess what? That is what sick leave is for and it’s just part of the job.

Have you ever considered the impact on others. Sure, its no big deal to you but a cold lasts several weeks for me. It sucks I have to keep my kids virtual because of people like you.

What did your kids do before the pandemic if you couldn't risk catching a cold from them- did you homeschool? In any event, given that with your strict standards, you'd be keeping your own kids home for weeks whenever they catch a cold, virtual is a better option for you (and their teachers) so they don't miss so much school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parents that can keep their kids home, will. The parents that can’t, won’t. It’s been this way since the beginning of time. Learn to deal.

I also wonder if attitudes have shifted over time, or if my memories are family and region specific. Because when I was a kid, you stayed home for fevers or stomach bugs. That's it. You have a cold? Tough, you suck it up and go to school! You can't miss a spelling test! Now its, "how dare you send your child with a cold to school?!"

Were all of the pediatric hospitals at capacity when you were a kid? Were drug store shelves bare? Was there a pandemic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and I have to strongly disagree with you. Kids stay home for everything now. Kids are kids and everything hurts them too. Unless a fever or the child is visibility uncomfortable, they can power through. They can put their head on the desk if needed, have personal tissues, drink plenty of water. A cough that lasts for weeks does not mean they should stay home. Yes, I am a teacher and get sick too but guess what? That is what sick leave is for and it’s just part of the job.

Thank you!!!

Completely agree

[Anonymous]

Only need to keep kids home if they:
1) have a fever
2) have tested positive Covid, flu, strep
3) vomiting/diarrhea
4) if for any reason they are feeling really poorly to the point they can't really do anything but lie in bed

Sorry but I'm on week 3 of bad congestion and cough. My kids had it and recovered pretty quickly and never even missed school (their illnesses lasted about 3 days but occurred during fall break) but if even if they did still have congestion and cough they would be back in school by now regardless. I'm not keeping them home 3 weeks every time they get a bad cold!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did keep my kids home. I kept them home when they had low fevers and weren’t feeling well. Four/five/six days later, their fevers are gone and they feel back to normal, but they will have a lingering cough for at least a week, probably more. I’m not keeping them home for a non-contagious cough.

How do you know it's not contaigous?

You know you’re usually most contagious BEFORE you have symptoms?

[Anonymous]

I really wish they would stop, but the pandemic exposed how many parents can't stand to be around their children. They are so used to spending less than 5 hours a day with them that they loose it if the kids are home. It's the oddest thing to me because I love being around my kids and know how to parent without outsourcing to teachers and coaches.

They will continue to send sick kids to school. All you can do is make sure your children are eating well, getting enough sleep, being active spending time in the sun and fresh air, and keeping their hands clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did keep my kids home. I kept them home when they had low fevers and weren’t feeling well. Four/five/six days later, their fevers are gone and they feel back to normal, but they will have a lingering cough for at least a week, probably more. I’m not keeping them home for a non-contagious cough.

How do you know it's not contaigous?

You do not keep your kid home with a simple cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has tested negative for everything and still is coughing three weeks in; this is lifetime pattern for him due to asthma. How long should I keep him out of school?

You don't actually know everything.

Bullshit. He has SOMETHING, just not what he's been tested for. Thanks for passing whatever it is along to others.

NP. Sorry, I’m not keeping my kid home for three weeks for a lingering cough you psycho.

We're not saying to keep your kid home for 3 weeks. But 3 days. That's doable. There are so many parents who send their poor suffering kids to school when they're clearly ill.

Or scream at me and demand I send their child (who “wasn’t sick this morning!”) back to class despite the fact that the child has a concerning, phlegmy barking cough. Then to really “show me” takes over two hours to collect her child from the clinic.

I’ve had parents tell me that they can’t come to school to pick up because of work, then situation changes for the worst and child goes to the ER with an administrator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, the parents most likely to send their sick kids to school loaded up with Tylenol are doctors and nurses.

I don't know about that, but if you ask a young kid if mom/dad gave them medicine this morning, the kid will tell you the truth. And will tell you what kind of medicine. We've started doing this, because we know so many parents are lying, but their kids are much more honest.

If my kid can run and play, hes going to school. If he isnt sleeping more than normal, or isnt eating less than normal he goes to school. If he does not have a fever (without medication), he goes to school.