Teacher not letting kid go to the nurse

[Anonymous]

My son sprained his ankle at recess, but wasn't allowed to go to the nurse or get ice despite asking, nor was I notified. The after school program called me as soon as he arrived there. After taking him to urgent care (since I wasn't given the chance to take him during office hours) he's on crutches for at least a week. Do so many kids ask to go that it has to be regulated? I'm sure it can be hard as a teacher to tell if someone is really hurt or not, but I'm feeling frustrated.

[Anonymous]

Holy crap, I hope you talked to the principal about this!

[Anonymous]

Your frustration is justified and the teacher is/acted like an ass

[Anonymous]

Escalate the issue. And don't chicken out.

[Anonymous]

Sure teachers need to regulate who goes to the clinic aide (paper cuts, broken hearts, etc can be fixed in class) but anything that might be sprained I'd call and have the nurse come to the student.
Follow up on this as you should have been notified asap for you to decide how to proceed and care for your child!

[Anonymous]

I too would be pissed and would escalate. Good luck Op.

[Anonymous]

Have aftercare write a statement about what occurred. Bring doctors note. Demand a meeting with the principal ASAP

[Anonymous]

Make sure you have all the facts and keep an open mind. Many sprains do not manifest for several hours.

[Anonymous]

You know OP, this is bad. But there is a kid in my DD's class who is always "breaking his nose" or "breaking his leg" when really there is zero injury. I think sometimes if there have been frequent incidents, the teachers become wary of believing there is a genuine problem.

i'm not saying your kid is a liar, just that sometimes teachers do not believe the kid, for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have aftercare write a statement about what occurred. Bring doctors note. Demand a meeting with the principal ASAP

Do this. Documentation is your friend. I do think that if the aftercare is part of the school, you are not likely to get any written statement from staff there because they probably would fear trouble at work if they provide such a statement to a parent. Still, get documentation from the doctor ASAP. And then write a letter to the principal and copy the teacher. Send it by registered snail mail (registered "real" mail tends to get attention because lawyers and other official sources use it). Send an email the same day the school receives the registered letter. Say you expect to meet with the principal to discuss this by Date X.

Specific dates and stuff on paper will get more attention than a vague email of complaint.

I would tell the principal in the meeting that you want an explanation of the school's policy on sending kids to the nurse. Ask if there is a written policy in a teacher handbook or anything like that or if it is left up to the teacher based on the circumstance. Show open-mindedness by asking if there was any reason the teacher might have felt your son was exaggerating and if he has asked for unnecessary visits to the nurse in the past. Emphasize that while your son is recovering now, you want to ensure this doesn't occur with other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure teachers need to regulate who goes to the clinic aide (paper cuts, broken hearts, etc can be fixed in class) but anything that might be sprained I'd call and have the nurse come to the student.
Follow up on this as you should have been notified asap for you to decide how to proceed and care for your child!

The school nurse can't come to the student! Even if the bone broke the kid goes to her. If the kid can't, an abulance is called.

[Anonymous]

Jfc all of you need Xanax. The kid will be ok.

[Anonymous]

I would send an email to the principal, nurse and counselor, and CC the teacher, to ask them to train teachers to send children to the nurse when they complain about sprains. Attach the hospital papers, and specify that your son is now on crutches for a week, and this might have been avoided if he had been off his feet and the nurse had iced the area immediately.

The message has to look to the future, not focus on berating the teacher. I agree that if she has a class full of complainers, it was easy to overlook a sprain. Now she won't make that mistake again, and you haven't lost her goodwill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure teachers need to regulate who goes to the clinic aide (paper cuts, broken hearts, etc can be fixed in class) but anything that might be sprained I'd call and have the nurse come to the student.
Follow up on this as you should have been notified asap for you to decide how to proceed and care for your child!

The school nurse can't come to the student! Even if the bone broke the kid goes to her. If the kid can't, an abulance is called.

What planet do you live on? That's not the way it has worked at any school I've been affiliated with as student, teacher or parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure teachers need to regulate who goes to the clinic aide (paper cuts, broken hearts, etc can be fixed in class) but anything that might be sprained I'd call and have the nurse come to the student.
Follow up on this as you should have been notified asap for you to decide how to proceed and care for your child!

The school nurse can't come to the student! Even if the bone broke the kid goes to her. If the kid can't, an abulance is called.

What planet do you live on? That's not the way it has worked at any school I've been affiliated with as student, teacher or parent

Well, let's see: I taught in FCPS for over a decade. I also have two kids in elementary school in FCPS and it doesn't happen at our school. I've been a sub nurse at our school (since having children), so I'm pretty familiar with the rules. What's your experience to answer the question?