Sending kids to school with a cold but no fever?

[Anonymous]

This is stupid. First, how do you tell the difference between cold and allergy? My kid will have a runny nose from late march to mid may.

If there is no fever and no vomiting, she goes to school.

[Anonymous]

Why are so many parents of preschoolers posting on this thread? The thread is under "VA Public Schools." That means it's regarding K-12, not preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: If you have the luxury of keeping your child home every time she has a runny nose then you either don't WOH or just have leave to burn.

So admit it - it's not about the child, it's about you and your job. Your job determines how your sick child is treated.

When DD first started pre-K, she was sick all the time for the first 6 months. I was SAHM and stayed with her at home every single time until she completely recovered. As inconvenient as it was, it was best for her health and best for others. Now she hardly ever gets sick. So the moral is to do what's right, not what's easy.

A parent's "job" usually has a lot to do with meeting their child's needs for food, housing, etc. You sound like you have led an incredibly privileged life- you sound like Gwyneth Paltrow. Nobody likes her because she doesn't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: If you have the luxury of keeping your child home every time she has a runny nose then you either don't WOH or just have leave to burn.

So admit it - it's not about the child, it's about you and your job. Your job determines how your sick child is treated.

When DD first started pre-K, she was sick all the time for the first 6 months. I was SAHM and stayed with her at home every single time until she completely recovered. As inconvenient as it was, it was best for her health and best for others. Now she hardly ever gets sick. So the moral is to do what's right, not what's easy.

Why did you do that? DS got sick all the time, and would have a fever for one or two days and then a lingering runny nose and cough for weeks. If I kept him home until he was fully recovered, he would never ever go to school. Once he's past the worst and on the mend, he's ready to go to school. And so was your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are so many parents of preschoolers posting on this thread? The thread is under "VA Public Schools." That means it's regarding K-12, not preschool.

VPI?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If YOU have a cold, do YOU stay home with your kid the whole time? If you leave the house with your kid you are exposing others, no?

Well, duh. I can't leave the kid at home alone. The kid is staying at home because he's feeling not well and has runny nose and cough, he needs to drink liquids and rest and needs access to large amounts of Kleenex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Parents of preschoolers are completely different than parents of school aged children. A preschooler can miss whatever amount he/she wants with no real repercussions.

How hard can it be? You call the school and find out what they're doing that day and make the kid do it at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
A parent's "job" usually has a lot to do with meeting their child's needs for food, housing, etc. You sound like you have led an incredibly privileged life- you sound like Gwyneth Paltrow. Nobody likes her because she doesn't get it.

It's not a privileged life. It's how normal should be. Women should be fighting for their rights to taking sick leave, proper maternity leave and in general more support from the society. Instead of shoving out sick because women can't afford to take days off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Parents of preschoolers are completely different than parents of school aged children. A preschooler can miss whatever amount he/she wants with no real repercussions.

How hard can it be? You call the school and find out what they're doing that day and make the kid do it at home.

You realize there are limits to how often a kid can be out of school, right? And you realize preschools don't have those limits, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A parent's "job" usually has a lot to do with meeting their child's needs for food, housing, etc. You sound like you have led an incredibly privileged life- you sound like Gwyneth Paltrow. Nobody likes her because she doesn't get it.

It's not a privileged life. It's how normal should be. Women should be fighting for their rights to taking sick leave, proper maternity leave and in general more support from the society. Instead of shoving out sick because women can't afford to take days off.

So it's just women who have to take care of sick children? What decade are you living in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I kept my kid home for every cold, she would never go to school!

Yup, this. If they are running around and obviously not bothered by a runny nose/sneezing, they are going to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Parents of preschoolers are completely different than parents of school aged children. A preschooler can miss whatever amount he/she wants with no real repercussions.

How hard can it be? You call the school and find out what they're doing that day and make the kid do it at home.

You clearly do not have an elementary school child. If your child is home frequently in elementary school, they might get their writing journal home but have no idea what the writing prompt was or for language arts is supposed to work in a group finding blends, that is missed. Or how about math when the kids are doing games with partners and then changing? How about music, PE, or art?

You can see that I believe everyone disagrees with your position, yet you're the one who is right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If YOU have a cold, do YOU stay home with your kid the whole time? If you leave the house with your kid you are exposing others, no?

Well, duh. I can't leave the kid at home alone. The kid is staying at home because he's feeling not well and has runny nose and cough, he needs to drink liquids and rest and needs access to large amounts of Kleenex.

But - gasp - you are exposing people to your germs. Unless you are using a tissue each time, the germs are shared:

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/best-sneeze-22258478

And even then, the tissue and your hand are contaminated. Think: door handles, grocery carts, pens signing at the grocery store, elevator buttons, buttons at a soda machine, tongs, etc.

[Anonymous]

This is a interesting and not surprising thread. No wonder sicknesses spread like weeds at work and at school. This thread reminds me of the threads about parent involvement or volunteering. I would bet money that the same parents who are pro sending their kids to school sick are the same ones who are anti-volunteering at or in support of the schools. It is sad how work truly engrosses people to the point that they are a slave or make themselves slaves to their jobs. Bottom line, there are times when you just need to do the right thing by your child and in respect of the other kids when it comes to spreading sickness around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a interesting and not surprising thread. No wonder sicknesses spread like weeds at work and at school. This thread reminds me of the threads about parent involvement or volunteering. I would bet money that the same parents who are pro sending their kids to school sick are the same ones who are anti-volunteering at or in support of the schools. It is sad how work truly engrosses people to the point that they are a slave or make themselves slaves to their jobs. Bottom line, there are times when you just need to do the right thing by your child and in respect of the other kids when it comes to spreading sickness around.

The school rule is 24 hours fever-free. Our school does not say, stay home if you have to blow your nose during the day, or have a lingering cough from that cold three weeks ago. Does your school say that? Or do you say that, since you're so much better than all the pps?