“Why Did We Ever Send Sick Kids to School?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you think about it, a lot of things we did before covid were pretty gross

I can't believe I smoked joints being passed around at shows.

You should probably knock that off for reasons other than germs. How do you know what's in it? Thats how you end up high on boat.

I like boats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you think about it, a lot of things we did before covid were pretty gross

I can't believe I smoked joints being passed around at shows.

You should probably knock that off for reasons other than germs. How do you know what's in it? Thats how you end up high on boat.

I like boats.

Not that boat, Cap'n Stubin

[Anonymous]

My kid’s teachers have regularly had policies which make it very difficult to catch up. They often seem to suggest that the kid needs to catch up by working at home, while sick. But if the kid is too sick to go to school, usually he’s too sick to do schoolwork. It just feels like they want to have it both ways.

Sometimes it feels like teachers just want the kids to be sick less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you think about it, a lot of things we did before covid were pretty gross

I can't believe I smoked joints being passed around at shows.

You should probably knock that off for reasons other than germs. How do you know what's in it? Thats how you end up high on boat.

I like boats.

Not that boat, Cap'n Stubin

DONT YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s teachers have regularly had policies which make it very difficult to catch up. They often seem to suggest that the kid needs to catch up by working at home, while sick. But if the kid is too sick to go to school, usually he’s too sick to do schoolwork. It just feels like they want to have it both ways.

Sometimes it feels like teachers just want the kids to be sick less.

This discussion is illuminating. Of course the angry teacher poster doesn't speak for all teachers, but it helps me to understand that even before the pandemic, some teachers favored policies to intended protect teachers from being exposed to illness, regardless of severity or actual risk, to the detriment of childrens' education. No teacher should ever be forced to catch a cold, so all sniffling children should be excluded from school. And each of them needs to individually approach each of their teachers to make arrangement to make up the work, subject to teacher discretion to allow them to make up the work. Oh, and by the way, if you are sick, stay home as instructed, and ask to make up the work, you have to do it either before or after school, so you'll need your own transportation for that too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly say that in 31 years of parenting five children I have never knowingly sent a child to school sick. Parents who do this are just the worst.

+1 I have four kids. But I also work from home.

The households where both parents work outside the home, who don't have family close by, and who have multiple kids are in an extremely tough position. Just with dentist appointments and well visits and other standard stuff I could have an appointment once a week. Add in sick kids, few weeks go by in the winter without interruptions. I have a flexible schedule but people who don't have to make complicated decisions.

But it was your choice to have four kids in a dual income household. You had them knowing what your responsibilities are. I had two coworkers going through chemo last year, with kids coming in sick because, “I have a meeting,” parents don’t realize the implications of their actions. You have a moral obligation to keep your sick children home and have a babysitter/family member care for them. The classroom is not a warehouse for sick students. When the nurse tries to send them back to class, I’m happy to let her know that the child is welcome to stay with her or sit in the front office for the remainder of the day.

No child should be excluded from school for a cold. End of story. And frankly, if you want to encourage families to keep their kids home, you should 1) advocate for more sick leave, 2) alter the school year so that working parents don't have to take off as many days simply to follow the school calendar, 3) make it easy for children to catch up or stay on track if they stay home sick, including stopping teachers from punishing or making things difficult for kids who miss time from school because they are sick.

There is no childcare for sick children. You can't send them to daycare or school. Period. As a parent, it is YOUR job to care for your child when they are sick. Exclusively. Period. It is the fault of YOUR boss and YOUR job if you can't take a sick day to care for your child. It is ridiculous to suggest we should have "school" (babysitting) available for 365 days a year to accommodate your employer. Do you know how much that would cost taxpayers? We are not a babysitting service, and we are certainly not an infirmary. As a teacher, I'm absolutely not responsible for advocating for your sick leave, nor would you advocate for teachers to get additional sick leave to account for all the illnesses we contract being exposed to your sick children. I already see threads here complaining every time their child's teacher calls out, as if it is any of their business why. In the past, I have reached out to let parents know I would be out on x day (as a courtesy, not a requirement), and had them ask me the reason for the absence. Totally inappropriate.

Obviously my point is not true during the pandemic, but you are uninformed and show that you don't understand that the need for children to receive an education outweighs your demand that you never be exposed to any germs. All public health guidance before the pandemic has been specific about criteria for excluding children from school, and that includes conditions like high fever, (101 or higher), vomiting, conjunctivitis, and flu with cough and fever. A cold or lingering cough or even a low grade fever does not require exclusion from school if the child is well enough to participate in activities.

No, you are uninformed. COVID is not just "any germs" and children have been receiving an education since last March. Like many, many other facets of society, it looks different now than it did 11 months ago. You are mad about the delivery method and shriek and stomp that it is "unacceptable." This is sad for you, but too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly say that in 31 years of parenting five children I have never knowingly sent a child to school sick. Parents who do this are just the worst.

+1 I have four kids. But I also work from home.

The households where both parents work outside the home, who don't have family close by, and who have multiple kids are in an extremely tough position. Just with dentist appointments and well visits and other standard stuff I could have an appointment once a week. Add in sick kids, few weeks go by in the winter without interruptions. I have a flexible schedule but people who don't have to make complicated decisions.

But it was your choice to have four kids in a dual income household. You had them knowing what your responsibilities are. I had two coworkers going through chemo last year, with kids coming in sick because, “I have a meeting,” parents don’t realize the implications of their actions. You have a moral obligation to keep your sick children home and have a babysitter/family member care for them. The classroom is not a warehouse for sick students. When the nurse tries to send them back to class, I’m happy to let her know that the child is welcome to stay with her or sit in the front office for the remainder of the day.

I am the PP, and I am talking about BEFORE COVID. Obviously now things are different. You must stay home if you have the symptoms of a COVID like illness.
No child should be excluded from school for a cold. End of story. And frankly, if you want to encourage families to keep their kids home, you should 1) advocate for more sick leave, 2) alter the school year so that working parents don't have to take off as many days simply to follow the school calendar, 3) make it easy for children to catch up or stay on track if they stay home sick, including stopping teachers from punishing or making things difficult for kids who miss time from school because they are sick.

There is no childcare for sick children. You can't send them to daycare or school. Period. As a parent, it is YOUR job to care for your child when they are sick. Exclusively. Period. It is the fault of YOUR boss and YOUR job if you can't take a sick day to care for your child. It is ridiculous to suggest we should have "school" (babysitting) available for 365 days a year to accommodate your employer. Do you know how much that would cost taxpayers? We are not a babysitting service, and we are certainly not an infirmary. As a teacher, I'm absolutely not responsible for advocating for your sick leave, nor would you advocate for teachers to get additional sick leave to account for all the illnesses we contract being exposed to your sick children. I already see threads here complaining every time their child's teacher calls out, as if it is any of their business why. In the past, I have reached out to let parents know I would be out on x day (as a courtesy, not a requirement), and had them ask me the reason for the absence. Totally inappropriate.

Obviously my point is not true during the pandemic, but you are uninformed and show that you don't understand that the need for children to receive an education outweighs your demand that you never be exposed to any germs. All public health guidance before the pandemic has been specific about criteria for excluding children from school, and that includes conditions like high fever, (101 or higher), vomiting, conjunctivitis, and flu with cough and fever. A cold or lingering cough or even a low grade fever does not require exclusion from school if the child is well enough to participate in activities.

No, you are uninformed. COVID is not just "any germs" and children have been receiving an education since last March. Like many, many other facets of society, it looks different now than it did 11 months ago. You are mad about the delivery method and shriek and stomp that it is "unacceptable." This is sad for you, but too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly say that in 31 years of parenting five children I have never knowingly sent a child to school sick. Parents who do this are just the worst.

+1 I have four kids. But I also work from home.

The households where both parents work outside the home, who don't have family close by, and who have multiple kids are in an extremely tough position. Just with dentist appointments and well visits and other standard stuff I could have an appointment once a week. Add in sick kids, few weeks go by in the winter without interruptions. I have a flexible schedule but people who don't have to make complicated decisions.

But it was your choice to have four kids in a dual income household. You had them knowing what your responsibilities are. I had two coworkers going through chemo last year, with kids coming in sick because, “I have a meeting,” parents don’t realize the implications of their actions. You have a moral obligation to keep your sick children home and have a babysitter/family member care for them. The classroom is not a warehouse for sick students. When the nurse tries to send them back to class, I’m happy to let her know that the child is welcome to stay with her or sit in the front office for the remainder of the day.

No child should be excluded from school for a cold. End of story. And frankly, if you want to encourage families to keep their kids home, you should 1) advocate for more sick leave, 2) alter the school year so that working parents don't have to take off as many days simply to follow the school calendar, 3) make it easy for children to catch up or stay on track if they stay home sick, including stopping teachers from punishing or making things difficult for kids who miss time from school because they are sick.

There is no childcare for sick children. You can't send them to daycare or school. Period. As a parent, it is YOUR job to care for your child when they are sick. Exclusively. Period. It is the fault of YOUR boss and YOUR job if you can't take a sick day to care for your child. It is ridiculous to suggest we should have "school" (babysitting) available for 365 days a year to accommodate your employer. Do you know how much that would cost taxpayers? We are not a babysitting service, and we are certainly not an infirmary. As a teacher, I'm absolutely not responsible for advocating for your sick leave, nor would you advocate for teachers to get additional sick leave to account for all the illnesses we contract being exposed to your sick children. I already see threads here complaining every time their child's teacher calls out, as if it is any of their business why. In the past, I have reached out to let parents know I would be out on x day (as a courtesy, not a requirement), and had them ask me the reason for the absence. Totally inappropriate.

Obviously my point is not true during the pandemic, but you are uninformed and show that you don't understand that the need for children to receive an education outweighs your demand that you never be exposed to any germs. All public health guidance before the pandemic has been specific about criteria for excluding children from school, and that includes conditions like high fever, (101 or higher), vomiting, conjunctivitis, and flu with cough and fever. A cold or lingering cough or even a low grade fever does not require exclusion from school if the child is well enough to participate in activities.

No, you are uninformed. COVID is not just "any germs" and children have been receiving an education since last March. Like many, many other facets of society, it looks different now than it did 11 months ago. You are mad about the delivery method and shriek and stomp that it is "unacceptable." This is sad for you, but too bad.

I am the PP. I was talking about BEFORE COVID, because that was the topic - "Why Did We Ever Send Sick Kids to School?" My answer was in the accordance with most school policies and public health guidance before the pandemic, which is that minor illness and colds did not require exclusion from school. During the pandemic, the rules are changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s teachers have regularly had policies which make it very difficult to catch up. They often seem to suggest that the kid needs to catch up by working at home, while sick. But if the kid is too sick to go to school, usually he’s too sick to do schoolwork. It just feels like they want to have it both ways.

Sometimes it feels like teachers just want the kids to be sick less.

This discussion is illuminating. Of course the angry teacher poster doesn't speak for all teachers, but it helps me to understand that even before the pandemic, some teachers favored policies to intended protect teachers from being exposed to illness, regardless of severity or actual risk, to the detriment of childrens' education. No teacher should ever be forced to catch a cold, so all sniffling children should be excluded from school. And each of them needs to individually approach each of their teachers to make arrangement to make up the work, subject to teacher discretion to allow them to make up the work. Oh, and by the way, if you are sick, stay home as instructed, and ask to make up the work, you have to do it either before or after school, so you'll need your own transportation for that too.

It really is. This makes me reflect on the support kids are given to catch up. Like, they’re asked to complete these worksheets to catch up, but they weren’t in class for instruction. I remember one time when my kid was in 8th and out for a few days not too long before an exam. He came home with all of these math worksheets and was told he could have until the exam to turn in the worksheets. He didn’t know how to do the math. The teacher essentially said “well, you missed the instruction, so go ask your parents to catch you up. Frankly, I know this is embarrassing, but I didn’t know how to do the math either. I eventually found some other help for him, but the class had already moved on, and it was hard to catch up before the exam. He did poorly.

It all felt really punitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s teachers have regularly had policies which make it very difficult to catch up. They often seem to suggest that the kid needs to catch up by working at home, while sick. But if the kid is too sick to go to school, usually he’s too sick to do schoolwork. It just feels like they want to have it both ways.

Sometimes it feels like teachers just want the kids to be sick less.

This discussion is illuminating. Of course the angry teacher poster doesn't speak for all teachers, but it helps me to understand that even before the pandemic, some teachers favored policies to intended protect teachers from being exposed to illness, regardless of severity or actual risk, to the detriment of childrens' education. No teacher should ever be forced to catch a cold, so all sniffling children should be excluded from school. And each of them needs to individually approach each of their teachers to make arrangement to make up the work, subject to teacher discretion to allow them to make up the work. Oh, and by the way, if you are sick, stay home as instructed, and ask to make up the work, you have to do it either before or after school, so you'll need your own transportation for that too.

It really is. This makes me reflect on the support kids are given to catch up. Like, they’re asked to complete these worksheets to catch up, but they weren’t in class for instruction. I remember one time when my kid was in 8th and out for a few days not too long before an exam. He came home with all of these math worksheets and was told he could have until the exam to turn in the worksheets. He didn’t know how to do the math. The teacher essentially said “well, you missed the instruction, so go ask your parents to catch you up. Frankly, I know this is embarrassing, but I didn’t know how to do the math either. I eventually found some other help for him, but the class had already moved on, and it was hard to catch up before the exam. He did poorly.

It all felt really punitive.

This makes a lot of sense. What a tough situation. I think teachers’ complaints are that absences create additional work for the teacher...and that makes sense too. It would be nice if schools had a better way of helping the student without burdening teachers so much. I’m thinking of a teacher, teaching 5+ periods of students...there would be 5-10+ kids absent daily, I’d think. Even more, during flu season or around school breaks. That would be a lot to keep track of. Would be nice if schools had a better way of addressing this issue..

[Anonymous]

Teachers want kids to stay home sick but also don’t want to provide support for those kids because it’s extra work.

Teachers say schools aren’t childcare but also don’t want to go back because schools aren’t open to care for their children.

Teachers want vaccines in order to be “safe,” but also argue that vaccines can’t create safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s teachers have regularly had policies which make it very difficult to catch up. They often seem to suggest that the kid needs to catch up by working at home, while sick. But if the kid is too sick to go to school, usually he’s too sick to do schoolwork. It just feels like they want to have it both ways.

Sometimes it feels like teachers just want the kids to be sick less.

This discussion is illuminating. Of course the angry teacher poster doesn't speak for all teachers, but it helps me to understand that even before the pandemic, some teachers favored policies to intended protect teachers from being exposed to illness, regardless of severity or actual risk, to the detriment of childrens' education. No teacher should ever be forced to catch a cold, so all sniffling children should be excluded from school. And each of them needs to individually approach each of their teachers to make arrangement to make up the work, subject to teacher discretion to allow them to make up the work. Oh, and by the way, if you are sick, stay home as instructed, and ask to make up the work, you have to do it either before or after school, so you'll need your own transportation for that too.

Teachers in my district get only 10 paid sick days which we have to split between personal illness and illness in family. When my younger DD was really little, anything I caught at work, she would catch. And then end up at the Children’s ER for asthma. I was a divorced mom so I could easily use up my 10 days of sick leave before Christmas just from parents sending sick kids 2-3 times. Any days missed after that, my pay was docked. I was losing money so that other parents didn’t lose a day of work. At the time, I worked at a W feeder. The parents were much better off than me, but I was indirectly subsidizing their careers.

[Anonymous]

My kid was a severe asthmatic as a child. I swear if someone SAID "sick" he would be wheezing. (Obviously not, but...) There were a few times a teacher would mention that so & so was there with a pretty bad cold, just an FYI. Sure enough a couple of days later ds would start with breathing trouble and go from there.

Having said that, everyone can't keep their kid home because of a runny nose. Runny nose with no other symptoms doesn't equal sick. What about kids with allergies? Some would almost never go to school.


Runny nose, red eyes, sore throat & cough? Please keep your kid home. At that point they probably feel like crap too.

I think school illness policies will be enforced a lot more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s teachers have regularly had policies which make it very difficult to catch up. They often seem to suggest that the kid needs to catch up by working at home, while sick. But if the kid is too sick to go to school, usually he’s too sick to do schoolwork. It just feels like they want to have it both ways.

Sometimes it feels like teachers just want the kids to be sick less.

This discussion is illuminating. Of course the angry teacher poster doesn't speak for all teachers, but it helps me to understand that even before the pandemic, some teachers favored policies to intended protect teachers from being exposed to illness, regardless of severity or actual risk, to the detriment of childrens' education. No teacher should ever be forced to catch a cold, so all sniffling children should be excluded from school. And each of them needs to individually approach each of their teachers to make arrangement to make up the work, subject to teacher discretion to allow them to make up the work. Oh, and by the way, if you are sick, stay home as instructed, and ask to make up the work, you have to do it either before or after school, so you'll need your own transportation for that too.

Teachers in my district get only 10 paid sick days which we have to split between personal illness and illness in family. When my younger DD was really little, anything I caught at work, she would catch. And then end up at the Children’s ER for asthma. I was a divorced mom so I could easily use up my 10 days of sick leave before Christmas just from parents sending sick kids 2-3 times. Any days missed after that, my pay was docked. I was losing money so that other parents didn’t lose a day of work. At the time, I worked at a W feeder. The parents were much better off than me, but I was indirectly subsidizing their careers.

Honestly 10 days is pretty standard around here for people who are on salary. Some people do get 15. And I haven’t really heard of a separate leave for sick children. It doesn’t sound like you had it worse than most salaried workers, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was a severe asthmatic as a child. I swear if someone SAID "sick" he would be wheezing. (Obviously not, but...) There were a few times a teacher would mention that so & so was there with a pretty bad cold, just an FYI. Sure enough a couple of days later ds would start with breathing trouble and go from there.

Having said that, everyone can't keep their kid home because of a runny nose. Runny nose with no other symptoms doesn't equal sick. What about kids with allergies? Some would almost never go to school.


Runny nose, red eyes, sore throat & cough? Please keep your kid home. At that point they probably feel like crap too.

I think school illness policies will be enforced a lot more.

Runny nose, red eyes, sore throat and cough are how allergies present for me.