Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 12:57     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
this information is NOT kept in a students cumulative file. It is collected as others have pointed out, only to track virulent infections. Your elementary school only sends their 'tracking' information to the county health department if there appears to be a cluster or outbreak such as Flu, norovirus, strep, pink eye and sometimes even lice. Stand down.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 12:56     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
Probably a good idea. My daughter had pneumonia last year and the pediatric nurse said that nearly every single kid they'd seen with a fever and a cough turned out to have pneumonia. It might be helpful to know about outbreaks like that.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 12:49     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
Our school also asks you to tell them the symptoms, cough, fever, stomach ache etc. Our registrar says fairfax county public health dept. collects this data.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 10:55     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
Anonymous wrote:I got a message from my kid's elementary school stating that they are keeping "detailed records" of student illnesses. They want parents to list specific symptoms when calling their child in sick, including the exact number of their temperature. (They want you to say, "Sally has a temperature of 101.4." Saying "Sally has a fever" isn't good enough.) This is rubbing me the wrong way, because I think it's an invasion of privacy. If my kid has something contagious, I would absolutely give the school this information. But why do I have to report a cold as anything more than a cold? Why do I have to tell them my kid has a runny nose and a cough and have that go on some record? We have a doctor to monitor our son's health. I don't want his minor illnesses part of some public record.

I wrote to the principal asking what the information was used for; who has access to it; how long it is kept and how it is disposed of, but have not received a reply.


Which school? We got such a notice at Wakefield Forest. Big flu outbreak going on. Just curious whether it's widespread.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 10:45     Subject: Re:FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
It's for public health notices, this should be standard in all school districts.
Calm down.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 09:49     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
They want this because if a disproportionate number of students have some specific virus, catching it early could keep the situation from growing into a larger public health concern.

Yes, I guess I did get something out of the required video on pandemic preparedness my employer forced me to watch...
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 09:49     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
Anonymous wrote:I got a message from my kid's elementary school stating that they are keeping "detailed records" of student illnesses. They want parents to list specific symptoms when calling their child in sick, including the exact number of their temperature. (They want you to say, "Sally has a temperature of 101.4." Saying "Sally has a fever" isn't good enough.) This is rubbing me the wrong way, because I think it's an invasion of privacy. If my kid has something contagious, I would absolutely give the school this information. But why do I have to report a cold as anything more than a cold? Why do I have to tell them my kid has a runny nose and a cough and have that go on some record? We have a doctor to monitor our son's health. I don't want his minor illnesses part of some public record.

I wrote to the principal asking what the information was used for; who has access to it; how long it is kept and how it is disposed of, but have not received a reply.


Public health. Get over your paranoia.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 09:45     Subject: Re:FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
My guess is that it's an easy way of knowing "what's going around" with no sinister intent. If 6+ kids in my kid's class are complaining of similar symptoms, I wouldn't mind knowing that (not that anyone's going to tell me) and I'm sure your school admin/nurse would like to know that too.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 09:42     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
Maybe it has something to do with those norovirus outbreaks earlier this year.
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 09:28     Subject: Re:FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
I assume the school only wants the information if the kid is sick enough that you've kept him out of school for the day? So if he has a regular old cold/runny nose and you send him to school, there's no need to inform the school?
Anonymous
Post 04/24/2012 09:25     Subject: FCPS keeping "detailed records" of student illness
I got a message from my kid's elementary school stating that they are keeping "detailed records" of student illnesses. They want parents to list specific symptoms when calling their child in sick, including the exact number of their temperature. (They want you to say, "Sally has a temperature of 101.4." Saying "Sally has a fever" isn't good enough.) This is rubbing me the wrong way, because I think it's an invasion of privacy. If my kid has something contagious, I would absolutely give the school this information. But why do I have to report a cold as anything more than a cold? Why do I have to tell them my kid has a runny nose and a cough and have that go on some record? We have a doctor to monitor our son's health. I don't want his minor illnesses part of some public record.

I wrote to the principal asking what the information was used for; who has access to it; how long it is kept and how it is disposed of, but have not received a reply.