Temp of 37.9. WIBU to send to school?

At 6 I'd keep him at home.

I wouldn’t send my child in. There is clear evidence of an infection and inflammatory response. You risk another child or teacher catching the bug and your child feeling rubbish at school . Please don’t….

@Kiddomum
I totally agree with you. I couldn't keep her off for every slight cough as she was born early and spends most of winter coughing due to having weak lungs.
However, a temperature is a sign of infection and being unwell. Anything that's classed as a temp by the nhs (over 37.5) and you should be avoiding contact with others.
It's just common sense and decency I think.
I understand schools and their attendance policies. I have an older child with learning difficulties and mental health issues and her attendance was around 50% last year. When there is a genuine reason as much as the schools want to complain there isn't much you can do in reality.

I have a lot of sympathy for this as I also have a child with complex epilepsy and spend a lot of time thinking about seizure thresholds. But the reality is little kids get (according to my paediatrician) a virus every 2 weeks on average. It’s not feasible to keep typical children off school every time they’re a little under the weather.

We got told yesterday for 15 year old dd to send her in - she had a temp of 39 before ibuprofen and paracetamol but as it went down to 37.8 they wanted her in as said her attendance isn’t good (87%)

It's not that high, I'd certainly send them in if they're feeling otherwise ok.

You anticipate they'd be ill for four weeks?!

Don't be dramatic. I don't like it when people send ill children in but a child with a temp sent in on 27th November isn't going to ruin anyone's Christmas.

This isn't a child who's been up all night vomiting being sent in on Friday 20th December. Any parent who does that deserves prison in my book (not that I'm now the one being dramatic or anything..)

My basal body temperature is 36 so 37.9 is definitely a fever for me. Do you know what your DS's is?

A child who is well and bouncing off the walls should be in school.

It's barely raised, and home thermometers aren't super accurate.

It's fine to send him in as long as he's +48 hours clear of any D&V

Yes please do send DC in just in time for my child to be ill for Christmas 🙄

I wouldn't keep my child at home with just that temperature & no other symptoms.

This thread reminds me of the Covid threads in the early days, with the debate around sending a child with a sniffle to school versus those with compromised immune systems etc

i would send in with that temperature if they seem ok. School are so pushy with attendance.

I would feel absolutely wretched at that temperature, and so would my children. I would keep them at home. They can't learn when they're ill, and knowingly spreading an infectious illness is a dick move.

No, that isn’t correct.

I get what you are saying, but school are very harsh about absence, even through genuine illness, so this is the result of it.

Employers needs to be more understanding of parents with children and sick kids too.

Schools are not funded according to attendance!!! Where did you get that from @jannier?! It us a measure used to monitor schools and they're expected to pursue non attenders but there's no financial penalty for them because it would be... totally crazy. Please don't give the government ideas!

It would partly depend how he'd been the day before. Mine had a temp of 37.9 this morning and was fairly ok, but it was 40.1 yesterday evening and he's been ill all week, so he had a day off to rest. He's been up and down all day so I'm glad I didn't send him in.

If it was 37.9 with a slight cold and in good spirits I'd probably send him in.

Maybe it's the constant harassment parents get when children are off sick. My two have 100% and 96% ( she missed 1 day) attendance and we have still received 2 emails and a letter each about the importance of attendance and potential fines.

Our school even told us to send the children in and the school welfare would decide if they should stay or go home. Fuck that, I'm the parent.

Maybe, the issue is your schools culture rather than the parents.

I actually asked my DS teacher last week what she wanted me to do. He's in P1 so getting everything going as they always do at that age, I'm old school, snot and coughs they go in as long as they are well in themselves, sickness and exploding butts it's 48hr rule and stay home.

DS teacher told me if I kept him home every time he had a bit of snot or a cough then he'd never be in school and to absolutely send him in if I felt he was well enough, she was happy to phone me to collect if I'd called it wrong and he got worse.

If he's well in himself then with that temp I'd give calpol and tell the teacher to call you to collect him if he gets worse.

In response to the PP who have children with health issues and are calling the OP selfish,
I do understand (and feel for them) there are children who either themselves or close relatives have significant health problems but every child also needs and has a right to education. If I kept my child home every time they have a snotty nose to protect your child with health issues then I'm doing a major diservice to my child by blocking them from accessing their education. I don't know what the answer is to protect your child but it can't be the answer to deny my child an education when they are well enough to attend.

38.5 is considered fever

Is that right, a school with eg 95% attendance get more funding than a school with 80% attendance? How does that work given the fixed costs stay the same ie they still have to pay staff etc?

My youngest doesn’t feel unwell until
her temp is 39c plus. Not all children react the same.

But no at 37.9c I wouldn’t be sending her into school.

My DC is younger but I wouldn’t send him in with a temperature. They can go from active to needing to rest very quickly with a temp.

Wow over a decade of parenting and it never occurred to me to let a thermometer decide. My DD had a temp of 37.8 yesterday and I kept her off because she was run down and was feeling miserable. The “38 rule” some of you have is bizarre.