P E teacher. Please help.

It is important to stand up for yourself. However, can you not consider that it was a misunderstanding and both parties understood the interaction differently? Why does that not enter your head as an option? I can also assure you that your child hasn’t been branded a liar and that no other teacher will have a clue, or time to care about an insignificant interaction in a PE lesson. The teachers won’t be talking badly about your child. Honestly… do parents really think they have nothing better to do than that??

How on earth can a teacher 'see' it isn't an asthma attack? Trained medics can't assess asthma by sight.

I’ve had asthma since I was 16 and I’m nearing 50 now. I went to the gym this week and forgot my inhaler!

it doesn’t matter the difficulties it causes anybody - or how stupid the scenario you’ve found yourself in- first retrieve an inhaler, then take it, and then berate yourself .

you don’t want to risk death to make a point.

You email and say you want clarification on the school's asthma policy, say you're concerned your DD was prevented from getting her inhaler, and say you will remind your DD she can take her inhaler to the PE lesson.

Exactly. Plus most schools now ban phones. Plus - theoretical possibility of a missing object vs actual potentially lethal situation for a child!

It’s a PE teacher. The odds of being an evil bullying sadist are high.

Why is she "good about carrying it everywhere else" but not to PE? I have been asthmatic since childhood and used my inhaler as an excuse to bunk off PE (and I lied to my mum about it too. Sorry mum!)
Yes, asthma kills but I suspect that the teacher could see it wasn't a true emergency. If she really didn't realise that she should take it to PE lessons then that one is on you to educate her and make sure it doesn't happen again. Also, if she was having an asthma attack there is no way she would have been able to walk 10 minutes to get her inhaler, it would have to be fetched for her.

Formal complaint should list who said what when, including classroom assistant, children who overheard etc

School can investigate and if it turns out your daughter is proved wrong, there will be no formal consequences for the teacher. And if your daughter is telling the truth - no one’s going to deny her an inhaler ever again - even if the school didn’t find the teacher was at fault.

Who gives a flying fucking shite about a phone?

A PE teacher shouldn't be pissing about with asthma, end of.

Anybody dependent on medication (epi pens, insulin, inhalers etc) need to carry it on them at all times. She should have taken it to the class and put it at the side of the hall or pitch.
Plenty of people take them into the gym, fitness class etc. An inhaler is zero use to you 10 minutes away when you need it.

Your next steps are to parent your child. You’ve spoken to the teacher - she has a different take on the situation to the 11 year old. What’s done is done…your daughter will now take responsibility and make sure she has the inhaler. The fact that you rang the other parent to get the statement from another 11 year old speaks volumes. Email the teacher to say dd will have it on her at all
times going forward and will use it as and when she sees fit. Why do you need next steps? What exactly do you hope to achieve? It’s as if you have nothing better to do and must prove a point to make sure you feel better and that your dd is somehow vindicated. Just move on.

Formal complaint.

children have died in school for want of a reliever inhaler.

your child should have it, but as she didn’t her need to take a puff of inhaler is a priority and the need to create a consequence for that comes second

As an ex-teacher, this PE teacher sounds like a moron. There’s no way I’d fuck around about inhalers or EpiPens etc. No kid is going to croak on my watch thank you very much. If it happened repeatedly, I’d say “you need to get to grips with this” and enlist her form teacher and parents to help her manage it. So the teacher was wrong.

However, I also know that in a busy classroom (I count the sports hall or pitches as being classrooms), miscommunication happens easily. I’ve had a kid say “you said no” when I had actually said “just wait a minute until I get the class settled”. Neither party was lying - just hearing different things.

So a teacher was potentially unfair to your kid. It happens. Absolutely nothing will be gained by making a complaint to defend your daughter’s honour or whatever. DH got a detention for talking once - it wasn’t him. It still rankles now because it was the only one he ever got. But too bad, these things happen. Make sure DD has her inhaler on her person, remind her every time it’s a PE day, and chalk up the unfairness to life’s rich tapestry.

I’m surprised how many people think this is ok/blame your 11yo.

idk if you can do much more than warn your daughter this teacher’s a liar and to keep her distance. I think she was saying she’d give her an A to mollify you.

I would make sure your girl has pockets in everything she wears for PE so she can keep an inhaler on her. And ask your GP for at least 2 more inhalers. I hope she recovers fully soon.

As someone diagnosed with asthma in my late 30s I think people are being harsh with a newly diagnosed 11 year old

If speak to school and make sure they understand the seriousness of asthma ans the importance of the inhaler

My son's primary and at 9 the school would proactively ask him did he need it when he was bad but maybe that's the difference with secondary 🤷‍♀️

i regularly have to educate parents, schools too sort of, asking for ‘extra inhaler/epipen to keep at school’ these are emergency medications and should not be stored anywhere. You need access to them in seconds not waiting for someone to trek to the office for them. They should be with the child at all times Including too and from school as they could have an asthma attack/anaphylaxis on the journey. This is something to train your DD on.

I can see how for you it was a poor decision from teacher but as others have said it was a no win for the teacher.

Schools can purchase inhalers for emergency use so if any feedback you may wish to suggest this for them to be available at the PE department for any further incidents of forgetfulness.

Talk to the head of year, that’s totally unacceptable.

Becuase usually the emergency one is stored with main first aid for an emergency....

I get why you would be annoyed but in reality your DD needs to learn to take responsibility. Maybe she will now.

Missed the update that this is new, use it as a lesson to your daughter how important it is to manage her medication

As an asthmatic, especially one recently so sick, your daughter should have used it before class as prevention and brought it with her just in case. The teacher probably thought she was trying to bunk off for 20 mins. I've asthma and it was drummed into me over and over by my mum to always have my inhaler nearby in these situations. If the p.e teacher didn't know she has asthma I presume she doesn't usually have her inhaler with her, I know you sent a note but maybe it didn't reach the teacher. I'm not agreeing with the teacher, your daughter absolutely should have been allowed to go get it if she needs it but really your daughter should have her inhaler on her as it's not much good 10 mins away. I can need mine even from going from warm overly heated room to really cold outdoor air so a teacher would assume I was making excuses of hadn't done much exercise at that point.