To think parents should keep their vomiting children off school

Our schools have always insisted that the kids have to be 48hrs vomit-free before returning. I’ve always adhered to it even when my child said they’d rather go in than have to catch up later 😆 I said it’s not about you, it’s to stop infecting others!

While those points above are completely and utterly valid, I don’t know how we have reached the point in society where all other circumstances are more important than letting a sick child recover in the comfort and privacy of their own home, allowing other children to be separated from their germs.

It’s like all common sense has left the building. Children get sick. End of. Employers need to build this in to their leave conditions. A degree of flexibility is necessary. Insisting that sick kids come in to school just prolongs the circulation of illness and disrupts more school and working days.

Of course it’s all come about bc some parents allow their children to take the day off because they fancy a day at home, or don’t fancy the school run in the rain, but ime they are always the same people, so I don’t know why schools don’t focus their efforts on the known serial offenders, and stop applying a blanket policy to children who are genuinely sick.

Very similar happened to my dc a few years ago and sadly they came down with the bug almost 48 hours later. I was absolutely furious. The child in question had a history of coming into school ill. It spoilt the start of the summer holidays but by some miracle, none of the rest of our family caught it. So many selfish parents out there.

Our school has a 48 hour sickness rule from the first bout.

Prior to that we'd get kids who'd been sent home in the morning after being sick at school who were then put back again in the afternoon.

There was a mum at primary who would. She was quite uncaring in general, no issues, she just thought children shouldn’t interrupt her life, she had no sympathy if they were sick, cold, hungry.
Her youngest once puked for an entire week, but only morning and evening, and she sent her in everyday. Poor child looked terrible. She said ‘I hope she doesn’t puke in school so they send her home’. On the Friday the teacher pulled her aside to say she doesn’t seem well and we’ve been a bit worried about her.
All mum kept saying was she hoped she didn’t get it.

I can’t imagine how many other kids got sick from it.

Would you tell the LA that when they fine you? If they’ve told you to send them in it will be marked as unauthorised

It is so selfish and really winds me up. But it can be so hard for people to get time off work which I think is what pushes people to make the decision to send them in. Some people just can't afford to lose a days pay.

I remember being told by teacher to keep my dd off school when she was sick

bet the teachers don’t want to be ill

i would still keep mine off and tell the school to stuff it

Schools care a lot about attendance I picked my son up was told he had vomited they didn’t even bother to call me (this was at home time they told me) I was told to send him in tomorrow as it’s not a “thing” anymore to keep them off,

Absolutely this!

The whole “you don’t know their situation” doesn’t wash with me. If you have kids, you AND your employer need to accept that inevitably you will need time off at some point. Don’t send sick kids into school. End of. And, as a teacher myself, I have had to take time off when my child is unwell. School isn’t childcare. The uk needs a complete shift of viewpoint on that.

Eww that's gross 🤢

Problem is schools still want you to send kids in to keep their attendance figures up. Our primary school has set incentives of gifts & hampers that can be won if kids have 100% attendance between now and Christmas so I bet parents are going to be sending their sick kids in!

My kids school said they still need to come in they said the “24 hour rule isnt a thing anymore” 🤷🏻‍♀️

This. It's ridiculous. I understand why sick children are send to school because you get blamed keeping them at home. You can't win!

Yanbu

My ds1 vomited once overnight about 6 weeks ago. He was fine after that but I obviously kept him off for the 48 hrs as required. Didn’t occur to me not to!

Those of you who send in after 1 vomit - bugs affect children differently, your dc may only vomit once and the pass it on to another child who spends all night sick.
Over half term we all had a bug - out of 7 of us, 1 vomited once, 2 for a full 24 hours, 2 diarrhoea but no vomit and 2 were fine

Yeah, people are selfish- I still remember vividly last year , it was like 10 days before Xmas, we had over classroom friend of my son.
The boy was coughing so badly and basically nonstop the whole time, I was completely shocked- when his dad arrived to pick him up I told him that he cough a lot today and to my surprise he just brushed it off saying that he’s coughing like this for a few days already and he still goes to school, not a big deal.

I was so cross with him.

I work in a nursery and sadly we see it all the time! Some parents think as they still have to pay they should still send their child in no matter how poorly they are. Others think their job is more important than their child/ more important than other parents jobs (those who do actually stay home with their poorly child!) and more important than our jobs and health as staff!

If schools weren’t so strict on attendance targets, and didn’t fine parents or reward children for high attendance maybe common sense would return

It’s one of those things that you send your child to school and you get the school kicking off for you sending them in, but if you don’t send them in - you have the school threatening to fine you. I know physically being sick is different to usual sickness but still. I have a son who gets tonsillitis regularly, the school threatened fining me and keeps mentioning ‘he’s had a LOT of time off’ as a way to insult. So I send him in and then get a phone call to say to pick him up - so you literally cannot win

and in this economy, you don’t know the parents situation. They could be a single parent who’s on their final warning at work due to time off and didn’t want to risk losing their job so sent the child to school due to the lack of childcare. Just because other people are in a privileged situation to take time off and have people to support, doesn’t mean everyone else does

I once had a colleague at a work day out (jolly) proudly tell me her child had puked over their own the her bed in the night. She sent them to school so not to miss the away day! My opinion of them changed then

Hmm If they had only been sick once and seemed ok after I would send them in. I have done with my little one in nursery. Mine have been sick once, felt loads better and had no repeat incidents.
I would struggle to keep my job if I had a day off everytime they were a bit under the weather.
Having said that if they still seemed unwell or had another incident I would keep them off.
In answer to your question it can be very hard to keep your kids off for a couple of days.
I have been called to collect mine before and my job has said no as they have no cover! I literally have cried at my desk when I get the call. My point is it isn’t always that easy.

The OP didn't state the age of the child.

High school is different because but that age they are less likely to vomit on each other, and are expected at least (obviously not all heed what they’re told) to be able to understand the basics of hygiene.

Thats also why you don’t have to have 48 hours of work for vomiting.

No. Vomiting is not plural.

If they vomit or have diarrhoea they need to be off school for the 48 hours.

And you can’t “know” it’s not a bug, it’s food poisoning etc