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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this was close enough to 48 hours? (school sickness policy)

22 replies

freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 15:45

Took my kids to school on Monday. Just got back in the door and school phoned - can I come and get DD2, she'd been sick a couple of times, so I go and get her - we were back home and snuggled on the sofa by just gone 9am

Wasn't sick again all day Monday, had no diarrhoea, and was bouncing off the walls yesterday so she went back to school today

DH took them to school this morning and mentioned that DD2's teacher was a bit funny with him this morning, but then when I picked them up tonight I got my wrists slapped for not sticking with the school 48 hour sickness policy

It's got to be minutes short of the 48 hours

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 22/05/2013 15:48

I bet they didn't believe that she got home and was fine.

WorraLiberty · 22/05/2013 15:50

Yes they probably thought she'd been ill again at home.

What do you think made her throw up? Had she eaten something strange?

Original poster
freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 15:51

Maybe.

We get these odd episodes with her when she's randomly sick a couple of times, then fine half an hour later. I did explain that.

OP posts:
Original poster
freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 16:19

Sorry, previous message was a bit abrupt, had a child-drama

We've have odd bouts of tummy-ache followed by her being sick a couple of times, she's been to the GP and had some tests (DD1 is coeliac so they thought DD2 maybe too) which are all clear so it's just one of those things and to keep an eye on what she'd been eating (usually lots of fruit in one sitting does it, but she'd only had toast on Monday morning)

School do know that, and DH explained this morning she hadn't been sick again apart from the once at school and was fine so they were aware.

Unless they thought DH was lying

OP posts:
idiot55 · 22/05/2013 16:44

your lucky people even know about the 48 hour rule!

At my daughters school they do not publise i, or adhere to it in any way, nightmare as i have a child with a chronic gastro illness!

anyway I digress. i wouldnt worry surely you were close to the 48 hour rule

Original poster
freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 16:53

It's not particularly well publicised. The odd reminder in the newsletter every few months.

It's minutes short of the 48 hours, school opens at 8:30, she'd been dropped off, sick, collected and home by just after 9

OP posts:
ilovepowerhoop · 22/05/2013 16:56

at least your school cares. Dd had a girl in her class who was sick twice at school, not sent home, who was back in at school the next day.

Misspixietrix · 22/05/2013 17:33

OP I know NHS Advice is 48hrs since last symptom so technically YNBU. Just wondering what the Schools' actual policy is, i.e do they say 48hrs since last day off?

Like other PP's said it's rare they're aware of it Grin, it took the Norovirus to do the rounds of DC's School before they sent a letter out with a policy and even then theirs' is 24hrs.

Original poster
freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 17:42

School say 48 hours since last symptom

We've always had a policy, it used to be 24 hours though

OP posts:
CloudsAndTrees · 22/05/2013 17:52

The school probably was being over cautious on this occasion, but it's better for them to be like that than to be inclined the other way. I have known children be back in school less than 24 hours after being sick, and the school has done nothing about it. I'd take your schools reaction as a good thing overall.

Misspixietrix · 22/05/2013 18:08

Agree with what CloudsAndTrees said OP. As annoying as it is be thankful they're overcautious and not the other way round.

Heard Parents say that things like "DD bought their breakfast up but she's fine now" only 30 minutes later and still took them in to class. That's only one of many examples I can give.

Assume you explained to them at Hometime she was only sick those two times OP, what was their reply?

starfishmummy · 22/05/2013 18:39

Ds's school is 48 hrs for diarrhoea. I am pretty sure it is shorter for sickness.
Ds is rarely sick but gets a lot of diarrhoea !

Original poster
freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 18:45

Assume you explained to them at Hometime she was only sick those two times OP, what was their reply?

Yes, DH had already told them this morning, then I explained again at pick up when she accosted me.

She just said 'well, we'll let it to this time, but in future please adhere to the school sickness policy'

I pointed out that we were arguing over the sake of 10 minutes and I wasn't prepared to keep a healthy child off school for another day, especially as they've already sent a letter this term about her 'only 96%'' attendance asking if I need help from the Education Welfare Officer to improve her attendance

And she just repeated 'we'll let it go...in future stick to policy...'

OP posts:
marriedinwhiteagain · 22/05/2013 18:51

I'd be complaining that they were much harsher in dealing with yoou than with your DH. I'd be minded to drop the head a little note to say that if the form teacher had an issue it shouldhave been raised directly with your DH and had the issue bEen worthy of note, the child should have been sent back home with him.

Sounds as though the teacher thought mummy wouldn't answer back but daddy would !

diddl · 22/05/2013 19:13

"we'll let it go".

So they don't believe you?

And yet your child could have been sick at the weekend & you could have sent them in Monday & they wouldn't have known!

Sokmonsta · 22/05/2013 23:12

Our school policy is 24 hours for just vomitting. Diorhea

Sokmonsta · 22/05/2013 23:15

Diarrhoea is 48 hours from last incident. So d&v is 48 hours. Or school accepts that vomitting might be a one off hence 24 hours being sufficient. Especially come Christmas concert time when nerves had several children throwing up. They were allowed to perform on the proviso that they hadn't been sick again since.

goldenlula · 22/05/2013 23:22

Our school always had a 24 hour policy for sickness, but last tie ds2 had sickness early on a Sunday morning, I wa honest with the school and he had been 24 hrs clear they told me to take him home as it was 48hrs, the head had told my friend just 2 weeks before if was 24 hrs! Ds2 was sick early hours of ths morning, I kept him home today but he was eating fine, no diarrhoea or anything. I realised the milkshake he had before bed last night had been open too long, so I suspect that is what made him sick! I am hoping he can go in tomorrow as I am sure it wasn't a bug.

Original poster
freddiefrog · 22/05/2013 23:22

Or school accepts that vomitting might be a one off hence 24 hours being sufficient

I wish our school would. Parents have long complained that sometimes kids randomly throw up but they insist it's 48 hours for d and/or v

And yet your child could have been sick at the weekend & you could have sent them in Monday & they wouldn't have known!

Exactly. She could be throwing up now (she's not!) and if I send her in tomorrow no one would be any the wiser

I'm going to have words tomorrow I think

OP posts:
ProudAS · 23/05/2013 12:21

Frog I'd try to get a note from the Dr if I were you. Even if he can't fully explain the vomitting he may be able to confirm that it appears to be an underlying condition and is unlikley to be caused by a virus unless there are other symptoms.

Imposing the 48hr rule when there is another likely reason for the vomitting is not on! My colleague's DS was excluded from nursery after vomitting once (due to reflux which the staff were aware of and backed up by note from GP). Eventually they got the problem sorted after threatening to complain to head office and move child to nursery where managers had some sense.

Quangle · 23/05/2013 12:40

freddiefrog - just posting with no advice but only to say how annoying!

Passive aggressive comments like that enrage me, even if the underlying policy is sensible if a trifle OTT imho

Common sense says her response is just silly. But really the only thing you can do is just let it go. Some people in the world are really annoying. I get unduly annoyed about this kind of thing but I read somewhere that you should approach it with the attitude that you are going to meet annoying people every day so when it happens you can just think "ah, you are the annoying person I am scheduled to meet today, how interesting" and then go about your business in a zen fashion.

Patchouli · 23/05/2013 12:48

I bet they were thinking along the lines of 'well she brought her in sick on monday....' like they can't trust your word.

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