48 hour d+v policy. What's the point of it?

[Edenviolet]

If people ignore it/lie and send their dc in anyway?

AIBU to complain bitterly to the school about this, ask them to send out letters again stating the policy and then actually enforce it rather than believe the crap some parents come up with to avoid keeping their dcs at home?

A child in dd2s class was sick yesterday morning, sent home but apparently 'fine' today??? I was told that he didn't have a bug and had just "drunk too much water/eaten too much"

I'm livid. Dd2 has diabetes and a sickness bug would mean her being hospitalised. Why can't people stick to the rules?

My DS went to a party and chugged a huge amount of fizzy drink and chocolate cake. Later he felt ill, chucked the lot, brightened up immeasurably and showed no further sign of sickness. I kept him off school on the Monday. By Tuesday 9am it was 40 hours since he had been sick.
Should I let him go to school, or leave it until 64 hours since his last vomit?

No tiggy childcare and work is not an issue for everyone. A sahp is much more flexible.

But honestly, what can /do schools actually do? If parents don't abide by this guideline then what happens?

Dd had a bug last Christmas, after vomiting twice she had a terrible hypo which we couldn't treat and had to ohone 999and she was treated at hospital and it was a 'mild' bug, vomiting a few times so I dread to think what norovirus or similar would do.
I think that incident has made me very anxious. Dds consultant had told us as well that stomach bug would mean admission to hospital (dd has other health problems too and her diabetes is still very difficult to manage despite now having an insulin pump)

We have never even had fines mentioned in regards to dcs missing school, the pre school and dcs various schools seem to understand the situation and it has not been a problem at all.

Well admittedly all schools around here would do are: send children home if they seem unwell (and presumably if they turned up to school too soon) and tell parents why their behaviour is dangerous.
Does anyone really want to be possibly responsible for another child's death?

My Son suffers from migraines that make him sick if he doesn't get medicine quick enough. He's been sick in school before. If I kept him off for 48hrs every time his attendance would be shocking. I know the difference between a migraine and a sickness bug and I would keep him off if he had a bug. There needs to be common sense applied with the 48hr rule.

I think a big issue with bugs is lack of understanding about how they spread. They spread through contact (directly or indirectly) with vomit/ poo of someone affected. You can't catch noro before someone is sick or has diarrhea or by sitting next to someone who was sick yesterday (as long as they've carefully washed and have nothing left on them)

However, even after longer than 48 hours you can potentially catch it if someone uses the toilet and doesn't wash their hands so spreads germs around the class room or into an apple in the fruit drawer/ you use toilet after them and don't wash your hands.

If we worked on improving hygiene in schools then they would spread less generally. 48 hours is sensible but is far from infallible because yes they will be significantly less contagious after that time.

You won't know what illnesses another kid has. It is completely unreasonable to expect that you would be informed if another child has vomiting migraine or reflux.

I can't believe you are keeping your other children off school if one is ill.

I've had 3, one of whom had multiple hospital admissions and I never ever kept the others off if he was sick.

Ladyluck, I think it IS an issue for everyone. Kids bringing bugs home can affect the whole family, whether SAHM or not, which, if working parents gets it and then takes it into work, can affect other workers and in turn, their families. Viruses don't appear out of nowhere and everyone knows how they can absolutely tear through households.

I used to work with people with compromised immunity. If staff had a bug we weren't allowed to go into work for 24 hours.

I agree with the policy but do not think one soft poo (which they only know about because your child is in nappies ) with no other symptoms should count as d + v. My son's school thought it did and he'd regularly miss nearly 3 days of school because of it.

You might not have had fines mentioned yet Hedgehog, they are relatively new, but if you are keeping all your children off when one is ill their attendance must be shocking. I can't see how the school can accept that Sibling A was ill, so X couldn't come to school as a good reason to keep them off.

It's not realistic to do it either. Your children's education will suffer, too. If they aren't in school learning then they won't reach their potential.

People keep their children off school because they have a cough?
Keep siblings off when one has a d and v bug?

Hedgehog I really understand where you are coming from but the problem is school absence is really frowned upon and the reality is many working parents have to use school as childcare. It doesn't make it right.

Do siblings also stay off when one has a tickly cough?

No its usually if I have one or two of them really ill unable to get up/out of bed etc that they all end up off. I can't justify dragging very ill children out just to take the others to school if they need to be in bed.
If its a cough or cold we have the double buggy/wheelchair depending on who is ill so it isn't every single time.

We had to provide letters from all dcs consultants gp speech therapist and physio etc and the schools and pre school are really understanding. Yes my dcs do have low rates of attendance, ds1 last year was the lowest 76% but the school understand our circumstances. It has not been a problem at all.

Did those health professionals all say it was ok for you to keep 3 off when 1 is sick?

Do you tell the school that they have been at home, well, because a sibling is ill? Or do you say it was for something else?

I know your DC have a lot of health issues and lots of appointments which is why it isn't realistic to keep them home when they are well.

If your DC have a lot of appointments and health issues, then surely it's even more important to make sure they are at school if it's not them that's actually sick?

Can you get your partner to take the well ones in the car and go into work late that day? (Assuming they work 9-5 and you have a car.) Or could your partner get a lift and you take a car? If you don't have a car could you happ the sick ones up well with a blanket, and bung them in buggy with the raincover over them or could you use a taxi that day - either you take them or could you maybe ask a friend or neighbour to take them? Could you even not just ask a friend to take the well ones those days?

Dcs consultants understand the situation we are in and are supportive of however we manage things on a day to day basis.
I mentioned earlier how the pre school managed to clear it with the funding department as dd2 used to miss a lot of pre school despite being fully funded due to her own health issues, sometimes the dcs issues and if dh or I were unwell. Once people know what we are up against they have been absolutely fine as long as we have provided any letters needed explaining things/proof of appointments etc etc.

If only one dc is ill often we do manage to get other dcs in, it really depends what is wrong, how dh is and whether he's at work as has recently gone back part time etc. so many factors to consider.

My son has some issues and is often sick, he does not have anything your child could catch. If I followed your rule he would never be in school at all.

Should my child get no education to make you feel better?

Dd1 more often that not goes in as she recently started getting the school coach. Other dcs its more difficult as their school is quite far away and I don't really have many friends or anybody that can help with them/take them in if needed.

Sometimes dh can, depends on his hours and also how he is as sometimes can't drive if ill himself. I can't drive.

Sorry hedgehog I don't think it was you but someone mentioned keeping siblings off to prevent the spread of disease, that's what I take issue with