To think any parent would be horrified to learn their DCs school hygiene practises are this poor?

[LittleMooMoo]

I have DC at a highly regarded after small school. They've all been off with various illnesses since they started back in the New Year- and this week I have another with a vomiting bug and diarrhoea.

My daughter was off for 2 weeks straight and the school were pressuring me to bring her in for attendance reasons- when she returned on her first day back she looked really bad. I asked if she'd managed to drink much ( as she looked very dehydrated) and she said she declined water because her beaker (school provides plastic drinking bottles for all) contained green water- when she told the class teacher she was told to swish it out and put fresh water in. My DD said it smelt disgusting and made her feel nauseated. The next day I let her take in her own bottle and a note and her bottle was confiscated

I asked the class teacher why and was told it was school policy and no bottles were allowed from home so that they could be sure parents weren't filling them with fizzy drinks

When I told her about the rancid water and questioned her about who cleans to bottles and at what frequency she told me that the class bottles get hot washed every fortnight

So in between there are assigned bottle monitors who swill out the water (clearly not very well as my DD'S bottle water was GREEN!)

I was told they just didn't have time to hot wash bottles every night which I think is disgusting and unsanitary- this was backed up by my doctor who said she'd be prepared to write to the school.

Any thoughts as to what I can do?

The head has already passed a message on saying it won't change and I cannot bring in fresh bottles from home.

It would be interesting to know if the school could be sued, like a cruise ship company can, for spreading norovirus or whatever.

Maybe a new project for Jamie Oliver? I'm not joking, surely clean water is as important as healthy food.

YANBU, that is disgusting! My DCs bring their own water bottles and parents take them home every day. I put them in the dishwasher every night/every other night, certainly every time I run the dishwasher.
Like other posters have said, they could let the DCs bring their own bottles and fill them with water at school.

OP have you seen Erin Brockovich? You know the scene where she tells the lawyers that the water in front of them is from the wells they claim aren’t poisoned?

Go in and dare the teachers to all drink out of the bottles themselves. YES that’s completely melodramatic but go on...

Could you say that you are homeschooling until they can be moved?

If they have to stay put then could you ask for the GP letter and ask the GP to state that your children will be bringing bottles in for medical reasons and on the advice of their doctor?

Judgerules I LOVE that idea! Great username too

Judgerules really does!

If they're not washing the bottles often then the outside of the bottles will be contaminated too and the children put their hands to their mouths so often.Hand washing is one of the most important thing to do to avoid d&v spreading but pointless if the outside of the bottles are contaminated.

Just been talking to dh about this - he reckoned to talk to the police and go for deliberate child endangerment or something on those lines particularly as they carried on insisting on it continuing as a practice after you told them that it was making the dc ill.

Might be an interesting approach that would get her attention... Particularly if your doctor would support you. Just make sure you have sent her an email detailing your conversation where she refused to change this practice despite being told it was making dc ill.

Think about it - if similar rates of illness are experienced in other classes as it only needs 1 child to be ill to get bugs flying around - that is a lot of children that are needlessly sick. There ought to be something that could be done!

Totally unacceptable. Our children take their own water bottles in each day already filled and there are water fountains to refill them during the day. I wash them every night in hot water and leave to air dry. (Private school for benefit of PP).

Well!

I spoke to senior management team lead today

Wait for it.

Children are ill because there's plenty of germs and bugs going round not because children are drinking clean water from dirty bottles.

I also learned that the bottles get hot washed every TERM

I dont know what an after small school is? Do you mean a private school of some sort?

If not, I would contact Ofsted

That's appalling. I hope you're now going to do as many of us suggested and get onto council about this?

I'm kinda surprised you didn't already to be honest.

Graphista I did
I filled out an online form to report.

They've clearly not been paid a visit.

They get THOUSANDS if not tens if thousands of those. Much better to make a call and in this instance where the health of children and the wider public is negligently and deliberately being put at risk speed is of the essence.

Thank you

I've had WAY too much interaction with councils than is healthy really

It wouldn't go green that quickly - are you sure your daughter is telling the truth? If so the bottles are not getting emptied or washed as often as they claim. Empty/rinse daily and wash properly every 2 weeks should be fine if there's only water in it. If juice it would need washing daily. Also if they have their own bottle and don't share, the bottles won't be why they are catching d and v. Green in water is not actually going to cause disease, it just looks disgusting.

Environmental health would have a field day with this.
Can you speak with the parent coordinator?
There is no way I would not wash drinking bottles every day.
Fgs, I bet they have dishwashers in the canteen.

I'm reading this thread thinking it's gross. Then I looked up and have seen my hockey teams water bottles on the side. It's my turn this week to wash and refill. I've gotta be honest, I'm just going to do the latter.

Yes, the bottles should be washed more. But, are you in the uk? How is the water green?

arethereanyleftatall that’s fucking disgusting and I hope you end up drinking out of the one with a nasty infection attached.

Lol. I'll bet my right arm at least half of our team do the same as me.

@arethereanyleftatall why on earth would you not wash them?

I honestly think a lot of this would be solved by abandoning the school bottles and just requiring kids be sent in with a bottle of water. If a few parents are determined to send their kid in with flat lemonade or gin or whatever else looks like water then deal with those when they surface.

Those poor kids, utterly disgusting. I'd be tempted to just make sure she gets adequate water before school and after school and that she has a big drink in her school lunch box, that would be more than enough hydration for a child and she can avoid using the school water while it's still so disgusting.

I'm fascinated by the fact it went green though, is it possible the bottle smelled foul and your daughter exaggerated a little about the colour? I've had refilled water bottles sit there for weeks unnoticed somewhere and they've not gone green even when refilled with tap water.