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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Son sent home from school

38 replies

Gizzygizmo · 05/10/2018 14:29

School rang me around 1pm so say teacher has seen movement in his hair and I’ve to come collect him to treat his hair, said no worries and collected him.
No problem with that as I know how much of an issue it can be, even though I checked his hair 2 days ago after an email warning of lice in the school, he didn’t have any.
Got home checked every inch of his hair and can’t see a single lice.
I’m feeling extremely annoyed now, dont know what they saw but It certainly was not a headlice.
Thankfully I only work part time and wasn’t at work neeeing to leave early.
He’s 7 and has a development delay so he didn’t have much of an idea of what was going on.

Wibu to contact The school Monday morning about this?

OP posts:
taratill · 05/10/2018 14:51

I'd be querying any policy that required you to collect a child who may have nits. When they are rife (which they can be from time to time) you'd barely have any children left in a classroom! A note in the school bag or a phone call would have sufficed here I think.

Alpacanorange · 05/10/2018 14:52

I’ve heard this before in some schools, it’s ridiculous. Ask to see their policy on this.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/10/2018 14:53

Ffs even if he did have nits that’s a ridiculous overreaction!

steff13 · 05/10/2018 14:56

They didn't check to see it was actually a louse before they called you?

My daughter got lice in kindergarten. She complained to the teacher that her head itched, the teacher sent her to the nurse, and the nurse called me to come and get her. I treated her, and the nurse checked her the next morning before she was allowed to go back to class. That's there policy, you can't have any nits or live lice to come to school.

WoWsers16 · 05/10/2018 14:59

As a teacher I am not actually allowed to check children’s hair for head lice (crazy) however if I felt a child did have nits I would ring up the parent and inform and would prefer child to be collected so it doesn’t spread- however I would ask parent to check once arrived at school so doesn’t have the inconvenience of having to take child home for nothing. X

WoWsers16 · 05/10/2018 15:00

Also a general letter/email would go out saying about bits in school x

Original poster
Gizzygizmo · 05/10/2018 15:05

I had no worries at all about collecting him, nits can be such a pain and spread quickly but to get home to find he had none Hmm
I had to hurry up putting paint away and get my 9 month old ready and pick him up.
They definitely didn’t see any lice I’ve been through his hair twice since being home.
I’ll be contacting the teacher Monday morning, so glad I didn’t go spend £10 on lice treatment on my way home, glad I checked first.

OP posts:
kaytee87 · 05/10/2018 15:08

@WoWsers16 but they've probably already gone to the inconvenience of leaving work by that point anyway. What does your schools policy say on it?

salterello · 05/10/2018 15:11

I think lice are too small to be seen in the hair 'moving'! Yes a complete over reaction!

Original poster
Gizzygizmo · 05/10/2018 15:11

Kaytee87 exactly I’m so glad I wasn’t at work, I don’t leave till after school.
But I’m sure there are many parents who have to leave work to collect on them occasions

OP posts:
WoWsers16 · 05/10/2018 15:12

teachers are not there to do everything- and unfortunately parents sometimes do have to have the inconvenience of coming out to work to check on their child- as if the child’s head is full of nits then it would need treatment - and I’m sure other parents in the school don’t want their children to catch nits.
The only different thing I would do is get the parent to check while at school together - to make sure. If both saw nothing then that’s fine and child could stay.
X

LemonBreeland · 05/10/2018 15:12

I would check their policy on sending children home. I thought it was not allowed any more.

kaytee87 · 05/10/2018 15:14

@WoWsers16 I'm asking what your actual school policy says on the matter as any school I know of aren't allowed to send children home due to nits (Scotland) and in your post you mention you'd 'prefer' to send them home not you have to.

mumsastudent · 05/10/2018 15:15

get metal nit comb & use conditioner after hair wash -comb through hair if their is anything there (eggs or adults!) you will find them & kill control them. comb through hair daily just using nit comb & repeat conditioner treatment each time you wash hair. Hoe did she something moving? nits are very small you need bright light to see them (pay special attention to behind ears temples & back of neck.

CottonSock · 05/10/2018 15:16

I'd laugh if my school rang demanding collection! Really

Yabbers · 05/10/2018 15:17

Don’t be that parent. So they made a mistake. Nobody was hurt, just a bit inconvenienced. Let it go this time, you’ll do differently next time.

Original poster
Gizzygizmo · 05/10/2018 15:23

Yabbers I’m not THAT parent... I’m a parent who had a call to say a teacher seen nits crawling in his hair and I’ve to come collect him... no, no body was hurt, but how many other children get sent home when they just seem to be making assumptions.

OP posts:
Cachailleacha · 05/10/2018 15:25

Nobody was hurt, just a bit inconvenienced.
Another parent could lose pay and struggle to pay the bills the next week, all for nothing.

admission · 05/10/2018 15:25

It really depends on whether the school and you think that this was a medical emergency.
If they do then it is appropriate to be calling the parent in and letting them go home. They are exercising their duty of care to the pupil.
If however you think it is not (and I do not) then the school have illegally sent the pupil home and it would be classed as an illegal exclusion of 1/2 day. You need to have a conversation with the school to establish just what is their policy and possibly point out that this could be deemed to be an illegal exclusion (paragraph 14 of the exclusion guidance, September 2017)

Micke · 05/10/2018 15:26

I think lice are too small to be seen in the hair 'moving'! Yes a complete over reaction!

Lice are plenty big enough to be seen - I remember once glancing over at my sister and seeing them crawling around - goodness knows how she got so infested without any of us noticing, and my, wasn't that a fun evening, all of us sat around, stinking, while watching TV while the treatment did its thing.

Ithinkitsgoingtorain · 05/10/2018 15:26

I'm a retired teacher and a mother. It's that time of year. Expect nits or headlice. Check regularly. Easy peasy And yes they can easily be seen by the naked eye moving about. The earliest sign is usually that scratching just behind the ears around the nape of the neck.

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 05/10/2018 15:27

kaytee but then she says child could stay if parent and teacher agree no nits. It’s all a bit of a muddle. I can’t believe that schools can have policies on this that say that a child cannot be in school with nits and must be collected. There are any number of reasons why that might not be possible.

PinkAvocado · 05/10/2018 15:28

I’d mention it - what a waste of time.

TheBigFatMermaid · 05/10/2018 15:31

I thought they weren't even allowed to send a specific note home to the parents of the child with nits any more, just a general 'Lice are about' letter to everyone. I am amazed they rang you for this.

Screaminginsidemeagain · 05/10/2018 15:33

You need to comb the whole head with a special bit comb and conditioner. You can just rummage around and be 100% sure there aren’t any