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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU Norovirus and school attitude..

44 replies

ultrablue · 14/12/2019 23:27

So DS and DD go to different schools that are managed by the same school. DS goes to the lead school... Parents get an email to say that there has been a single confirmed case of Norovirus at a local primary school where siblings might attend.. Brilliant parents and students are aware, on the look out etc etc.

Same day DD comes home from "linked" school ..
DS " It was terrible at school today 15 children and 4 teachers were in the medical room within an hour throwing up and the other end Mom"

Me"That's terrible, what did school do?".

My daughter spends a bit of time in the medical room for other reasons which is a bit of a concern.

DD "well the really I'll children "(I'll let you draw your own conclusions) had to wait until their parents picked them up. " The others who only threw up where sent back to class"

"You are kidding me Norovirus and being sent back to class"

"Yes mom"

Really they are sending vomiting kids back to class knowing how contagious it is. All the other local schools that have has a couple of outbreaks are closing to deep clean.

DD has now finished her mock "mock" exams and my mom is in a nursing home, where I (we) visit Every Day.

AIBU not to send her to school regarding the schools attitude? Norovirus could be fatal to my mom and the other residents

OP posts:
BrutusMcDogface · 14/12/2019 23:29

This just can’t be true! Are you sure your dd didn’t muddle the facts?

Wheredidigowrongggggg · 14/12/2019 23:31

I don’t believe this either.

AwdBovril · 14/12/2019 23:31

YANBU at all. They are not looking after your DC properly. They need to demonstrate how they plan to improve this.

DigitalGhost · 14/12/2019 23:32

This close to Christmas I'd keep her off if you're worried.
It's been going round the schools here too and they were sending kids back to class with sick bags...😵

AwdBovril · 14/12/2019 23:37

Regardless of the particular details, if so many staff & pupils were sick so quickly, it surely needs deep cleaning? Obviously it's a pain (DD's school closed recently for the same reason) but it's necessary. Some pupils may have health issues which make them more vulnerable.

housemdwaswrong · 14/12/2019 23:39

As an immunosupressed teacher I would be absolutely livid.

No, yanbu and I would ask for clarification so the school knows it is in the public domain.

Starlight456 · 14/12/2019 23:40

According to the pole 110% agree . That is an unprecedented agreement on mn

fedup21 · 14/12/2019 23:41

This sounds extremely unlikely. I’d ring the head for clarification.

LeekMunchingSheepShagger · 14/12/2019 23:43

I absolutely believe this. A friend of my dd was sick in school last week and was sent back to class with a “see how you get on”. It was only when she was sick again an hour or so later that they called her mum.

Original poster
ultrablue · 15/12/2019 08:11

DD hasn't muddled facts and school have always had the attitude of children aren't really Ill.

A couple of poor children on Friday were left sitting in their soiled underwear whilst waiting to be collected, unacceptable to me. Yes it's a senior school so there won't be lots of spare uniform, but surely they could have sorted something out for them from lost property?

Over the years mine have had to text me to ask to come home as school don't believe they are ill when they are. I am not the "parent" who lets them stay off school because something hurts, I am hardcore in that respect, you go to work, school whatever unless you are really ill.

I've since spoken to another parent who has a high risk child there and had rang the school repeatedly asking for them to take it seriously, close for a deep clean etc and was told emphatically no.

I can't help thinking it's because of the fact that the school has not long come out of special measures and don't want their attendance figures to drop ( I had a sarcastic phone call from them whilst at the hospital with DD and a suspected broken arm a few months ago).

Thank you for your replies and I am glad that I am not being unreasonable.

OP posts:
Original poster
ultrablue · 15/12/2019 08:17

AwdBovril

Regardless of the particular details, if so many staff & pupils were sick so quickly, it surely needs deep cleaning? Obviously it's a pain (DD's school closed recently for the same reason) but it's necessary. Some pupils may have health issues which make them more vulnerable

The local senior closed for a deep clean when just a handful of children went down with it so I don't see why DD's school won't do the same.

OP posts:
NigesFakeWalkingStick · 15/12/2019 08:19

This sort of thing terrifies me for when DS goes to school. I have severe emetephobia and am dreading these viruses spreading round with so little consideration to those who are ill. As if you'd send a poorly child back into the class.

I know attendance is an issue but surely around this time of year when these things are rampant it would be better to take the more cautious approach.

BlueLadybird · 15/12/2019 08:47

If this really is true then you need to be issuing a formal complaint to the school Governors. Keeping your DD off won’t change anything and you’ll be in the same situation again.

Lollypop10 · 15/12/2019 08:53

This is/was happening at my daughters school. So totally possible. They had 120 students off with v&d but were saying it’s not confirmed norovirus. Next day kids were not being sent home as they had only been sick once. They were sent back to class but majority then got worse and were sent home. Some parents refused to get them. Some parents sent them back in the next day. The school announced as not many teachers were affected they would stay open and no need to deep clean. We obviously complained but it fell on deaf ears. We will be taking
It further

breastfeeding · 15/12/2019 08:53

Every time norovirus is going round our school I keep dc off
One has a serious condition it could be fatal so I don’t risk it

Aragog · 15/12/2019 09:03

I can't see any school sending children who have been sick back into class. I can't see any class teacher accepting those children back into their classroom. We wouldn't. We would return them back to the office/medical room. Infact as class teachers and TAs we would phone their parents ourselves to have them collected, with a reminder of the 48 hour rule.

^*
All the other local schools that have has a couple of outbreaks are closing to deep clean*^.

We have had an email a week or two ago from the LA to inform us that schools shouldn't do this, and to list other procedures if what to do if school is affected by the sickness bugs going around.

We've had a lot of it with our highest sickness rates for years this half term. Not closed though. We've had a lot of extra cleaning by the caretakers and cleaning staff, and the general class staff. But we were informed schools shouldn't be closed for it.

simplekindoflife · 15/12/2019 09:09

I'd speak to the school and ask for clarification. And asking why the other school has informed the parents but they haven't.

If this is true, I'd be raising it with the governors and Ofsted.

It's utterly irresponsible and potentially dangerous for some people.

Equanimitas · 15/12/2019 09:28

Can you contact the governors urgently if children are being put at risk? I'd also suggest contacting the council's environmental health and safeguarding departments.

bellinisurge · 15/12/2019 09:31

I have MS. I spend winter in fear of the Norovirus. I got it two years in a row. Shitting myself as I "ran" to the loo at work was a particular highlight.

Selfsettling3 · 15/12/2019 09:50

I can’t imagine a teacher being in the medical too. I worked in schools for over 10 years and never was an ill member of staff in the medical room.

Did they send them back into their original class or put all the ill kids in an empty classroom together with one member of staff supervising? The first is not acceptable but the second makes perfect sense.

WorldsOnFire · 15/12/2019 10:02

I’ve seen a few threads about keeping non symptomatic kids off due to big school outbreaks and parents are 85% told they ABVU- it baffles me!

DH is a Hospital Dr and usually the most practical ‘you’ll be fine’ person going - even he doesn’t get the ‘send your healthy kids into a known infection risk’ attitude.
“There’s a reason we shut wards down completely and don’t just tell visible unwell people to stay away- noro spreads like wildfire” Shut down - deep clean - give everyone exposed time to incubate/suffer/recover - it’s the only way!

Loodally · 15/12/2019 10:04

This happened in one of the local senior schools.
Children who were sick were sent back into class with a sick bag. The school denied having a problem and said that they definitely didn't have a Noro virus issue.
2 days later the school had to close due to Noro 🙄 along with several other local schools.

BrutusMcDogface · 15/12/2019 10:06

Oh my goodness. I stand corrected, then. This is APPALLING.

However, it just drives home how ducking ridiculous it is that schools are judged so harshly on attendance figures.

The government is shit and the school system is going to shit.

DeeZastris · 15/12/2019 10:09

Those poor children. Where is the dignity in being sent back to class with a sick bag? I think some schools have completely forgotten that the pupils are human beings.

ChloeDecker · 15/12/2019 10:14

I’m not sure how the OP can be so sure her DD hasn’t muddled some facts. The 4 teachers throwing up where the kids were is so unlikely. They would be elsewhere.

I’m intrigued why the OP hasn’t contacted the school immediately over this for their version of the facts and is instead starting a MN post and already deciding it is all true and keeping DD off school.

Keeping healthy DD off school would only reasonable if OP had confirmed the details from the school. Are we really just taking children’s words at face value re: staying off school these days and not seeing a problem with that?

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