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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be irked that teacher wouldn’t open 6-year-old’s water bottle at school?

229 replies

Tabletoppp · 09/09/2020 18:47

Just that really. 6-year-old came home very thirsty and said he has a headache. I took his water bottle out his bag and said, “oh you didn’t drink anything?”

He said he couldn’t get the cap off (It wasn’t on that tight, but oh well!), and that he asked his his teacher to help and she said no, she can’t touch his water bottle because of Covid.

So all day he drank no water.

Aibu that she should have helped him and then just washed her hands?!

OP posts:
AlexanderHalexander · 09/09/2020 20:38

because of covid

If your DS has covid, the teacher would have been exposed to it by your DS standing and speaking to her, touching or not touching the water bottle wouldn't change anything.

What utter bullshit

Theimpossiblegirl · 09/09/2020 20:40

It was hot today, I refilled about 12 water bottles for children, just kept the tap on and used paper towels. I'm in a room with them all day, it's hardly going to make a difference to my safety if I open a few water bottles now.

MrsHamlet · 09/09/2020 20:40

@MolyHolyGuacamole

I swear that a teacher could kill a child and the jury of MN would day it's a difficult time for them and the parents should have done a better job 🙄

It's like they don't have a duty of care to children or something.

Or perhaps that the duty of care also involves the teacher NOT doing something that might put the child at risk. It matters not one iota whether you or anyone else thinks it's a risk if the teacher has been told not to do something as simple as open a child's bottle, does so, and then the child becomes sick.
IdblowJonSnow · 09/09/2020 20:41

I would feel really I'll if I didnt drink water for several hours.
I think I would say that you understand how cautious everyone has to be but that hed come home feeling dehydrated and headachey. But maybe the school policy is super strict and she was just following 'orders'.

1Morewineplease · 09/09/2020 20:42

When you're in the dinner hall and have thirty young children in your class who need wrappers to be opened ,as well as pre-bought sandwich cartons, peelable cheeses, re-sealable cheese and cracker snacks, school dinners to be cut up, children to be helped to lift their fork or spoon to their mouths as some aren't used to cutlery, it's very hard to keep running off to wash your hands in between. Even using hand sanitiser in between is almost impossible for the numbers of children .

However, all children have access to water on their dinner tables.

asprinklingofsugar · 09/09/2020 20:42

YABU

FinnyStory · 09/09/2020 20:43

If it's true it's appalling butbt think it's far more likely that he didn't actually ask for help, or even that he didn't realise he was thirsty until he got home, especially as you say it's a bottle he's used to opening and it wasn't tightly closed.

I'd guess he's regularly "reminded" at home of the the importance of drinking enough and was covering for the fact that he hadn't followed instructions.

queenqueenqueen · 09/09/2020 20:43

That's utterly ridiculous YANBU

Shizzlestix · 09/09/2020 20:43

I'd be annoyed at that. If they're going to be that picky then they should have rung you to say he couldn't open it.

Really? Do you think teachers have time to do this?

I think social distancing has gone awol in many schools. We all thought we’d be leaving paper for 48 hours, not handing out books. We were wrong. I’d say I’m going on as normal, pretty much. Playing a game yesterday, I sanitized the equipment between students.

MeridaTheBold · 09/09/2020 20:45

It's not as simple as opening a bottle.
Some parents wouldn't want a teacher touching their DC's water bottle. There's a risk of cross contamination.
Even with sanitiser, if it doesn't absorb properly, it could leave traces on the bottle that your DC accidentally ingest, etc.
It isn't worth any of those risks especially when schools have been very clear about what they can and can't do.
I think you're upset for your DS and feel a bit guilty that he couldn't open his bottle. That's understandable but it doesn't make it the teacher's fault.

switswoo81 · 09/09/2020 20:45

Guidelines here state that if you come within 1 m of the child a mask and visor must be worn so if we have to tie coats or anything I must put a mask on as well.

MolyHolyGuacamole · 09/09/2020 20:46

or perhaps that the duty of care also involves the teacher NOT doing something that might put the child at risk.

Absolutely ridiculous. Depriving a child of waters especially on a hot day, is putting a child at risk. Nothing happened to this child but another could have fainted.

If a child were to become ill with Covid it's more likely to be due to poor social distancing with friends than from a teacher turning a lid with a paper towel or sanitised hands.

The dramatics on this page!

grey12 · 09/09/2020 20:46

Tell the teacher to wash her hands!!! Envy that's ridiculous!!!

WellThatHurt · 09/09/2020 20:46

If covid was active in the classroom then there would be far more risks than a one off opening of a bottle. She should have just washed hands and undo it then maybe mention at pick up time "weve been advised not to, do you have another bottle for tomorrow?" .. i think its a bit extreme to say no all day

mumwon · 09/09/2020 20:48

@OwlBeThere
I very much doubt this
what we had is those (totally unhygienic ) water fountain things for in between & some dc drank from the taps ( goodness knows how we survived) & in primary school until Thatcher robbed dc of milk - we had milk in the morning

MrsHamlet · 09/09/2020 20:48

@MolyHolyGuacamole

or perhaps that the duty of care also involves the teacher NOT doing something that might put the child at risk.

Absolutely ridiculous. Depriving a child of waters especially on a hot day, is putting a child at risk. Nothing happened to this child but another could have fainted.

If a child were to become ill with Covid it's more likely to be due to poor social distancing with friends than from a teacher turning a lid with a paper towel or sanitised hands.

The dramatics on this page!

Please don't paraphrase me and imply that I'm being dramatic.
Wishihadanalgorithm · 09/09/2020 20:49

Another teacher here. I would definitely have opened the bottle without a qualm (but with lots of hand sanitiser).

Benjispruce2 · 09/09/2020 20:49

I work in year 1. We’re not supposed to but I have done it several times for the reasons you state. I’ve had to wash my hands thoroughly before and after though so would appreciate parents checking their children can open their bottles. Same goes for shoe laces- get Velcro shoes if they can’t tie laces yet. You might have a few children, we have 30.

eaglejulesk · 09/09/2020 20:50

As a kid we weren’t even allowed a drink at school other then lunch time, and yet somehow we all survived. One day isn’t going to kill him/her.

Thinking the same thing, honestly how have people become so OTT.

You should complain, it's neglect.

Oh ffs !!!!

RideaCockHorseOfCourse · 09/09/2020 20:52

That's bad, OP, I would definitely have a word about that. 6 years old, and it resulted in them not being able to have a drink all day. For God's sake you lot saying 'it's just one day', or "get a grip, there are bigger things to worry about' - that's shite! Thinking of my own adult ds's at 6 years old , that would've made me mad as hell.

LouiseNW · 09/09/2020 20:55

Did you check whether he was able to open it? Maybe a different design?

Bunkumum · 09/09/2020 20:56

Just because he said it doesn’t mean it happened.

Monkeynuts18 · 09/09/2020 20:58

@eaglejulesk

If all we expect of schools is that they don’t kill 6 year olds, that’s setting the bar pretty low.

overlywrong · 09/09/2020 20:59

I work in a school and we had a child who's water bottle leaked everywhere so I washed and sanitised my hands, sorted the bottle out, cleaned the bottle with a wipe and then washed and sanitised my hands again before I gave it back. What was the problem with the member of staff doing that? I don't think Yabu at all!!

lyralalala · 09/09/2020 21:00

@Shizzlestix

I'd be annoyed at that. If they're going to be that picky then they should have rung you to say he couldn't open it.

Really? Do you think teachers have time to do this?

I think social distancing has gone awol in many schools. We all thought we’d be leaving paper for 48 hours, not handing out books. We were wrong. I’d say I’m going on as normal, pretty much. Playing a game yesterday, I sanitized the equipment between students.

In any school I've ever worked in a child going the whole day without a drink would warrant a phone call home.