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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Schiol parents- Please keep your children at home if you suspect covid!

182 replies

TeenyQueen · 15/01/2022 21:41

Rant-
I'm a pregnant SEN teacher and I've just tested positive for covid, after spending the week in a small classroom with 3 children that tested positive on Thursday. Another child was sent to school, on a shared transport bus, even though the mum and a sibling both had covid. Another child was sent to school with symptoms and both the child and mum have now tested positive.

My class has two teachers, we've both tested positive today. Fortunately we're all double vaccinated and boosted, but I'm heavily pregnant and asthmatic and currently feeling very unwell.

I know for a fact that some parents send their children to school even when they display symptoms because keeping them at home is inconvenient. Well good luck sending them to school now because we will have no staff to teach them!

I also wish that parents were honest about testing their children. Many of mine have very challenging behaviours so I seriously doubt that they are being tested, even when the parents say they have done it.

I just hope that the baby and I will be ok. I also have to self isolate away from my DH and little toddler to protect them, which is breaking my heart 😢.

OP posts:

EmmaPaella · 16/01/2022 00:46

I agree that parents shouldn't send kids in with symptoms. But with a daily negative test I disagree. Don't blame parents for reading the "guidance" and following it.

Bakewelltart987 · 16/01/2022 00:55

@NiceTwin

My dd had a headache, she is in year 11, I am not keeping her off with a headache. School tested her, she was positive, I was gob smacked, she really wasn't ill.

She's still home, I work in a school and other dd works in a nursery, we're carrying on as normal as the rules state we should.

Year 11 she could of stayed home and looked after herself the headache must of been bad for her to be complaining to the teachers about it!

When I had covid the worst thing was the headache not being able to face any sort of bright light.

A quick lft could of been done before you decided it wasn't covid and you wasn't keeping your child off for a headache. shame on you.

MizzFizz · 16/01/2022 01:00

Sorry you're not well and hope all is ok with you. I'm pregnant too and unfortunately over the last week, my whole family (DH, DD(2), my parents who we were visiting, brother and SIL, and other SIL who all live separately) all contracted COVID. This new variant is so contagious, it's spreading like wildfire (as you know). Although it's really not great that you contracted it, it feels inevitable at this point that most of us will get it.

We had all managed to avoid it for nearly 2 years and then this holiday just all got it. Everyone I know seems to have someone in their household or wider family who has COVID...

So I don't know if I would say YABU or not, but simply that it much harder to avoid right now. Many of us who are now positive had tested negative earlier in the week... So possible many children have tested neg but then became contagious a few hours later...

NothingIsWrong · 16/01/2022 01:00

@TempNameChangexx

Personally I think people should ignore the "guidance" which has always been a bit inconsistent and contradictory and apply some common sense. My son currently has Covid - the "guidance" says I don' t have to isolate as I'm triple jabbed, however I am as I think it's the sensible thing to do to ensure I don't spread it to anyone else....

Being able to ignore the guidance is not possible for thousands of people, so you are in a very privileged position if you can do that. Employers will insist on them being followed, anyone living on minimum wage, pay check to pay check will have to send kids in whenever the can and attend work if they themselves are negative.

Common sense V financial strife? Not much of a choice there.

1AngelicFruitCake · 16/01/2022 01:02

I’m sorry you have Covid and are pregnant. However, as others said, sending your child in if others in house have covid is allowed.

I’m a teacher off work with Covid. It’s rubbish, I feel ill and likely caught it at work. However, I have tested my children each morning before sending them into school. If I had kept them off ‘just incase’ both children would have missed a week off school without needing to.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 16/01/2022 01:53

I don’t agree with it, but the guidance is to send them in if others in the household have it. So those ones can’t really be blamed for following the guidance and not either lying or facing a fine.

The parents who send children in with symptoms are awful. Do they not even care about their children feeling unwell at school, even if they don’t care for others?

Hope you are baby are ok Op

scammedmum29 · 16/01/2022 07:39

@TempNameChangexx

I’m in the same situation but I’ve been told I must go to work whilst testing negative. I’m a teacher.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 16/01/2022 07:50

I’m sorry op. I hope you are feeling ok and it’s mild. And I agree with the rules about those with families members is mad. One family have both parents with covid and 2 younger kids and the positive mum is driving the 1 kid who’s currently negative to school asking random parents on the whatapp group to walk past her car and walk kid in. They are home anyway not working with 2 other kids, why not keep the third home.

If a kid is in my class coughing, I send them to student services to get them sent home for a PCR and refuse to teach them until negative

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 16/01/2022 07:50

@TeenyQueen

Has your class now closed if both teachers off? Or they got a cover in?

Iggly · 16/01/2022 07:54

YANBU OP.

I worry about the lifting of measures because Boris now uses them to further his political ends, as opposed to doing what’s right. So he’s trying to appeal to voters with all this “live with covid” nonsense when covid isn’t just a “cold” and causes problems even in asymptomatic cases for some people.

What a shit shower.

Iggly · 16/01/2022 07:55

@1AngelicFruitCake

I’m sorry you have Covid and are pregnant. However, as others said, sending your child in if others in house have covid is allowed.

The OP also mentioned sending children in with possible symptoms? Is that ok?

The government really should have got testing sorted. All this time, all this money, and still we are stuck with LFTs which throw out too many false negatives and PCRs which take too long!

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 16/01/2022 07:59

Unless your child has symptoms, awaiting a pcr, they should be in school.
I hope you are ok OP but honestly yabu- you could catch Covid anywhere and I’m sure as you got pregnant in the middle of a pandemic you knew the risk!

Dailywalk · 16/01/2022 08:06

I think the guidelines changed so if you’re pregnant you wfh from 30weeks? This is what my child’s teacher has done. She does online teaching to small groups of children from home (they’re in school). Maybe you could do that?

PrivateHall · 16/01/2022 08:14

Aw I feel for you op, it is rubbish. We all isolated when there was covid in our house, we were very lucky that the policy is that we cannot come to work anyway due to the nature of our jobs. The schools were happy we kept the DC off. It is all a bit crap but I guess we are slowly moving towards not having to isolate at all so we need to start getting used to that idea I guess. Take care!

Mumofsend · 16/01/2022 08:15

Unless my child has symptoms they will be in school. Many children can not engage with home learning and many children can not cope with inconsistent attendance hokey pokey

They aren't going to tighten the rules again.

Iggly · 16/01/2022 08:28

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Unless your child has symptoms, awaiting a pcr, they should be in school. I hope you are ok OP but honestly yabu- you could catch Covid anywhere and I’m sure as you got pregnant in the middle of a pandemic you knew the risk!

There’s a higher risk in schools!

Honestly. What a horrible thing to say

Thegirlwhocan · 16/01/2022 08:35

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Unless your child has symptoms, awaiting a pcr, they should be in school. I hope you are ok OP but honestly yabu- you could catch Covid anywhere and I’m sure as you got pregnant in the middle of a pandemic you knew the risk!

You sound very selfish. Like so many other mothers that I know at our school.

What an insensitive post.

Seriously.

x2boys · 16/01/2022 08:36

I appreciate what you are saying ,my son goes to a special school on transport ,however when my oldest son tested positive again before Xmas I thought I was doing the right thing keeping them both off as ds2 special school has some very clinically vulnerable pupil,s and I got an arsey phonecall asking for PCR tests ,maybe guidelines needs the be different for special school,s ?

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 16/01/2022 08:38

Hi op
I can understand your worry especially being pregnant, and I hope you get a very mild case and feel better soon .
However , you are being a tad unreasonable to think you could avoid catching covid being a teacher in a primary school .

CovidForChristmas · 16/01/2022 08:38

Another child was sent to school, on a shared transport bus, even though the mum and a sibling both had covid
The parent was following the guidance if the child is negative and has no symptoms.

I also have to self isolate away from my DH and little toddler to protect them, which is breaking my heart
Are they vulnerable? Unfortunately OP they have probably already been exposed if you are testing positive.

I say this gently OP but YABU. I understand why but the climate is changing. The country is moving to a ‘live with it’ approach. They will be ending plan b soon and already reducing testing requirements. It really is a relatively mild illness for most.

Gingerninja4 · 16/01/2022 08:40

Hope you are on Op

But yes my so at SEN school with ECV pupils but we are told they must be in if no symptoms and LF is clear

But it's more the educatio authority are doing one size fits all schools

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 16/01/2022 08:41

I also agree with PP , unless someone is vulnerable its absolutely bonkers to isolate within your own home , especially if you have small children.
Apart from anything else it's like trying to close the door after the horse has bolted .

Darbs76 · 16/01/2022 08:43

Sorry you have covid and I hope you and the family will be fine. But the guidance is the guidance and as someone else said a child with low attendance will be threatened if they keep kids off if family have covid. Eg my 14yr DD has ongoing undiagnosed health issues and the school have been really aggressive in their letters, I couldn’t keep her off if covid is in the home, as the rules are to go in.

Darbs76 · 16/01/2022 08:44

Also I wouldn’t isolate at home, you’re just delaying the inevitable spread or likely they have already caught it. I wouldn’t isolate from a young toddler

Wannakisstheteacher · 16/01/2022 08:52

As a teacher you should be more aware than most of what these children have lost. There is no way, absolutely no way, I’d keep my 8 year old off school for a single moment unless he, himself, is unwell. I’m sick of watching his life chances sacrificed for “the greater good”.

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