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

[TeenyQueen]

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 😢.

Oh get a grip. We're almost 2 years into the pandemic now. We're supposed to be learning to live with it.
You knew the pandemic was ongoing when you chose to get pregnant. You also knew what job you do.
You are being ridiculous isolating from the rest of your family. You do not have to, you are CHOOSING too. Chances are they'll be absolutely fine.
You say the kids have SEN and challenging behaviour. So I presume you know how difficult they cAn be. You'll also know school is probably the only break some of the parents get. They've been thrown under the bus by the government time and time again during the pandemic. Cut them some slack.
I'd have thought somebody in your position would be more understanding and also understand there are other illnesses out there other than covid.

I think some of the teachers on here who are in the public sector aren’t acknowledging how fragile some people’s jobs and finances are. I say this as someone who is public sector and knows I have good protection and I’m a union member. I could heat my home and feed my children even if I was unpaid. Many, many families are in extremely vulnerable positions and I doubt anyone could work in the state school sector and not know this. If a parent has Covid but is not sick and can work from home, their employer may not take too kindly to them being disturbed by a healthy 5 year old who is being kept as home “just in case”. The guidance is clear.
Sending an unwell or symptomatic child is another matter. That’s not acceptable, even more so when there is confirmed covid in the house!

That said, OP I appreciate you are anxious and I hope you stay safe and well.

@Mickarooni is correct. You can’t tell your employer you are staying home ‘just in case’. That includes teachers.

Honestly. What a horrible thing to say

What's horrible? Obviously people with symptoms shouldn't come in unless they've had a negative PCR test, but we simply cannot keep shutting this country down. People on an individual level cannot afford it neither on a personal or financial note and the wider economy cannot afford it.

You say Omicron is different kettle of fish in its capacity to infect but completely ignore the fact it's also different in its severity - talk about selective messaging! To most people, it is an unpleasant but non life threatening virus. At times individual school may have to close if they're under staffed but there is absolutely no need to deprive children of education, families if income and their support network unnecessarily. That's horrible. What happened to those two poor children who were killed by caregivers was horrible. The country cannot function with people constantly isolating.

Me and my partner are currently testing positive for covid as is my eldest. My youngest is testing negative.

Under the current guidance my youngest can still attend school but we have no way of getting them there anyway, so they won't be attending based on our own isolation.

You sound very selfish really why? Because I recognise Covid isn’t going anywhere. Are you only shopping by yourself? Are you only meeting outside? Honestly why with education are parents labelled selfish and not when they go to the pub, or go to a house party?!
And I was unfortunately pregnant in the first lockdown- I don’t overly feel sympathy for those that know the risks they are taking getting pregnant now- sorry.

I'm sorry you are ill but the parents didn't do anything wrong sending them to school even though their was covid in the house. It's getting to the point where we need to simply accept covid is an endemic disease like colds and flu, you don't hide away with them. Parents cannot keep taking time off.

If they have the official symptoms yes they shouldn't be in school but if it was cold like then I can see why they are sent in if lft is challenging. My dd has asd and I'm not sure how well I would have coped if I had to have her at home these past 2 years (she's an adult and copes ok now, at 10 it was a nightmare), I lost 2 jobs because of having to take time off with her long before covid!)

@Bakewelltart987 I think the shame is on you for writing such a ridiculous post.

Just to clarify, what I want us for parents to test their children if they think the children are symptomatic or they is a covid positive person in the household. This is actual government guidance (which does unfortunately and rather confusingly keep changing). Also to respond to someone's comment, it's also government guidance that you should try to isolate from other family members if you're positive. Fortunately I can do this because we have the facilities to do it, and my DH is a healthcare professional so I also want to protect his patients. He is testing daily and fortunately he is negative so far.

I think what parents quite often fail to understand is that teachers are school staff are human beings too, we have different health conditions, vulnerable family members and care commitments. My TAs father has terminal cancer and no immunity against covid. My other TA has a disabled child with complex health needs. Many schools are running on skeleton staff and some schools are actually having to close entire bubbles because there are no teachers available to work.

Please test your children and be honest about it. I just read an article about secondary pupils who are refusing to take part in school testing schemes. Children's education has suffered so much already, we don't need it yo suffer any more by forcing teachers to self-isolate and affecting whole classes, when just one or two pupils could and should have stayed off.

Not everyone in a house gets Covid when one person has it, so education and the economy need to keep going.

The trouble with LFT’s are that you can report a positive or negative test without actually taking it, so you are trusting people to be honest.
Unfortunately a lot of people aren’t.

@GoodnightGrandma but you would still try to do lfts on the children if there was a covid positive person in the house.

Sorry, I was talking about the high school kids who refuse to do them. If pushed they could say they’ve done them , but not have.
My own adult DD refuses to do them and there’s nothing I can do but be disappointed.
Some people are just selfish.

Having seen the update, that's absolutely fair enough. I had Covid, couldn't isolate from my child but did wear a mask when she was home, limited contact and was constantly cleaning shared areas and touchpoints. She was tested every day before school. These are fair and responsible measures IMO and not asking a great deal. She remained negative and has managed to avoid catching it at all - we test regularly as per guidance.

Op - Why is it wrong for parents to follow the guidance and send their asymptomatic kids into school whilst family members have coronavirus.

But it is OK for your husband to see patients ia health care setting whilst following the exact same guidance.

You seem to be calling parents of children with SEN liars, by saying that the parents are saying they are testing them at home,but you don't believe them.

Maybe rather than have a go at these parents, you should challenge the guidance, or demand that your husband stays at home.

I know that a lot of parents of children with SEN struggle to get them to accept the test. Many do not like the nose swab and will not tolerate it, no matter how they try.

@LolaLouLou

Op - Why is it wrong for parents to follow the guidance and send their asymptomatic kids into school whilst family members have coronavirus.

But it is OK for your husband to see patients ia health care setting whilst following the exact same guidance.

You seem to be calling parents of children with SEN liars, by saying that the parents are saying they are testing them at home,but you don't believe them.

Maybe rather than have a go at these parents, you should challenge the guidance, or demand that your husband stays at home.

Maybe I am being harsh and I do hope you recover soon. But I'm the issue is with the rules, not the parents. Parents of SEN children spend so much of their energy being stuck between a rock and a hard place with limited support.

I think what parents quite often fail to understand is that teachers are school staff are human beings too then they are idiots.

I think following the guidance and being honest about it is a fair ask and they should be doing this no matter your pregnancy status.

It's difficult. My 18yr tested positive and I was a symptomatic. I kept my daughter off and contacted the school. The school said as long as she tested negative she should go in. She tested negative in the morning but that evening became unwell and tested positive. We all then tested positive. We had initially gone against advice and kept her home. I hope you're okay but we did follow the advice especially as she was asymptomatic at the time.

I don’t agree that you have to isolate from your toddler. What makes you think they’d be particularly ill if they got it? Are they vulnerable in some way? Most small children don’t get particularly y well. When I had covid there was no way I’d have isolated from my toddler. They’d have been confused and very upset. Sorry you’re ill and stressed though

We were testing my oldest son everyday as his best friend is positive, he had a very faint positive on a LF on Friday, I wanted to keep his younger brother off until I got PCR results but was told he had to come into school if his LF was negative. 2 other parents at the school had covid and were keeping their daughter off but were told by the head teacher she had to come in, even when parents pointed out they would be breaking the rules by travelling out their house, the head wouldn't listen and arranged for another teacher to collect the daughter from the car park. I'm very mixed on it as technically not doing anything wrong sending them in, also my sisters son had covid and non of the other 6 family members caught it, so if they had had to isolate his siblings would of missed even more school.

Out of interest how are you going to manage to isolate away from your toddler if your husband is a healthcare professional and still going out to work? Who will look after her?

You criticised parents for sending their (vulnerable due to SEND) children to school but your husband is going to work in a healthcare setting! Even if you’re isolating from him, he had very close contact with you before you tested positive.

You criticised parents for sending their (vulnerable due to SEND) children to school but your husband is going to work in a healthcare setting!

The difference is they are testing.

Parents don’t test. It’s a fact. I have asked children if they’ve had a test recently and they haven’t. They are being sent home and then testing positive. We know people aren’t testing.

See the difference?

@BluebellsGreenbells

You criticised parents for sending their (vulnerable due to SEND) children to school but your husband is going to work in a healthcare setting!

The difference is they are testing.

Parents don’t test. It’s a fact. I have asked children if they’ve had a test recently and they haven’t. They are being sent home and then testing positive. We know people aren’t testing.

See the difference?

Of course I do see the difference but testing some children with SEND can be nigh on impossible.