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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
BarkminsterBlue · 16/01/2022 11:33

What provisions does your maternity risk assessment make for your protection, OP?

Toanewstart22 · 16/01/2022 11:34

Nah

I’ll be doing exactly what I’m permitted to do

So if one of us get it, then any children in the house that are negative… will be going

And no bloody way am I testing them if they get the sniffles. I’ll test only if they meet the nhs criteria ie a new and continuous cough, otherwise… nope to testing
All within the guidelines
Anda I’m happy with

vickyc90 · 16/01/2022 11:36

Honestly those who want to keep testing testing and testing. How are you going to cope mentally in 6months to a year when even those with symptoms don't have to isolate or test. Living with COVID includes the point where we no longer test for it, the CFR is currently less than flu

Mickarooni · 16/01/2022 11:46

Your problem isn’t the children or parents. Your problem is that your school are not taking adequate steps to protect you. You need to be talking to them and ensuring you have a robust risk assessment in place. Are you a union member? Also try pregnant then screwed - they’ll be very helpful.

Crazycatlady83 · 16/01/2022 11:49

@vickyc90

Honestly those who want to keep testing testing and testing. How are you going to cope mentally in 6months to a year when even those with symptoms don't have to isolate or test. Living with COVID includes the point where we no longer test for it, the CFR is currently less than flu
Some whispers in the news says that may come a lot quicker than 6 months / year (March has been mentioned)
Toanewstart22 · 16/01/2022 11:50

@Mickarooni

Your problem isn’t the children or parents. Your problem is that your school are not taking adequate steps to protect you. You need to be talking to them and ensuring you have a robust risk assessment in place. Are you a union member? Also try pregnant then screwed - they’ll be very helpful.
What is the school doing wrong?
NameChangeCity123 · 16/01/2022 11:54

@MissM2912

The guidance should be changed.
Absolutely agree, it makes no sense to me.
Mickarooni · 16/01/2022 11:55

@Toanewstart22

They’re not protecting a medically vulnerable employee. If the risk to her and her baby is high, they should be looking at mitigations or even redeploying to other tasks whilst she’s in the most high risk part of her pregnancy. Other employers, including schools, have successfully done this for pregnant employees as well as those who are CEV.

Toanewstart22 · 16/01/2022 11:56

[quote Mickarooni]@Toanewstart22

They’re not protecting a medically vulnerable employee. If the risk to her and her baby is high, they should be looking at mitigations or even redeploying to other tasks whilst she’s in the most high risk part of her pregnancy. Other employers, including schools, have successfully done this for pregnant employees as well as those who are CEV.[/quote]
How are they not protecting this teacher?

Mickarooni · 16/01/2022 11:57

@Toanewstart22

I cannot speak for the set up of her place of employment but she shouldn’t have face to face contact if she’s high risk. It’s only a short period of time.

Echobelly · 16/01/2022 11:59

TBH, it's the guidance that's the issue, rather than parents. DS and I have COVID, older sib, at another school, doesn't as yet but we have to send them in - I'd rather not all things being equal, but they're saying they want kids in school (using lft) even if family members are ill.

Toanewstart22 · 16/01/2022 12:00

[quote Mickarooni]@Toanewstart22

I cannot speak for the set up of her place of employment but she shouldn’t have face to face contact if she’s high risk. It’s only a short period of time.[/quote]
The OP makes no mention of talking to the school.

arethereanyleftatall · 16/01/2022 12:19

[quote TeenyQueen]@PrivateHall
It's the weekend and today is a Sunday. DH doesn't work weekends and nurseries are closed during weekends. DH is currently looking after the toddler, why is that upsetting you?

Our plan is that DH will stay at home tomorrow to look after the toddler whilst I carry on self isolating, and if he is still testing negative and feeling well and I'm feeling well enough, I'll look after the child at home and DH will keep away from us both. Did I even say I was planning to send My child to nursery next week?[/quote]
So, just to clarify after this post, is your dh planning to go out to work on Tuesday?

Toanewstart22 · 16/01/2022 13:05

* is your dh planning to go out to work on Tuesday?*

Yes clearly
And he’s a dentist from another thread

One rule for his patients….

Lollipopopop · 16/01/2022 13:23

@TeenyQueen

With regards to children that can't be tested due to SEN, our local authority guidance says that the child needs to self isolate for 10 days if they display symptomsor they have covid in the household. Of course that's incredibly difficult for many families, but it's done to protect everyone. Many of my pupils are ECV so catching covid could be very dangerous for them. I just wish everyone was honest about testing and symptoms. A symptomatic child was sent to school when two family members had tested positive and the parents thought we'd do nothing about it. We always find out the truth, one way or the other.
The problem is that it’s guidance not a legal requirement.

Obviously it makes sense for pupils to isolate if they have covid positive family members and the pupil can’t tolerate a test.

I’m pretty sure it is a legal requirement to isolate if you have symptoms though until you get a negative test, so they shouldn’t be sending kids in with symptoms at all. Although the symptoms listed are still cough, loss of smell, temperature etc which apparently are outdated now, so there may be some confusion.

Parents will lie about testing though and will want their kids in school if it suits them, even if it risks spreading covid. Many people are inherently selfish.

BluebellsGreenbells · 16/01/2022 13:44

but they're saying they want kids in school (using lft) even if family members are ill.

WITH a LFT!! That’s the point. Parents aren’t t testing!

Joined4this · 16/01/2022 13:45

I am really sorry to hear this. I think many parents are caught between a rock and a hard place- they have to hold down jobs, attend to their kids needs and many kids get covid and are a symptomatic. Mine are testing in school but they have attendance targets and all of mine have had cold/sore throat/cough numerous times. How many times can we keep them off only to find there is nothing wrong and now they’ve missed a month’s schooling. So, I can see every side of the situation and I don’t know what the solution is. It’s really shit all round. Get well soon OPFlowers

feelsobadfeltsogood · 16/01/2022 16:32

@MissM2912

The guidance should be changed.
I agree it's daft if siblings have it to send others to school it's only a matter of time before they get it. However the hover are trying to get things moving but it comes with this sort of risk Nobody is a winner in all of this

My childminder has said that if anyone in the household is COVID positive not to send them and we've all totally backed her

Oldnews · 16/01/2022 17:14

I've unwittingly sent mine to nursery with symptoms. A very slightly running nose. That was as bad as his symptoms got, he's had far worse colds. Given that kids his age should expect 10+ colds a year, keeping them off every time there is a running nose is beyond impractical. Obviously as soon as we knew what it was we kept him off but he was in nursery for a full day with it.

BitcherOfBlakiven · 16/01/2022 17:17

It’s hardly the parents fault.

People are being threatened left right and centre for keeping their DC off.

People also can’t afford it.

Original poster
TeenyQueen · 16/01/2022 20:52

I do think schools need to be more accommodating with attendance whilst we're still in a pandemic. Fortunately my school doesn't pressure pupils to come in of there are covid cases in families, particularly because we have so many ECV pupils. My HT has also said that if there are outbreaks in classes parents can keep their children at home if they feel that their children will be safer that way, even if they are asymptomatic.

As it stands only 2 members of my staff team are covid negative, another two tested positive today. You can't run an SEN class with just two TAs so the whole class has to close now for all pupils.

DH will be going to work on Tuesday if he is still testing negative and he is asymptomatic, he tests himself twice daily. He is triple vaccinated and had covid during the first wave, which he caught from a supermarket because he wasn't working at the time .

Someone mentioned that it's unfair that DH can see patients but his patients can't attend if they have covid in their household. It's different for DH because

A. He knows he is fully vaccinated and boosted whereas he can't force his patients to get vaccinated or demand to see their covid pass.
B. He is testing twice daily, he doesn't know whether his patients are testing themselves and can't demand proof of this.

C. He follows very strict hygiene and cross-contamination guidance including proper handwashing before and after each patient, and wearing very effective PPE. He's far more at risk of catching something from a patient than vice versa.

None of his staff have caught covid so far, so whatever measures they have in place are clearly very effective.

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 16/01/2022 21:32

So, the child on the bus you ranted about in your first paragraph, did exactly the same as your dh is doing? Going about their usual day despite the fact that members of their household have covid.

MabelsApron · 16/01/2022 21:32

YANBU OP. The parents where I work are sending in their kids unless they’re literally really really ill. They’re not testing as they could then have to keep them home. We WFH and they’re entitled to working hour credits for any childcare during the day. They just don’t want the kids with them.

Original poster
TeenyQueen · 16/01/2022 21:55

@arethereanyleftatall there are three major differences between my pupil's family and us.

  1. I've been isolating conpletely from DH and DC since I first developed symptoms
  1. DH is triple vaccinated and has no symptoms at all (my pupil did show symptoms first thing in the morning so he should have been kept at home and been tested), and this child hasn't been vaccinated.
  2. DH is testing twice daily, as I said my pupil hadn't been tested at all.

The said pupil has now tested positive, DH has been consistently negative, the way we have handled things isn't even remotely similar.

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 16/01/2022 22:00

Nah, not buying it. It's one rule for your family, a different rule for everyone else.
Dentists don't get paid unless they work, so he's going in.