AIBU to be cross about this (P.E. at school)

[UndertheCedartree]

Like many areas we are experiencing heavy down pours. And like many schools the DC wear their P.E kit to school and don't change.

On Friday there had been heavy rain the night before and rain showers on and off all day. My DD's class were expected to go for a run over muddy and slippery ground and play basketball in the pouring rain. The running club was cancelled but this went ahead. Considering they then had to wear their kit for the last hour of school, there was then a information meeting so they sat in wet kit for another 45 minutes and then however long their journey home is, would you think this reasonable? I personally, don't.

However, my DD has Long Covid which has all been documented in an Education plan. She has only just been able to start coming to school full time again and missed so much last year. And they got her soaked through (due to weak muscles she slipped multiple times in the mud as well as the pouring rain). She's had a respiratory illness all weekend and soldiered into school this morning for her Mock 11+ and then got sent home. I'm really cross. Where's the common sense? I emailed the school regarding this.

When I went to pick my DD up the P.E teacher had passed on a message asking me to detail all the reasons she can't do P.E in the rain (it was all in the email plus all previous meetings/correspondence re Long Covid) and wondering if she had a coat. Well, yes of course she does, but they obviously don't take them to P.E! It hardly answers why they were getting a child with Long Covid to get soaked through with no opportunity to change. I honestly feel like I have no trust in this teacher to do the right thing for the welfare of the children and especially my own DC. I'm so upset that she's missing school again due to this incident.

My immediate reaction is to email the principal and say my DD is not doing P.E. until this is properly resolved. Meaning I know everything is documented properly about her condition and what would happen in any given situation as it seems I can't rely on the P.E. teacher's common sense.

What would you do?

What you do sounds good, I just think you don't realise what the average is like.

But yes, if you had a thin skin tonight's discussion of your profession might make you reconsider. Sorry

Well that last paragraph/question seems a little unnecessary.

And I'm sure he did get a bit wet and then changed into dry clothes for his journey home. While the DC had to go back for the rest of class wet, then had to sit in the hall for the information afternoon, then had to walk home.. wet!

You've no idea if he got changed or not, if this person was doing PE all day, they likely would be wet all day from every lesson outside and wouldn't bring multiple changes of clothing. Also if it was raining, why would the walk home be an issue? Surely they would've got wet anyway on the walk home anyway? If your child is ok to walk home in the rain why can she not do PE in the rain?

There seems to be a lot on here with very healthy children who must never have had a days sick in their lives. Lucky for them.
But for those of us that have children with weakened immune systems, or just susceptible to catching anything and everything going or being hit hard by what they catch, then getting soaked and cold and then sitting the rest of the day in wet clothes would be a major issue. One of mine in those circumstances would have been coughing and wheezing by the end of the day and well on the way to a respiratory infection and up to a couple of weeks of school (because GP's don't like giving antibiotics for chest infections anymore despite there being certain groups of children for whom they are beneficial and necessary).
Some people just can't warm themselves up again easily after getting wet and cold like that either & could in the wrong circumstances risk hypothermia (you only have to lose heat faster than your body can replace it - and wet clothes accelerates heat loss particularly in a 'well ventilated' environment).

You are very right OP to be angry with the school and PE teacher over this & their email doesn't inspire confidence in their ability to think sensibly. You might have to break out the crayons to explain it in simple enough terms for them.

@Forestgate are you a covid denier? or just a bit thick?

PS - another one who found secondary school PE teachers to be sadistic bullying cretins who did more to put people off sport and exercise than to encourage them.

YANBU at all. I can totally imagine what this teacher is like, I had a string of awful male PE teachers as school. Absolutely hard as nails, eat sleep and breathe PE and don’t give a damn about student’s well-being.

I think you’re right to keep her off PE entirely, they clearly can’t be trusted. She can read a book or do homework for an hour or something. It sounds like she does plenty of exercise out of school so I’m sure she won’t suffer greatly.

@Forestgate and @Plantstrees , I can't see that it's been debunked. There are studies suggesting there may be immune system effects in a subset of patients.
See here (found a statistically significant increase in participants developing a cold after having their feet chilled, and noted that those who developed cold symptoms were a group that seemed to be more vulnerable in general): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16286463/

Also here: a literature review found studies supporting a link between chilling the feet/chilling the inside of the nose through breathing chilled air, and developing cold symptoms, but no evidence of a link between eating cold food and developing cold symptoms: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/76299/

@WeeWillyWinkie9 , there's a difference between getting wet walking home, maybe carrying an umbrella, and then getting warm and changing into dry clothes, and getting soaking wet and then sitting in the wet clothes for a couple of hours feeling increasingly chilled.
I've done both. I have a weakened immune system. After the second, I developed a very bad cold that took a long time to throw off. I still regularly walk home in the rain but I would be a fool to repeat the first experience.

Yes, so sorry - that is it! I thought what I was saying but couldn't think what it was called. And yes, I was told it was shared with everyone. I will say that I want it reviewing and updating. Thank you for the advice.

I bet your pardon? Long Covid doesn't exist in children? Would you like to tell her paediatrician that?

I won't reply to anything else as it's so ignorant! But no, she's not overweight! Why does Covid only infect the overweight??

If it was raining when we had PE at school then we had PE inside.

I take it that's a joke? Or did you really conclude from that that Long Covid doesn't exist in children. What is your qualification may I ask?

It may not lead to illness in the healthy. But no so for those with Long Covid or other post viral conditions, unfortunately. But I agree changing should be allowed in these circumstances.

Well, it didn't rain all day. And they had the woodland area to shelter in too! If they didn't change, well more full them as obviously they could have done unlike the children! And no they wouldn't have got wet as they would have been wearing their rain coat and wellies!! I take it you've not read the thread! And even if she was without a coat walking home in the rain at least once home she could get changed unlike at school having to sit in the wet clothes!!

Thank you for understanding. She's spiked a temperature this evening, poor love so P.E teacher's name is mud even more now!

Indeed. And it is the maintaining temperature that can be difficult for those with LC.

They've always done that in the past. I mean not if just drizzling but if proper raining they had indoor P.E.

It used to be thought that getting cold increased the odds of URTIs was a myth. Then they actually did some research, and found evidence it was actually true. Here's one of the first papers: academic.oup.com/fampra/article/22/6/608/497956

Statistically, I guess there must be some PE teachers who are not sadistic thugs. But I've never met one.

It is interesting how these theories go full circle at times!

My dd has a medical condition not often triggered. I had a lot of issues with the head at primary taking it seriously. I had to withdraw dd from swimming because he had no understanding she could lose her life. Then one day it happened and he was a different person from then on and clearly shat himself as I had a large paper trail of him stonewalling me. I had the same issue of not taking it very seriously with secondary until oh oops it happened.

You unfortunately are going to have to persevere and with draw your dd from outside activities. Had I known I could contact the governors at the first school, i would have tried to address this with them.

Thank you for the advice

Have to agree with PE teachers being unprofessional/rude/cruel/sadistic.

.

And no they wouldn't have got wet as they would have been wearing their rain coat and wellies!

No PE teacher teaches in wellies! Now you are just lying.

I beg your pardon, I'm not lying! You claimed my DC would have got wet on the walk home so what did it matter if they got wet during the school day. I answered that she wouldn't have got wet as she would have been wearing a raincoat and wellies. Perhaps check what you asked first before accusing someone of lying! You honestly thought I said the teacher was wearing wellies!! How ridiculous!

Well you maybe need to specify that you are talking about your child as the previous sentence you were on about the teacher and then in the next you said they were would've been wearing wellies. If you follow sentences on from one another without specifying who you are actually talking about then I will assume you are on about the teacher as that is who you were on about in the sentence before. Maybe write sentences a bit clearer so then it is clear who you are on about. And yes it is ridiculous but then so is being like this about a bit of rain.