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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dd got travel sick on school trip- now school said she can’t come in for 48 hours!!

91 replies

Spamspam124 · 02/10/2023 18:01

Had to pick Dd up from a school trip to a farm. She gets car sick sometimes, hasn’t done in a while but we don’t really travel by car much as school/local shops/grandparents are all within 15 minutes walking distance.

Dd is 9, she knows she gets travel sick sometimes, hasn’t been on a school trip in ages (thanks COVID). She does get nauseous any time she’s in a car, but our journeys are usually short and she has travel sickness bands, which she had on today. School do know she gets car sick but she’s never thrown up on a trip before. She usually just gets a bit nauseous tbh but she’s thrown up in the car with me before.

School trip left at 9, at around half 9 I get a call to say they’d arrived at the farm but Dd had thrown up on the bus and that I needed to come and collect her immediately as she’d thrown up on the coach. I ask to speak to her, and she says she just felt sick because of the coach ride and she feels fine now and is looking forward to seeing the animals. I talk to the teacher and say that Dd was just car sick and that she’s got a history of it and will be fine, but they insisted that I collect her as it’s policy that any vomiting child must be picked up. When I went to get her (upset Dd was really devastated not to get to do the trip,) they said she can’t come in for 48 hours.

I’ve got a meeting at work tomorrow, which I can’t really miss, and her dad works in London. I’ve taken way too much time off this year already due to younger Dc illness, and she was just travel sick ffs, it’s not like she has a bug.

Obviously if she’s sick again or any other signs of a bug I’ll keep her off, but AIBU to tell the school that she’s not sick and that she’ll be in tomorrow?

OP posts:
ilovebreadsauce · 10/02/2024 01:07

The school can't know for sure it is travel sickness and for that matter neither can you.That is the issue.parents can and do make up an excuse when their child is sick to try and evade the 48 hour rule

whateveryouwantmetosay · 10/02/2024 04:59

stichguru · 09/02/2024 23:24

School are being ridiculous. I don't suppose Travel Sickness is included in the Equality Act, but this makes me kind of wish it was. I mean imagine a school saying "if a child broke their leg at school, we couldn't just stick them in a wheelchair and let them get on with it, we'd have to ring their parents, and get them to hospital, so we can't allow any disabled children in wheelchairs to attend the school, because they should all be in hospital." There would be outcry and the school would clearly be breaking the law big time. I agree though, take her out for a fun day.

Why did you redirect a zombie thread???

Justfinking · 10/02/2024 06:25

Sorry, policy is policy. You can make exceptions as then it's a slippery slope, you know this.

Glitterblue · 10/02/2024 06:37

I totally understand your frustration, DD gets severe migraines and occasionally will throw up with them and school always make us keep her off the 48 hours even though it’s obviously the migraine that’s caused it - the pain always improves dramatically once she’s been sick. We’ve explained this to the school over and over and they know she’s been seen in the last couple of years by a paediatrician for medication for her migraines. The worst bit is that they then send us letters about her attendance 🤦🏻‍♀️ Keeping her off doesn’t cause us any issues because we both work from home and she’s almost 14 but it’s just the principal of it - plus the fact that they bleat about her attendance!

AmytheDancingBrick · 10/02/2024 06:51

Glitterblue · 10/02/2024 06:37

I totally understand your frustration, DD gets severe migraines and occasionally will throw up with them and school always make us keep her off the 48 hours even though it’s obviously the migraine that’s caused it - the pain always improves dramatically once she’s been sick. We’ve explained this to the school over and over and they know she’s been seen in the last couple of years by a paediatrician for medication for her migraines. The worst bit is that they then send us letters about her attendance 🤦🏻‍♀️ Keeping her off doesn’t cause us any issues because we both work from home and she’s almost 14 but it’s just the principal of it - plus the fact that they bleat about her attendance!

Our GP wrote a letter for us saying our DS shouldn’t be excluded from school for migraine associated vomiting - we didn’t have a problem after that.

I could understand sending him home on the day as he’s really unwell with a migraine, but keeping him off for another 2 days was ridiculous.

husbandcallsmepickle · 10/02/2024 06:53

This is just standard NHS guidance which is followed across the country. It applies to staff as well as children, regardless of the cause of the vomiting.

fliptopbin · 10/02/2024 07:39

Just wait till you get the stroppy letter about attendance - even though they told you to keep your child off school for no reason. I

dcsp · 15/02/2024 16:14

stichguru · 09/02/2024 23:24

School are being ridiculous. I don't suppose Travel Sickness is included in the Equality Act, but this makes me kind of wish it was. I mean imagine a school saying "if a child broke their leg at school, we couldn't just stick them in a wheelchair and let them get on with it, we'd have to ring their parents, and get them to hospital, so we can't allow any disabled children in wheelchairs to attend the school, because they should all be in hospital." There would be outcry and the school would clearly be breaking the law big time. I agree though, take her out for a fun day.

Even if Travel Sickness isn't itself a disability, it is more common for people with certain disabilities, so could amount to indirect discrimination.

clpsmum · 15/02/2024 16:37

Haven't rtft but they will just call you to collect and if you refuse they'll work their way down the emergency contacts. If you knew she got ill could you not have given her tablets or arranged for your or somebody else to take her??

WaitingfortheTardis · 15/02/2024 17:08

@clpsmum As several people on this thread have already mentioned the tablets are not foolproof. It also isn't always possible to take a child on a school trip separately. Most sensible schools will understand about travel sickness.

Vintedproblem · 15/02/2024 17:56

This seems really extreme, pretty much every school trip my 2 have been on they've told me about someone being sick on the bus, from the sounds of it they get given a bag, change jumper if they have it and get on with the day

TheSnowyOwl · 15/02/2024 18:01

My daughter spun round on a roundabout in a playground once and was sick. That was an annoying two days she had to have off school!

Unfortunately it’s the rules. Definitely use tablets for any future longer journeys.

Purplesilkpyjamas · 15/02/2024 18:08

Thislittlepiggylikeschocolate · 02/10/2023 18:20

There are so many tablets you can get for travel sickness, so why on earth didn't you get some for her?
I'd be buying the poor teacher a bunch of flowers...

This. Vomiting is disgusting for everyone. Why take the risk. Pity everyone on the coach

Sunflowersinthewind · 15/02/2024 18:14

Travel sickness tablets never worked for my son nor the bands.

RockyRogue1001 · 15/02/2024 18:15

This thread is from October 🧟‍♀️

WaitingfortheTardis · 15/02/2024 18:17

@Purplesilkpyjamas As many people have said, tablets are not foolproof and often don't work.

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