Late marks for needing to take inhaler

[Madrid21]

My DS has recently started year 7 and at the weekend he had an astma attack triggered by a virus he'd had for a few days, we ended up in A&E and after salbutamol and steroids he started to improve and was sent home to recover (we're waiting on a referral to the astma clinic). On Tuesday he went back to school still needing to take the blue inhaler on occasion. I'd emailed his tutor on the Monday to ask what the procedure is for taking medication to school, I still haven't had a reply. Today I checked the app and saw that he had red late marks, I asked DS why and he said he'd needed to go to the office to take his inhaler, he'd told the teacher he was at the office. He's now worried about needing to take the inhaler as if he gets anymore red marks this week he will get a detention. I'm not sure if/who I should contact at school tomorrow?

AIBU to think that school should allow him to take his inhaler when he needs it without being punished for lateness?

Unsure why his inhaler is in the office.
salbutamol is an emergency medication for asthma and he should carry his inhaler with him for all lessons including pe.
I would query late marks with school
as the story doesn’t make sense as told.

Inhalers should not be in the office they should be on him at all times.

i think you need to try and actually speak to someone rather than email if that’s possible.

He was told it needed to be kept in the office, I will query that, sorry don't understand what doesn't make sense?

Maybe I will have to ring tomorrow, they dont seem to answer emails, this is a new and different world after primary school!

It may be that the teacher can't mark him any way other than late though?

It's fine to keep a record of which children are in the room when the register is called. It's another if this leads to detention.

I absolutely think your son should have his inhaler on him though.

He was late. They have marked him as such. That does not mean they are saying that he shouldn’t have been late. I’m sure they think the reason is entirely reasonable. They just can’t mark him as being present when he wasn’t.

Only his spare inhaler should be kept in first aid so they have one if he forgets his, rather them just relying on the schools emergency inhaler. What does his school asthma action plan say?

I think he was quite happy to leave it in the office as its not a big school and he can get there quickly, he needs to use a spacer and wanted to sit in a quiet place away from others to use it. But maybe he will just have to keep it on him.

The teacher needs to be factual. If he is in the office at the time the register is taken then he is absent. If he arrives after the register has been taken then he is late.

What you need to do though is have a discussion with school about the inhaler and a plan in place. If it's that severe then do adults in school need to be aware of when he is taken it? I don't know how his inhaler works and if there is a dosage limit.

https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/asthma/child/life/school

I’m sure asthma U.K. used to have something better than this for schools of where inhalers should be kept. The best I can find is off you scroll down here to the questions to ask. Used to be really common for them to be in the office but most schools I know have changed their policy now. In primary schools it’s almost always in the classroom and they are taken with the children for PE. In secondary the child is usually responsible for it themselves.

I don't know, this is all new to us. I emailed his tutor on Monday and haven't received a reply.

You will have provided the asthma plan, the school would then review it with you if anything needed changing. Is it a very new diagnosis?

Yes, we're waiting on a referral to the astma clinic which the doctor in A&E has asked for, this is all totally new to me hence not knowing how school should be handling it.

Im totally new to this, I've no idea how school should be handling it, just after advice, if you have any?

Ah, if his doctor hasn’t done an asthma action plan you need to do one with the school asap, so its in place until his clinic appointment. You also need to make sure you have consented to him using the schools emergency inhaler.

My daughter has always had her inhaler on her and a spare for trips and such. They don’t have a school nurse or anything like that though so there’s not really anywhere else it would go. I’d just have him get it back and keep it on him - or ask the chemist for a spare. We always get 2 at a time.

Does your daughter use a spacer? I think DS just wanted a quiet space so he didnt have to use it in front of everyone in a crowded corridor, which I think is reasonable. I'll get him to talk to his tutor about it in the morning.

Ok, I have asked his tutor what the procedure is but not got a reply, I will try and speak to someone tomorrow.

Ask your GP to prescribe a mini-spacer. We had a large-volume spacer that we used at home but for school it was easier to use a small one - they are just small enough to fit in a standard barrel-type pencil case along with the inhaler itself and should be in his school bag at all times (fine for the office to have a spare, but a child could die from having to walk to the school office while having an attack, it in an unacceptable procedure)

In our school, if the child can be confirmed to have been in the office then they are present, not late, and the Attendance Administrator can change any marks made by a teacher.
He is not absent, nor late. Ask politely if the Attendance Administrator can change it.

Thank you, I will see if I can get him one of those.

Why does your ds, you or anyone else even care that he has a late mark?

He hasn't been punished. Why not just say ok, And move on?

He's concerned if he needs to take time to stop and use his inhaler again he will get another late mark which will result in a detention, as a year 7 new to the school he doesn't want one.

What a weird post. Why on earth would the OP lie about this?