The peanuts in school/breakfast thread has me wondering how you'd react to this.

[GrimmaTheNome]

DDs school actually doesn't have a peanut ban - the children with allergies at the moment are fortunately not too sensitive.

However, there is one child who is undergoing treatment which leaves him badly immunosuppressed. We had a letter round asking us to ensure that children with suspected chickenpox etc were kept at home and - this is the one that I'm wondering how you'll all react - to ensure that all our kids were properly vaccinated with MMR etc to minimize the risk to this poor child.

It was simply a polite letter making us aware of the situation, no enforcement about it or checking up on the vaccination status of our kids. Do you think it was reasonable?

(I do, just curious how it plays on MN)

think it's fine to ask tbh

they aren't telling you you have to, just making you aware

No I don't think that's reasonable, and I'm pro vax,including pro mmr,particuarly considering how controversial the mmr is, and the concerns that many parents have about it.

The first request I have no problem with, that's sensible and correct even if there are no children who effectively lack an immune system.

I personally wouldn't have a problem with it.

Agree with fox - as it was a polite letter, rather than an order.

old news for me tbh, dd has cp and goes to an sn school, a lot of the young people have health problems so I have to keep her of for silly things.
but the mmr thing is not good

I've heard of the head phoning a parent to inform them that there was an outbreak of chickenpox so she could collect her son. The parent then took him to hospital to get an injection to help prevent him contracting chicken pox. The child had luekemia.

But surely if you suspect your child has chickenpox you would keep them off school anyway

Yes, entirely. The school is a community and as part of it you have a responsibility to it - maybe a helpful nudge to a few who were lax with regards having the booster. However, what can the school do about pupils who can't have the vaccination? - I'm thinking of a few posters on here who have very good reasons why their child can't have the MMR. Do schools keep a record of such things? Or are schools told if they haven't?

As a side issue, I'm not sure how practical it is to keep children away from school with regards to suspected chickenpox either - dd had been in proximity with other children who'd had chickenpox for about 4 months before she caught it.

I can't remember the exact wording, but the jist was to be extra cautious about it - I think if your child had been in contact with a poxy one even if not symptomatic, that kind of thing.

And of course, the vaccination part. Which the majority of parents don't find in the least controversial in my RL experience.

Knowing the school, I'm quite sure that if a parent of a child who for medical reasons couldnt have the MMR queried the request (not dictat) there would be equal understanding of that medical need.

We haven't had numerous 800 plus post threads here because it's so uncontroversial over it.

Now I'm pro mmr, but it is a controversial vaccine. There are tens of thousands of web pages dedicated to it's benefits and possible risks. I'm quite sure that a school would be aware of that.

I think it is fine but not sure what the school can or will do to check, or their plans for pupils without full mmr.

I seem to have lost the ability to type a coherent sentence.

Whats highly controversial on the net isn't necessarily the same as what's controversial IRL though. Or maybe its a London versus Lancashire divide.

And fear of offending someone who had been mislead (not the genuine vaccine intolerant)who might be defensive of their position, is no reason for a school not to protect a child in its care as far as it can - which in this case isn't very far as its all still totally up to the parents what to do.

Well I'm near Glasgow. I know several parents who have concerns about the mmr.

It isn't just a concern on the net, that doesn't explain how often it's featured in the news, on newspapers, in documentaries, though I agree it may have more acceptance in some areas.

I think it's fine.

There may be children in school who are due to have their booster and their parents have not got around to it yet.

The letter may just jog their memory to do it.

Those who have chosen not to immunise can just ignore it.

If my child had an unexpected spot one morning I may think nothing of it and send them to school. After the letter, I may feel justified in keeping them at home.

I work in a junior school, sometimes in the office& we don't know details of vaccinations unless parents choose to tell them & even then it would just be on their initial registration form, not on the computer. I don't know of any that haven't had the MMR, except anecdotally - it does crop up occasionally in conversation with parents because we have a resource for children with ASD, but that's only because the parents don't mind talking about it - we don't ask, & it never gets recorded.

We also have a child who has had leukaemia since he was in Y1 at infants - happily they was given the all clear a few months ago, but the other parents at the school & especially in his year have been great at warning us of any infectious illnesses in the family so the mum can keep the child at home if necessary. We have a lot of details, including the number of the local cancer ward - if they were ill/had an accident at school we wouldn't have been able to take them to a GP or to A&E so if we couldn't get hold of their mum we would contact the ward.