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Original poster

I told the school...

101 replies

WouldShouldCould · 05/03/2020 19:56

... Reason for absence is high temp, sweating , sore throat and dry cough. All true although I'm fairly confident it's a bug and not covid-19. But they haven't contacted me to at least find out if we have been abroad, in fact they haven't contacted me at all. I find this concerning, do you?

OP posts:
koshkatt · 05/03/2020 20:38

OP I am a teacher.
You are being ridiculous.

halfsoaked · 05/03/2020 20:39

I'm not in the slighest bit concerned. The school have a responsibility to teach and for pastoral care when the child is at school. They are not, and should not try to be, a health monitoring agency beyond their medical responsibilities which come under pastoral care when the child is at school

saraclara · 05/03/2020 20:39

Um... you're the parent of this child. You're the one who's watched the symptoms develop. Have you bothered doing anything about it, or are you waiting for the school to instruct you to do so?

A school is not a health centre. Your child's teacher isn't a health visitor.

Iusedtobeapartygirl · 05/03/2020 20:40

I'm also a teacher.

In my 20 years I have dealt with some crazy entitled parents but this takes some beating.

HoffiCoffi13 · 05/03/2020 20:41

It is your responsibility to seek appropriate medical advice. It is not the school’s responsibility to signpost you to that advice.
If anything, you are the irresponsible one here. You are ‘fairly confident’ that it’s a bug?

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 05/03/2020 20:42

No, school does not accept to ill to attend,

That is because we have to monitor certain types of illness. I have to report how many instances of illnesses such as chickenpox, conjunctivitis, ringworm, impetigo, scarlet fever, vomiting, flu like illness, each week. There are also some things we have to report immediately (measles for instance) and certain numbers trigger other actions. THAT is why we shouldn’t accept “unwell”....NOT so we can take the place of medical professionals...

saraclara · 05/03/2020 20:42

Expecting schools to have a spare member of staff to analyse every set of symptoms leading to school absence is simply insane. Schools can't even afford enough teachers.

noblegiraffe · 05/03/2020 20:42

You want the school to contact you to check that you are not an idiot?

They have presumably sent out the advice for travellers.

IKEA888 · 05/03/2020 20:44

why do you think it's up to the school to check up?
parents are responsible

MitziK · 05/03/2020 20:44

As I have been told quite frequently, it's none of my goddamn business what parents choose to do with their children and their medical information and I should be grateful that I've been given any information over and above 'ill' in the first place.

I expect they are the same people who refuse to tell the GP receptionist that their child is unwell after travelling abroad because she's only asking to be nosy.

PlumsGalore · 05/03/2020 20:45

Where’s the voting button?

yabu from me.

Milkwith1sugar44 · 05/03/2020 20:46

Why is it the school's responsibility?
If you thought it was CV then it was up to you to say that you had reason to believe it was and take appropriate action.
It's not the job of the school to contact you about it.
Everyone is responsible for themselves.

Iusedtobeapartygirl · 05/03/2020 20:46

This is why teaching is so exhausting.

PennyGold · 05/03/2020 20:48

This is hilarious.
You're crazy?! You are responsible for the health of your child not the school admin?!

LeggyLinda · 05/03/2020 20:51

“ I think the school has a responsibility to the children it teaches.”

They probably think that you have a responsibility to the children you parent.

There’s likely a mix up in level of responsibilities here so you should err on the side of caution and do what you think is best for your children - the school probably has its hands full teaching and the day to day running of the school

Original poster
WouldShouldCould · 05/03/2020 20:54

Fair enough, but they haven't asked for those who have been away. I'm interested because I am a youth leader for a charity and we've been asked to monitor absence

OP posts:
wherehavealltheflowersgone · 05/03/2020 20:57

This is why teaching is so exhausting.

This x 1000000

You. Are. The. Parent.

foamrolling · 05/03/2020 20:59

Would you expect them to check if it may be mumps if you listed swollen glands and a sore throat? How about measles if you mention a rash? Or scarlet fever? All are notifiable illnesses. Or would you expect parents to take responsibility for diagnosis and containment?

Sirzy · 05/03/2020 20:59

But as a parent you presumably know if your children have been away to a high risk country or have been in contact with someone who has. So as a parent you can take steps as needed.

Original poster
WouldShouldCould · 05/03/2020 20:59

I'm not worried about my kid, and as a paid up member to the MN Corona virus thread I'm not going to be putting anyone at risk, but I don't feel confident that others will be doing the same

OP posts:
GuyFawkesDay · 05/03/2020 21:04

Is giving medical advice another job schools are meant to do as well now?!

Biscuit
LambriniSocialist · 05/03/2020 21:06

They would assume that if you had been abroad and now thought you may have Coronavirus then you would be responsible enough to tell them.

They are obviously giving you way too much credit...

saraclara · 05/03/2020 21:06

If the public health authorities want schools to monitor symptoms and advise the parents of sick children, then they will ask them to do so (goodness knows where school staff would find the time, mind).
But I very much doubt that they will.

Hotchocolate321 · 05/03/2020 21:11

You do realise you rang the school and not the gps right? I mean is school reception now a one stop shop, did you not ask her to process your Tesco order too?

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 05/03/2020 21:13

Expecting schools to have a spare member of staff to analyse every set of symptoms

Collating the reasons for absence is the job of the attendance officer. It’s one of my jobs. Doesn’t take long. When a parent rings in, emails or leaves an answerphone message I mark the child’s attendance as “I” then put in comments “chickenpox”, “flu type” , “cough”, “broken leg”, “rash - getting checked out”, etc. Then each week a report is run showing those comments which can be sorted into types for the online reporting tool. Takes just a few minutes.