Dd has a bit of a cold - send to school or not?

[Besom]

Dd has a mild sniffly cold. No cough, temp or anything. Normally would just send her but at the moment - what are we supposed to do?

[canigooutyet]

That's what I thought.

Child appears unwell, member of staff talks to child, some might touch the kids skin, and from there it various. I'm sure in the past I've been told kid had a temp and the numbers mentioned.

Although now the added issue is if that child has to be sent home they will be isolated from everyone else, including staff according to guidelines, depending on the age of the child.

[canigooutyet]

[quote Mumof3cherubs]@ballsdeep don’t know why you think I’m selfish. I’ve stuck to all the coronavirus rules and gone beyond. When one of my kids had symptoms I got them tested. But for a runny nose I wouldn’t, unless the guidance changes. The majority of staff in schools are likely to have children and if they had to take 3 or so days off to get their kids tested and wait for the results just for a runny nose or any other non Covid symptom schools would end up closing.[/quote]
If there is also a temp with the runny nose, then the person shouldn't be mingling with other people.

[BottomOfMyPencilCase]

WouldbeGood was talking about taking temperatures randomly. You're not doing it randomly. You're taking temperatures in the middle of a pandemic to ascertain whether DCs are ill or not.

[MRex]

Schools have to act in loco parentis when a child falls ill during school hours or a trip; being barred from taking a temperature would be ridiculous and any parent objecting should be -laughed at- told to take their child elsewhere. I don't know about general school paperwork, but we signed medical consent for teachers to administer certain medications / go to hospital and take other decisions on our behalf for DS if they can't contact us and he's ill or injured. Temperatures are taken every morning on the way in.

[Jrobhatch29]

[quote BottomOfMyPencilCase]@flapdoodlery are you a school nurse? Our DC has never had their temperature tested by a teacher in class. Even the school nurse would only temperature check if they DC complained of having a temperature.[/quote]
I'm a teacher and have checked temps loads of times prior to covid with those daft forehead strip things. We have them in our class first aid cabinets.

[flapdoodlery]

Next week I shall be wearing a holster. Infrared thermometer in one side, pump action hand sanitiser in the other. Locked and loaded.

[BottomOfMyPencilCase]

Our schools have always had nurses. Even the one I attended when I was little. My DSIS' DC's school doesn't have a nurse but the sick DCs are sent to the school office and the office staff act as first aiders, etc. They don't expect teachers to look after ill children.
I didn't realise that so many schools expected teachers to act as nurses too. I wonder if it's a difference between Scottish and English schools. It's not something I've really thought about before.

[MonsterKidz]

My friend just tested positive yesterday and his symptoms were a mild cold.

[Jenasaurus]

I dont understand why parents are happy to send unwell children to school just because it isnt likely to be COVID, children who feel unwell are still able to pass on other bugs and why would you subject your child to going to school when they feel really poorly.

[museumum]

We're not talking about children who feel "really poorly" nobody said that.
We're talking about children with "a bit of a runny nose". Children who are running around happy and want to be learning and in class but have occasional need for a tissue.

OBVIOUSLY you keep a 'poorly' child who needs rest and is clearly not themselves at home.

[flapdoodlery]

See, you say that like it is obvious, but honestly you would not believe the tales I could tell about the lengths parents have gone to to disguise or excuse illness to get their children in school. Vomiting, temperatures, injuries. The list is endless.

[NameChange84]

See, you say that like it is obvious, but honestly you would not believe the tales I could tell about the lengths parents have gone to to disguise or excuse illness to get their children in school. Vomiting, temperatures, injuries. The list is endless

Yep. It’s incredible what lengths some parents will go to, to send their kids to school against better judgement and concern for others. As well as the above, I have been forced to send children home (usually with parents it takes hours to contact) about half a dozen times with newish or weeping chicken pox, measles, impetigo, untreated scabies, norovirus, head injury which happened on the way to school, untreated pink eye, swine flu back in the day, and hand foot and mouth so many times it’s ridiculous. In 99.9 % of cases the parents knew and “thought I’d best send them in anyway”.

[flapdoodlery]

Yes. And when you ring to send them home no one answers the phone. The rest of the emergency contacts numbers are incorrect and then parent finally calls back and says they are two hours away and no one else can collect. That’s going to be super fun for the adult sat in isolation with said child in a tiny room wearing full PPE. Poor child feeling pretty poorly by then and just needing their bed.

[stayathomer]

In Ireland we've been told funny nose or s.d sniffles can go in but to take temp but also if any form of ibuprofen or paracetamol is given they cant go in for 48 hours as they wont know the actual temp

[stayathomer]

Thst was 'runny' nose or any sniffles

[CaptainMerica]

Schools have barely been back a fortnight, and already Scotland is struggling to keep up with the number of tests needed due to temps and coughs brought on by colds. E.g. there were over 9k people tested on Sunday, compared with around 4k a week earlier.

People need to accept that we are in the middle of a pandemic, and things that seemed ridiculous a year ago are just the way it is now. Everyone should be doing whatever they can to stop the spread of colds this winter. Availability of tests is the only thing that is going to stop us losing control of covid again.

[combatbarbie]

We are in Scotland and just had email from LA stating if there are any cold symptoms, runny nose, phlegm cough, slight temp etc etc they will be returned home so not to send them! Change of the seasons is looming.... This is not going to be fun.

[combatbarbie]

Here's the email we got.... So basically any unwellness that would be common means stay home.

[bodgeitandscarper]

@phlebasconsidered

I would very much prefer it if all parents with children exhibiting symptoms would follow guidelines and keep them at home and get them tested. But it seems like things will be back to normal and they'll just be dosed with calpol and sent in most of the time.

And that's how it will spread in schools.

This pretty much sums it up, if your child is ill, then please follow the guidelines, we will definitely struggle to keep schools open if people send children in regardless.

[latticechaos]

@combatbarbie

Here's the email we got.... So basically any unwellness that would be common means stay home.

Oh yes, that is really going to play havoc with work. Because a test might be turned round in 48 hours while a cold will last a week.

[cansu]

a runny nose - send her but if she looks unwell or flushed you can guarantee she will be sent home and asked to get a test. This is going to be a real problem. How many children and teachers will be off with cold / flu symptoms? Even if they are only off for 48 hours at a time before the test comes back, it will be sufficient to cause issues particularly in terms of staffing. In our school we have two cover supervisors so essentially can cover two members of staff at a time. Budgets are really tight so paying for lots of supply staff is not an option. The government needs to be providing a fund for extra staff costs involved with covering absent staff.

[tootyfruitypickle]

A cold with a cough or temp is one thing, but most colds don’t present like that . I’ve got one at the moment with a headache and aches but no temp or cough, I think I’d be sending dd in if she had it and felt well enough, but I’d be happy to keep her home if she really felt a bit ropey- but I do that anyway. I’d just be checking her temp before school .

[tootyfruitypickle]

I have done a test as we have a busy weekend coming up and I didn’t want to risk exposing lots of people just as a total precaution. However that was a few days ago now, obvs I won’t be cancelling anything with no positive test and no COVID symptoms, but will carry on checking temp.

[stayathomer]

I’ve got one at the moment with a headache and aches but no temp or cough
Our school told us that would be seen as a symptom and not to send in. It's a bloody minefield isnt it?!

[tootyfruitypickle]

Yeh well if I get that guidance from our school, that’s fine, if that’s what they think needs to be done. Radio silence here though!