School case - refusing to isolated child!

[Pixilulu]

A friend received an email from school saying her child had to self isolate for 14 days as a close contact from school has tested positive.

She is refusing to self isolate the child - saying you only need to when you have symptoms.

She has been in contact with the rest of the class parents and they are also not isolating their children!!! Some already gone on holiday, already been to swimming lessons etc.

This is crazy!!!

no it is not correct but we were being told schools were safe, get your kids to school we are going to fine you if you don't send your child... this is the message that was presented. one of the science or medical bods stood up and said something similar.

had a child that had to stay inside for two weeks as they were self isolating along with their yeargroup.

@Dustballs just a bit of basic research, or even watching the news, or listening to Chris Whitty, shows kids definitely do contract it and spread it. They arent even try to say anymore that schools dont spread it. Teachers are dropping like flies. It's just obvious that schools are being kept open because the economy matters more that the lives of vulnerable members of staff or student.

It doesn't matter whether you think it is crazy or not. It is the law and puts others at risk. Anything else is anarchy. Is that what people really want?

Ok @DamitJanet

You try living in a tiny mouldy, rotten flat with 5/6 siblings and however many adults. One room - even - for 2 weeks. Imprison your kids to save other’s lives.

Selfish, and I would report that.

We have just had to cancel a holiday at short notice as DC was instructed to self-isolate this week (primary school). I pulled out of two meetings I was due to attend at another school as several of the people I would have been in meetings with are in the vulnerable/at risk category.

I don't understand the requirement that DC has to isolate but DH & I do not as we pretty much live on top of each other. However, we are minimising any contact those of us who are 'allowed' to have, have. DC is not allowed to play out with friends or to have playdates until the time period has passed.

We can rebook a holiday. We can reschedule playdates. But we can't make people well if we have unwittingly infected them through our own selfishness.

If your daughter is fine being locked in for 14 days - that’s great @RiftGibbon.

What about kids who cannot cope with that? Whose mental health or living conditions are not fine.

Teachers are dropping like flies

But we have no idea whether they have caught it in school from children?

its just obvious schools are being kept open because the economy matters more than the lives of vulnerable members of staff or student

Unfortunately that is exactly the case. We can't save everybody from a deadly infectious virus, allowing the economy to crash would inadvertently cause many many more deaths than covid ever will. Without an economy there is no NHS, no emergency services, no education. Its a horrible harsh reality but a reality all the same.
Some medically vulnerable will die unnecessarily from covid but also some socially vulnerable will die too its a horrific balance between the two at the moment.

There’s been no mention of how parents afford to take 2 weeks off work to look after their isolating kids.

Are all you lot who’ll dob in the kids who’re out playing SAHM’s?

These kids may not have parents to look after them. They’ll do what they like because their parents aren’t going to get paid otherwise.

@dustballs
You have obviously missed the thread about the DfE removing the statement about schools not being high risk from their guidance as, evidently, we are high risk. Also the thread from @noblegiraffe showing the data only just released, illustrating the spread in both primary and secondary.
Is is any wonder the teaching profession is pretty pissed off with the behaviour of parents? Sorry if that sounds harsh, but as so many parents have made it very clear just how pissed off with us they have been, then it's fair game.
It is very obvious that the likes of countries like Sweden have managed with far fewer restrictions, as their population clearly has a much better developed sense of social responsibility.
Our country does nothing but bleat about it not being fair. I can't imagine how we would ever have coped with night-time bombings etc in the 2nd World War, yet our grand-parents/great-grandparents generation did exactly that and turned up to school the next day.
What a completely self-obsessed, negative and entitled society we have become. We are using "mental health" as a decoy, when really we should be instilling resilience and and a sense of all doing our bit for the greater good.

Dustballs, I get your comments, and you obviously feel really strongly. But what do you think the solution is? Say people no longer need to isolate? Allow people to choose whether to isolate based on their house size or employment situation?

But we have no idea whether they have caught it in school from children?
I have some very scared and cautious staff in my school. Some are literally coming to work and going home and nothing else. And they are still dropping like flies. Today our first child tested positive. Not because she had symptoms but because her parent's job requires the family to test regularly. The child has zero symptoms and is fit and well. She has been in all week potentially passing the virus on. We have many many ill children in our school whose parents won't engage with the testing system.
I know what I believe.

Sweden have managed with far fewer restrictions, as their population clearly has a much better developed sense of social responsibility.

What a load of old shite. You cannot possibly say that considering we didn't have a chance to be allowed to take any social responsibility.

@GnomeOrMistAndIceGuy

But we have no idea whether they have caught it in school from children? I have some very scared and cautious staff in my school. Some are literally coming to work and going home and nothing else. And they are still dropping like flies. Today our first child tested positive. Not because she had symptoms but because her parent's job requires the family to test regularly. The child has zero symptoms and is fit and well. She has been in all week potentially passing the virus on. We have many many ill children in our school whose parents won't engage with the testing system. I know what I believe.

You can believe what you like but not all teachers are shaking in the corner at home are they?! Come on. You realistically have 0 idea where they got it. Could be a child, could be the supermarket, their husband or wife or another member of staff.

Do you know anyone who lives in substandard, squashed accommodation @Ashard20?

Or anyone whose family will starve if they skip work for 2 weeks (possibly repeatedly) to look after isolating but 100% well kids who’re bouncing off the walls?

This 2 weeks is more extreme than out lockdown which was hard enough. Kids can’t even leave the house for 2 weeks!

This is kids we’re talking about. Well kids with lots of energy. It’s not ok. Not in anyway.

And it does make a difference where they live.

We are using "mental health" as a decoy, when really we should be instilling resilience and and a sense of all doing our bit for the greater good

I'll go tell all the inpatients on the mh unit they're all making it up and need to be a bit more resilient shall I? If it's that easily solved?

Disgusting.

@Ashard20 - social responsibility includes having empathy and consideration for those who have things more difficult than you.

What a load of old shite. You cannot possibly say that considering we didn't have a chance to be allowed to take any social responsibility.

Indeed there have been many opportunities for people to demonstrate social responsibility...but instead of pulling together, we have anti-vaccine, conspiracy theory protests with no masks or social distancing to name but one example.
I know for sure what the NHS' reaction to all of that is - one of despair. A mask is not an infringement of human rights, it's a sign that we're in it together.
I know from my own experience of aggressive and intimidating parents that there is a blatant refusal to stick to the rules, whether it be observing the one way system to the entrance and exit, the refusal to wear a mask despite it clearly being communicated as a local authority rule when picking up and dropping off, or the closure of an entire bubble because a child has been sent in despite testing positive.
Imagine how the country would have coped if there had been greater freedom to start with!!

Everyone that I know is self-isolating their kids correctly around here. Well, keeping them home anyway. I'm not sure how sustainable it is going to be to do repeated sets of 14 days endlessly through the winter. One class has just been informed they are starting another stretch after only three days back since the last. And I wish they could go out for exercise once a day.

@Dustballs

It is far too long. 2 weeks. Most kids round here live in tiny flats with no outdoor space.

You imprison kids like this. Fine for those in large houses maybe.

And what about kids in abusive households?

It is not law. It is not enforceable and people need to stop judging.

That’s difficult for them. But the science says 14 days is necessary. It doesn’t care how hard it is to stay indoors for 14 days. The same was true in Spain and children had to stay in during their lockdown for months not weeks.

Sorry, and where there is abuse, someone needs to support the family.

@dustballs
Absolutely - and prolonging the situation by breaking the rules, therefore potentially endangering other vulnerable people and causing whole bubbles to close is something we want to avoid at all costs.
It's all about damage limitation. Spread the virus = close the bubble= parents potentially unable to work or worse, family members becoming ill.
We know who our vulnerable families are and we give them a lot of support if they have to self-isolate.

I have a real problem with the risk vs benefit weighting in making children isolate for 2 weeks for contact in their bubble. That contact may not be particularly close, it may not be someone they even know in the case of secondary. My DC are bubbled with other year groups and therefore my DC is isolating due to a positive case where he has nothing to do with the child and never sits near/plays with or works with them. We weren't informed until the I'll child had been off school for several days and therefore we've only had to do a short isolation. He was at school, swimming lessons, football etc when he was more likely to be infectious and is now missing his half term fun when it is so unlikely he will become unwell. He is lucky and has siblings and a garden but he is slowly going a bit strange. He normally attends multiple activities and runs and cycles loads, as well as school. He adores climbing trees and building dens and playing outside and he can't. The harm is being done to him right now, the harm him going out could cause is theoretical and highly unlikely. Especially because we would still be adhering to SD regardless.

The scales don't weigh up for me. For healthy, we'll, active young people, repeated periods of house arrest of 14 days at a time could have huge negative impacts and do little to prevent infections.

I have children who have police officers as parents who have not stayed in during their 14 days.

Misunderstanding on here. It really is the law that close contacts must SI. That is set out in secondary legislation. At least in respect of England. Parents must ensure as far as is reasonably practicable that their kids SI where necessary. There are fines for failing to comply with these regs.