Parents not testing children

[BreadAlone]

I've been told by at least 2 different parents in my kids class now, that, despite their kid having a fever, they didn't get them tested and have sent them back into school as soon as the fever had gone (so a couple of days off school then back in).

These kids are primary, so no social distancing happening in school, and also both families have older kids in secondary, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the younger siblings have picked up covid from the older (seeing as there seems to be quite a lot of covid in secondary schools right now...).

I'm sending my kid in, trusting that other parents aren't being antisocial, selfish dicks about covid, but it seems they are. I don't want to pull my kid out, but equally I don't want to be exposed and thus potentially expose others more vulnerable than us if we get it through the stupidity of others who couldn't be arsed to get their kids tested.

No kids like the bloody tests. Yet I've managed to get 9 successfully done between my 2 kids when they've had symptoms this term, just to be sure I'm sending them into school with them not being a risk to others.

So 2 questions. 1) are there actually loads of people doing this, and I've been living in a dreamworld, believing parents were trying to protect schools? And 2) can I legitimately complain to the school about this, or will it be a case of no proof, so no consequence?

A lot of teachers are reporting this happening. It will continue to happen while government messaging is unclear and there is no automatic right to continue being paid fully if isolating whilst any member of the household gets a test or if they test positive.

You can speak to the school but they can't do a lot more than send out strongly worded whole school emails.

1. Yes, sadly so. I know it Quite a few people who have sent their kids into nursery with a temp and ‘waited for the dreaded phone call’

1. Doesn’t harm to raise your concerns.

Spot on so many families and school staff being put at risk due to this.

Our school has advised us not to take temps with a thermometer but to see 'if hot to touch' which seems to be official guidance- it went out to all schools in the trust.

To the back or chest, it said

The more people who do that the more the rest won't bother as there is no point....then the whole school will close.

Yes it's happening.

We had it where a kid had a fever and was sent home. Back in next day (clearly with paracetamol) and fever spiked again following day after 4 hours at school. Again 3rd day and another child also given calpol before school.

Then staff member got symptoms and tested positive.

By then child 1 told no return until negative test or isolated for 10 days.

Because it then passed through class the child 1 needed up being off nearly 3 weeks as class and staff isolating. Karma?! Clearly we don't know child 1 had COVID. But bloody conincidence if they didn't!

It’s the opposite round here! Parents are getting their children tested even with no covid symptoms just maybe a runny nose or the parent is anxious. Some see being sent home to self isolate due to a case in their class as being the green light to get tested.

FYI my son had a fever reaching 38.3 on Friday, temp consistently at about 37.2 since and he tested positive. The fever doesn’t need to be going on for days for it to be Covid, his was over 37.8 for less than 24 hours.

I know of people doing this too OP. Or only deciding to test their kids if the fever lasts more than 24 hours. They don’t seem to realise that kids can get mild symptoms but could still pass it on!

I have had to test my own kids 3 times and it was a bloody nightmare. They are quite traumatised by the idea of anything going near their noses, especially my 2 year old, but what else can we do? I couldn’t bear it if they passed it on when I knew they had symptoms!

I think you could mention to the school for them to remind people. It probably won’t do much but worth a try!

One of my daughters friends came back to school today reporting that the reason she had been off was because she lost her sense of smell. Parents reaction seemed to have amounted to keeping her off for the required amount of time for isolation, but no test and the rest of the kids in my daughters bubble weren't told of this close contact "covid case"

I fucking despair. I'm trying to keep my Mum safe who has cancer.

Using a different name for this as dsds mum uses the site.

A few weeks ago dsd came to ours and was coughing her head off. Dsds mum was adamant that she did not need a test and told dsd to refuse to do the test her dad ordered for her (at 13 it would not have appropriate for dh to physically force her).

Dsds mum took her out for dinner that evening. Dsd had a couple of days off school and went straight back in rather than waiting for 14 days. Dsds sibling was in school the whole time. A couple of weeks later there were some positive cases at the school and dsds mum hit the roof at the thought her children might have caught it from "selfish people".

The little girl my DS sits next to was ill last week with temperatures, sickness etc and kept getting sent into school and then sent home again. My DS was ill at the Weekend - temp, stomach ache, headache, sore throat, no appetite. I got him tested and it was negative. Today that little girls mam tested positive. I'm convinced my DS has had a false result.

Yep we've had this more times than I care to remember at our school. We've also had a few who have been for a test and then sent in whilst waiting for the results...

No wonder schools are breeding grounds for illness.

I hate the damn "but I don't want it to impact meeeee" attitude of the selfish people doing this. They clearly aren't adverse to a bit of lying and rule breaking, so why not just send the kids to isolate with a friend or family member if they can't take the time off work. Mix their sick kid with their own extended family, rather than with 30 other families.

Or just get the fucking test done if they're so sure it's going to be negative, then send them into school. Don't avoid the test because it's "unpleasant". I'm sure people find dying of covid pretty unpleasant too.

Gah, it makes me mad.

@itsgettingweird

Why was the kid allowed back in after having a temp At school? That’s shocking

It's hard to judge what's over or under reacting though. Dd1 had a cold start on Sunday. Sent her to school monday as she seemed fine, just sneezing/ runny nose. But then mild cough started monday night. Kept her off on tues but sent dd2 to school as i wasnt sure it was bad enough to be persistent. But then she coughed quite a lot on tues so i ordered a test and we've all been at home since. Of course cough almost fine now, but both dd will be off the rest of the week while we wait. Wouldnt normally be a problem but me and dp both have big work deadlines this week so young kids being at home is a nightmare! Cant help but think I've over reacted now and wishing i hadnt bothered.

Normally that would be over reacting but we are in the midst of a pandemic: nearly 700 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. So currently, not an over reaction to get her tested, you've done the right thing even though it caused all kinds of difficulties.

I can’t actually blame the parents like me who are terrified of the whole household isolating. My DS has mock GCSE’s in the next couple of weeks and if any of the rest of us got symptoms over the weekend I would be sorely tempted to not say anything or get tested. I would feel like I’m forcibly throwing him under the bus on the vague possibility of saving nameless people if one of us possibly had the virus. It’s a horrible horrible choice.

The government have fucked up education and insist GCSE’s will go ahead. If DS subsequently got much lower grades than predicted I would always feel like I put other randoms first, after all who’s going to remember which GCSE years were impacted by this in 10 years time when they see his cv?

I expect if it came to it we’d be honest. But it would kill me. So yes, it’s not right but I can understand it.

I know this is happening in my classroom, especially worrying as I’m a CEV teacher 😔 I had hoped parents of my class would be more understanding but no, they actually don’t give a crap that I might die 😔

@SleepymummyZzz

I’m sorry, that must be very worrying.

But sadly human nature is selfish and I think lots of parents can’t be assed to look after their own kids. My friend sent her kids in with a temp as she was on annual leave and didn’t want them at home.

I recognise this - my 13 year old dd said a boy she sits next to at school, was sent home last week as he had a fever. The next day he was back in cos he felt better...no test done...to be fair her school has not really suffered yet, and apart from 2 days off herself due to a cough and waiting for a test result, she’s been able to go to school continuously since Sept - I can’t complain so far. However, if kids with fevers are not testing as required, surely it’s only a matter of time before cases rise.

Sadly it really has highlighted to me how there are so many selfish people in this country. What kind of example are parents setting to these children?! What about my child? Thank goodness I am raising him to care for others 😊

We have had kids in who:

Clearly have symptoms

And

Have a family member who had tested positive

I’d say we’ve dealt with tens of those.

This is exactly what I’ve been worrying about but put it down to being cynical
My DS had a temp of 38.5 and went down to 37.4 the next day. Ordered a test straight away and when i rung the school, the receptionist said “oh well if he’s feeling better tomorrow he can come in”..........I did not send him in until test result (negative). If I had sent him in and he was positive I would have been absolutely beside myself with worry and guilt. The thought of these arseholes doing the calpol trick is disgusting - who the hell does this with a clear conscience.

Pupils coming back before their 14 days SI is up after parent tested positive - sent home but not before being close enough to a handful of kids who now need to SI for 14 days after the original pupil went on to display symptoms and tested positive - right before their prelims.

Pupils coming in whilst parents were awaiting test results.

Parents being offended when told their children cannot be at school before results come back even if 'they were only being tested as a precaution - they didn't have symptoms'

Parents lying about why their children are off sick and then having to back pedal and admit they are lying when they are told their child must be tested and be negative before allowed back as they just couldn't be bothered to bring their child to school.

Parents claiming the test they took 5 weeks ago that was negative means there is no way their child's persistent cough and fever could be COVID-19!

...the list goes on.