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?

I’m shocked that schools are letting pupils back in if they had a temperature at school. I understand they can’t do much if the child was symptomatic at home but if school have clear evidence of a child displaying symptoms, I’d have expected that they didn’t admit the child back until they had a negative test or had self isolated for 10 days. That’s what the early years setting I work in is doing.

Lost count of the amount of emails I have had from dd school pleading with parents not to send children in whilst family members are waiting for test results.
So awful for those cev staff

My school leaders are just as bad as the parents. They don’t feel comfortable challenging parents who send their kids back in after a few days once their cough has subsided or their temperature has gone down. I feel like I’m in a parallel universe at school 😔

It’s more than “unpleasant” for some children and there’s more to it than “can’t be arsed” for some parents. I’ve tested my other children when they had symptoms over the summer but I will not test my child with ASD unless medically necessary for their own care and a medical professional does it. I cannot safely do it - child needed several staff to help me pin them down for a nebuliser for asthma (and they were a lot smaller then), I have absolutely no chance of safely getting a stick up their nose or down their throat without medical help and probably sedatives. This is a child who is actually very capable and in mainstream with minimal extra support just a very strong defensive reaction to some sensory stuff. I would very happily give them a saliva test though and am very annoyed these have not been made available for children and people with sensory issues already. Obviously if child got symptoms we would just have to isolate for the fortnight instead, I wouldn’t send them to school though.

@EweSurname it's harder to manage in a Secondary School and they don't have a registration class but instead just rock up at their first period lesson. Can take a while to track them all down and isolate them, then call parents for collection etc.

I’m shocked that schools are letting pupils back in if they had a temperature at school

How do you expect us to check? As soon as we spot symptoms-usually mid class - we send them home.

I understand they can’t do much if the child was symptomatic at home but if school have clear evidence of a child displaying symptoms, I’d have expected that they didn’t admit the child back until they had a negative test

We are not allowed to ask for evidence.

or had self isolated for 10 days

If parents say “they had a negative test” we can’t make them stay away.

Please stop blaming schools. We’re doing our best. That is on parents.

I honestly don’t know of any parents in DD’s class doing this. I’m not naive enough to think some don’t/won’t but they aren’t stupid enough to say anything if they are. Her school does have a very high number of SAHP which probably helps as staying home isn’t the same inconvenience it could be.

Yes, do tell the school.

Stepsons bubble closed due to a child testing positive and being ill. Stepson had no symptoms but had a test anyway, came back positive. It's scary

That's fine though @Theotherrudolph you'd keep them home for 14 days. That's a perfectly valid option. You're still being a responsible citizen, not a selfish fuck. I know the tests are horrific for some. I mean, the tests were awful for my daughter, way worse for my son, and that is without any additional needs, so I really do sympathise for kids who cannot cope with the tests. You're absolutely right other testing should be available to those that need it (though I imagine, as with the people who won't wear masks, a load of people who want an easier life will claim they need the easy test, making things harder for those with genuine need...)

My rant was more a sweeping "gah they're selfish", rather than a "everyone should get the test". Sorry - I should have worded it more thoughtfully. Of course I don't blame you for not getting your child tested :) you're still being considerate.

A boy in my son's y10, his dad had tested positive. The son kept coming in and then tested positive. Half a year group had to isolate for third time.

Last week, my son returns. Sits next to another boy with symptoms who then tests positive. DS now also has Covid - three in the class. Group now on fourth isolation.

Other DS secondary - school writes out this week to say it has sent 150 home over 3 year groups and that this figure would only have been 6. However, parents are sending children in who have tested positive. It basically pleads with parents not to do this and if children show symptoms.

They are so selfish. My son has Covid now and we are waiting to see if we catch it now. Not to mention the 8 weeks of self isolation one son has had.

I don't know what's wrong with people.

@middleager - that doubts identical to my son's school. Are you in a leafy north Herts market town by any chance?!

I think it’s terrible that teachers in the CEV group are not being given alternative work that they can do at home.

Also that the message about self isolating is simply not getting through. My dd was sent home to self isolate due to potential contact at school. I was told only to get a test if she got symptoms. Everyone i spoke to told me to get a test booked for her anyhow! They just didn’t understand that a negative test would not override the fact that she had to isolate for the required period.

Fortunately she didn’t get any symptoms.

The school were really clear about what i had to do, which was really helpful.

My cousins kids school don't seem that bothered. They are only expecting children to get a test if they have 2 or more symptoms ie temp and cough or cough and loss of smell. Her dd went back to school today after 2 days at home with a high temperature. They were super vigilant at the beginning but they so seem to have become a lot more lax now. My kids school is the complete opposite you are not allowed back to school unless you have a negative test result!!

[quote OverTheRainbow88]@itsgettingweird

Why was the kid allowed back in after having a temp At school? That’s shocking[/quote]
In my dc school if you're sent home with symptoms you aren't allowed back in until you receive a negative result

if parents say "they've had a negative test" we cant make them stay away
@SmileEachDay how can you be sure they haven't had a negative test though? A fever and cough can be fairly common in little ones for all different types of things

No different to pre covid. Parents always send in kids sick here (secondary school). Does my head in at how selfish people are. Throw up, get on a bus, pass it around, get to school, pass it around, throw up at school, get sent home, parent gets called, parent gets pissed off, parent collects, tell parent it is 48 hours since last episode of sick, kid in the next day

@gluteustothemaximus I had to pick my dc up from secondary last year due to vomiting and was told the 48hr rule didn't matter and if he felt well enough he could return the following day

I'm really shocked (and possibly stupidly naive) that so many are experiencing this. Can't believe people are still being so selfish in such circumstances. Utterly abhorrent behaviour when we hear again and again of hospital admissions and adverse outcomes.

I know we've had kids who've got parents that have tested positive in school. We've also had parents send siblings in when kids are off with COVID. Absolute selfish idiots

Yes, some parents are doing this.

The Government also has a lot to answer for, limiting listed symptoms to only three and thus tying the hands of schools when they have a cluster of cases of children in bubbles all suffering similar symptoms that would be treated as possible covid in other countries, but which here, parents feel justified in ignoring and sending their children to school either throughout, or 48 hours later if they actually threw up (loss of appetite, sore throat, headache and upset stomach/nausea/diarrhoea). The result, predictably, is that we are now getting daily confirmed cases in children and/or staff - from people who got the same symptoms but didn’t lie about getting a temperature along with it/actually got a high enough temperature that their parents acknowledged it as such.

Mines had a mild cough, temperature I’ve sent him into school and told to try not to cough in class or go to the toilet if he needs a big cough. There’s no way he’s been in school all day without coughing but he never got sent home by a teacher so no, I didn’t voluntarily keep him at home for two weeks and lose wages for it or send him for an unnecessary test. Believe it or not kids got coughs before Covid was a thing.

@RayOfSunshine2013 yes of course they did. And of course not every cough now is covid.
But now that covid is a thing (and quite a big thing) everybody with a cough needs to get a test to check whether it is covid or not.

I told a parent of a child in my yr 1 class that her DS had been coughing a lot, and probably needed a test (we've had several cases in school) her reply was "oh but it's not a NEW cough - he gets a cough every year!"

@RayOfSunshine2013 you absolutely horrify me. I am a pregnant teacher and other staff are vulnerable in other ways. Your selfishness astounds me.

Wow

You can tell it isnt covid without testing? You should volunteer your unique skills.

At my DD school, selfish parents with symptoms sent their DD in whilst they wfh. The parent did a test and it was positive. By that point the child had been in 4 days, 2 teachers caught it and 4 children. The whole school year group of 300+ students have now been isolating for 2 weeks.

[quote CovidPostingName]@middleager - that doubts identical to my son's school. Are you in a leafy north Herts market town by any chance?![/quote]
No, West Midlands, inner city.

Depressing that my example is probably mirrored at schools up and down the country though.