Is anyone planning on refusing to allow their children to have the lateral flow tests.

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I'm really not looking to start a bunfight. Just tying to better understand the reasons if you are not planning on allowing your child to be tested.

My ds is 16 and in college. He has autism and a physical disability.

He'll do the tests if I can administer it.

I'm planning on asking if we can either do it at home or I can go in before college and do it.

I don't want to refuse and neither does he. Especially as he's group 6 and not yet vaccinated.

If you test positive you isolate until you do a PCR. If that’s negative you’re back in business. That’s two days out of action tops.

1 in 3 people are a-symptomatic.

I won’t be giving consent to test my child, and as far as I’m concerned I don’t owe anybody any justification for my decision.

Nah. I think we're at the point now where you should homeschool if you won't test and you can't give a good reason why. Same as masks. The option is there now with oak academy. I have come to think same about all vaccinations and schools too.

Much bigger change of a false negative @Youneverknowwhatyourgonnaget.
My nurse friend has a supply at home and both she and her dd tested positive. She than had to book PCR test to confirm but as expected both positive. False positives are very rare but also are generally followed up with PCR to confirm.

I think it should be test or homeschool (with exceptions for children with actual confirmed medical conditions who cannot for various reasons tolerate the testing)
People have been saying for a long time on here for the children who are high risk to just homeschool them, so why when something is introduced to help reduce the risk for them children to attend school so if you don't want your child to do that then just homeschool them.
A swab test is absolutely nothing in comparison to what some children (CV/CEV) will endure should they contract covid.

Agree with poster who said about posters wanting to continue homeschooling without losing school place. My son needs that social interaction, but as he’s so genuinely terrified of this test I’m happy for him to continue homeschooling until it’s safer for him to return. I’m also happy for him to have the vaccination as soon as it’s been approved by scientists. I’ll basically do whatever I need to do other than physically restrain my child in order for him to produce a test. He can pop in to any shop and infect everyone there, so if it’s safe for him to shop it’s safe for him to school. For anyone who is a teacher, I am genuinely sorry if you feel that my child attending is a risk to your health. I’ve tried to talk him into it, he’s fully aware of the reasons for doing it. But he shakes like a leaf. I’m not putting him through it. I wish the government would give me the option to homeschool until he’s been vaccinated or risk of virus is much lower. I understand both sides of the coin, I just cannot allow his mental health to be damaged any further.

Also, I’d like to add that you do not need a physical diagnosis to have a child who struggles mentally. There are loads undiagnosed out there who genuinely struggle. My son is one of them.

I have signed a consent form. I don't actually think it's anyone's business to start testing people, but if that's what it takes for schools to reopen, it's fine by me.

Why would anyone not give consent? We go for smear tests, again with no symptoms but it tells us if we're ill and we just don't know. All the people that don't want their kids to get tested, would you want them to go for smears? Bit more "dehumanising" but still completely worth it

My kids schools are optional. If I was to consent, but my kids refused when being offered the test, then they wouldn't need to have it.

My kids 12 and 16 do not want it, so I have not given consent. More so, so that no teachers can pressure them over their decision of saying no.

If they develop symptoms, then they will be tested and isolated until results come back.

3 tests per week is a bit OTT imo. Especially when theyre trying to say that schools are safe.
If this is the start of reopening things, then the tests need to start fading out unless someone has symptoms, not increase.

@Sarcobaleno

Why would anyone not give consent? We go for smear tests, again with no symptoms but it tells us if we're ill and we just don't know. All the people that don't want their kids to get tested, would you want them to go for smears? Bit more "dehumanising" but still completely worth it

Because the person personally is old enough to consent and does not want the procedure on themselves . Same way, some women opt out of smear tests. As you can with any procedure you don't want on your body.

Is this the next next British entitlement exceptionalism ie will not follow science nor rules test? Exceptional and entitled. Don't do mutual civic duty of care nor society minded. Love/don't mind free schooling and healthcare paid for by others - but asking to do a little test (not invasive as though the front end and not backend in some overseas nations!) is not for me as no tests means we can keep schools open pretending there is no asymptomatic disease until someone with less health privilege needs emergency hospitalisation.

Also tick as appropriate don't do:

masks
hygiene
proximity distancing
home schooling
vaccination
science
rules

What age are they planning to do this on?

I have had to test my 5 and 8 yr olds before and it is a painful expereince. My DS got so worked up he had a nosebleed. My dd 5 cried for ages afterwards.

If it is asked of us then we will have to try but it is going to be distressing and will likely get worse everytime they do it not better.

I will be getting mine tested. I did them twice weekly and they are fine.
It will be interesting to see if there are more closures / cases / isolations in schools with a lower uptake of testing and mask wearing.

"dehumanising", that made me laugh. What about all these children (and I am sure adults as well!!), picking their noses.
(I'm a NHS worker, told only to swab nose).

Obviously the false neg rate is high but they will get tested twice a week.

At least the result will available quicker. In Dec it took 1 week from ill classmate to us getting the results. So for 1 week my dc were at school instead of selfisolating as a contact.

Lollipops for all. No way I would object. Let's hope it's not for long.

DD (12) has SEN but is in a mainstream school. Thankfully he’s happy to be tested. I would keep DS at home if he couldn’t be tested as he has a TA sitting with him for every lesson - it would unfair to put them at risk.

It's 3 tests over 2 weeks initially to be conducted in school not 3 tests a week.

I have to do these twice weekly. I still feel pretty human. I do them to cut the risk of giving it to the children I teach and the adults I work with.
Of course there will be children who can’t. But it’s not that bad and you do get better at it. If mine were still school age I’d at least give it a go. If you test positive you book a pcr test but false positives I believe are rare.

@Barbie222

I won’t be giving consent to test my child, and as far as I’m concerned I don’t owe anybody any justification for my decision.

Nah. I think we're at the point now where you should homeschool if you won't test and you can't give a good reason why. Same as masks. The option is there now with oak academy. I have come to think same about all vaccinations and schools too.

This. Many times

Although it would be a massive task to continue to test in school if i were a teacher I would prefer it given some attitudes on this thread

@rawalpindithelabrador but by teaching your kids that a cotton bud up their nose is terrifying violation of their bodies how does that bode for their future trust in medical procedures? It's a cotton swab up your nose, not circumcision.

[quote Sarcobaleno]@rawalpindithelabrador but by teaching your kids that a cotton bud up their nose is terrifying violation of their bodies how does that bode for their future trust in medical procedures? It's a cotton swab up your nose, not circumcision. [/quote]
Where are people teaching their kids to be terrified? Mine are teenagers. I don't control their bodies. I've taught them to form their own boundaries and respect them and not let anyone pressure, bully, shame or coerce them in any way when it comes to their bodies. One has autism, it's not 'just' a cotton swab up the nose. And having had the test, it goes way back, made my eyes water and gave me a nosebleed.

OMG watering eyes and a nosebleed....you'll never recover!

Thank god we as a nation are kind to those who are genuinely struggling with their mental health and have anxiety. Oh wait - that only applies to those who have gone through the exact SAME anxiety and understand how awful THEY feel. Never mind, carry on as you were.
Luckily, you have never experienced fear for anything in your lives and you remember what it’s like to be a child.

Covid is not the ONLY killer. That’s all I’m going to say. My son has already woken in cold sweat about this. You can think that’s pathetic all you like - I choose to be kind to people when they are already down and out. Anxiety and mental health issues are also a massive killer. But never mind, as long as you are comfortable forcing your terrified child to do something they have genuine fear for. I hope your kids don’t end up resenting you for your choice.

I’ve had swabs done and was only ever necessary to have throat done

@Awalkintime

OMG watering eyes and a nosebleed....you'll never recover!

Wow, what a pathetic attempt at an insult. It was more than just a cotton bud up the nose, hence my post, but hey, never lose an opportunity to sneer at and patronise those who don't agree with you.

My son can't have anything up his nose due to autism and a history of nosebleed/cauterisation. Care to bully him, too?

Works well IRL, your tactics, you'd end up with a nosebleed alright if you had the balls to bully people like that to their faces.