Single parent with no way to get my son to school

[wobblywinelover]

I've had a PCR test today and awaiting results... BUT if it comes back positive i'm not sure what i'm going to do about getting my son to school if his PCR comes back negative (he currently has no symptoms). I'm triple jabbed and he had his first vaccine a couple of weeks ago. I normally have to drive him 15 minutes to school, there's no way he can get there on his own unless I send him in a taxi (which are few and far between in the area I live in). No one else to take him. He's in year 10 and i'm concerned about him missing yet more school work. What have other people done in this situation? I know worst case scenario i'm going to have to keep him off but this is not ideal obviously. Thanks.

Op I have covid as does 1 dc

My other dc doesn’t - I drive him everday fpr similar reasons (rural and no transport). He’s year 11, no way am I letting him stay off during mocks when I can drive and drop him off

There are actually a lot of legal reasons you can break isolation - it’s on the gov website and whilst it doesn’t include school it includes food, chemist, going the vets etc so if stopped no one is going to care

Everyone I know who’s had Covid had still done the school run. Completely dramatic to pull kids out of school if they can be dropped off with you staying in the car

I was in this position (with a much younger child) last week. I did his PCR on Wednesday and would legally have been allowed to send him in till he got the (positive) results on Saturday. Obviously I'm glad I didn't, but the system really doesn't seem to take account of single parents.

Just drive him!

Oh and where I grew up was a 15 minute drive from my school, but the nearest bus stop would be a half hour walk.

@claymodels

I would keep my DC at home if I was negative anyway.

Why would you keep a child off if you were negative?

At dds school remote learning is available to all children who are off due to Covid. Would that be possible for him?

I’d just drive him too - the idea about going as short a distance as possible and then him walking some of the way is a good one.

Not a view many seem to share but I would absolutely drive him and not get out of car.
I know it's technically against the rules but honestly that's what I would do rather than have my son miss two weeks of school when he's at home with me anyhow

I'm just sitting here doing a mental scan of my surroundings and I can think of at least 5 places that are rural and have no bus route. Is it that hard to comprehend?

@Cherrytart23 where I live the secondary is a 10 minute drive away, the bus is a 30 minute walk in the opposite direction along a 60 mile an hour road with no pavements and there’s no taxis.
You can live near places and have difficulties getting transportation!

I honestly can’t get my head around how small your world must be if you literally can’t imagine that places exist where you can’t walk to school and there is no public transport. Our school is a 15 minute drive. Four miles into that drive includes 3 blind bends, a T junction, another 4 blind bends - all on a 60 mph road with no pavements. If he survives that walk/cycle then he can catch the bus from the nearest bus stop. Right outside his school.

So no mine couldn’t get to school on his own, poor thing missing out on his ‘independence’.

My friend was in this scenario recently. I told her to drive and drop DC at my house. Walked my DCs and hers to school. Don't see the issue.

The utter disbelief from some posters that the OP could live somewhere without reliable public transport (to a specific town or village too, it might have bus links but not to the right place) is hilarious.

You’d honestly think she’d said that she lives rurally so doesn’t have running water

OP I'm kind of in the same situation at 2 of my children currently have covid and if I get it wondering the same. The two that currently have covid are fine and can walk themselves to and from secondary school. My youngest 7 goes to a private school that I have to drive her to,I would be able to drive her up to the door and send her in without seeing any other parents and my old child will need taking/picking up daily as the have sends and unable to negotiate buses etc alone

I currently planning if I have it then I will just have to do my lifts as usual as I won't have to actually get out the car or come into contact with anyone

she is clearly not in the middle of no where as school is 15 min drive away so there must be a bus service even if it means 2 buses

I live in a village 4 miles out of town. It's about a 10 minute drive. There is no bus service through the village. None. There is also no pavement for the first 3 miles, it's dangerous to walk. Ridiculous, I know. But true.

@Nearthelooplease exactly. I’ve possibly been a bit harsh but it’s honestly blown my mind. I can only assume that people think of a 15 minute driving being half a mile in a traffic jam where I can easily cover 8-12 miles in that time without meeting anything but a tractor.

The rural school I teach in has over 40 feeder primaries, most are bussed in but a lot are driven by parents from farms, hamlets, small villages over a huge area with no buses at all. There are few taxis, usually just one-man and his taxi, who works sporadically. Even cycling would mean dangerous roads and a pretty exhausting journey that just wouldn’t be safe. I’m always amazed how many people are unaware of what rural living is like

@gonnabeok

Ring the school.- I know some schools will help with getting them a lift with staff.

Really? This would contravene the Code of Conduct for school staff.

All those who said they would drive him I'm curious what would happen if you had a car accident and needed help? How would you explain to paramedics/police/by standers who tried to help that you were positive for covid while out in your car?

@Cherrytart23

Why does he need a lift to school? Surely there is some form of public transport he can take if not has he not got a bike. Independence is a great thing.

I can't speak for the OP but we live rurally and the DC go to school in a town 5 miles away. There's no school bus or public transport between our village and the town and it's not a safe walking route (fast road, no pavement / verge). I wouldn't want my 14 year old cycling on this road either. I'm assuming that the OP is in a similar situation.

We don't even live that ritually (it's a tiny village but within 5 miles of a large town). There are three roads into the village. One of which even dyed-in-the-wool locals don't like driving on. All the roads are single track with very poor visibility and hardly any passing places. They have no pavements and needless to say there are no buses serving the village at all. You can't walk ANYWHERE.

@Fenelladepompom which “code of contact”? Surely each school has their own and many teachers regularly do whatever is necessary to support dc.

I hope you feel better soon OP.

Maybe it is a girl thing, but teen DD and her mates seem to be remarkably good at coordinating lifts to/from parties (then parents confirm arrangements). Are you so remote that you and your child can't call in some favours?

Equally, has your school really not managed to sort out school and remote learning (even if it is just a fixed camera)?

When Covid rocked up in Feb/March 2020, kids were live-streaming lessons to their quarantined friends until the school sorted out the tech. Not ideal, but it was better than nothing

@JSL52

I meant positive!

Why can't you continue to drive him to school?