How much info do you provide if they are off school?

[Madmog]

Just wondering how much information others have to provide if their kids are off school. In the past I've just put sickness or bad headache.

My daughter came home yesterday saying the school have told them their parents have to provide a lot more information, ie how many times sick or diarrhoea, the precise temperature they had, what they took for a headache, what the doctor said if contacted etc.

She's only had two days off in 15 months due to being pale, having tummy pains and a slight temperature (a time when I wouldn't expect school to have to look), but almost feel pressure to send her in now unless I can write down dramatic details.

I would refuse to provide that level of personal medical information. The school is staffed by teachers, not doctors, and they are not qualified to pass medical judgement. Anyway it doesn't matter if you vomit once or five times, you are supposed to stay off to avoid spreading your contagion. In any case parents could just fabricate any sort of information.

I don't take temps and I have DDs who may feel sick, but very rarely actually are - except the day I did send DD2 to school and she threw up all over her BF.

Never had school bother about notes that say DD felt horrid and seemed to have a virus.

They did get the full saga of trying to get DDs ankle fixed.

The once I did see red was when I left a phone message saying "DD2 doesn't want me to say why she was off"

DD2 is a slight almost thirteen year old - what embarrasses teen girls?

Starting their periods of course. I'm sure you clever MNs got that. DD had to go and see on of the house staff, who she still didn't tell.

She was fuming, She said it's non of schools business. They still haven't replied to my email telling them this!

Thanks for your reply. I think it's our decision whether she's well enough or not and I don't expect school to be responsible for her if she's sick or they have to wait for me to collect. At the same time I almost feel they want the information to pressurize us into sending them in unless we can provide dramatic information.

I just put that they are unwell. Or something equally terse.

Think I d be saying ebola or lassa fever - that should be good enough for a day or two off school.

Next time one of my children has a stomach ache, shall I email the school with something like this:

c/o 6/24 intermittent peri-umbilical pain, no pyrexia, no rebound tenderness, etc...