Grrr....irritated at the middle school...a vent

[Mickey Fliers]

My oldest DS started middle school yesterday. Around 9:45, I get a call from the school nurse stating that they can't find the copy of his immunization record and could I please fax over a copy. I think, no biggie. I fax it over. Crisis averted.

Wrong.

After my son gets home, he informs me that he sat in the office and nurses office for an hour while they tried to locate their copy of his record. They pulled him out of first period and he sat there while they looked. After they finally called me, they had the silly thing in less than 5 minutes. Why on earth did they pull my son out of class for this? It wouldn't normally be that big a deal, but my son has PE as first period and he missed out on getting his locker, practicing his locker combo lock (a big deal for new middle schoolers), getting his gym uniform and a re-shuffling of his schedule.

Seriously, I know my son is good looking ( ), but did they really need to look at his face while they tried to locate the paper? Morons.

 

[Sparx]

My oldest DS started middle school yesterday. Around 9:45, I get a call from the school nurse stating that they can't find the copy of his immunization record and could I please fax over a copy. I think, no biggie. I fax it over. Crisis averted.

Wrong.

After my son gets home, he informs me that he sat in the office and nurses office for an hour while they tried to locate their copy of his record. They pulled him out of first period and he sat there while they looked. After they finally called me, they had the silly thing in less than 5 minutes. Why on earth did they pull my son out of class for this? It wouldn't normally be that big a deal, but my son has PE as first period and he missed out on getting his locker, practicing his locker combo lock (a big deal for new middle schoolers), getting his gym uniform and a re-shuffling of his schedule.

Seriously, I know my son is good looking ( ), but did they really need to look at his face while they tried to locate the paper? Morons.

i used to work in a high school, and i basically lived in the record room while i was there.

the only reason i could think that they would pull him is that there may be a rule saying children cannot attend class without a valid shot record, which is a very likely possibility. i believe its a state law?

 

[KAMKIM]

Its odd that they would call you and pull him out of class. Our school would just sent a note home requesting that it be brought in right away.

Maybe they forgot he was sitting there...

 

[Rora]

the only reason i could think that they would pull him is that there may be a rule saying children cannot attend class without a valid shot record, which is a very likely possibility. i believe its a state law?

Very true.

This has got to be the reason he was pulled out. At my school our slogan for shots is "No Shots, No School, No Kidding".

Regardless, this is annoying for your DS but trust me, as soon as school really starts, he'll be begging to be pulled out of class a lot!

 

[npmommie]

It would bother me more that they misplace sensitive personal information such as medical records.

 

[disykat]

Although your son was an innocent "victim" in this, as a parent I'm guessing you'd be singing a different tune if a child was allowed to be in school and passed along one of the diseases the immunizations are supposed to protect us from. Obviously someone dropped the ball with the records, but IMO that's a much smaller issue than disease control and keeping him contained to the office was probably a policy.

 

[Duchie]

the only reason i could think that they would pull him is that there may be a rule saying children cannot attend class without a valid shot record, which is a very likely possibility. i believe its a state law?

That's the state law here in Texas - they are not allowed to attend classes at all until they have proof of immunization. I only know this because they changed the requirements for 7th graders this year, and there were all sorts of emails and phone calls and postings on the school web site prior to school that they needed updated copies of records on the first day or the kids would not be allowed to attend classes.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Eh, not a big deal. He will make it.

Now here is my irritation with my 7th graders school......

She was in school for 3 weeks and then comes home last week to announce that they have switched classes on everyone due to overcrowding. Yea, thanks for doing that after orientation.

She was FINALLY so happy with her schedule & made some friends, and then BAM. Oh well...nothing to do but deal with it.

 

[Briarmom]

It's totally your fault.

(Just wanted to be the first to provide the DIS response)

 

[taylor3297]

Eh, not a big deal. He will make it.

Now here is my irritation with my 7th graders school......

She was in school for 3 weeks and then comes home last week to announce that they have switched classes on everyone due to overcrowding. Yea, thanks for doing that after orientation.

She was FINALLY so happy with her schedule & made some friends, and then BAM. Oh well...nothing to do but deal with it.

Many school system has rules in place that they can not add more teachers/classes until a certain amount of days have passed. Here it is 20 days. At the beginning of last school year, I had 40 kids in my algebra class, 38 kids in both my advanced 8th math and 36 in my regular math classes. After the official 20 day head count was done, the principal was able to create a two member team to deal with the overflow (the other 2 8th grade teams were overcrowded also). So, most of the time, the schools aren't able to act when they would like.

 

[npmommie]

Although your son was an innocent "victim" in this, as a parent I'm guessing you'd be singing a different tune if a child was allowed to be in school and passed along one of the diseases the immunizations are supposed to protect us from. Obviously someone dropped the ball with the records, but IMO that's a much smaller issue than disease control and keeping him contained to the office was probably a policy.

well just because a child is not immunized does not mean they are infectious with any disease.
and plus kids are vaccinated and the vaccines while not 100%.........do protect.
the whole reason to vaccinate is so that the child does not catch some disease, so I can never understand the hysteria regarding kids who are not vaccinated in regards to coming in contact with kids who are vaccinated.

I understand the whole public health issue. but to basically quarantine a child because you don't know his immunization status is silly imo.
kids CAN and DO attend school with no immunizations. most states have ways to decline immunizations.

 

[lovetoscrap]

It is state law. In VA, no shot record, no school. If you hadn't had a copy of the record (like needed to go and get it from the Dr. office) they most likely would have had you pick him up for the day. I don't know what the penalty is to the district but I assume it is pretty stiff since they are very much sticklers on following it to the letter.

Sorry this happened to him. Can you take him in after school to practice with his lock?

I agree I would be more upset with the loss of important paperwork, but having seen first hand what goes on with keeping track of the paperwork of several hundred students it doesn't surprise me.

 

[cabanafrau]

If I remember correctly the policy here is that the immunizations must be up-to-date by a few weeks to a month into the school year. I get the irritation the OP feels about how the situation played out for her son. Unfortunately it's only a big deal to the kid going through it. School staff probably didn't even give his situation a second thought.

My youngest started middle school yesterday. Came home with no homework -- for herself! I on the other hand received a lovely sheet of paper with the heading, Tell Us About Your Child in 1,000,000 Words or Less -- due Friday.

Seriously? Pointless drivel. I suspect they want to display these somewhere for the upcoming curriculum night in an attempt to give the illusion of something -- as for what that is I really couldn't say.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

i used to work in a high school, and i basically lived in the record room while i was there.

the only reason i could think that they would pull him is that there may be a rule saying children cannot attend class without a valid shot record, which is a very likely possibility. i believe its a state law?

You know, I thought that as well...however....I had just brought the updated record (they had the one from the elementary school) into the school last week. They actually said on the phone "we have misplaced the copy that Miss Smith took of your record last week." So, they absolutely knew he was immunized. No reason for him to sit there.

Eh, not a big deal. He will make it.

Now here is my irritation with my 7th graders school......

She was in school for 3 weeks and then comes home last week to announce that they have switched classes on everyone due to overcrowding. Yea, thanks for doing that after orientation.

She was FINALLY so happy with her schedule & made some friends, and then BAM. Oh well...nothing to do but deal with it.

Yeah, I figure he will only cry about it for the first few days. Sorry about your DD. That totally sucks!

It's totally your fault.

(Just wanted to be the first to provide the DIS response)

I figured it must be! How are all of those grammar mistakes coming along?

Clearly this wasn't that big of a deal, but it totally irritated me for some reason. Like, get your head out of your rear and figure out a better solution.

 

[EMom]

That's the state law here in Texas - they are not allowed to attend classes at all until they have proof of immunization. I only know this because they changed the requirements for 7th graders this year, and there were all sorts of emails and phone calls and postings on the school web site prior to school that they needed updated copies of records on the first day or the kids would not be allowed to attend classes.

Uhhhhh....Don't get me started on the immunization policy in Texas. We have a huge, gaping hole that I call the "I Don't Wanna" exemption. It's not a religious or medical exemption. No, the Texas Leg in its infinite lack of wisdom, passed a law allowing parents to opt out of immunizations for no other reason that "they object." So if they "don't wanna" they don't have to. Our herd immumity is going to Hades in a handbasket.

So in Texas, your child's immunization records have to be up to date......PROVIDED you agree to immunize them. If you don't wanna, then you're off the hook.