Suggestions for dealing with school

[GreatLakes]

A nosebleed is one thing but a broken arm???? No need to tiptoe around that. Threaten them with legal action. How on earth did they not know?

If the kid isn't complaining what can they do? Even with an x-ray some breaks aren't evident until swelling goes down. In 2004 Ralph Schumacher crashed at the US Grand Prix. He had the best medical attention possible and was taken to a hospital. It wasn't discovered until a few days later he had a broken bone.

If a hospital with all the technology available can miss a broken bone a school nurse can.

https://m.dw.com/en/schumachers-surprise-injuries-land-him-in-pit-stop/a-1252630

 

[tvguy]

So are school nurse’s offices kind of like a medical clinic? Do you have to give them insurance information?

My experience was school nurse offices were basically like a First Aid station at a sports venue or Disneyland. They had bandaids and very basic first aid equipment, no charge. In my days they also did vision and hearing testing of every student once a year and advise parents of any issues. That is how my mom found out I needed glasses when I was in about 5th grade. Now they have a big motorhome come to each school for a week once a year and test everyone.

 

[CdnCarrie]

My experience was school nurse offices were basically like a First Aid station at a sports venue or Disneyland. They had bandaids and very basic first aid equipment, no charge. In my days they also did vision and hearing testing of every student once a year and advise parents of any issues. That is how my mom found out I needed glasses when I was in about 5th grade. Now they have a big motorhome come to each school for a week once a year and test everyone.

Vision exams are free for under 18 in all optometrist offices here. Parents take them to the optometrist rather than having them done in a school.
Public health might do free ones in core area schools.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Vision exams are free for under 18 in all optometrist offices here. Parents take them to the optometrist rather than having them done in a school.
Public health might do free ones in core area schools.

Schools typically can be the first place parents are even aware of vision issues in the U.S.. Here it's not that parents don't take their kids to get their eyes checked at an eye doctor but rather it's often the school's test that show first issues may be there. Same with hearing tests or back in the day (cuz I'm not sure if they still do this) tests for spine alignments.

I've had glasses since 1st grade (then contacts I got at age 12), you can bet that while my mom's side of the family has awful eye vision problems, the school's eye tests helped show just when those issues may becoming an issue such that a visit to the eye doctor may be needed to get corrective lenses.

 

[mjkacmom]

Schools typically can be the first place parents are even aware of vision issues in the U.S.. Here it's not that parents don't take their kids to get their eyes checked at an eye doctor but rather it's often the school's test that show first issues may be there. Same with hearing tests or back in the day (cuz I'm not sure if they still do this) tests for spine alignments.

I've had glasses since 1st grade (then contacts I got at age 12), you can bet that while my mom's side of the family has awful eye vision problems, the school's eye tests helped show just when those issues may becoming an issue such that a visit to the eye doctor may be needed to get corrective lenses.

Our pediatrician tests eyes, hearing and spine at annual visits, plus the schools test as well.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our pediatrician tests eyes, hearing and spine at annual visits, plus the schools test as well.

Sure I never said they don't. Mine did too (always hate the spine one for some reason). Plus I had annual blood work due to my father having diabetes. That doesn't mean schools aren't often the first place parents become aware of potential issues with the testing being done. Vision (and hearing to an extent) can change quickly when you're young so a test at the school done at one time may reflect an issue that wasn't there at the doctor's visit (and yes vice versa is the case too).

 

[tvguy]

Vision exams are free for under 18 in all optometrist offices here. Parents take them to the optometrist rather than having them done in a school.
Public health might do free ones in core area schools.

A lot of the private, for profit optical companies here advertise they will do an eye exam for free for anyone without regard to age. Just good marketing I guess if you want to sell glasses and contact lenses.

 

[EACarlson]

My issue, is sure, while he says he wants to be "tactful", he wants to tell them they've done something wrong when (based on what he's posted) he doesn't know if that's the case. Is it worth a conversation to find out what happened and what the decision process was? Sure. But why did he wait two months to do that?

You should really go back and read my OP. I was looking to discover if there is a policy and if it was followed. I have no issue with the nurse if the policy was followed correctly, I would have an issue with the school board and the people that promulgated that policy. I'm not focusing on my younger son's arm, although I was then and still am shocked that there was no communication from any school personnel. I posed the question of am I overreacting for expecting some type of communication in the scenarios that happened.

I know that schools in our area started calling the after school childcare latchkey, because they took in the latchkey kids. So that is why they were called that. Maybe it is reginal, but it was called latchkey here during the 90s and 2000s. OP, a regular nosebleed is not that big of a deal, IMO. They are common in the winter. My oldest would get them and she would just go to the nurse until it stopped and they never called me, she just told me when she got home. Now the broken arm would have been something that they would have heard from me about the very next day.

When I grew up in the '80's in MN, latchkey was the generic name given to before and afterschool programs so that kids wouldn't be home by themselves. Latchkey kids were those that attended those programs rather than go directly home after school.

Your wife probably tries to avoid conflict because of your history of responses to conflict?

No, my wife's issues with conflict predate me by about two decades.


An update of sorts. My wife was at a function Thursday night with an employee of the school my kids go too, as they were discussing what happened the employee told my wife that the policy is that we should have been contacted for both of the nosebleeds and the arm. According to the employee, the policy is that unless the incident is within the expected range of scenarios for that specific child it should be documented with either a phone call or an email. Nosebleeds from kids that don't have histories of recurrent nosebleeds are outside of that norm. The employee then suggested an email to the nurse with the Principal and someone from the district's administration so the school can't just ignore it.

 

[Lilsia]

You should really go back and read my OP. I was looking to discover if there is a policy and if it was followed. I have no issue with the nurse if the policy was followed correctly, I would have an issue with the school board and the people that promulgated that policy. I'm not focusing on my younger son's arm, although I was then and still am shocked that there was no communication from any school personnel. I posed the question of am I overreacting for expecting some type of communication in the scenarios that happened.

When I grew up in the '80's in MN, latchkey was the generic name given to before and afterschool programs so that kids wouldn't be home by themselves. Latchkey kids were those that attended those programs rather than go directly home after school.


No, my wife's issues with conflict predate me by about two decades.


An update of sorts. My wife was at a function Thursday night with an employee of the school my kids go too, as they were discussing what happened the employee told my wife that the policy is that we should have been contacted for both of the nosebleeds and the arm. According to the employee, the policy is that unless the incident is within the expected range of scenarios for that specific child it should be documented with either a phone call or an email. Nosebleeds from kids that don't have histories of recurrent nosebleeds are outside of that norm. The employee then suggested an email to the nurse with the Principal and someone from the district's administration so the school can't just ignore it.

I agree that you should at least let them know that communication should have happened. Sometimes people in this position just get used to things, because it is a daily thing for them, and they don't really see it from the parent's perspective. Getting complacent when it comes to a child's health and well being is not something that we should let slide. I don't think that anyone should go in with guns blazing, but simply letting them know that communication, as per their own policies, shouldn't be something that they drop the ball on.

 

[disykat]

Whether it's policy or not doesn't have anything to do with your right as a parent to ask to be notified. Simply have them note in your child's file that YOU would like to be notified for every complaint of illness or injury. It is not unusual for a school to have several families that you know want to be notified for things beyond what is normally notified for. It's not really a big deal and the staff simply knows "x wants to get a phone call" and they do it. Not a big deal at all.

 

[Summer2018]

I need help figuring out the best way to speak to the administration of my kids' school. Today for the second time in the last few weeks my older son was sent to the nurse for a nosebleed. The first one was somewhat of an issue because he ended up with quite a bit of blood on his shirt that they made him change it. Today's wasn't as bad and stopped almost immediately after he got to the nurse. Am I out of line for thinking that they should have contacted us to let us know that happened? Compounding the issue is that about two months ago my younger son broke his arm at school before lunch and they never contacted us about it. We knew nothing until we picked him up from latchkey and he was crying his arm hurt so much. How do I tactfully suggest to the principal and district administration that maybe they should be contacting the parents in these situations? The only time I've heard anything from them was when my older son got so overheated in gym he threw up. And that was only because I had to go pick him up.

21 year veteran public school early childhood educator and a mother here...Our school nurse is required to contact every parent when a child is sick or injured. She's lazy, so I require a write-up from her if she was unable to reach anyone. I try to reach someone on the emergency form myself. If nobody can be reached, I put the incident report in the child's folder with a note that we did all we could to contact them.

When the school is negligent in contacting a parent during an emergency like a child breaking his/her arm, that's NOT OKAY. I teach young children and I consider it my responsibility to keep them safe, and when an accident happens, my first call is the nurse, and my second is the parent while the nurse tends to the child's injury.

You have every right to call the principal and report the lack of accountability on the school's part and demand an explanation. Next time something happens, I promise you that they will be more vigilant.

 

[sam_gordon]

You should really go back and read my OP. I was looking to discover if there is a policy and if it was followed. I have no issue with the nurse if the policy was followed correctly, I would have an issue with the school board and the people that promulgated that policy. I'm not focusing on my younger son's arm, although I was then and still am shocked that there was no communication from any school personnel. I posed the question of am I overreacting for expecting some type of communication in the scenarios that happened.

With all due respect, you didn't say anything about "looking to discover if there is a policy and if it was followed" in the OP...

How do I tactfully suggest to the principal and district administration that maybe they should be contacting the parents in these situations?

I read it as whatever policy they have, it needs to include contacting the parents. If I'm misreading, I apologize.

If you go back and read everything I've written in this thread, I do feel you're entitled to an explanation of what happened, and their decision making. I still think it's strange you still haven't (apparently) had a conversation with the nurse or principal. You have second hand what they "should have done". OK, fine. Talk to the nurse. Talk to the principal. But don't do it in a confrontational manner. There's really no need.

 

[aprilgail]

I had an issue with school nurse when she sent my daughter back to class without even taking her temp - she told her she was fine and go back to class- this was kindergarten and she was actually ill- by the time school was over and she came home with 103 fever her dr was closed and had to take her to a pediatric walk in place 30 minutes away, if they would have called me I could have gotten her and taken her to the dr. Her throat was red with puss things on it. I was so pissed I told the nurse that anytime she comes to the nurses office she is to call me and I will decide if she stays or goes! I did not need to Use the school as a babysitter, if she was sick I had childcare arrangements in place to keep her home and I could easily have gotten her from school that day rather than having her sit there and spread it around even more!