School policies

[jag01]

I work in pre k, and the number of people sending their sick kids is a bit ridiculous. I’m not talking a cold, it’s the stomach flu and pink eye. Does your school have a policy in regards to kids attending school when they are contagious?

[momin2013]

DS' school says to refrain from sending kids when they have a fever, or symptoms of a "stomach flu" such as vomiting or diarrhea. One time when DS was starting with viral pinkeye I got a message from the school as a heads up that his eye was looking red and goopy, but they didn't ask me to come and pick him up (it was pretty much at the end of the day, though). I did keep him home until that had cleared up, so I don't know if they would have sent him home if I'd sent him back to school that way.

[court26]

My school sends kids home for all of that stuff, but won't refuse them if they come back the next day even though we all want 24 hours. The nurse at the last school I worked at said it was a "recommendation" only. I don't know. It is very frustrating!

[jag01]

It’s so frustrating! Where is the common sense/courtesy any more?

[momin2013]

Honestly, keeping kids home when they're sick is the ideal, but the reality is not all parents can take time off work that often. My job is pretty flexible, but if it were like my DH's, DS would be going to school sick a lot more often than I'd like. The reality is, for a lot of people, that much time off would result in them losing their jobs. Add in factors that make it even more difficult (i.e. no local family for emergency/back-up care, like in our case), and people are just stuck sometimes.

I think the problem really lies with workplace culture, and that fact that often it's just not "ok" to take time off for this type of thing. I stay home with DS when he's sick virtually 100% of the time; in DH's job, someone (particularly a man) taking time off because of a sick kid gets major side-eye, which is so, so wrong. But it is what it is.

[jag01]

Momin2013, I agree with you that sometimes it’s hard to take time off work. I always feel so guilty when I call out because of a sick kid. The 3 cases in pre k that we had this week, all the moms were SAH moms.

[momin2013]

Yeah, it's much easier for me, because I work PT and have a pretty flexible schedule. I know most people aren't so lucky, though; I can imagine how additionally stressed I'd be all the time if I worked FT. I feel like I'd constantly be praying about DS - please don't get sick, please don't get sick, I have a major meeting this week, please don't get sick...

[dale]

We have a clear policy. 24 hours after fever breaks unmedicated, after last vomit, after last loose bowel movement, after starting antibiotics.