Today around 2pm I got a call from my daughters school. The office stated that my daughter had been pulled from her class because it looked like she had pink eye. (Not sure where she would have picked this up, outside of school as she is not in daycare) I called the Dr. before I left to go get her, hoping I could just swing by pick her up and go right on to the doctors office. (Turns out I ended up talking to a nurse who asked me a series of questions and said she would just have the Dr. send a prescription of eye drops to the pharmacy, unless the Dr. felt differently. I was ok with this.) When I got to the school, one my daughters very good friend was also sitting in the office too. I asked her if she was sitting in the office for the same thing, and she said, yes, and that her mom was on her way to pick her up. So on my way to drop my daughter back home, I call this girls mom knowing she must be on her way also. (We are family friends and talk regularly.) When she picks up, I say to her so I guess our girls caught the same thing? She says, oh my gosh, they told me another classmate had pink eye, but they believed my daughter just had allergies. They told this mom that she could just leave her daughter at school if she wanted. This mom told the person calling that she did not feel comfortable with them diagnosing her daughter, and was on her way to get her. She is going to take her daughter to the Dr and we will talk tonight on what her Dr. says.
My daughter did not have a pink eye this morning or last night. Although, I found out my daughters friend had just been to the Dr's 2 days prior to check out her sore throat. (Apparently she was suffering from a sore throat and was around a cousin who had strep) But she evidently was ok.
Now don't you think its crazy that the school would try to diagnose her daughter, and assume its just allergies? (Both her mom and I, do. I'm glad she feels this way and is taking precautions, as her daughter has never suffered allergies before. But would other parents?)
Ok, maybe I didn't make things clear. I wrote, classmates mom said her daughter has never suffered allergies before.
I am not upset the school called me to come pick up my daughter. I do not want my child spreading germs if it can be helped. I called her Dr even before i left school so she could be seen. Dr's office (nurse) asked many questions regarding the eye, whether she had cold symptoms...etc etc. She concluded that since she was not suffering any other symptoms they could just have the prescription sent to the pharmacy. (Although she would talk to the Dr first) I trust her Dr's office, so yes, I am ok with this.
Thirdly, these girls were not checked out by a school nurse, they do not have one. They were checked by the principle. I am more concerned and find it odd, they would send one girl home the other back to class. My daughter had no crusty's, no puffiness, just one slightly pink eye. She wasn't even rubbing it. The other girls eyes looked puffy around the eye and pink in the eye. Although, their teacher noted that neither girl had came to school like that...that morning.
Anyway, classmate that was told she could stay, got seen by the Dr and was told she has pink eye, I think even in both eyes. So luckily this mom took the precautions so germs aren't spread even more.
I still don't think its right the school would send the classmate back to class...but luckily it was just pink eye.
But thanks for the responses! :)
Maybe when the school called the other mom, the mom mentioned that the daughter had been recently having allergy issues--hence the previous non-strep sore throat?
I understand your school's precaution - "The office stated that my daughter had been pulled from her class because it looked like she had pink eye." They said it looked like pink eye, not that she had pink eye. Since pink eye is so incredibly contagious, I think they were just being cautious for the other students and staff. Even your Dr. diagnosed her without seeing her!
My experience with pink eye is that it is always obvious. Swolen lids and under the eye. And pinkness. Sometimes they wake up with crusts on their eye lashes.
So, did you or the school people see that? If so, that is a natural conclusion although it should have been worded: Your daughter has pink swollen eyes and crusts which could mean pink eye which is very contagious. Our policy is to ask parents to pick up their kids under those circumstances just to be sure.
Once, my 6 year ols teacher sent a note to say that she thought he was ADHD. I panicked, thinking she would be very experienced at that, and made a quick appointment with the doctor. In the meantime, mothers started calling other mothers and we found out that this was a brand new teacher and she had told about 1/2 the classes parents the same thing. Argh. The doctor said my son didn't have ADHD and that he was bright and just bored with the pace that teh class was going at. Again, she should have spoken to me directly and given me the whole picture -- without trying to diagnose. Hinting or guessing is one thing, but stating it like you know is another.
Be greatful though that your school promptly has children removed that might have pink eye (if they do it with good reason) because it could save your child and the class an epidemic.
Does she have a history of allergies, did her daughter tell them something of that nature? I mean it's a little weird I guess, but I don't think it's that odd. If she told them she just went to the doctor recently maybe they figured it wasn't that. It seems fairly harmless in my opinion.
I think at some point the school nurse sees so many kids, that she really does have to try to weed some out. On the other hand, I would definitely not take her diagnosis as fact.
As to the teacher sending home a note about Cathy's son having ADHD. That is AGAINST THE LAW!! I work in special ed at an elementary school, and teachers are instructed repeatedly NEVER to talk to a parent about diagnosis unless the parent brings it up first. Even if the teacher knows that the student is on meds, they cannot ask about it. Also, if the school suggests testing, they are responsible for paying for it!! Just something you might want to bring up if you were to have a conference with the teacher or principal. Definitly not a good thing!!
Allergies = not contagious
Pink Eye = highly contagious
There are "some similiarities" between red allergy eyes and pink eye...but there are many differences in the appearance of both. I don't think the school acted inappropriately at all.
Regarding where your daughter got pink eye...it goes through a student body population exremely quickly since it can infect a child, and not show up for up to three days. It is highly contagious so merits a child with symptoms to be pulled from class and treated immediately. you can get it from anything so tha is a moot point.
Allergies or not...they ruled out the other girl having pink eye, so it really isn't a stretch to allow her to attend school. good for both of you for taking them and seeing a dcotor...Better to err on the side of caution.
Kinda doesn't make sense. Why would the school call the other mom if they just thought her kid was having an allergy issue? Usually, we just get a letter from the school if someone in the class has pink eye. I think on some level, schools have to make judgements based on a diagnosis they make, just because of the number of kids they have to take care of and worry about.
However, if it did happen the way she said, I agree with you.
Our school has yet to call me about my daughter who has been to the nurse three times. (Twice for her ear) I knew her ear was hurting her but it didn't seem to do it all the time. Just came in spurts. My daughter had told me she went to the nurse but the nurse looked at her and said it was nothing....the doctor did disagree. The third time was for her chest (turned out she pulled a muscle) I do not know why but they seem to think she is lying about not feeling well or being in pain. I am getting ready to have a big old meeting!
Typically a school nurse will see multiple cases of pink eye, strep throat, etc and has a pretty good idea (at least an educated guess) as to what is the most probable "diagnosis". There are some similiar symptoms of other things that can be mistaken as those typical childhood conditions and just like doctors, nurses can be wrong.
I do think it was wrong to assume that one kid's condition would tenatively diagnosed as pink eye while another would be considered allergies if their symptoms were very similiar and they are both friends and classmates. If you or the other mom as a parent who may know your child has allergies and ALWAYS has that same symptom arise then I would expect them to let her stay in school assuming it is allergies. Symptoms for allergies and pink eye are very different.
An example is that when my son was young, he had migranes very often. I could look at him and tell "regular headache" or "migrane". Sometimes they would come on him quick (he'd be playing soccer and get a headache at half-time...not while playing but in the 10 minutes inbetween). Sometimes he would vomit and be ready in a mere few minutes. Other times he wouldn't get sick and need to sleep it off (and sometimes wake up, vomit, and be better). There was a time that he would have them several days in a row but not the whole day. I kept getting calls every day that he was vomiting and had to be picked up. By the time I could reach him (I worked 45 minutes away so once I got the call, shut down and got to him it was an hour later). He was fine by the time I could get to him and when I would get him to the doctor. The nurse wouldn't say "he said his head hurts and he vomited" just the vomiting would be mentioned. Finally we convinced her (and had the doctor document it) that is was just a migrane and not anything contagious. She then would let him lay down and ask the right questions and not call me unless he truly needed to be picked up. I understood she was following the rules but we also had to apply common sense. I know this is not the situation w/ your daughter or her friend but you can see how a particular child may have a special situation.
I also find it odd that the doctor would want to just "call in a prescription" for pink eye without laying eyes on your daughter.
School nurses tend to err on the side of caution to minimize the school-wide spread of contagious conditions This is because they think kids of all grades are on one bus, then they go to their respective classes and spread to their classmates and teachers. Those kids go home on their buses and then spread to more students and at home. Siblings then go spread these same germs to their class and busmates and/or daycare classes and parents can also spread these germs to their co-workers. And so the cycle continues. Not all will get sick but they can still carry germs and in some cases, the same kids will get sick all over again. In the end, they are looking out for the kids an their families.
School staff are incredibly stressed and busy and I'm sure the person who said this didn't think it through. Let it go!
As a daycare provider, it is in our book from the state, that IF we suspect pink eye we HAVE to call the parent. I`m sure the school is the same. Anything from the eye is SO contagious. You can get eye infections from grocery carts-anywhere. If we get inspected and they suspect a child with pink eye, redness, or anything that looks different in the eyes, we could get wrote up. They were wrong for sending back her friend.
Your school doesn't have a licensed nurse? Total side issue but I would bring this little item up to the PTA.
Pink eye is quite contagious and so I agree with you. All kids with slight and or similar symptoms should require parental pick-up. A potential outbreak of conjunctivitis is certainly not life threatening but it is a real pain and I for one would prefer for schools to over-react to the symptoms and to apply their rules consistently in order to ensure the health of all.
Coming from a mom that is ADHD and makes no secret of the fact that she could not read until 5th grade due to sever learning disabilities. well if your kid even shows the SLIGHTEST issue they will call you and tell you that your child needs ADHD meds and also learning disabled and needs to be held back a year.... REally? I thought that was my story... not hers... she has NONE of the issues I do, now her brother? Oh he might be ADHD... might, but he is not even 3 and, well any mom of a 3 year old can say "handful" about their child.
I think I might be driven to homeschool if the school doesn't lighten up by the end of the year.
