question about your PANDAS children and School?

[ma2ar2rm2]

my question is this.. When known cases of strep is going around your child school, do you take them out of school and if so for how long??

[ajcire]

I don't. If I was going to do that I would never be able to send them. Unfortunately there is always strep in the school. Plus I wouldn't even know. I know that when my kids have had strep I have never specifically called the school to tell them it's strep and neither do their classmates.

[AmySLP]

After meeting with the principal & my daughter's teacher last year following the first few reported strep cases in the room, I asked about the cleaning schedule in the classroom. After they spoke with the custodial staff we all learned that they only wipe surfaces down (including desk tops, counters etc 1x/week due to time constraints. The school was very accomodating and assured me that my daughter's room would be cleaned that way nightly. (my daughter's elementary school is fairly large with 700 students) Even had the head custodian checking in with the teacher to be sure Allison was in her class and that was the room they were to focus on. Her teacher has the class in the habit of handwashing a few times each day, built into there schedule followed with hand sanitzer each time (just to be sure). I was very vocal about needing a teacher this year that was really on top of things and understood the needs of a medically complex child. I think the school did an excellent job choosing one. Every little bit helps~I also forbid my daughter from drinking from water fountains and we send a water bottle daily instead.

 

My daughter is also covered daily with an ABX & if a child in her class has strep we increase the dose for a few days.

[ma2ar2rm2]

Thank you... the reason I'm asking is today I had our 504 meeting for my PANDAS dd(8) We have only known she had PANDAS for 5 months now.. been dealing with it since Jan 2009 but just found out in May 2010 what was going on with her..

The school agreed that she does need a 504 but we are having issues on what needs to go in it. I was informed before by teachers that they only clean the class room like you said 1x a week. and today in the meeting they told me cleaning it daily(which her teacher and I both asked for) was just not going to happen not only due to time but the budget of the school they are cutting back and they don't see cleaning her room everday happening. So I asked that if they were not going to clean the room then that I be able to take her out of school and do her work at home with her when strep is running rampid though the school and or if someone goes home from her class with strep like symptoms..

They want me to have my doctor sign off on that saying how many days she will need to be out when strep is in her class. Only I do not know if my doctor will do that.. He was one of them who said I could ask the school to clean her room daily but it will never happen.. When I asked him to write me a letter with is recommendations he told me that was up to me and the school. He did write me a letter stating that she does have PANDAS is under treatment and may need accommodations do to the psychiatric repercussion of the syndrome.

 

But I'm sort of at a lost at the moment.. They are letting her use wipes to clean her own desk each day(and they change between two class team teaching) so both teachers are letting her do that when she comes into there room, Like you I have said NO water fountians and they have agreed to the water bottle.. and has agreed to letting her have handsantizer in her desk to use... They are not having every kid in here class us it after washing there hands, I mean the class has a bottle in there but they don't make the kids use it..

 

I mean if they are not willing to clean her room.. and they are going to fight me on me taking her out when there is alot of strep in the school.. and I'm not even sure if they will tell me when it is.... I don't know what to do..

So I was thinking if I checked with you all, maybe you would have some answers for me which I could take to her doctor(who is treating her but she is the very 1st case of PANDAS he has ever seen and doesn't know all that much about it)and to the school..

 

Once again thank you all.

 

After meeting with the principal & my daughter's teacher last year following the first few reported strep cases in the room, I asked about the cleaning schedule in the classroom. After they spoke with the custodial staff we all learned that they only wipe surfaces down (including desk tops, counters etc 1x/week due to time constraints. The school was very accomodating and assured me that my daughter's room would be cleaned that way nightly. (my daughter's elementary school is fairly large with 700 students) Even had the head custodian checking in with the teacher to be sure Allison was in her class and that was the room they were to focus on. Her teacher has the class in the habit of handwashing a few times each day, built into there schedule followed with hand sanitzer each time (just to be sure). I was very vocal about needing a teacher this year that was really on top of things and understood the needs of a medically complex child. I think the school did an excellent job choosing one. Every little bit helps~I also forbid my daughter from drinking from water fountains and we send a water bottle daily instead.

 

My daughter is also covered daily with an ABX & if a child in her class has strep we increase the dose for a few days.

[dcmom]

This is a subject I have been dealing with for the last year. I will tell you what I have done...

 

First, regarding cleaning of the classroom. I really think we cannot keep them in a bubble. And, as a mom of two kids with pandas/ocd (one germ ocd), I really think it is important NOT to make them paranoid of getting sick, or afraid of germs and sick kids. They are kids, they will be exposed to germs, and they will get sick. It sucks, and is scary, but we as parents need to come to terms with that. In school there are a million places to get germs. Handrails, bathrooms, cafeteria, library, specials classes, playground equipt, etc. I think it is probably a waste of your worrying and effort, to try to shield your child from germs. It is an impossible task.

 

Of course, commonsense approaches that all families should take (washing hands after using the restroom, prior to eating, when you get home, etc) are a good idea to teach.

 

That being said, my kids are on daily abx, which I am a strong believer in, to protect them from illness as much as possible.

 

Also, I watch very carefully if I know there is strep in the class. If there is one child with strep, dd usually has an uptick in symptoms for a few days- I hold my breath and stay the course. There have been two occasions when 3 children have been diagnosed in a few days with strep, and at that point I have chosen to pull dd out for a full week. Those two times, there were subsequent additional children diagnosed, and dd was reacting.

 

I worry constantly- but I don't want my kids to worry.

[airial95]

My son is still in day care - he'll be 3 in October, but we have already started his IEP process with the school and will have it in place by his birthday - when he'll be starting full time Pre-K 3 at the public school in the special ed/EH classroom. So I'm right there with you as to what should be put in.

 

We've already gotten them to agree to require notification of strep in his or his sisters classrooms, and had to authroize them sending a notification to the class's parents stating that there is a kid with an autoimmune condition, particularly strep, must be notified...etc.

 

At day care, the cleaning of the classroom isn't an issue, because they do that every day, even sanitizing all the toys the kids have played with throughout the day. But it still doesn't stop exposures. In our case, we haven't kept him home when we know there's strep because unfortnately, by that time, the damage is usually done. My son reacts just with exposure - even if he doesn't get strep. He'll have a 3-4 day ramp up in symptoms. It's always temporary - but it always begins BEFORE anyone else in the class even has a fever or sore throat. It's usually day 3 of our episode that we get the call that there's strep. By that time, we've either already gotten him to be tested or his behavior is starting to subside. Our little guy really is the canary.

 

What's important to us - is to make sure the teachers know that when he starts to react, there may be a sick child in the classroom - it might not just be him getting sick.

[thereishope]

Even without a 504 Plan or IEP for PANDAS, the principal agreed to call us when strep is reported in my son's classroom or his brother's classroom. This does cause stress when I get a call, but I feel I need to know since none of my kids get symptoms of strep. When I get the call strep is in the classroom, I send them to school, but I also take that child who has been in the exposed room to the doctor for a strep test to rule it out. I know some may think that's not necessary, but I need to do it to feel like I am doing everything I can so if he does get sick, I am not ridden with guilt.

 

There's also little things one can do to help prevent strep such as sending a water bottle instead of using the drinking fountain, which is a breeding ground for bacteria.

[EAMom]

my question is this.. When known cases of strep is going around your child school, do you take them out of school and if so for how long??

 

Good question. Part of me thinks, by the time the strep notice has come around, if it's kind of late anyway. Sort of a case of closing the barn door after the horse is already out.

 

And, I do feel that a lot of strep is either unreported or undiagnosed.

 

Another approach might be to double up on antibiotics for a while. And make sure to culture siblings (esp. those that tend to be assymptomatic carriers)...that would be my bigger fear, family members bringing strep into the household.