Is this unreasonable? School bathroom

[Kimflow]

Hi,

 

My son just had strep throat which I have no idea how long he had it, had exacerbation of anxiety and OCD symptoms for 4 weeks prior. he fits the description of PANDAS.

 

I did not tell school that he has PANDAS yet as I haven't yet had his DAN write that down or conclude that officially....although every health professional I have come in contact with (through family screening) seems to indicate he is.

 

Anyhow, they have had him going to the bathroom in the nurse's office because at times, my son still needs assistance. I wrote in to ask them to think of an alternative bathroom for him to use. I personally know that there is a private bathroom that the office staff use right by the nurse's office.

 

My rationale is that even though in classroom he is exposed to 22 other kids, in 3-4 trips to the nurse's office a day to go to the bathroom, he is exposed to all the sick kids in the school that pass through as well as all the immunocompromised kids like kids with autism, etc. that either need to come there to take medication or are sick all the time themselves.

 

They say the nurse's bathroom is the cleanest bathroom in the school but I say every time he passes in that room, he is at higher risk of being exposed to all germs but especially strep. And the fact that I know that they have a private bathoom that adults only use (less likely to be sick I would think) makes me a bit frustrated.

 

I will try and ask his DAN this question on Thursday and get a note from him maybe if he thinks reasonable.....but until then, wondering what your thoughts were. Thanks,

Kim

[fightingmom]

I can totally see your logic and also empathize with being a mother and wanting to do everything possible to save your child and keep them as healthy as you can. I think we all sit around and ponder about what we can do different to reduce exposure, strengthen the immune system, etc. BUT...If this is one battle you can let them win, and save your fights for the big stuff (like if you need modifications to work load, special assistance, etc.), I think I would concede on this one.

 

My personal thoughts are that by the time he's been in class with the kids, in lunch with them, in gym, in art, in the hallways, in all the other environments shared by all the kids, he's likely to have been exposed to all the germs that make their way into the nurses office. The bathroom in the nurses office is probably cleaner than the public student and even faculty bathrooms. I got stuck using a staff bathroom at the hospital the other day and it was DISGUSTING! Adults are not always neat, and quite often it's the opposite - as disgusting as that is.

Edited March 28, 2012 by fightingmom

[JAG10]

In my elementary building, the principal (very Type A) uses the bathroom in the nurses office rather than the faculty bathroom.

 

Perhaps you could get the nurse to commit to ensuring your child wash his hands and use sanitizer since a nurse's presence will be a point of consistency?

 

In my 15 years, I've never seen a child in the adult's bathroom. Even visiting parents with toddlers/preschoolers use the student restrooms and parents go in with them for assistance.

[fightingmom]

Great idea about the hand washing being verified by the nurse.

[AmySLP]

I'm about to ask for our school to change the faucets....they have most unsanitary ones that you need to hold down for them to work. I have taught my daughter to turn on and off the sink with paper towels and touch the doorknobs only with paper towels, the way we are trained in healthcare. I understand that they are to conserve water and ensure the water is not left on but come on, shouldn't we teach our kids to wash their hands in the most sanitary way possible?

[oivay]

I just wanted to add that I also work in schools, and the few times I have been in the kids' bathrooms, they were far cleaner than the teacher's bathroom.

 

The teacher's bathroom is probably cleaned once a day, and sometimes overlooked!

The kids' bathrooms are usually checked at least a few times a day and restocked, mopped, etc.

 

And the bathrooms I have seen in disabled classrooms were usually immaculate.

 

I have never seen a kid allowed to use the teacher's bathroom, and I don't think they'd even want to. Principals (at least in the schools I've been in) usually use the nurse's bathroom.

 

I understand why you don't want your child around other sick kids in the nurse's office. In our case, the school nurse was actually familiar with Pandas and was one of the first to suggest it. She tried to keep my daughter as far away as possible from anyone she thought was infectious (she got to know all of the diabetics in the school), and if she(nurse) had any suspicion that something was going around, she would call me and tell me to come get her.

[Kimflow]

thank you all for your guidance. We are pretty much in crisis mode right now as this is all very new to us and I needed to hear that this is one battle I could concede on. Kim