ACOT Message Board

Say your 5 yr old goes to school feeling somewhat ok, later in the morning she starts to feel worse and goes to the nurse. The nurse takes her temp which is around 99.something, so she gives DD some Tylenol and lets her lay down for awhile. Once DD is feeling better she decides that she wants to go back to class and she does. Once you get DD home at 2:30, you notice that she has a fever and you take her temp, now 103.4, and you give her a dose of Ibuprofen. While you are doing this, DD mentions that the nurse took her temp today, too. You try to get her to tell you what happened and you just get the part of the story where the nurse took her temperature and she got to lay down for awhile, and then the pricipal came in and laid down for awhile across from her (random details). You're fine with that. Fast forward to 8pm and tucking kids into bed and DD finally tells you that the nurse gave her medicine too, but she doesn't know what it was, other than tasted like Cherries.Should the nurse be required to send a note home with your child if she gives them medication during the school day, so that you know the details, and not rely on a 5 yr old to remember everything?I did talk to the nurse today to get the details, and she'll send a note home if she gives meds later in the day so that parents don't double dose the kids when they get home from school.  I'm ok with the nurse giving the Tylenol since I did ok it on her emergency card, it just would have been nice to know that when she got home.

The note should be the least she could do.  It wouldn't have hurt to call you and let you know. 

You need to be assertive and tell them your expectations. What if your child was allergic to Tylenol. Mine happens to be. :(Did they issue a note at the begining of school about their procedures?

I cannot believe you weren't given the time and the dose.  That's asbolutely unacceptable to me.   What if the Tylenol had been given just a short time before she got home, and then you gave her the Ibuprofen.  I'd be livid.

Our schools are not allowed to administer any kind of med's .... unless it is a prescription in an original container and a dr's instruction along with written parent approval.  I would have gotten a phone call to come pick up my child w a temp at 99 point anything!  How scarry for you!  Hope your little one is feeling better soon!

Laura, I think we need to hop on a bus and go visit that school...

I would be furious!  A medicine is a medicine - period - no matter when it was given.  You should have been advised. My DS' school (probably the district, too - he's just in elem. school so I don't know about the upper schools) does not allow anyone, even the nurse, to administer meds, even OTC, without the parents' permission AND a note from the child's doctor. I hope you DD is feeling better!

My kids school will contact a parent first before administering any meds. Wow! guess different schools,different policies! Good thing your dd is not allergis to it! I hope she's feeling better today.

Here---no school can administer ANY medication without the original bottle and deatiled instructions. That goes for daycares also. I would call and find out WTH went on.

In my school district policy is no medicines are to be administered to the child unless it is prescribed and we get a faxed letter from the Dr.  No OTC medicine is allowed.

our school can give out basic meds........things for fever, headaches, stomach aches, sore throats.....and they even have stuff like Zyrtec available for allergies.  But the nurse always calls before giving anything out - for a general FYI and to make sure nothing was given at home that could cause a problem.  She even called to make sure it was okay for my 14 year old to have a Zyrtec (something he has taken when needed for 7 years).Mind-boggling that no notice was given!!!!!  I'd be furious!

Here, school staff are not allowed to dispense any medications, unless it is prescription, original container, and signed document from the physician. If there is a temp above the acceptable limit they call the parent to pick up the child.

Call me cranky....but I'd be mad.

I don't like the nurse at my don's school anyway, so I would definitely be very pissed off if I didn't at least get a phone call.  IShe has been his school nurse for several years.  I have had run-ins with her in the past.  She is one of those nurses who think that she knows everything.  She is rude and seems uncaring at times.  If she did something like that, then I would definitely be ripping several people a new asshole!

The nurse should've gotten in touch with you to confirm that it was okay. 

The least, a note of what and when It was given.  The best if you have no consent, she call and get permission and for you arrange to pick your child up.  My oldest grandson is in Kindergarden and we have benedryl and an epi-pen for really severe reactions (he does have lots of allergies)  The school district policy is that not only does there need to be a doctors note about the meds but they did an IEP  on it .  This is a plan of exactly what to do if William is sick or has an allergic reaction.  Also if a child has any temp over 98.6 they are sent home with a parent or caregiver and not supposed to return to school untill the fever is gone for 24 hours.

That is CRAZY! I cannot believe they did not call you. I have never heard of them being able to give meds without permission. I would be outraged!

Just to clear up any confussion, the nurse DID have permission to give her Tylenol. Right on the emergency cards that we have to fill out at the beginning of the year, there is a question that asks if you allow the nurse to give Tylenol to your child. I did mark yes, because if she just has a fever or headache, that's no reason for me to have to come pick her up and make her leave school.  I just think that the nurse should have to send home a form informing the parents of any treatments.

If you cannot be reached by phone then you definitely need a note that same day! And they should call you again later or at least leave a message that your child was treated cause you know some kids loose notes.I have a problem with the school nurse not being of ANY help. I get a call for anything... a scraped knee, a bent finger, a tummy ache, throwing up.  She says she can't do anything but my dd is lying down and what do I want to do? I don't know, what should I do? I'm not there, how is my kid, does she look really bad and I should come get her? Tell me something. So I talk to dd and she says, 'I'm fine'. so I say okay. *ugg* every time, it's just frustrating.

I am an RN who is certified in Public Health.  First, I can't believe they would administer any medication without your consent.  Secondly, when administered it should be written down and sent home with her.  Without consent how would the nurse know if she had an allergy to Tylenol.  Not good.