Advice please : medication at school.

moomoomama27

I'm going to have to get mo re 'vocal', she was refused permission today to take her meds, and ended up having to walk out of class at 11.45am after pleading with them to allow her to get her meds (they told her this morning upon arrival that she must leave them with the school nurse from now on). She had her yoghurt and everything ready to try and compromise.

She was in a complete state, I had to come and collect her. The school nurse was furious and is prepared to come to the meeting on Monday to state how unfair it was on her and that she was witness to my DDs distress.

I contacted the heads secratary, and requested the meeting be bought forward tomorrow, and I didn't recieve a call back, so I shall go with DD tomorrow and if I can't be seen I think I'll have to bring her home with me. She is all over the place and so anxious now.

I think it's time to try and persuade a move!

theoretica

She is in the 6th form and expected to put her hand up and ask permission to leave the room? That's treating them like children, not trainee adults. Surely slipping out quietly and returning as soon as practicable would cause far less disruption all round.

Person_one

theoretica wrote: »

She is in the 6th form and expected to put her hand up and ask permission to leave the room?

A 40 year old mature student at university would probably find themselves being spoken to if they regularly walked in and out of lectures or seminars without a word though. Its not something you can really do without keeping everybody in the loop to some extent.

OP, is starting the whole day by waking half an hour earlier, so that 10.30 effectively becomes 11, an option you've tried? How long does the 10.30 break last? If its a 15 minute break (presumably, from the 12.45 lunch) she would only be 15 minutes out if she took the meds right at the end of it.

moomoomama27

Person_one wrote: »

A 40 year old mature student at university would probably find themselves being spoken to if they regularly walked in and out of lectures or seminars without a word though. Its not something you can really do without keeping everybody in the loop to some extent.

OP, is starting the whole day by waking half an hour earlier, so that 10.30 effectively becomes 11, an option you've tried? How long does the 10.30 break last? If its a 15 minute break (presumably, from the 12.45 lunch) she would only be 15 minutes out if she took the meds right at the end of it.

We really have tried moving them about, infact the 11am timings were at the schools request last academic year as that was her break between lessons. Shes tried the 10.35am and the 12.45pm and they just don't work, she says she really can't cope with anymore changes to the timings. I think some of is is anxiety over what could happen, and some is genuine feelings of unease at how the medications react.

In order to move them to 10.30am she would have to wake at 6am, which means she would have to adjust her night meds and tbh it just throws the whole balance out!

Irealise I sound as though I am making excuses for it all, and being stubborn, but she originally changed the timings from 12- 11am to suit the school, I just think that they should try and accomodate her request for a 3min pill break once a day!

theoretica

Person_one wrote: »

A 40 year old mature student at university would probably find themselves being spoken to if they regularly walked in and out of lectures or seminars without a word though. Its not something you can really do without keeping everybody in the loop to some extent.

Of course you keep people in the loop - but it is usually less disruptive to have the word before hand rather than at the moment of slipping out, and that is what I do if I have to leave things early. Presumably her timetable is the same every week so a maximum of five people to have words with at the start of term surely should cover it.

FBaby

In the end, it will come down to your GP insisting that her taking the pill at 11am is essential and part of her treatment and not doing so will have impact on her health. Either they will make this very clear and the school can't ignore it any longer, or maybe he will provide reasurrance that taking the drugs at 10:30 is not going to disrupt her treatment and she will soon adjust to the change.

lostinrates

moomoomama27 wrote: »

We really have tried moving them about, infact the 11am timings were at the schools request last academic year as that was her break between lessons. Shes tried the 10.35am and the 12.45pm and they just don't work, she says she really can't cope with anymore changes to the timings. I think some of is is anxiety over what could happen, and some is genuine feelings of unease at how the medications react.

In order to move them to 10.30am she would have to wake at 6am, which means she would have to adjust her night meds and tbh it just throws the whole balance out!

Irealise I sound as though I am making excuses for it all, and being stubborn, but she originally changed the timings from 12- 11am to suit the school, I just think that they should try and accomodate her request for a 3min pill break once a day!

She might well have to change again if she opts for college/ uni and indeed the work place. In college or uni, her schedule might be different every semester.


I'm on your side as it happens, that taking pills at eleven need not be the end of the world, but neither is taking some pills at six and going to bed a little earlier. While I absolutely appreciate her anxiety over this adjustment period she is going to also have to adjust to this sort of...adjusting.


That however, is a separate issue from the rather unpleasant and potentially discriminatory sounding treatment from the school.

I'd also be concerned the fuss over this situation and her anxiety and doesn't become something bigger than it needs to be, so etching else that she needs to worry about as a 'burden of its own' at a stressful time. Any teen can over dramatise and worry about these issues. The fifteen minute point raised by person one, is that workable with her time table? Could she wake just fifteen minutes earlier, adjust other meds by just fifteen minutes?

*Robin*

moomoomama27 wrote: »

I'm going to have to get mo re 'vocal', she was refused permission today to take her meds, and ended up having to walk out of class at 11.45am after pleading with them to allow her to get her meds (they told her this morning upon arrival that she must leave them with the school nurse from now on). She had her yoghurt and everything ready to try and compromise.

She was in a complete state, I had to come and collect her. The school nurse was furious and is prepared to come to the meeting on Monday to state how unfair it was on her and that she was witness to my DDs distress.

I contacted the heads secratary, and requested the meeting be bought forward tomorrow, and I didn't recieve a call back, so I shall go with DD tomorrow and if I can't be seen I think I'll have to bring her home with me. She is all over the place and so anxious now.

I think it's time to try and persuade a move!

What a very, very sad situation. It does rather sound as if the poor child's history at this school is clouding the judgement of the management (-sorry to use that word but it seems most appropriate).

If she were my child, I would withdraw her. Today. She is at the beginning of a difficult road; BP is a life-long disorder - it's much more important to get the girl stabilised on effective meds and learn coping strategies, than to force her through exams alongside her 'normal' peers at this point.

Hopefully the other local school will be able to offer this child 'a clean slate' and more sympathetic treatment, but if not I'd be looking at other options rather than continuing to battle said management at the current school.

rpc

moomoomama27 wrote: »

I'm going to have to get mo re 'vocal', she was refused permission today to take her meds,

Bear in mind that, once you exhaust the school's complaints procedure, you can escalate and complain to Ofsted. But you must go by the school complaints procedure to formalise things before you can go any further. You could also probably construct a misconduct argument and complain to the GTC about the head and the teacher concerned.

I suggest that you do not leave your meeting without either a written agreement regarding taking the medication or a copy of the complaints procedure.

The school is breaking the law, simple as that. That doesn't mean you should get exactly what you want although it seems reasonable and, from across the internet, it is hard to see a good alternative.They are clearly not supporting your daughter's medical needs (as they are required to do by law) and they are not making reasonable adjustments to prevent discrimination on the basis of a protected characteristic (which is a criminal offence).

You could also consider involving your councillors and your MP. Particularly with a general election early next year, there is nothing a politician loves more than to play the knight in shining armour.

FBaby

The school is breaking the law, simple as that.

Out of interest, how are they breaking the law? I can understand this would be the case if the GP had written it was essential that the drugs were taken at this time, but until it is the case, why is it illegal if they have no evidence that the timing is essential to the pupil's health and they are not stopping them to take it all together?