Why Do Schools Require a Lot of Health Information?

We keep having several "new posters" ask these kinds of questions. Over and over. It seems that "Anna", or whatever name she decides to use when she opens a new account here, must be a college student. She won't own up to it, and it bothers the longtime posters for someone to ask these questions without being "honest" as to why they are asking. Especially when they are opening lots of new accounts to try to prevent people from knowing it's the same person asking all of the "variations on a theme" questions.

R.:

Welcome to mamapedia...

I'm sorry - what's the point of your question? I don't really see a question. Just some propaganda information.

If you are trying to figure out why public schools need so much information on your child? Because there are enough people who don't vaccinate...and we have a HUGE immigration issue - diseases that were eradicated are now coming back...

Delays? they need to know about so they can properly plan how to educate your child and see if they have the ability to teach your child....

As a teacher, I know that a lot of what happens to a child OUTSIDE of school plays a huge role on their behavior, performance, etc. DURING school. While home and school are two different environments, one really affects the other.

If a child is prescribed medication - for example, my son has asthma-like symptoms when he gets a cold and we do 2 nebulizer treatments in the AM and two in the PM...neither one would be given DURING school, but they affect his behavior a LOT so it would definitely be something I would want to give his teachers a "heads up" over.

Why do you think it is odd that they ask parents/doctors to report a suspected developmental delay? If teachers are aware that a child has had some difficulties in the past, it can help when it comes to identifying things in the future. Early delays can increase help for a child sooner rather than waiting for them to REALLY struggle and fall REALLY behind.

Again, despite what people think, a lot of factors play a role in a child's school performance and health/safety issues that happen at home and/or prior to a child's school years ARE important and can be helpful information...

You can't possibly be an actual parent.
No parent would ask this question.
Kids are only in school a short amount of timer per day and OF COURSE their health and development are 'need to know' things if the school is going to be able to effectively teach any child.

You appear to be in the 'know it all' stage of your own development (approx late teens to early 20's although there can be exceptions).
Questioning authority is part of that stage.
Good for you!
It's a necessary growth stage on a path to maturity.
When you begin to suspect you might not know it all, you'll be a whole lot smarter than you think you are right now.
Hold off on having kids for a few more years.
Things will make more sense to you then.

I guess because schools are, and probably should be, concerned about the health and safety of the children they are in charge of for several hours a day? What responsible parent WOULDN'T want this information shared with the people taking care of their children all day?
Stupid parents, I guess.

School is a community - what happens to one child in that community can effect every other child - and the children they come into contact with. PUBLIC schools have every right to protect the public by asking these questions and confirming health concerns. PRIVATE schools ask the same stuff for the most part as they too are a community. If you do not want to abide by these rules then homeschool.

Because if a developmental delay is suspected they will need to offer services - as long as everything is going well at home.

For example if parents are not medicating child for bi-polar at home and child is not doing well at school, then the services needed to help the child are different.
If child is medicated at home and STILL not doing well, then they look at different things.

Also - if you are going to accept services at school, there will be things you have to do in the home as well to support that. You can't just get the school services and do nothing at home.

Example as far as medications:
A child ususally takes add meds before school but forgot. Why is child acting differently? Child forgot.

A child needs diabetic meds but forgot and has a seizure.

Of course they need to know meds the child takes. What if they have to rush the child to the emergency room for a fall off the monkey bars. The first question they ask is about meds the patient is on.

Because what happens at home affects how the child learns and relates to other children. Your child is not an isolated child. He interacts with teachers, other school personnel and other children. The school is concerned not only with your child but with every other child in the school.

Your child is a unique individual with his own learning style. If he's developmentally delayed Federal Law requires that the school provide extra services. Medication affects the way a child is at school as well as at home.

I suggest that if you took each question individually and thought about how it could affect your child's learning and behavior at school you'd understand why this is needed. If you still think it's wrong then talk with someone at the school and ask them to explain it to you. Ask your child's doctor, too. He'll have an understanding, too.

This school has responsibility for your child for several hours in the day. They need this information so that they can carry out that responsibility.

And if you don't like it, you can home school. I suggest that you cannot change the school requirements. They have been developed over generations and are written into law. Is this a fight you want to fight?

So your kid faints on the playground and the school has to call an ambulance. You and your significant other can't be reached in time to meet the ambulance when it arrives at the hospital. Your kid goes into seizures, and is given a medication at the hospital -- but it causes a reaction with the medication your child takes at home, but which you angrily chose NOT to list on your child's health form....

If you can't see why that matters, why are you on a parenting forum at all?

Did you expect us to be appalled by this? It's not an invasion of privacy, it's COMMON SENSE.

Ever hear that the first 5 years are the most crucial in setting the foundation of a child's life into adulthood?

Since it's the state that requires them to ask I would cut the schools some slack. They're only doing what they legally are required to do...in order to stay funded. This would be a question for your Congressman/woman or state senators.

Because your health at home affectes your health and others at school. Because if you don't get a child help when they need it and identify issues/challenges, a child can be f'd up for life.

Duh.

Side effects of medication taken during non-school hours can certainly affect a child during school hours. Likewise, forgetting to take said medication can also create side effects or problems.

Any and every health condition your child faces affects their lives 24 hours a day. Maybe not visibly, but you can't deny it's existence from 8:00 - 3:00 just because you don't take medicine during that time.

It's also critical to know what meds they are on in case something happens to them and emergency medication needs to be administered. EMTs or doctors would need to know of a possible cross reaction to something your child is already taken.

I think it is pretty naive to think that a child's health issues are irrelevant during their school day.