kicked out of school 21 days...undervaccinated

[Guest guest]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I thought I would share my experience this week with 's school.

Monday, around lunchtime, I ran in to a store to grab some votive

candles. I was in the store for less than 5 minutes. I come back

out and my cell phone is buzzing. I have three messages.

The first one is from a woman at the Health Department. She says her

name, she needs to talk to me immediately about my son, Black.

The next message is from County Schools, the person needs to

speak with me immediately about my son. The school nurse is the

third call needing me immediately. I get in my car and start driving

to the school. My heart is pounding. I'm dialing these people back,

NO one is at their desk, yet they had just called me minutes before.

I call the school and ask the secretary if is okay or if

something has horribly gone wrong. She said was sitting in

the office and to hold on. The school nurse gets on the phone.

She tells me that some child in 's class has whooping cough.

is " undervaccinated " and he has to be out of school for 21

days. He has to leave the premisis immediately. I said I would be

right there.

By the time I get there, the head person for County Schools is

also at the school. is sitting in the office. We go into

another room. They start questioning me about 's vaccinations,

why didn't he get his boosters at kindergarten. I told them we had a

religious exemption and if she had any further questions, she could

ask my attorney. She goes on to say that we are putting other

children at risk by not vaccinating . I asked if the child

that had whooping cough had been vaccinated and she said " yes " .

She says that there has been an " outbreak " of whooping cough in

County (I think right now it is less than 10). I asked if all the

children that have come down with whooping cough are vaccinated, and

again, she said " yes " . So, I asked if all the other children in

's class would have to go home for 21 days, since the

vaccinated children seemed to be at risk as well. You know the

answer...no, because they got their shots. The woman with

County Schools says they were seeing the " outbreak " happening with

mostly 5th graders, so that must have been a bad batch that year.

They put me on the phone with the woman at the Health Department.

She explains to me when there is an outbreak or epidemic, they have

jurisdiction over County Schools. would have to be out

of school for 21 days. She wanted to know what pharmacy we used,

because she was calling in an antibiotic for that he was to

start immediately. I said she would not be calling in an antibiotic,

she was not his doctor, he is highly allergic to two antibiotics and

I would take him to his pediatrian. She informs me that his ped

needed to follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC and the AAP. In

addition, if started the antibiotic, he still would not be

allowed to return to school for 21 days.

At this point, I want to scream. The County School person

says to me that she understands my " theory " of not wanting to

vaccinate . I saw colors in my head. I leaned across the desk

and my hands were clenched. I kept thinking... " don't hit her. " I

said, " Theory? I watched start screaming, breaking out in a

105 fever, rash all over his body two days after his 18 month DTaP

shot. We took him to the hospital. No one knew what was wrong. He

then lost all his words, quit looking at us and the lights went out

in his eyes. Theory? I watched it happen. Don't talk to me about

theory. I've spent every day since then fighting, scratching and

clawing to get my son back from that hell hole that he slipped in to. "

The woman was stunned. I wanted to scream, throw myself on the floor

and kick anything that got in the way. There's something to be said

about throwing a tempertantrum for cleansing purposes.

So, here's the kicker. The child that has whooping cough actually

had been diagnosed a week ago Wednesday. (His mother sent him right

back to school. You can't fix stupid) His doctor had put him on an

antibiotic for 5 days, after which you aren't contagious anymore.

He was at school every day last week, plus Monday and Tuesday of this

week. HE NEVER MISSED A DAY OF SCHOOL and won't. My son, doesn't

have it at all, and isn't allowed to come back for 21 days.

What I am most pissed about is that the school nurse went down to the

lunchroom, pulled out in front of all the kids, took him down

to the music room and told him because he didn't have all his shots,

he would have to miss 21 days of school. She marched him down to his

room, got his bookbag from the sidewalk, and then marched him back

down to the office where he stayed until we left. He was treated

like he WAS the virus. He isn't sick. He had sat in a room with the

child for weeks while he was contagious. Would two more hours have

made a difference? Couldn't he have finished the day and not be drug

out of the lunchroom. was so upset...he wanted to stay and

take his spelling test. He will also miss his Christmas program.

Just in case any of this happens to you all, you might want to be

aware of what our friends at the CDC and Health Department are doing.

Our pediatrician felt like he was being made an example of because he

didn't have his kindergarten boosters. The incubation period is 5-10

days for whooping cough. In some rare instances, it has been as much

as 21 days. AND, taking an antibiotic won't keep you from getting

whooping cough, it will only make you non contagious after you come

down with the symptoms. I have the prescription, and should he come

down with symptoms, then I will give him the antibiotic.

The reason no one was at their desk was because they were setting up

crisis phone banks. PHONE BANKS. For one child at our school. I

told the woman that the only thing I saw there was an outbreak of was

hysteria and stupidity. I don't think she'll be sending me a

Christmas card.

I hope you all have a very happy holiday. I am thankful does

not have whooping cough and that he is undervaccinated, he's talking

and arguing with me like a 5th grader, he looks at me in the eye when

he's arguing with me and he is just the love of our lives. We are

blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Betsy

mother to , 11 and undervaccinated