I really should have written this post last week...BUT I was too angry, too disappointed, too distressed and too dumbfounded to allow myself within an inch of the keyboard on this subject. It's a week later now and I feel like I can approach this story with a little more clarity and put on my reporter hat again and just give the facts...MOSTLY.
FACT: West Virginia is one of only two states in the nation (the other being Mississippi) that does not allow the opting out of vaccinations for any reason. ANY.
FACT: Jacinda's school has funding to employ a full-time nurse, but no money for an ESL/ELL teacher.
FACT: The aforementioned school nurse, is a by-the-book stickler.
FACT: She and I came to serious blows last Monday.
Background: Before school started on August 26
th I took Jacinda to the pediatrician had her immunizations and then registered her for school. I asked them if they needed an official shot record from the doctor and the lady who registered us assured me they didn't if I knew the dates. I did, so we were all set...or so I thought.
A few days after school began the school nurse called me at work and told me that unless I provided the shot records that Jacinda would not be able to come back to school. I explained that I had asked and was told they were not a necessity and she blatantly told me I should have asked her the question. I would have, but evidently she was much too busy enjoying her nursing duties or the last few days of summer vacation when I registered her to be available to give advisement during this period. I quickly got the records and had an additional TB Test done for Jacinda, so she could stay in school.
Two days after that, the school nurse sent home a letter stating that while she appreciated the immunization records, Jacinda was behind. (DUH! She is an internationally adopted child that had only been in the country for three months.) She then said that I probably already had a schedule of immunizations from the health department ( nope, I took her to the pediatrician, so I thought he could make those decisions ), but that the nurse had her own schedule she wanted followed, looking for the next round of immunizations 30 days later.
Well I will admit that life kind of got hectic, so I missed the School Nurse deadline and yep, you guessed it. I got a call again telling me that unless Jacinda received these shots, she would not be allowed to come back to school. So I took her to the pediatrician, who determined that there was no need for boosters or
ensurity doses of the two that the nurse was looking for at this point in time. He did opt to give Jacinda four other vaccinations that day. He wrote a note to the nurse explaining that he thought it was too soon for the doses and wanted to wait two more months before administering them.
When I didn't get a phone call or a note, so I thought it was all good. That Monday the pediatrician called and said the school nurse had called them directly and told him that it was fine to hold off on giving Jacinda those shots BUT it she would have to have her removed from school. The pediatrician called me and told me that due to her phone call he would reconsider his decision and go ahead and give the immunizations at my convenience. He said we had a couple of weeks to get them done.
I was ticked off and completely taken aback that a school nurse could over-ride a pediatrician, but it is true and later I found out this school nurse believes it is her DUTY to educate the doctors "who just don't keep up on what they are supposed to do."
Flash forward four days...I get a nasty message from the school nurse. She informs me that since I refuse to work with her on these shots that she has started the process to have Jacinda removed from school. Now I will say within these four days, I have told everyone who will listen, how ridiculous of a policy I think this is.
On Monday morning I called her and told her that I would be coming to get Jacinda to get her immunizations (four days shy of the two weeks). She tells me that she doesn't like to remove any of HER CHILDREN from school, but that she already had a meeting scheduled that day with the county attendance director to have Jacinda removed.
I stifled a desire to reach through the phone lines and choke her. I get it together enough to tell her that I was surprised to hear her harsh tone on the phone. That's when she accused me of trying to get her in trouble at work by going to the school board. I explain to her that I didn't and she basically calls me a liar and tells me that she is well within her rights to talk to Jacinda's pediatrician any time she wants to, every day she wants to about her immunizations and there is nothing I can do about it. And that even though she almost got written up about not talking to me, everyone is now well aware that she was within her rights.
I ask her who told her that I went to the school board and she tells me the principal.
At this point my blood is boiling and I have to get off the phone. I go and pick up Jacinda. She is then gets two additional immunizations bringing her total to 6 shots in 10 days.
And then I start making phone calls...I call the county attendance director (who I happen to know because he was the basketball coach when I went to high school). He was very friendly and when I tell him why I am calling, he is shocked. There was never a meeting scheduled. He had not been contacted by the school nurse to discuss this matter. So it turns out the school nurse lied to me about that.
Then I talk to the principal who says she never told the nurse anyone went to the school board and that the school nurse told the principal all was well and everyone was agreed Jacinda could wait for her immunizations. All of my discussion points fell on deaf ears and the principal treated me like an irrational parent.
Although I did get some good news the other day, I heard the school nurse is retiring this year...I am thinking about calling the principal to ask if I can plan the party.
