Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Students need a doctor's note just to put some dang sunscreen on themselves? Of all the idiotic rules school boards can create, this really takes the cake
In this case, I think that there is plenty of blame to spread around.
The parent knew the child would be outside for several hours but didn't take extra precautions (send note, send sunscreen, call school when it got sunny)
The school knew the child had a 504 but didn't make special provisions (send child inside, call parent for permission to put on sun screen, etc).
Even the planners were partly to blame---FIVE hours outside!?!. I'm sure that other kids had problems, too.
Many schools are doing away with full day field days for reasons such as this. Our school switched to a half day field day with more of the activities indoors (games, etc) and it worked out much better for everyone.
Our field day is all day outside in May. The kids love it. The school sends home notes and messages reminding parents to apply sunscreen beforehand. They wear hats, an exception to the regular rule. They hydrate. Parents volunteer and help.
I guess I could see where, if this school had somehow never had field day before staff would not know what to anticipate. And it is Tacoma, not the sun belt.
So there is a state law precluding teachers from applying sunscreen to kids. Makes sense, since a Jerry Sandusky might teach there and decided it was his job to slather all the kids with lotion. In this case, though, common sense is not so common, and unintended consequences will be more common than anything the law was created to ban.
Even so, this is an overreaction by a mom with a good camera and internet access, along with incredibly obtuse teachers bound by a bizarre state law.
What I find sad is that none of the parents helping with the field day offered the children sunscreen (perhaps calling their mom to make sure it was OK), offered to call their mom to see if she would bring them sunscreen, or volunteered to take them inside because they had just had too much sun.
I can see the teachers having to follow strict guidelines but the helper parents should have had more leeway and do not seem to have taken action.
We have a "no hat no play" policy for primary schools in Australia.
This means, hats are a compulsory part of the school uniform, and MUST BE WORN if the child is going outside. No exceptions. Schools usually keep a stash of spare hats for those kids whos parents forget/cant afford/dont care. My kids never thought anything of it because they never knew any different. Also, schools always supply sunscreen for any excursions, and it is compulsory to put it on before they even leave the classroom.
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world...but in 50 years time we will have one of the lowest due to these measures.
As a teacher, I would NEVER apply sunscreen to a child's body, with or without parents' permission. Way too much liability.
In this situation, I would have called home if I had noticed how red the child wag getting. HOWEVER....it is important to understand how many kids a teacher has to supervise, and how a sunburn may not look as bad in the beginning as it does a few hours later.
We have a "no hat no play" policy for primary schools in Australia.
This means, hats are a compulsory part of the school uniform, and MUST BE WORN if the child is going outside. No exceptions. Schools usually keep a stash of spare hats for those kids whos parents forget/cant afford/dont care. My kids never thought anything of it because they never knew any different. Also, schools always supply sunscreen for any excursions, and it is compulsory to put it on before they even leave the classroom.
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world...but in 50 years time we will have one of the lowest due to these measures.
I had family members that taught in New Zealand and that was the policy there as well.
My daughter (2yo) is very, very fair skinned and her hair is still very wispy - I never, ever have her outside without a sun hat on. Everytime I'm in Gymboree - I'm digging thru the sale bin looking for sun hats, I have them stashed everywhere (both cars, strollers, hanging by the front door).
Obviously, I don't know the severity (or possible sunlight limitations) of albinism that one of the children had, but I don't know that I'd even let my child stay outside 5 hours straight, especially if this included 10am-2pm. I'm a bit surprised that the mom didn't send a note to the teacher and nurse reminding them, though, if she already had a 504, I can see why she'd assume there wouldn't be a problem.
The bigger problem is ignoring the safety of students to protect the school's liability, especially when it is already on record that at one of the kids has a medical condition. I'd be pretty ticked off too. Though, I admit, when I first saw the headline without any information, I thought, "Are you serious?"
We have a "no hat no play" policy for primary schools in Australia.
This means, hats are a compulsory part of the school uniform, and MUST BE WORN if the child is going outside. No exceptions. Schools usually keep a stash of spare hats for those kids whos parents forget/cant afford/dont care. My kids never thought anything of it because they never knew any different. Also, schools always supply sunscreen for any excursions, and it is compulsory to put it on before they even leave the classroom.
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world...but in 50 years time we will have one of the lowest due to these measures.
I've always admired this about Australia. When my kids were little I noticed whenever we saw video of children in Australia (usually on Wiggle's videos, ) they were all wearing hats. It's great that it is that prevalent. After researching it, I made sure everyone in the family had them, especially since we were in Nevada. With the right hat, you're not only protected from the sun's rays but also from the effects of the heat.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) they were all wearing hats. It's great that it is that prevalent. After researching it, I made sure everyone in the family had them, especially since we were in Nevada. With the right hat, you're not only protected from the sun's rays but also from the effects of the heat. 
