# VENT!! Daughter injured at school...



## Ckelley

So at 2:15 I got a call from her classroom teacher telling me that Charlie did not seem to be feeling well. She fell asleep at her desk and the teacher was concerned that she was going to fall out of it. She told Charlie that she could go lay down in the reading corner, and she did, and slept for more than an hour there. She refused a snack, it was popsicles, and did not want to get up.

She was sent to the office and they tried to take her temperature. The secretary (nurse was gone) said Charlie seemed "out of it" and "not herself." And she "looked like she was going to throw up."

They said that she had been crying pretty much non stop since PE... when she was not sleeping.

I picked her up (30 minute commute to her school) at 2:45. I woke her up and she started complaining about how bad her head hurt. 

I asked her "Did you hit your head."

"Well, when I was in PE a 2nd grader pushed me down and I hit my head on the hard floor." She is 7 and in 1st grade. I have no idea why they would have PE with second grade.

"Did the teacher see"

"No. If we get hurt we are suppose to sit out until PE is over"

"Did she come talk to you? Did she check on you while you were sitting out?"

"No"

"Did you feel dizzy or have problems seeing?"

"Yes, I couldn't see my friends that well."

So took her into the ER, and she has a concussion! I am livid! :growlmad:

I didn't get contacted until almost 3 hours later, they had NO IDEA what the F happened, and she had all the signs!!! I'm not a doctor, I'm a teacher but I have enough common sense to know when something is wrong and to QUESTION THE KID!!!

Her principal is a total Jackass and only cares about covering his ass, so we will see how it goes. We have parent/ teacher conferences tomorrow, and I am one pissed off Mama.


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## schmetterling

Unbelievable. I'm so sorry that happened!! Sounds like a lot of people dropped the ball. Hope your daughter is feeling better! Go get 'em, mama!


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## mara16jade

Omg!! I'm so sorry your baby got hurt!!

And I hope you let loose and rip them a new one tomorrow. WTF!?! :growlmad:


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## 2Pups4Kids

Whaaaaat the hell?! Rip 'em a new one Momma! Sooo unacceptable!


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## LunarSpoon

Ckelley said:


> So at 2:15 I got a call from her classroom teacher telling me that Charlie did not seem to be feeling well. She fell asleep at her desk and the teacher was concerned that she was going to fall out of it. She told Charlie that she could go lay down in the reading corner, and she did, and slept for more than an hour there. She refused a snack, it was popsicles, and did not want to get up.
> 
> She was sent to the office and they tried to take her temperature. The secretary (nurse was gone) said Charlie seemed "out of it" and "not herself." And she "looked like she was going to throw up."
> 
> They said that she had been crying pretty much non stop since PE... when she was not sleeping.
> 
> I picked her up (30 minute commute to her school) at 2:45. I woke her up and she started complaining about how bad her head hurt.
> 
> I asked her "Did you hit your head."
> 
> "Well, when I was in PE a 2nd grader pushed me down and I hit my head on the hard floor." She is 7 and in 1st grade. I have no idea why they would have PE with second grade.
> 
> "Did the teacher see"
> 
> "No. If we get hurt we are suppose to sit out until PE is over"
> 
> "Did she come talk to you? Did she check on you while you were sitting out?"
> 
> "No"
> 
> "Did you feel dizzy or have problems seeing?"
> 
> "Yes, I couldn't see my friends that well."
> 
> So took her into the ER, and she has a concussion! I am livid! :growlmad:
> 
> I didn't get contacted until almost 3 hours later, they had NO IDEA what the F happened, and she had all the signs!!! I'm not a doctor, I'm a teacher but I have enough common sense to know when something is wrong and to QUESTION THE KID!!!
> 
> Her principal is a total Jackass and only cares about covering his ass, so we will see how it goes. We have parent/ teacher conferences tomorrow, and I am one pissed off Mama.

I would be furious! I hope she feels better and recovers from her concussion uneventfully. Man... I can't even imagine how I'd handle this situation. It wouldn't be pretty-- hopefully you have more tact than me!


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## Leids

Wow, that's absolutely terrible. The first words that came into my head were "WTF?!" seriously. How the hell could they not see the signs and question her about them? 

That's complete neglect on the school's part, there should _always_ be a nurse available to those kids. There's no excuse to not have one available at all times during the school day.

They need to pay for her medical expenses imo.


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## BrandiCanucks

That is ALL KINDS of wrong! I'd be pushing the medical bills on the school to pay for for such blatant and ignorant neglect! Hell, one of mine so much as trips and doesn't get injured, I get a call to AT LEAST tell me he's fine!


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## Krissykat1006

Ckelley said:


> So at 2:15 I got a call from her classroom teacher telling me that Charlie did not seem to be feeling well. She fell asleep at her desk and the teacher was concerned that she was going to fall out of it. She told Charlie that she could go lay down in the reading corner, and she did, and slept for more than an hour there. She refused a snack, it was popsicles, and did not want to get up.
> 
> She was sent to the office and they tried to take her temperature. The secretary (nurse was gone) said Charlie seemed "out of it" and "not herself." And she "looked like she was going to throw up."
> 
> They said that she had been crying pretty much non stop since PE... when she was not sleeping.
> 
> I picked her up (30 minute commute to her school) at 2:45. I woke her up and she started complaining about how bad her head hurt.
> 
> I asked her "Did you hit your head."
> 
> "Well, when I was in PE a 2nd grader pushed me down and I hit my head on the hard floor." She is 7 and in 1st grade. I have no idea why they would have PE with second grade.
> 
> "Did the teacher see"
> 
> "No. If we get hurt we are suppose to sit out until PE is over"
> 
> "Did she come talk to you? Did she check on you while you were sitting out?"
> 
> "No"
> 
> "Did you feel dizzy or have problems seeing?"
> 
> "Yes, I couldn't see my friends that well."
> 
> So took her into the ER, and she has a concussion! I am livid! :growlmad:
> 
> I didn't get contacted until almost 3 hours later, they had NO IDEA what the F happened, and she had all the signs!!! I'm not a doctor, I'm a teacher but I have enough common sense to know when something is wrong and to QUESTION THE KID!!!
> 
> Her principal is a total Jackass and only cares about covering his ass, so we will see how it goes. We have parent/ teacher conferences tomorrow, and I am one pissed off Mama.

Yep I would be raising hell. Go get em.


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## Snow Owl

The first thing I thought when you mentioned the sleepiness was concussion, before you said she hit her head!!


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## Boothh

OMG that's ridiculous!!
At my LO school he comes out with a note nearly every day about hitting his head, they have to tell you here even if it's just a small bump so you can keep an eye on them! 
So bad nobody figured out what was wrong that was my first thought before I got to that part!


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## ChristiansMum

That is so bad! I would go mad at them! My son comes home nearly everyday with an accident form for were he bangs his head so much, and if it's bad like before they had to apply a cold compress on his head they rang me to let me know what they had done and that he was ok. Hope your daughter feels better soon x


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## laurajo24

That's awful! I could understand it might be missed if no one saw her fall and she didn't tell anyone she banged her head. But an adult must have seen her sitting out and absolutely should have asked why! I would be livid too and I hope you get some answers/apologies today and that you can ensure it never happens to another child. Hope your daughter feels better soon x


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## seoj

So sorry hun- hope she's all better soon! :hugs: 

For sure that is not ok- I would also be livid if one of the "adults" didn't at least ask her what happened (and they should have called you immediately). Grrrrr... 

Bring on the mama bear! 

I remember PE in Grade School- it's a great thing! But there needs to be that level of responsibility from the teachers watching! Hello. eesh.


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## 2ndprincess

I am so sorry that happened to your baby. 
So many things wrong with this situation; letting her sleep with a concussion, ignoring the injury, not seeking medical attention and on. 

1) Take her to a follow up visit with the family doctor 
2) find an attorney. Now
3 don't talk to the principal or anyone at the school about this. You're past that point, let your representation handle that.


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## Ckelley

2ndprincess said:


> I am so sorry that happened to your baby.
> So many things wrong with this situation; letting her sleep with a concussion, ignoring the injury, not seeking medical attention and on.
> 
> 1) Take her to a follow up visit with the family doctor
> 2) find an attorney. Now
> 3 don't talk to the principal or anyone at the school about this. You're past that point, let your representation handle that.


She had a follow up, and she is good. 
I called an attorney, but he is out of town until next week.
We did talk to the principal, and recorded the conversation. 

My husband and I talked about it and our goal is to make sure the school makes First Aid and CPR a requirement for all teachers and subs. *If* they don't we will then pursue legal action. It was all caught on camera, and let me tell you she was OUT cold for about 15 seconds, and didn't get up until 32 seconds after she fell... which is FOREVER for a 7 year old. A parent volunteer was by her side by 8 seconds, but still...

There were some other circumstances that really makes the school liable, so we will see what happens.


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## Noodlebear

I can't believe that they didn't get in contact with you straight away if someone was aware that it'd happened! That's absolutely appalling and I'm so shocked. If a child is unwell, starts falling asleep in class and seems completely 'out of it' I can't get my head around why they didn't ask her any questions about how she felt! You immediately found out what'd happened and imo they should've been phoning you with that information! You're being much more reasonable than I would be. I'd be pursuing legal action regardless of how they handle the situation from now.


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## suzib76

The teacher didn't see and didn't know and you are calling a lawyer?


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## MoldyVoldy

Raise hell, mama. That is unacceptable. I am so glad your girl is better. There's no excuse for this!


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## Ckelley

suzib76 said:


> The teacher didn't see and didn't know and you are calling a lawyer?

We want to resolve it without legal action. My issue is the lack of training. The doctor at the er told us it was critical to receive medial care as soon as possible when they are that age because a brain bleed will occur in under six hours. We were not contacted until over three hours later and they had no idea what happened. She did not get to the er until three and a half hours later. 

I want my child to be safe. The teacher did not see her because they were walking students through the gym instead of the playground doors because the doors were broken. The teacher had them running warm up laps THROUGH the lines of kids, and that is why she did not see her fall... Because she was on one side and there were about two grades of kids between them. It was stupidly at its finest, and my daughter paid the price.


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## Noodlebear

Not only that but the fact that no one thought to react to a child falling asleep in class is ridiculous. If that happened to my son and it wasn't a usual occurrence I'd expect someone to find out if he was ok. If she was 'out of it' a teacher totally missing that is beyond unacceptable.


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## susannah14

She was OUT COLD for 15 seconds? How horribly scary. If the parent volunteer was there within 8 seconds, why wasn't s/he more concerned about the unconscious child? I feel sick for your daughter, I am glad she will be ok!


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## Annie77

The kids at my local school all get stickers if they bump their heads BUT not all kids tell an adult it has happened and two playground assistants for two hundred kids cannot see everything. My daughter has occasionally come home with some minor injury which she has not reported & we have had discussions about how she MUST report a knock on the head (she is 8)
Whilst I think the parent volunteer should have reported the matter initally and a head injury formally followed up, I can't imagine running in with an attorney at my side. Neither would I be wanting to sue the school or local authority - accidents happen a home and school so any medical costs wold IMO be par and parcel of being a parent.
By all means go to school and knock heads together but I think legal action and/or cash settlements are just one step further than most in UK would take for a simple concussion which was resolved after they contacted you. (For the record my husband works in litigation so I am not anti-lawsuit but just feel this is overkill)


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## Ckelley

Annie77 said:


> Whilst I think the parent volunteer should have reported the matter initally and a head injury formally followed up, I can't imagine running in with an attorney at my side. Neither would I be wanting to sue the school or local authority - accidents happen a home and school so any medical costs wold IMO be par and parcel of being a parent.
> By all means go to school and knock heads together but I think legal action and/or cash settlements are just one step further than most in UK would take for a simple concussion which was resolved after they contacted you. (For the record my husband works in litigation so I am not anti-lawsuit but just feel this is overkill)


We are not interested in a cash settlement . We just want all staff to be trained in CPR and first aid. I feel that it should have been recognized and we should have been informed asap. I was told that she seemed out of it, incoherent, that she was not making sense, that she cried for 2 hours straight, and that she kept falling asleep at her desk. If the staff had the training they needed they would have recognized the signs of a concussion. 

We are going to try to go through the school board first, if not I will go through the legal process. Again we do not want money, we want our child and other children to be safe. I'm not saying that crap does not happen. I get that, but they should have had the training to at least realize that something was wrong. We have not even considered asking for her medical to be compensated, I agree that that is my responsibilit. I do feel it iis their responsibility to have staff trained in basic first aid.


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## Foogirl

I would definitely worry that the classic signs of a concussion appear to have been there but nobody picked up on it. That needs to be addressed with the school. Although, of course, it is always easier with hindsight and with all the information to put a picture together so I guess its possible for it to be missed.

I'm confused though, they say they had no idea what happened but a parent helper was by her side within 8 seconds. So, they must have known what had happened?

I am also wondering why your daughter wouldn't go and report her fall to a teacher? I'm fairly certain mine would. Is there some kind of atmosphere that made it difficult for her to do that?

I do agree with Annie that it is an alien concept to me to go running to a lawyer before sorting it out with the school, but I suppose that's a cultural thing. Plus, we don't have to worry about medical costs so I guess that can be an issue also.


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## Ckelley

She was confused and didn't know she hit her head. She didn't know that she hit her head until hours later. She kept telling them that her head hurt, but because she was unconscious she did not know it was because she hit her head. She had a significant knot on her temple and it was pink hours later, it was very visible... 

Whenever she would stand up or walk too fast she would immediately start crying about how badly her head hurt. It was bad enough when we got her home that she stopped halfway across the room and curled up on the floor crying.


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## Emma&Freya

my hearts just broke at this :(


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## JASMAK

Ckelley said:


> 2ndprincess said:
> 
> 
> I am so sorry that happened to your baby.
> So many things wrong with this situation; letting her sleep with a concussion, ignoring the injury, not seeking medical attention and on.
> 
> 1) Take her to a follow up visit with the family doctor
> 2) find an attorney. Now
> 3 don't talk to the principal or anyone at the school about this. You're past that point, let your representation handle that.
> 
> 
> She had a follow up, and she is good.
> I called an attorney, but he is out of town until next week.
> We did talk to the principal, and recorded the conversation.
> 
> My husband and I talked about it and our goal is to make sure the school makes First Aid and CPR a requirement for all teachers and subs. *If* they don't we will then pursue legal action. It was all caught on camera, and let me tell you she was OUT cold for about 15 seconds, and didn't get up until 32 seconds after she fell... which is FOREVER for a 7 year old. A parent volunteer was by her side by 8 seconds, but still...
> 
> There were some other circumstances that really makes the school liable, so we will see what happens.Click to expand...

Not sure where you are, but this does not necessarily make them 'liable'. I would speak to your lawyer. I understand it is upsetting. My then two year old had a concussion and broken arm from lack of supervision while in someone else's care. I think time will help you feel better. I am thinking the school never realised how serious it was. I dont think their was intent in their part to purposely neglect your childs needs, although it may feel and appear that way. The good thing is your daughter appears to remember everything which is rare in concussions. It is good to request change in the school though, and better policies.


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## Foogirl

I agree, certainly here in the UK liability tends more to apply only where there has been deliberate neglect i.e where they knew what they were doing was wrong, spotted a concussion and chose to ignore it, have systems in place but failed to follow them. Where there is a lack of knowledge or understanding or even in the situation you describe where they had the children going through the gym, it comes down to whether the risks could have been reasonably forseen. As I said earlier it's always easy to put a picture together with hindsight. But my concern would be that individuals were not aware of classic concussion signs and that alone means that some additional training can be carried out. It is unfortunate that sometimes these accidents are the ones which show up holes in organisations but thankfully in the case the outcome for the child was not too serious and those holes can now be addresses to stop something more catastrophic happening in the future. I think I'd be clear with the school that I'm not assigning blame and work with them so see those issues are addressed. Given the apparent attitude of the Head Teacher that would seem to be the best way to get him to look at what is needed.


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