chicken pox and dealing with school re vaccine

[nichole]

Hi! We have a religious exemption for my son. I got a note home yesterday that someone in my son's class has chicken pox and to watch for the signs. This child sits next to my son. I hope Jason gets it and just gets it over with.

I also got an email this morning about my teacher and the nurse being worried about my son and what to watch for in case I didn't get the letter home. I replied that I will keep him home if he has any signs. I also said we are very educated about chicken pox and my son is very healthy so please try not to worry.

What are the chances they will ask him to stay home until the "outbreak" is over. I've read about that here. Is that very common? Is one case an outbreak? Do they have to make arrangements to allow him to complete his work at home so he can graduate to first grade? He is very advanced and loves school. I really hope it doesn't become an issue.

[bbrandonsmom]

I don't know the school rules, I'd ask them. They'll prob tell you to keep him home if he developes it, but they can't make you stay home if he shows no signs. The whole class and everyone that child came into contact with would have to be given the same rules as your son in that case, and I'd tell them that.
It's amusing they are "worried" he'll get cp. I had it when I was 5, and poison ivy at the same time-not fun for a 5yr old. What bothered me was that I couldn't go play w/ my friends.

[Jugs]

Which state are you in? In some states, if they exclude a child from school during an outbreak (which is defined as two or more related cases), the district must provide an at-home tutor during that time.

[angelpie545]

Depending on how your state's laws are written, they may be able to legally keep your son out of school if more kids get sick. However, I wouldn't say anything about the official "rules" at this point. It looks as if they will allow him to stay as long as he isn't showing any symptoms. In the meantime, I'd do my research and look up the exact wording of the law in your particular area. Good luck! My girls (also unvaccinated) had chicken pox last year and did alright. I'm glad to have it over with, although they are fair skinned and did end up with some scarring.

[nichole]

We are in DE. I think I read that they can keep him home, but I'm certainly not going to bring it up.

Hopefully he shows signs in the next 7-21 days and then he will be staying home anyway. Then he can just catch up his school however the other child is. They sit right next to each other so I'm sure my son was exposed. Then his little brother can get it, too! He's 3 so now is a good time.

[Gitti]

I bet the other child was vaccinated!

They can't keep your child home just because he is not vaccinated when the other child got cp being vaccinated (I assume).

But you are right not to bring it up and not to ask any questions. What you wrote was excellent. Don't cross any bridges until you get to them.

Hope he gets cp. Chances are good.

And I hope some other kids in his class get it also, this way your son is not the only one "vulnerable". At least he was not the first child to get it.

[nichole]

Originally Posted by Gitti

I bet the other child was vaccinated!


And I hope some other kids in his class get it also, this way your son is not the only one "vulnerable". At least he was not the first child to get it.

I'm going to guess he was. We are not the first person in the district to go no vax, but maybe at this school.

Yeah at least we weren't first. Now we can't be blamed ...too much.

[nichole]

Can you believe he sits next to that little boy and didn't even get the chicken pox! No one got it. I was a little bummed Jason didn't get it, BUT I am so happy that he is so healthy. He hasn't missed any school this year.

[dknees]

[Emmeline II]

I bet the teacher and the nurse are scratching their heads over this .

Though he may have had a subclinical case. My MIL made it through her entire childhood and the childhood of three children without developing a clinical case of chicken pox.

[Noelle C.]

People can develop an immunity to cp without having pox marks. My mom's a nurse and was the only one of her seven siblings not to ever get pox. When I got it in 1994, she still didn't get pox, yet when a titer check was done on her, she's got immunity to it. So she "had" it, just not severe enough for pox to form.

[traycanadian]

I personally don't think CP is contagious as everyone thinks. My ds was in school and a taekwondo class the day before he got symptoms. He had a cold and was coughing all over the place and not one of those kids got CP (just the ones who chose to come over and share lollipops and drinks).

[Bea]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II

I bet the teacher and the nurse are scratching their heads over this .

Though he may have had a subclinical case. My MIL made it through her entire childhood and the childhood of three children without developing a clinical case of chicken pox.

I have a friend who made it through her childhood and that of her three, at one point, pox ridden children's childhoods and her blood work came back (checked in the course of her employment) as her having no immunity to CP.

CP seems to not like her for some reason.

[Turquesa]

If you do live in the state for lovers, here is what it says on the religious exemption form that parents sign:

I understand, that in the occurrence of an
outbreak, potential epidemic or epidemic of a vaccine-preventable disease in my/my
child's school, the State Health Commissioner may order my/my child's exclusion
from school, for my/my child's own protection, until the danger has passed.

The "potential epidemic" could be arbitrarily defined, so in theory, they could give your son the boot any time.

But I would think it would be impossible to have a true "epidemic" if the majority of children are vaxed, (at least by pro-vax "logic") so declaring a "potential epidemic" would be the public health department's admission that the vax is ineffective.