What can I tell and what can I ask of a 2nd grade teacher, about my child's health?
My son is 6 and in second grade. In general he is quite healthy, but he has illness induced asthma. In other words, his asthma is essentially dormant unless he gets a cold or the flu, at which point it can become quite severe.
This morning he has a cough and a cold, and my wife and I decided he was well enough to go to school. I would like to email the teacher to explain the situation and ask her to keep an eye on him; sending him to the nurse or the office if his breathing appears labored, or he appears to get more under the weather.
I don't know if this is appropriate, and if it is or if it isn't; are there any guidelines about what I should and shouldn't ask of my child's teacher?
She's a great teacher, and I'm fairly sure she would agree to whatever I asked, but I want to be respectful of her existing requirements and challenges while also honoring my responsibility as a parent.
TLDR; What is okay to ask of from my child's teacher regarding his physical health?
(7)7 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
I agree with the other answers that it is a good idea to communicate this information to the teacher, and the teacher will more than likely be happy to keep an eye on the issue.
However, rather than emailing this directly to the teacher, after your son has gone to school, you should call the office. Elementary school teachers are "on stage" virtually all day long, sometimes even during lunch, and often cannot check their email until after the kids have gone for the day.
If you are able to email a day or two ahead of time that is a great option, but sometimes you don't know you need to communicate with the teacher until the day has started. If it's not possible to talk to the teacher in person and you don't trust your young child to deliver the note promptly, calling the office is the best bet. They will be able to relay important messages to the classroom for you, and will also be able to notify anyone else who should have the information (like the school nurse).
I realize at this point you've probably communicated or not with your son's teacher, but thought I would post this for the benefit of others who might have a similar question in the future.
Pretty much what you said here. "Please keep an extra close eye on Johnny right now. He has asthma which is usually well controlled, but a cold or flu seems to exacerbate his symptoms. If you notice he seems to be having difficulty breathing or you feel he looks especially unwell, please send him immediately to the nurse/office. We appreciate your attention and hope it doesn't become necessary, but wanted to make sure you're aware in case it does."
This is appropriate as long as you don't ask for anything that could be seen as performing a medical procedure, even by a long shot. E.g. asking to keep an eye on your son or call you if he's not feeling well is OK, but asking to give him a pill or help to use an inhaler is not, since that engages responsibility.
Depending on the school rules and local laws, reporting some conditions will result in the teaching not accepting to take your kid (this is mainly the case of transmissible infections), and not reporting such conditions can get you into trouble.
What is okay to ask of from my child's teacher regarding his physical health?
It's often not OK to ask the school to give medicine or other medical care (or it may be OK but only if you give them the medicine and a doctor's prescription for it).
It is OK (I expect it's required) to inform the school of any particular health risks (including allergies).
It is OK to ask the school to keep an eye on children's health, i.e. on whether they're well enough to be at school.
It is OK to expect the school to provide first aid in an obvious emergency ... beware that the "first aid" they can provide may be minimal, may involve just phoning an ambulance.
It is not OK to expect the school to nurse a child who's too sick for school ... they're likely to prefer the child to be at home: if they're infectious; if they can't keep up; or if they even distract the teacher too much from the rest of their class.
Given that the teacher cares about the child's well-being and acts in loco parentis to some extent, I'm pretty sure the teacher would want to know, would rather you told them than didn't.
Yes, it is appropriate.
When you send your son to school, your son's teacher becomes his guardian, and is obligated to look after his physical and mental health to the best of their knowledge and abilities in your absence.
Ask yourself:
If you were the teacher, would you rather be warned or find yourself suddenly facing a 2nd grader with a full-blown asthma attack?
I don't think your request is unreasonable. And you are not expecting her to watch your son like a hawk, or do something super-taxing, but just to be aware of a special situation.
If you phrase your request politely and express your appreciation of what she already does as nicely as in this question, I see no problem at all.
I saw literally this exact interaction today at drop-off; apparently another child in my son's class has the same exact issue, and her mom handled it in exactly the way you propose. The teacher was concerned for the child's welfare and appreciative that the mother gave her that information, and let her know exactly what they'd do in regards talking to the nurse or contacting the parent.
The only thing I'd suggest is make sure to include an option for the teacher to send for you to pick the child up if the child becomes ill; the biggest concern teachers often have is that they will end up with a child who is noticeably ill disrupting class (and having a poor experience in class), preventing them from teaching the other children, because of parents who treat school like a daycare service (not that you should send the kids to daycare ill either!).
As long as you're able to offer the teacher your assurance that you can pick up your child if he is ill and not able to continue in class, I think they will appreciate the heads up and the information.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2026 All Rights reserved.