DCB (almost 3 yrs old) was dropped off today at 8:20 AM. Mom was in a hurry to leave to get to work so straight off handed him to me and left as he cried for him. Just out of their morning routine. Usually she hangs out for about 10 to 15 minutes as he cries and refuses to come in...

Little boy is always upset at drop off. So I don't think anything of it and put him down after removing his boots. He climbs onto the couch and that is basically where he sits, won't eat breakfast, or drink anything. He obviously looks miserable and that he's not feeling well so I feel his four head and it's warm. The way he looks and how warm he is I suspected a dose and drop, I check his temperature and it's 98.8 at 9:00am. I do the math and figure that if he was dosed up on Tylenol it should start wearing off about 11-noon.

By 9:30 AM his temperature is at 99.8. And is obviously feeling absolutely horrible. Text mom asking how the night was because DCB seems very tired and won't eat or drink anything. No Response from mom.

I take his temperature again at 10 AM and it's now at 101.0 ( I exclude at 101.1) so I send a text to mom again saying that DCB is running a fever and I need her to call me back as soon as she gets this message. I follow the text up with a phone call and get no answer.

I call again at 10:30 AM because I haven't heard from her yet and that is very unlike her, usually she responds within 10 minutes of me texting ( preferred form of communication) so I proceed to call the first person listed on my authorization for pick up form. I get a hold of the lady ( A friend of moms) and tell her what's going on and I can't get a hold of mom but need somebody to come pick up DCB. The friend tells me that mom must be in a meeting and she will call her cell phone and will get a hold of her, tells me that either her or Mom would get a hold of me in a few moments and hangs up before I can say anything else.

Sure enough within five minutes I'm getting a phone call from mom. She proceeds to tell me that her phone was on silent and at her desk and she was off meeting with faculty. That she noticed her friend calling so she answered it and was told what was going on. Asked how high DCB's fever was ( which at that point it was 101.3) and told me " oh gosh that means he can't be there with you because of your policies I will be there in a few minutes"

She comes In to pick up little boy and tells me that he was up at six this morning but had Been feeling fine and that she wanted me to remove her friend off my call list and takes DCB Home. At noon I get a text from mom saying that his temperature is at 100.8 but she was going to take him to the doctor just in case it was an ear infection.

I just received a call at 3:30 PM with her telling me that her son has hand foot and mouth. That she will call me back later this afternoon and tell me more and then hangs up because DCB is in the background crying.

I'm angry because I am pretty dang positive that she dosed him up with Tylenol and brought him here knowing he was sick ( maybe not knowing hand foot mouth ) but still...

I wanted to see what everyone's policies were regarding hand foot and mouth disease. My sick policies say that if a child is sick they may not return until symptom-free for 24 hours...

CDC website says you can be sick for 7 to 10 days. Would you exclude for that long if he is still sick ? I know mom will not be happy if I tell her this because she had just gotten in trouble for being late and missing work last week. Though that's her own doing as she lets her child dictate their lives, let him choose when he wants to listen to her and we all know how that works with an almost 3-year-old...

Help!

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