Smackdown

Remember, the aide on the bus yesterday told me the nurses claim they will no longer initial Pearlsky’s note home and yesterday’s note was blank. I sent an email to the Assistant Superintendent and the Special Education coordinator, and cc’d the AG lawyer and the DPH investigator (Department of Public Health). We ended yesterday with the AG lawyer (Chief of Civil Rights for the State Attorney General) talking to the lawyer for my town and telling me that the school nurses will go back to initialing the form when they give Pearlsky her meds. They have to, minimally it’s in the IEP and not doing it is illegal.

As far as I can tell, the school people did not see yesterday’s email (nor know of the problem) until this morning and I am assuming that the town lawyer (the one the AG called) told the head nurse last night.

That brings us to today …

Pearlsky’s teacher got involved. She sent an email to all in the district, not copying the AG or DPH. There is an email trail in the email she sent, but most of the emails were removed, not the headers. I know that the email went from me to the Assistant Superintendent to the school nurse to the teacher. Apparently not to the head nurse. I am sure they did not know about the lawyer’s discussion last night.

I want to make it very clear that the nurses and teachers do plan on giving notification about Pearlsky’s daily medications. Currently, this will take place by the teacher or nurse writing “nurse” under the “completed by” section of the form that is on Pearlsky’s wheelchair. There was never any intention of not notifying SingleDad.

To which I respond to all, including the AG and DPH:

Please note the form that came home yesterday. There is no notation at all as to who, IF ANYONE, gave Pearlsky her medications yesterday.

Why, all of the sudden, is there this new hiding of who actually gives the medications? Also, the IEP specifically says that “the nurse or the teacher will provide some notation …” (wording the head nurse inserted several years ago) so I assume either you or the nurse, not an aide or other person, will make the notation. Am I forbidden from knowing who gave my daughter her mandated medications?

At this point, the teacher has given an invalid response and the head nurse has said nothing. The last sentence of my email is the killer here, I want to know who gives the meds and that is completely and fully my legal right. There are several statutes about patient rights and medical care and knowing who is giving said care.

Then it gets interesting. I get this email (cc’ing everyone) from the head nurse herself:

The medication task sheet will be initialed by the nurse. The teacher will review the task sheet to make sure it is completed before Pearlsky leaves for the van at 2:40pm and will initial if incomplete. If for any reason this sheet arrives home and is incomplete, (due to new personnel, substitutes, emergencies etc) please feel free to call the clinic or myself for verbal reassurance. The medication is electronically documented in Pearlsky’s health record and can be readily accessed.

That may appear to have come out of the blue, but obviously the lawyers got to her. I sent her a two word response … “Thank you.”

I can only assume that the others, including the teacher, had no idea about the lawyers. About ten minutes later this email comes in from the teacher … obviously she did not see the head nurse’s email …

Either of the nurses, myself, Matt or Russ will be signing the “completed by” section of the note sent home.

Ummm, no. No, that’s not how it will work. I ignored that email.

Two hours later Pearlsky came home and the note had nurses’ initials. What a surprise.

And a smackdown.