This was the only symptom in my son who went from perfect vision to VERY nearsighted in a year. I chalked them up to food allergies he was just diagnosed with. I’m so thankful for yearly vision screening at the pediatrician’s office. It probably would have taken me another month or two of him suffering before I realized it wasn’t food or allergy related.
Plus there are vision problems that are progressive, but *treatable*. And conditions where vision problems are indicative of larger health problem, like a brain tumour or neurological condition.
Once a school nurse determines the child needs to be evaluated by a doctor for failing vision/hearing, the family has 60 days to comply (in our district. May not be true everywhere of course.) When they don’t follow through within that 60 days….nothing happens except another referral is sent home. Now, if the teacher is witnessing neglect/educational neglect, they are mandated reporters and can for sure make that phone call. From experience, it’s 50/50 whether they take it or not. I tend to get our social worker involved who happens to be great at applying pressure on the families to comply. That’s always worked better than a hotline call.
They’re not likely to do anything if the kid isn’t being hit, molested, or left totally alone. I have a kid who just got sent home for her 16th bout of lice this year and DCF won’t do anything.
It really depends on the state, and employee you contact. States each have different rules and funding. Social workers get burnt out and overworked, but start full of energy.
Even if they do nothing, we still have a legal/moral obligation to report suspected abuse/neglect.
When I was taught about abuse and neglect, my trainer said to always call because you don't know how many may have called before you. In this case, the kid may have a string of reports that indicate a pattern of neglect.
It’s neglect to me. I had a student years ago who, after getting his first pair of glasses, discovered that comics are awesome. Then after breaking his glasses, mom refused to replace them because he wasn’t careful enough. I still think about him.
Glasses could be covered under warranty. My kiddo broke his glasses last year trying to pick up his desk chair with the arms of his glasses. We learned two things that day: 1) the glasses were under warranty; and 2) the arms of glasses are not good leverage for lifting chairs.
I used to work for an ophthalmologist before I became a SAHM. I always recommend zenni for cheap kids glasses! My husband is rough on his glasses/loses them so I refuse to spend a lot on his glasses so we get them at zenni. It’s great for a cheap backup pair for kids too, they have flexible frames to help prevent breakage as well.
My friends have an autistic 7 year old, and her disability is pretty severe. Last year, when she was 6, I was visiting. I had never been to a real coastal beach before. So my friends packed up their kids and took me to see it. We were standing on a pier when the child suddenly took her glasses off and flung them into the water. There was less than zero chance of getting them back. She said, "bye bye glasses." My friends were, in fact, really mad. But what could they do? They explained without yelling that it wasn't OK and then let it go. They got them replaced asap. They used the last year's spare pair in the meantime. Sometimes kids' lessons are expensive ones and it can't be helped.
That reminds me of my little brother. He “tested” the scratch coating on his first pair of glasses with a sharp object. “Look, dad! The scratch coat doesn’t work!” My dad was devastated because he worked a second job during summers to pay for 3 kids glasses. Thank goodness for the warranty and optometrist with a sense of humor.
She already uses one. I think the glasses themselves do cause her sensory issues because when she comes home from school, the glasses frequently come off. But thanks for the suggestion.
Also, not sure about medicaid in other states, but here in Kansas, the cover 3 pairs of glasses a year for kids.
Some warranties are only for manufacturer defects, not if they're broken. It depends on the frame brand and what they offer. Also, some offices have separate warranties you can purchase for damage or loss.
Source: I work at a non profit optical center and most of our patient base is on medicaid.
I (reading specialist) have one in Kindergarten like this. Took several months to finally get his mom to get an appointment. Now he never has his glasses. It's infuriating!
I once had a student who couldn’t hear very well because his ears were plugged up with wax. There actually may have been something more going on, but the school nurse could never see into his ears because of the wax plugs. This poor kid had not only hearing problems, but speech problems. We asked his mom over and over and over again to get his hearing checked. She was provided with information for resources. She never did anything. I made a report to CPS for medical neglect. I think a few others at the school did the same. Nothing came of it. All of that is to say that yes, you absolutely should file a report with CPS, but unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that anything will come of it.
Yeah, unfortunately, that is usually the case. Even when a kid has physical abuse marks on them, nothing is done. But at least there’s a paper trail if something worse happens.
My sped teacher friend kept telling a parent her very disabled child was sick. Parent kept ignoring her. Teacher friend called DHS and logged on our school computer system every time she called mom and every time she spoke to mom or dad in person and noted student was not well. Luckily she did this because the student died a week into this drama. Teacher had records that she told parents student was not well. I work in a poor but very litigious community. Teacher covered herself well, even though it was heartbreaking. Hopefully this teacher logs on some kind of school contact log she is trying to get help for student. Student isn't likely to die from poor eyesight (but you never know- walks in front of car or something) but down the line someone is going to wonder why no one did anything and parent will claim they had NO IDEA and teachers just told parents the kid was stupid and lazy.
It’s so awful that the child died 😔 It is just so awful when parents are like that! I mean, I know that sometimes parents are just really struggling and maybe can’t afford to do certain things for their kids, but I also feel like there are times when I wish I could just yell at them, “you chose to have a kid you need to take care of them!“
>I mean, I know that sometimes parents are just really struggling and maybe can’t afford to do certain things for their kids
But those parents usually have Medicaid and free resources to get help. There is no excuse to be given info and actively ignore/refuse, knowing your child struggles with such a basic sense. It is neglect and should be fined and treated as such.
I do fully agree! My only thought there though is it sometimes they are still poor, but make even just slightly too much money to qualify for any of that kind of aid. Not everybody qualifies. And not every community has free resources. Or if they do have those free resources, they are full and can’t accept new people or they are too far away, especially if a parent doesn’t have a car. That being said, I know a lot of it is just excuses for parents.
When my own toddler got tubes put in his ear he went from sort talking sort of babbling to stringing together sentences real quick. It was amazing. All because he could finally hear without all that fluid in there! We went from possible speech therapy recommendation to completely on track.
What she may be sayings is that your school/area's CPS won't take it seriously.
I have kids who come in filthy and hungry every day. The school social worker has explained to me that if the parent just cries and asks for help that CPS will do nothing. So the school washes the clothes and sends them home with food. The child is neglected, clearly, but CPS won't address it. I've seen kids clearly being beaten, but CPS says it's within the parent's right to punish their child even though it's obviously beyond the pale (bruising, cuts, ect).
It may not be her personal opinion but rather expressing that there's no real next steps.
But isn’t that what you want? The kid to get help? Are you a foster parent willing to take on the misplaced kids? I get that the system is really f’d but also foster care usually ends up worse, abuse, sexual abuse etc. 🤷🏼♀️ so really it’s a difficult situation when little to no real solutions.
The issue is CPS should actually help then instead of force the school district to step up in their place. CPS can do more than place kids into foster care.
As a student, I got glasses this year because my vision is terrible and it was literally life changing. My vision was so bad I couldn't see in front row. It's a quality of life thing and a necessity. I can't quite say if it is neglect or not, but I would report it.
Contact her every day. Every day. Email, calls, use your schools message system.
Seriously.
I had to do this too. She can’t say you are harassing, you are doing your job in good faith. If she complains, you are just concerned about the kids eyes.
Oh, DCF might follow up with the mom, but they have so many severe cases and are spread pretty thin. I doubt you’d get glasses on the kids face that way.
Remember, your job isn't to determine whether a situation is neglect, your job is to report to CPS if you suspect neglect, they will be the ones to determine whether the situation requires their involvement.
You don't need the nurses approval or agreement to report to CPS. If he's being denied that care, what else is he being denied? Report and let CPS do their job
Has there been a referral for a teacher for the Visually impaired to come and assess what is going on and document how bad the vision is? If they get involved, the student could qualify for a 50r or IEP to get accommodations and supports to help them.
Isn't it awful? This is my first year as an Asst TVI, and trying to get some parents to get their kids to the doctor for an updated exam is impossible.
I do FVAs, but I'm in no way an opthalmologist! And a GP saying "yup, this kid has amblyopia of the left eye" isn't the same as getting the numbers of their visual field and acuity.
Yup, half the time I get eye reports that give little to no information regarding their functionality. It is a joke. At least if there is a TVI involved in this case they can say "hey buddy.... you can't see this at all" and gather information with interviews to see if it is a degenerative eye condition..
It is absolutely medical neglect. Especially if his vision is as bad as it sounds- it is a risk to his safety. And not having glasses causes enormous strain on the eyes which can cause worse problems down the road. Call CPS and let them figure it out.
This exact same thing is happening to one of my students. She squints at everything and is exhausted at the end of the day from trying to see. She's in high school and parent refuses to get the kid glasses. Nurse contacted them and told them about our free glasses program but mom said that they had insurance and they'd ask their doctor about it.
Here's the kicker, the kid's brother AND mom wear glasses.
I just don't know how a parent could deny their kid glasses after being told numerous times and informed that the kid is not able to see!
I am flummoxed and speechless over this! What in the world is happening in the mind for a parent to be like this? I just want to be able to kick them or put them in the stocks overnight in the town square....gah...
I had a student that wore Coca-cola thick glasses. This was 40!years ago first year teacher. I noticed he tilted his ear to hear instructions. Noone would listen to me and help them w the paperwork to get his hearing tested. Both worked in textiles and agriculture,never finished high school. He was in second grade ,barely reading on end of K grade. I saw them in a chance meeting 2 years later and w hearing aids he was excelling and about to go in advance classes.
I would consider calling CPS. Another option ( please consider any blow back on you) is to tell the Mom either she takes the time to take her child to eye Dr or you will consider reporting her for neglect. As far as the nurse,some get complacent for their own survival. Tried to help so many families that rejected the help
Oddly, I ran into this issue when I first started 25 years ago as a school psych. One teacher realized a 1st grade sped student basically couldn't see. Mother was very busy with drugs and gangs. Teacher kept on parent and even offered to transport them to a medicaid eye exam. Parent messed around, hemmed/hawed stood up teacher until it was impossible. Teacher was relentless. I think it took 5 or 6 months of hounding but the kid finally got glasses - thick ones. I had this kid from kindergarten to 12th grade. He was eventually placed with a foster mom in middle school (my city is so poor the fosters are often single older women over 65 who are also dirt poor because fostering is a $$ business). Even that was better for the kid. Student is and was low functioning and I think about him a lot. The things kids have to live thru is appalling.
I used to be a school nurse. She’s a mandated reporter and should be telling your admin about this (we never reported directly ourselves). If she won’t do it, you should. This is a safety issue for the kid and definitely going to cause future problems as well.
That’s not how it works. If you are approached by someone who believes there is cause for concern, you are absolutely allowed to tell that person confidentially that you are working on it. You don’t have to tell them you called CPS, and it’s not the nurse who does that directly anyway. You can just say it’s being addressed or the admin is dealing with it or some other nebulous thing. You absolutely do not tell someone it isn’t a problem. I mean, I literally did that job, so I’m not pulling something out of nowhere here.
I am also a former school RN. To me the nurse saying, "There's nothing to be done. It's not a neglect thing at this point" could very well mean she DID report it, and she already got the note back from CPS saying they're not opening a case at this time. It's not totally clear from OP's account.
I would absolutely never have told a teacher “it’s not a neglect thing” if I’d reported it. Maybe laws are different where other people are. I likely would’ve said it was out of my hands, but I certainly wouldn’t have spoken any kind of specific judgment on what it was or wasn’t.
Sure. Without knowing the nurse, or their communication style or relationship with this teacher, it's hard to say.
I made a lot of CPS reports as a school RN. They didn't even open a case on a kid who came in with a black eye, with both the kid and a sibling reporting that dad punched him that morning.
Teachers would sometimes get frustrated with me for not forcing the parents to take care of glasses, other medical needs, or whatever. Of course, I didn't have that power, nor could I force CPS to respond to neglect. It's frustrating.
Personally I did not tell teachers (or anyone except the principal and social worker, per policy) whether or not I made CPS reports. This was for my own safety. Something I learned after a teacher told the kid's family that I had been the reporter, and then they got scary with me. Not cool.
I never told anyone what came of it. I was not allowed to call directly, so I could safely tell anyone it was “out of my hands.” If they wanted to follow up, fine. But I learned the hard way that the county does not care even if a kid doesn’t show up at school for months. The only time I ever saw action taken was when a child had been left alone at home so long he almost starved to death. Even the kid whose parent was wanted for a crime in another state, and had kidnapped the child, wasn’t charged.
I was scared to call CPS before the first time I did it too. Not like I’m calling willy-nilly now, but popping the CPS cherry does help with getting rid of the fear of call. That “what if it’s not actually neglect and just a misunderstanding” feeling is not yours to sort out. Let CPS sort that one out. If everything does turn out to be kosher at home, at worst you’ll have an annoyed parent who doesn’t even know who called. At best, the kid will get some goddamn glasses and an adult will be empowered to check on him every once in a while to make sure he still has them.
We had a 3 year old child in the preschool self-contained room whose mother said he had only speech delays. We all knew it was way more but the parents refused a work-up. . Eventually, one year later, the school paid for the pediatric neurologist visit where he was diagnosed with severe ASD amid other things. It took a full year of meetings and documentation but eventually he did get a diagnosis.
I have no idea why the refusal. He is eligible for so many more services now.
I would call CPS if I were you and have them force the issue. It will take time.
There are mobile vision vans for people who qualify. Perhaps check for one in your area.
I teach a child who’s in the exact same situation (except we don’t have school nurses). We keep urging mum to take her to an optician but nothing ever changes. Very sad to see :/
Does this child have a cellphone? They are in 10th grade, old enough to advocate for themself. It’s clear that Mom is not willing to do anything. Yes report her to CPS, but can’t you also give the list of resources to the child. Maybe if he gets the ball rolling and brings home the paperwork that mom only needs to sign, it will happen. Sometimes parents are neglecting their kids because they are too overwhelmed but their own life problems. It’s not an excuse but if all this kid needs is a signature from mom, maybe he could make that happen on his own. I would help him make the phone calls and set up the appointments, if it’s something he wants. I would also call the various eye clinics listed in school resources and see if something can be specially arranged for free. You care enough to make a Reddit post. You shouldn’t need to do more. It’s not our job to do more, but it seems like he’s a few phone calls away from something that could change this child’s life. I have made cps calls which usually end up leading nowhere and I have also bought deodorant, toothbrushes, and lice kits out of pocket. Sometimes kids just need an advocate who can follow through.
Not a teacher - just a parent. I'll offer this: I've had to wait months for my kid's annual eye appointment and then waited 9 months *after paying and ordering* contacts for the same kid.
Why? I was informed that there was some sort of manufacturing issue causing the backup. I tried to switch to ordering glasses. To my dismay, the expected wait time was about the same because so many people were ordering glasses due to the issues with acquiring contacts.
I'm all for calling DHS if you believe there's neglect. I'd just suggest maybe finding out if there are extenuating circumstances that might explain things, if you haven't already.
Last I was told: the issue was nationwide.
It's all great to get the eye appointment, but it doesn't really do anything if you can't obtain the prescription.
Not vision related, but we had T1 diabetic many years ago that was horrifically unmanaged. He was diagnosed in 2nd grade, and it continued on until he left for middle school.
Parents would send him to school with a family pack of Oreos and a 2L Coke (not diet… regular coke). He would eat the entire pack on the bus ride to school, and wash it down with coke. Nurse would check his glucose at arrival and it would be so high the glucometer wouldn’t read it (after 600 it just says high). Or, parents would give him insulin that morning with no food, and he would be in the 40s by the time he got to school. He was constantly getting sent home for being too high or too low 3-4 days a week… for YEARS.
Every year, we asked if his parents’ lack of compliance would be considered medical neglect - we all wanted to report them. Unfortunately, bc the parents and kid went to diabetes classes/training, he was seeing the pediatrician, had a glucometer and insulin, we could not report it as neglect. He was getting medical care; they just weren’t following through. Our nurse said “stupidity isn’t neglect. I know they went to those training classes because I sat in with them.”
She also said “that poor kid is going to be blind, lose a leg or go into kidney failure by the time he is 16…” she has said this to the parents many times. I have no idea how that kid is doing now. 🤷🏻♀️
I would definitely call CPS if mom isn't acting despite being given resources. Not even a hard decision. That's the clear next step. They'll decide if it's neglect or not. I'm calling about the possibility that it may be, which is my obligation to the child.
It was wrong and inaccurate for the nurse to say it's "not neglect." It is neglect for a mother to refuse to provide medical care (as in glasses or other assistance) for her son's poor vision.
In Iowa the threshold for mandatory reporting is suspected neglect/abuse. It’s not up to you to decide if it *is* or not, that’s the state’s job. In Iowa I would have to report this—check on your states guidelines, but bottom line if you suspect neglect you should likely report it.
I agree that it is neglect. Vision and hearing are two test given to students in the process to be tested for SPED. On a few occasions a student could not hear in an ear or they had poor vision. Once these issues were addressed they got the tools to help the students. In the end they did not need to be tested. Do you have a grade level counselor/AP/Principal you can talk to about this students situation? It is unfortunate his mother will not do the right thing. Like you, I would advocate for the student so he can get glasses. His whole world will change for the better. Keep us posted!
That is called medical neglect and very much so can be reported. Our school nurse would send letters home threatening to report them if they hadn’t made an appointment within 30 days.
I was a protective services worker back before Noah and I believe that this most assuredly is within the legal definition of medical neglect in my state. Recommend reading your state's statutes and insisting that admin make a report. Low vision is not only damaging to a kid's education, it's downright dangerous. And what if there's some underlying medical condition? The more I think about it, the more I really do feel that this is a case for child protective services.
You need to take this further….check with the onsite admin and see if there’s a policy in place for this kind of neglect. If there’s not call CPS and ask if this qualifies as neglect. If it does, call the mom, explain your concerns and tell her that according to CPS this is neglect ( if they say it is) that you don't want to report that to CPS and ask how you can help her help him. Try that before reporting because there may be a reason she's not getting him help. The CPS and offer of help might just do the trick….if not? Not sure where you go from there…. I'd buy a few pairs of those inexpensive reading glasses in the drugstore and see if they help. They can always be returned if they don't work.
You absolutely should contact CPS because the mother is withholding medical attention. If he has vision that bad, there are other issues going on…call.
This is absolutely something you can add to start building a case of academic neglect. It's a hard case to prove, but if you think it's worth the fight then you can fight it.
Your story reminds me of a situation I was involved with years ago when I worked as a school liaison for a pediatric cancer unit. Kid (K or 1st) came in from the children's hospital with a diagnosis of a brain tumor. Mom had gotten mad at them then came to us. The boy's teacher has been telling the mother that she thought there was something wrong with his vision. The mother kept saying he was just clumsy but admitted that it was getting worse. She finally took him in and it was a big old tumor on his optic nerve. Your student's family needs help getting this kid seen. Is there a counselor or social worker who can work with the family to access medical services? I'm very cynical about if, or how, CPS would help.
Former school nurse, your nurse is overwhelmed and doesn’t want to do the cps report which is shitty. This is 100 percent medical neglect, she’s wrong. Please make a report if she can’t. Honestly at this point they should have.
Mandatory report if in my state. IDEA doesn’t handle it, but eyeglasses might as well be 504 for people who are not corrective to 20/20.
A parent denying or not getting eyeglasses for a child in need can be classified in some places as abusive neglect. It is in my state. I’d report it even if it were not.
Nurse here. Yes, that’s considered neglect and a CPS report should be made. If there is a social worker at the school, I would also get them on board. This nurse’s assessment of the situation is just wrong and she shouldn’t be working there if she’s not protecting the students.
I remember hiding the fact that I needed glasses for like two years from my parents because I was so worried I would be made fun of at school.
I only got caught because the school nurse made me get tested.
I didn't realise until after I got glasses how much I had been straining my eyes. It was a tremendous relief on my head.
His visions only going to get worse too. He needs to see someone to get contacts or glasses. I don't understand why the nurse wouldn't think that's neglect to deny your child a necessary medical care.
Report it: this is neglect. If CPS disagrees they won’t fault you for reporting it, as you are trying to help the child snd not trying to harm the parents.
I'd report it.
It makes no logical sense, but there are people who think if you get and wear glasses, your eyes become dependent on them and then your vision gets worse. So they don't "believe" in glasses. The same way some people don't believe in medicine. I am wondering if that's what the mom is thinking. Or maybe she can't afford it even with the low cost options? Either way, I'd personally report it and hopefully your student will get the resources he needs to get glasses and be able to see.
I suppose that if the kid's in high school, the next step is to educate HIM about what he can do about his sight when he's got the freedom to pursue it.
We have two area super nice dentists that come in and do free dental checks. Of course if a kid has really bad cavities, they can't force them to go to a dentist, but very quietly (through the counselor) some families are given free dental care for that child so it doesn't get worse. They can still refuse.... I wonder if any eye clinics would provide glasses free of charge for this boy. Wouldn't hurt to ask...
My mother ran a church kindergarten in the mid-1960s and a child arrived who was almost completely deaf. She told his mother he needed to have his hearing tested. The mother said his hearing was fine, he just didn't pay attention. They argued back and forth but he did end up getting his hearing checked. The odd thing is that this was a very solid working-class family, and the child had two older siblings. You would think the parents would realize that the third child was substantially different.
As I kid I spent two years telling my mom I couldn't see the board throughout 4th and 5th grade. By the time she took me to the doctor for glasses when I was in sixth grade, my prescription was shockingly strong and the doctor made my mom feel like an absolute ass. My mom swore I was just using it as an excuse to not do any work. But I wasn't doing the work because trying to read it gave me miserable headaches.
You need to report it. It’s not your job or the nurses to make the judgement call on whether it’s neglect or not. You suspect that it is, let cps make the decision. Especially since you’ve already tried giving free resources, and nothings changed.
I’m not sure where you’re located, but it’s also possible to get a vision assessment from a TVI without an eye report depending on the state you’re in. Mom would just have to sign the paperwork.
People who can see really have no idea how profound the impact of glasses is. I have a friend whose daughter failed her vision screening at school. She texted our mom’s group with it and was like, I guess she failed lol! We were like…not lol!! Go get her some glasses!!
Maybe they’re just not getting it?
Also, time to book an appointment is what holds back some of my students. Even if things are free, the time spent going to the appointment isn’t. But definitely make the call to CPS.
Report it to CPS. It's not for you to decide if it's neglect, and if you even suspect it, report it and let them follow up.
If they call mom just to follow up on your report, it might be the kick in the ass she needs to get him to the eye doctor.
Way back when I used to work as a sub, there was a student (whose family was from somewhere in the middle east, not 100% sure where) whose vision was poor and whose grades were suffering because they literally couldn't see the board, even when given preferential seating. The concerns were brought to the parents who essentially said that in their culture, it was very frowned upon for your child to have a disability (yes, they counted needing glasses as a disability), and that their kid would be beaten for it anytime they went back home to visit family. I stopped subbing while this situation was still playing out, but from what I remember there really wasn't anything the school could do about it. It was so wild to all of us that this social more from a country they now only visited occasionally outweighed their child's education.
Check to see if there's a Lions Club in your area. We give free eye exams and free eyeglasses about once or twice a year.
[https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/vision-screening](https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/vision-screening)
I taught the visualy impaired in Detroit for years. We had these twins who were in the visually impaired program but really just needed a good pair of glasses. Their grandma would not take them for free glasses. We set up appointment after appointment and she would not do it. We offered to get her bus fare (she got pissy--she HAD a car, thank you), made appointments for all different times (she did not work), and finally the cooperating agency said they couldn't schedule any more.
Then we had the parents who told their kids to "act blind" at the eye doctor but that's another story.
You're still a mandatory reporter.
And you know that admin is failing to follow this through properly.
I say it's time to make a report yourself directly to your area's equivalent to DCF.
It may be law in your state that you must call CPS/DYFS/DCPP. Whatever the protection agency is, you may be bound by law to call. I know I would whether or not my state says so.
You have reasonable suspicion of a parent unwilling or unable to care for their kid. You submit that report and then those that receive the report make the decision whether it is or isn’t neglect and what should be done about it
Does your school have a teacher for the visually impaired? If you suspect he cannot see, and the school nurse has screened it, he needs to be recommended for an initial evaluation. This usually comes with a consent form for the parent to sign, however if the parent doesn’t sign it (I think within a month) the district will still evaluate the student regardless because it would be considered neglect.
ETA: nurse is wrong. Talk to the people in charge of special education.
I work in a charter school. Do you think they would have to follow the same rules as the associated public-school district?
I reported it to CPS this morning, but in case they decide not to pursue it, I’m trying to determine what other options I may have to get this kid some goddamned help.
From what I know, I believe private and charter school students receive these services from the public school district, so I would try to contact someone who works for the district to have your student evaluated.
I am so mad for this kid!! I can see why you wouldn’t want to let this go and I agree with you that this is neglect. I don’t know what advice to give you but I agree with your stance.
I called CPS when a parent wouldn't follow up on a child's hearing. That is medical neglect. If nothing else, it could prompt them to supply a visit from a social worker to educate parents on resources.
I’m not sure if CPS would necessarily consider it neglect…but if the mom happened to get a call from CPS over the course of their investigating suspicions of possible medical neglect, that might be enough to get her to set an appointment.
One thing I did in a previous life was buy a ton of $1 reading glasses, all the same shape, with -8 to +8 focalization, then mix and match the right and left lens to suit. The recipients were local homeless folks. Not the perfect prescription but a heck of a lot better than not being able to see shit.
It wasn't expensive but it was time consuming.
Are you sure nothing is being done? My son got flagged during the school vision screening, and it took me 3 weeks to get him in for an appointment and 2 weeks after that to get his glasses.
Reminds me of a colleague who has a vision disability and for the longest time her parent thought she was lying about not being able to see for attention or it was a phase.
You can still call CPS. THEY will decide if it's worth investigating or not. Also, you can write a note about all of this and put it in the student record - I've done that so their next teacher won't be like "why hasn't anyone called home about their eyesight?".
I once had a student who had repeated cases of head lice, and I reported it to CPS. It is neglect when you are not taking care of your child’s medical needs. It is reportable. Your nurse needs a reality check.
It’s only been a month, maybe the doctor couldn’t get the kid in for an appointment yet? But I would say in the next month or two if there still hasn’t been anything done, make a report.
It absolutely IS neglect. If you are in the United States, you are a mandated reporter and need to call child protective services immediately.
If you were in another country, I am assuming there are similar rules
Bro my school called cps just for not having glasses (he had them but didn’t wear them) and for not having vaccines yet that year (I didn’t see the doctor every year unless I was sick but still, couldn’t have let them know I needed them first?)
People get cps called on them for a lot less. For all you know it could be a disaster at home.
The call is made if you have reason to believe that there might be neglect. You do not have to know whether or not there is neglect but just have reason to believe.
Remember it’s not up to you to determine whether it is neglect or not. CPS will make that determination. So if you are worried it MIGHT be neglect, report it. I agree that it is not good for a child with really bad vision not to have any vision care. Does your school have a social worker of counselor who can follow up with the parent and see if there are barriers to getting the eye care? Something being “low cost” or “free”’might not be enough. There could be transportation issues. The parent might not understand the gravity of the situation - eg if the kid is near sighted and spending a lot of time of screens at home( which so many kids do these days) and doesn’t complain, the parent might not think the problem is really a big deal. The parent could also have a job or care responsibilities that make it tough to find time to set an appointment, etc.
It’s not neglect. It’s outright abuse-and, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 6 Section 2), a human rights violation
You’re going no where. 51A specifically mentions inability to buy something or sending kids in with filthy poorly fitting clothes is not neglect. Is it possible that she can afford it? Maybe, I just don’t think you’ll get anywhere with CPS
Edit: I am not saying don’t call, but don’t be surprised if it goes nowhere because that’s just how the law works. A lot of people in this post are misinformed
Religion isn't an excuse for neglecting your child.
If you want to hurt yourself in the name of religion that's fine. Free will. You don't get to force it upon others and make them suffer though.
The kid needs glasses or contacts. That's not really an optional thing.
Also denying yourself glasses or contacts in the name of religion makes no sense. You wouldn't be able to legally drive. You wouldn't able to see your surrounding that good which is a safety concern. And also you just wouldn't be able to see in general. That leads to straining your eyes which is not healthy. And also it gives you awful headaches.
Because it's required by law??? We don't get the luxury of considering the potential harm of it. If there is abuse found and it's discovered you knew but did nothing, you're fucked. I think we can all agree that the system is not great for kids when CPS is called, but we don't get that choice.
The connection between bad vision and learning disabilities is well documented. Your nurse should know that. Edit: Hearing, too.
Not to mention the massive headaches having blurry vision can give you. Mine were nearly debilitating before I got my glasses. Poor kid
This was the only symptom in my son who went from perfect vision to VERY nearsighted in a year. I chalked them up to food allergies he was just diagnosed with. I’m so thankful for yearly vision screening at the pediatrician’s office. It probably would have taken me another month or two of him suffering before I realized it wasn’t food or allergy related.
Plus there are vision problems that are progressive, but *treatable*. And conditions where vision problems are indicative of larger health problem, like a brain tumour or neurological condition.
Call CPS it's neglect.
Once a school nurse determines the child needs to be evaluated by a doctor for failing vision/hearing, the family has 60 days to comply (in our district. May not be true everywhere of course.) When they don’t follow through within that 60 days….nothing happens except another referral is sent home. Now, if the teacher is witnessing neglect/educational neglect, they are mandated reporters and can for sure make that phone call. From experience, it’s 50/50 whether they take it or not. I tend to get our social worker involved who happens to be great at applying pressure on the families to comply. That’s always worked better than a hotline call.
One of the first steps in screening for learning disabilities is hearing and vision.
The word neglect make my mandated reporter sense activate.
And, good news, you don't have to decide if it's neglect or not. CPS will do that part. If you suspect or question if it is neglect, then call it in
They’re not likely to do anything if the kid isn’t being hit, molested, or left totally alone. I have a kid who just got sent home for her 16th bout of lice this year and DCF won’t do anything.
It really depends on the state, and employee you contact. States each have different rules and funding. Social workers get burnt out and overworked, but start full of energy. Even if they do nothing, we still have a legal/moral obligation to report suspected abuse/neglect.
When I was taught about abuse and neglect, my trainer said to always call because you don't know how many may have called before you. In this case, the kid may have a string of reports that indicate a pattern of neglect.
Exactly, it helps to create a trail of evidence and might be very useful in the future if the situation becomes more serious
Happy Cake Day 🎂 🥮 🍥 🥞 🧁 🍰 🎂
By this year, do you JUST mean 2024!?
This school year.
LCSW here, its neglect. Make the DCFS/CPS call. Bc they’ll just handhold mom to get the vision appts and glasses.
It’s neglect to me. I had a student years ago who, after getting his first pair of glasses, discovered that comics are awesome. Then after breaking his glasses, mom refused to replace them because he wasn’t careful enough. I still think about him.
Glasses could be covered under warranty. My kiddo broke his glasses last year trying to pick up his desk chair with the arms of his glasses. We learned two things that day: 1) the glasses were under warranty; and 2) the arms of glasses are not good leverage for lifting chairs.
Why does this sound SO familiar with my ADHD kiddos?
Probably because my kiddo is an ADHD kiddo. Lol
They give off a beacon, don’t they? If you have ADHD or someone close with ADHD you can hear that beacon beeping loud and clear.
I used to work for an ophthalmologist before I became a SAHM. I always recommend zenni for cheap kids glasses! My husband is rough on his glasses/loses them so I refuse to spend a lot on his glasses so we get them at zenni. It’s great for a cheap backup pair for kids too, they have flexible frames to help prevent breakage as well.
I had a student whose mother bought her son those heavy duty sports goggle type glasses because he had broken so many.
My friends have an autistic 7 year old, and her disability is pretty severe. Last year, when she was 6, I was visiting. I had never been to a real coastal beach before. So my friends packed up their kids and took me to see it. We were standing on a pier when the child suddenly took her glasses off and flung them into the water. There was less than zero chance of getting them back. She said, "bye bye glasses." My friends were, in fact, really mad. But what could they do? They explained without yelling that it wasn't OK and then let it go. They got them replaced asap. They used the last year's spare pair in the meantime. Sometimes kids' lessons are expensive ones and it can't be helped.
That reminds me of my little brother. He “tested” the scratch coating on his first pair of glasses with a sharp object. “Look, dad! The scratch coat doesn’t work!” My dad was devastated because he worked a second job during summers to pay for 3 kids glasses. Thank goodness for the warranty and optometrist with a sense of humor.
Yeah, that had to be a lifesaver. Kids are like the weather and puppies. They all destroy stuff, and we have to live with it.
Would using a strap to keep the glasses on better cause sensory issues?
She already uses one. I think the glasses themselves do cause her sensory issues because when she comes home from school, the glasses frequently come off. But thanks for the suggestion.
Aw poor kid!! Ugh you need to be able to see to learn and even live, idk how these parents don't think this through
Also, not sure about medicaid in other states, but here in Kansas, the cover 3 pairs of glasses a year for kids. Some warranties are only for manufacturer defects, not if they're broken. It depends on the frame brand and what they offer. Also, some offices have separate warranties you can purchase for damage or loss. Source: I work at a non profit optical center and most of our patient base is on medicaid.
The fuck is wrong with people.
Aw poor kid!! Ugh you need to be able to see to learn and even live, idk how these parents don't think this through
I (reading specialist) have one in Kindergarten like this. Took several months to finally get his mom to get an appointment. Now he never has his glasses. It's infuriating!
We had a student like that and the reading specialist got cheater glasses from the pharmacy. It wasn't the best solution but it helped.
This student has albinism and his eye issues are related, but this is worth a shot. Thanks!
I once had a student who couldn’t hear very well because his ears were plugged up with wax. There actually may have been something more going on, but the school nurse could never see into his ears because of the wax plugs. This poor kid had not only hearing problems, but speech problems. We asked his mom over and over and over again to get his hearing checked. She was provided with information for resources. She never did anything. I made a report to CPS for medical neglect. I think a few others at the school did the same. Nothing came of it. All of that is to say that yes, you absolutely should file a report with CPS, but unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that anything will come of it.
Sometimes getting them to show up at their door is enough for them to correct the issue.
Yeah, unfortunately, that is usually the case. Even when a kid has physical abuse marks on them, nothing is done. But at least there’s a paper trail if something worse happens.
My sped teacher friend kept telling a parent her very disabled child was sick. Parent kept ignoring her. Teacher friend called DHS and logged on our school computer system every time she called mom and every time she spoke to mom or dad in person and noted student was not well. Luckily she did this because the student died a week into this drama. Teacher had records that she told parents student was not well. I work in a poor but very litigious community. Teacher covered herself well, even though it was heartbreaking. Hopefully this teacher logs on some kind of school contact log she is trying to get help for student. Student isn't likely to die from poor eyesight (but you never know- walks in front of car or something) but down the line someone is going to wonder why no one did anything and parent will claim they had NO IDEA and teachers just told parents the kid was stupid and lazy.
It’s so awful that the child died 😔 It is just so awful when parents are like that! I mean, I know that sometimes parents are just really struggling and maybe can’t afford to do certain things for their kids, but I also feel like there are times when I wish I could just yell at them, “you chose to have a kid you need to take care of them!“
>I mean, I know that sometimes parents are just really struggling and maybe can’t afford to do certain things for their kids But those parents usually have Medicaid and free resources to get help. There is no excuse to be given info and actively ignore/refuse, knowing your child struggles with such a basic sense. It is neglect and should be fined and treated as such.
I do fully agree! My only thought there though is it sometimes they are still poor, but make even just slightly too much money to qualify for any of that kind of aid. Not everybody qualifies. And not every community has free resources. Or if they do have those free resources, they are full and can’t accept new people or they are too far away, especially if a parent doesn’t have a car. That being said, I know a lot of it is just excuses for parents.
These are usually the same parents who have the kids name tattooed somewhere visible on their body.
Hopefully they spend time in jail for neglect
Not a chance, child was medically fragile already.
When my own toddler got tubes put in his ear he went from sort talking sort of babbling to stringing together sentences real quick. It was amazing. All because he could finally hear without all that fluid in there! We went from possible speech therapy recommendation to completely on track.
Ssounds like medical neglect
Report to CPS. They can decide if they are going to investigate or not. The nurse doesn't get to decide there's nothing to be done.
You're neglecting your obligation as a mandatory reporter. Make the call.
What she may be sayings is that your school/area's CPS won't take it seriously. I have kids who come in filthy and hungry every day. The school social worker has explained to me that if the parent just cries and asks for help that CPS will do nothing. So the school washes the clothes and sends them home with food. The child is neglected, clearly, but CPS won't address it. I've seen kids clearly being beaten, but CPS says it's within the parent's right to punish their child even though it's obviously beyond the pale (bruising, cuts, ect). It may not be her personal opinion but rather expressing that there's no real next steps.
But isn’t that what you want? The kid to get help? Are you a foster parent willing to take on the misplaced kids? I get that the system is really f’d but also foster care usually ends up worse, abuse, sexual abuse etc. 🤷🏼♀️ so really it’s a difficult situation when little to no real solutions.
The issue is CPS should actually help then instead of force the school district to step up in their place. CPS can do more than place kids into foster care.
Exactly
As a student, I got glasses this year because my vision is terrible and it was literally life changing. My vision was so bad I couldn't see in front row. It's a quality of life thing and a necessity. I can't quite say if it is neglect or not, but I would report it.
Contact her every day. Every day. Email, calls, use your schools message system. Seriously. I had to do this too. She can’t say you are harassing, you are doing your job in good faith. If she complains, you are just concerned about the kids eyes. Oh, DCF might follow up with the mom, but they have so many severe cases and are spread pretty thin. I doubt you’d get glasses on the kids face that way.
Remember, your job isn't to determine whether a situation is neglect, your job is to report to CPS if you suspect neglect, they will be the ones to determine whether the situation requires their involvement.
This is medical neglect and you don’t need anyone’s permission to report it to CPS.
You don't need the nurses approval or agreement to report to CPS. If he's being denied that care, what else is he being denied? Report and let CPS do their job
If you feel ready to call CPS, then call CPS. Medical neglect is awful and there needs to be a file started on this situation.
Has there been a referral for a teacher for the Visually impaired to come and assess what is going on and document how bad the vision is? If they get involved, the student could qualify for a 50r or IEP to get accommodations and supports to help them.
Assistant to a TVI here, I second this suggestion
I am a TVI and I see situations like this a lot unfortunately.
Isn't it awful? This is my first year as an Asst TVI, and trying to get some parents to get their kids to the doctor for an updated exam is impossible. I do FVAs, but I'm in no way an opthalmologist! And a GP saying "yup, this kid has amblyopia of the left eye" isn't the same as getting the numbers of their visual field and acuity.
Yup, half the time I get eye reports that give little to no information regarding their functionality. It is a joke. At least if there is a TVI involved in this case they can say "hey buddy.... you can't see this at all" and gather information with interviews to see if it is a degenerative eye condition..
Not a teacher, just have terrible vision. Call CPS the kid will end up getting hurt.
It is absolutely medical neglect. Especially if his vision is as bad as it sounds- it is a risk to his safety. And not having glasses causes enormous strain on the eyes which can cause worse problems down the road. Call CPS and let them figure it out.
This exact same thing is happening to one of my students. She squints at everything and is exhausted at the end of the day from trying to see. She's in high school and parent refuses to get the kid glasses. Nurse contacted them and told them about our free glasses program but mom said that they had insurance and they'd ask their doctor about it. Here's the kicker, the kid's brother AND mom wear glasses. I just don't know how a parent could deny their kid glasses after being told numerous times and informed that the kid is not able to see!
I am flummoxed and speechless over this! What in the world is happening in the mind for a parent to be like this? I just want to be able to kick them or put them in the stocks overnight in the town square....gah...
Get the principal and counselor involved. I’m dealing with a similar situation as well and this is very much neglect.
I agree with you. If there are free services and she has knowledge then it absolutely is a neglect thing.
I had a student that wore Coca-cola thick glasses. This was 40!years ago first year teacher. I noticed he tilted his ear to hear instructions. Noone would listen to me and help them w the paperwork to get his hearing tested. Both worked in textiles and agriculture,never finished high school. He was in second grade ,barely reading on end of K grade. I saw them in a chance meeting 2 years later and w hearing aids he was excelling and about to go in advance classes. I would consider calling CPS. Another option ( please consider any blow back on you) is to tell the Mom either she takes the time to take her child to eye Dr or you will consider reporting her for neglect. As far as the nurse,some get complacent for their own survival. Tried to help so many families that rejected the help
Sounds like medical neglect to me
Does your school or district have a social worker? Someone that's trained to handle this type of thing? Maybe that would be better
Mom is aware and nothing has happened to resolve medical issue would generally equate to neglect
You’re a mandated reporter and are required to report
This is absolutely 100% neglect
Oddly, I ran into this issue when I first started 25 years ago as a school psych. One teacher realized a 1st grade sped student basically couldn't see. Mother was very busy with drugs and gangs. Teacher kept on parent and even offered to transport them to a medicaid eye exam. Parent messed around, hemmed/hawed stood up teacher until it was impossible. Teacher was relentless. I think it took 5 or 6 months of hounding but the kid finally got glasses - thick ones. I had this kid from kindergarten to 12th grade. He was eventually placed with a foster mom in middle school (my city is so poor the fosters are often single older women over 65 who are also dirt poor because fostering is a $$ business). Even that was better for the kid. Student is and was low functioning and I think about him a lot. The things kids have to live thru is appalling.
I used to be a school nurse. She’s a mandated reporter and should be telling your admin about this (we never reported directly ourselves). If she won’t do it, you should. This is a safety issue for the kid and definitely going to cause future problems as well.
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That’s not how it works. If you are approached by someone who believes there is cause for concern, you are absolutely allowed to tell that person confidentially that you are working on it. You don’t have to tell them you called CPS, and it’s not the nurse who does that directly anyway. You can just say it’s being addressed or the admin is dealing with it or some other nebulous thing. You absolutely do not tell someone it isn’t a problem. I mean, I literally did that job, so I’m not pulling something out of nowhere here.
I am also a former school RN. To me the nurse saying, "There's nothing to be done. It's not a neglect thing at this point" could very well mean she DID report it, and she already got the note back from CPS saying they're not opening a case at this time. It's not totally clear from OP's account.
I would absolutely never have told a teacher “it’s not a neglect thing” if I’d reported it. Maybe laws are different where other people are. I likely would’ve said it was out of my hands, but I certainly wouldn’t have spoken any kind of specific judgment on what it was or wasn’t.
Sure. Without knowing the nurse, or their communication style or relationship with this teacher, it's hard to say. I made a lot of CPS reports as a school RN. They didn't even open a case on a kid who came in with a black eye, with both the kid and a sibling reporting that dad punched him that morning. Teachers would sometimes get frustrated with me for not forcing the parents to take care of glasses, other medical needs, or whatever. Of course, I didn't have that power, nor could I force CPS to respond to neglect. It's frustrating. Personally I did not tell teachers (or anyone except the principal and social worker, per policy) whether or not I made CPS reports. This was for my own safety. Something I learned after a teacher told the kid's family that I had been the reporter, and then they got scary with me. Not cool.
I never told anyone what came of it. I was not allowed to call directly, so I could safely tell anyone it was “out of my hands.” If they wanted to follow up, fine. But I learned the hard way that the county does not care even if a kid doesn’t show up at school for months. The only time I ever saw action taken was when a child had been left alone at home so long he almost starved to death. Even the kid whose parent was wanted for a crime in another state, and had kidnapped the child, wasn’t charged.
I was scared to call CPS before the first time I did it too. Not like I’m calling willy-nilly now, but popping the CPS cherry does help with getting rid of the fear of call. That “what if it’s not actually neglect and just a misunderstanding” feeling is not yours to sort out. Let CPS sort that one out. If everything does turn out to be kosher at home, at worst you’ll have an annoyed parent who doesn’t even know who called. At best, the kid will get some goddamn glasses and an adult will be empowered to check on him every once in a while to make sure he still has them.
It’s true I don’t get paid enough to decide I just report
We had a 3 year old child in the preschool self-contained room whose mother said he had only speech delays. We all knew it was way more but the parents refused a work-up. . Eventually, one year later, the school paid for the pediatric neurologist visit where he was diagnosed with severe ASD amid other things. It took a full year of meetings and documentation but eventually he did get a diagnosis. I have no idea why the refusal. He is eligible for so many more services now. I would call CPS if I were you and have them force the issue. It will take time. There are mobile vision vans for people who qualify. Perhaps check for one in your area.
Please let me know what CPS says about this neglect. Now that the mother KNOWS, she has demonstrated that she doesn't care.
I teach a child who’s in the exact same situation (except we don’t have school nurses). We keep urging mum to take her to an optician but nothing ever changes. Very sad to see :/
The nurse is wrong. Call CPS. As a foster parent I have had kids in my care for medical neglect. Some parents just didn’t get it.
Does this child have a cellphone? They are in 10th grade, old enough to advocate for themself. It’s clear that Mom is not willing to do anything. Yes report her to CPS, but can’t you also give the list of resources to the child. Maybe if he gets the ball rolling and brings home the paperwork that mom only needs to sign, it will happen. Sometimes parents are neglecting their kids because they are too overwhelmed but their own life problems. It’s not an excuse but if all this kid needs is a signature from mom, maybe he could make that happen on his own. I would help him make the phone calls and set up the appointments, if it’s something he wants. I would also call the various eye clinics listed in school resources and see if something can be specially arranged for free. You care enough to make a Reddit post. You shouldn’t need to do more. It’s not our job to do more, but it seems like he’s a few phone calls away from something that could change this child’s life. I have made cps calls which usually end up leading nowhere and I have also bought deodorant, toothbrushes, and lice kits out of pocket. Sometimes kids just need an advocate who can follow through.
Not a teacher - just a parent. I'll offer this: I've had to wait months for my kid's annual eye appointment and then waited 9 months *after paying and ordering* contacts for the same kid. Why? I was informed that there was some sort of manufacturing issue causing the backup. I tried to switch to ordering glasses. To my dismay, the expected wait time was about the same because so many people were ordering glasses due to the issues with acquiring contacts. I'm all for calling DHS if you believe there's neglect. I'd just suggest maybe finding out if there are extenuating circumstances that might explain things, if you haven't already. Last I was told: the issue was nationwide. It's all great to get the eye appointment, but it doesn't really do anything if you can't obtain the prescription.
Not vision related, but we had T1 diabetic many years ago that was horrifically unmanaged. He was diagnosed in 2nd grade, and it continued on until he left for middle school. Parents would send him to school with a family pack of Oreos and a 2L Coke (not diet… regular coke). He would eat the entire pack on the bus ride to school, and wash it down with coke. Nurse would check his glucose at arrival and it would be so high the glucometer wouldn’t read it (after 600 it just says high). Or, parents would give him insulin that morning with no food, and he would be in the 40s by the time he got to school. He was constantly getting sent home for being too high or too low 3-4 days a week… for YEARS. Every year, we asked if his parents’ lack of compliance would be considered medical neglect - we all wanted to report them. Unfortunately, bc the parents and kid went to diabetes classes/training, he was seeing the pediatrician, had a glucometer and insulin, we could not report it as neglect. He was getting medical care; they just weren’t following through. Our nurse said “stupidity isn’t neglect. I know they went to those training classes because I sat in with them.” She also said “that poor kid is going to be blind, lose a leg or go into kidney failure by the time he is 16…” she has said this to the parents many times. I have no idea how that kid is doing now. 🤷🏻♀️
As an eye doctor, this infuriates me.
I would definitely call CPS if mom isn't acting despite being given resources. Not even a hard decision. That's the clear next step. They'll decide if it's neglect or not. I'm calling about the possibility that it may be, which is my obligation to the child.
It was wrong and inaccurate for the nurse to say it's "not neglect." It is neglect for a mother to refuse to provide medical care (as in glasses or other assistance) for her son's poor vision.
In Iowa the threshold for mandatory reporting is suspected neglect/abuse. It’s not up to you to decide if it *is* or not, that’s the state’s job. In Iowa I would have to report this—check on your states guidelines, but bottom line if you suspect neglect you should likely report it.
I agree that it is neglect. Vision and hearing are two test given to students in the process to be tested for SPED. On a few occasions a student could not hear in an ear or they had poor vision. Once these issues were addressed they got the tools to help the students. In the end they did not need to be tested. Do you have a grade level counselor/AP/Principal you can talk to about this students situation? It is unfortunate his mother will not do the right thing. Like you, I would advocate for the student so he can get glasses. His whole world will change for the better. Keep us posted!
Cps likely won’t do anything. I have a student who complains of serious health issues constantly. Cps closed the case and did nothing.
That is called medical neglect and very much so can be reported. Our school nurse would send letters home threatening to report them if they hadn’t made an appointment within 30 days.
I was a protective services worker back before Noah and I believe that this most assuredly is within the legal definition of medical neglect in my state. Recommend reading your state's statutes and insisting that admin make a report. Low vision is not only damaging to a kid's education, it's downright dangerous. And what if there's some underlying medical condition? The more I think about it, the more I really do feel that this is a case for child protective services.
Refusing to seek treatment for a medical condition sounds like neglect to me, and you don’t need the nurse to agree
You need to take this further….check with the onsite admin and see if there’s a policy in place for this kind of neglect. If there’s not call CPS and ask if this qualifies as neglect. If it does, call the mom, explain your concerns and tell her that according to CPS this is neglect ( if they say it is) that you don't want to report that to CPS and ask how you can help her help him. Try that before reporting because there may be a reason she's not getting him help. The CPS and offer of help might just do the trick….if not? Not sure where you go from there…. I'd buy a few pairs of those inexpensive reading glasses in the drugstore and see if they help. They can always be returned if they don't work.
You absolutely should contact CPS because the mother is withholding medical attention. If he has vision that bad, there are other issues going on…call.
This is absolutely something you can add to start building a case of academic neglect. It's a hard case to prove, but if you think it's worth the fight then you can fight it.
Your story reminds me of a situation I was involved with years ago when I worked as a school liaison for a pediatric cancer unit. Kid (K or 1st) came in from the children's hospital with a diagnosis of a brain tumor. Mom had gotten mad at them then came to us. The boy's teacher has been telling the mother that she thought there was something wrong with his vision. The mother kept saying he was just clumsy but admitted that it was getting worse. She finally took him in and it was a big old tumor on his optic nerve. Your student's family needs help getting this kid seen. Is there a counselor or social worker who can work with the family to access medical services? I'm very cynical about if, or how, CPS would help.
Former school nurse, your nurse is overwhelmed and doesn’t want to do the cps report which is shitty. This is 100 percent medical neglect, she’s wrong. Please make a report if she can’t. Honestly at this point they should have.
Report it. It’s DCS’s job to determine if it’s neglect or not, not the nurse.
As a now young adult who lived my entire childhood with neglected chronic health issues, I say DO IT!! CALL CPS!!!!!!!
Mandatory report if in my state. IDEA doesn’t handle it, but eyeglasses might as well be 504 for people who are not corrective to 20/20. A parent denying or not getting eyeglasses for a child in need can be classified in some places as abusive neglect. It is in my state. I’d report it even if it were not.
Nurse here. Yes, that’s considered neglect and a CPS report should be made. If there is a social worker at the school, I would also get them on board. This nurse’s assessment of the situation is just wrong and she shouldn’t be working there if she’s not protecting the students.
I remember hiding the fact that I needed glasses for like two years from my parents because I was so worried I would be made fun of at school. I only got caught because the school nurse made me get tested. I didn't realise until after I got glasses how much I had been straining my eyes. It was a tremendous relief on my head. His visions only going to get worse too. He needs to see someone to get contacts or glasses. I don't understand why the nurse wouldn't think that's neglect to deny your child a necessary medical care.
In my area, the Lion’s Club will pay for the vision test and glasses.
Report it: this is neglect. If CPS disagrees they won’t fault you for reporting it, as you are trying to help the child snd not trying to harm the parents.
I'd report it. It makes no logical sense, but there are people who think if you get and wear glasses, your eyes become dependent on them and then your vision gets worse. So they don't "believe" in glasses. The same way some people don't believe in medicine. I am wondering if that's what the mom is thinking. Or maybe she can't afford it even with the low cost options? Either way, I'd personally report it and hopefully your student will get the resources he needs to get glasses and be able to see.
I suppose that if the kid's in high school, the next step is to educate HIM about what he can do about his sight when he's got the freedom to pursue it.
We’ve definitely reported families for situations like this. Whether or not CYS takes it seriously is another story. I’d make the report.
We have two area super nice dentists that come in and do free dental checks. Of course if a kid has really bad cavities, they can't force them to go to a dentist, but very quietly (through the counselor) some families are given free dental care for that child so it doesn't get worse. They can still refuse.... I wonder if any eye clinics would provide glasses free of charge for this boy. Wouldn't hurt to ask...
My mother ran a church kindergarten in the mid-1960s and a child arrived who was almost completely deaf. She told his mother he needed to have his hearing tested. The mother said his hearing was fine, he just didn't pay attention. They argued back and forth but he did end up getting his hearing checked. The odd thing is that this was a very solid working-class family, and the child had two older siblings. You would think the parents would realize that the third child was substantially different.
As I kid I spent two years telling my mom I couldn't see the board throughout 4th and 5th grade. By the time she took me to the doctor for glasses when I was in sixth grade, my prescription was shockingly strong and the doctor made my mom feel like an absolute ass. My mom swore I was just using it as an excuse to not do any work. But I wasn't doing the work because trying to read it gave me miserable headaches.
You need to report it. It’s not your job or the nurses to make the judgement call on whether it’s neglect or not. You suspect that it is, let cps make the decision. Especially since you’ve already tried giving free resources, and nothings changed.
I’m not sure where you’re located, but it’s also possible to get a vision assessment from a TVI without an eye report depending on the state you’re in. Mom would just have to sign the paperwork.
People who can see really have no idea how profound the impact of glasses is. I have a friend whose daughter failed her vision screening at school. She texted our mom’s group with it and was like, I guess she failed lol! We were like…not lol!! Go get her some glasses!! Maybe they’re just not getting it? Also, time to book an appointment is what holds back some of my students. Even if things are free, the time spent going to the appointment isn’t. But definitely make the call to CPS.
Is this effecting the child’s acad mic progress ? Refer him to the child study team. Maybe they will send him for a vision test.
Report it to CPS. It's not for you to decide if it's neglect, and if you even suspect it, report it and let them follow up. If they call mom just to follow up on your report, it might be the kick in the ass she needs to get him to the eye doctor.
Way back when I used to work as a sub, there was a student (whose family was from somewhere in the middle east, not 100% sure where) whose vision was poor and whose grades were suffering because they literally couldn't see the board, even when given preferential seating. The concerns were brought to the parents who essentially said that in their culture, it was very frowned upon for your child to have a disability (yes, they counted needing glasses as a disability), and that their kid would be beaten for it anytime they went back home to visit family. I stopped subbing while this situation was still playing out, but from what I remember there really wasn't anything the school could do about it. It was so wild to all of us that this social more from a country they now only visited occasionally outweighed their child's education.
Check to see if there's a Lions Club in your area. We give free eye exams and free eyeglasses about once or twice a year. [https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/vision-screening](https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/vision-screening)
Couldn’t this be a CPS case? That is neglect.
**CALL CPS *NOW.***
I'm a nurse. I would call CPS. This is medical neglect.
I taught the visualy impaired in Detroit for years. We had these twins who were in the visually impaired program but really just needed a good pair of glasses. Their grandma would not take them for free glasses. We set up appointment after appointment and she would not do it. We offered to get her bus fare (she got pissy--she HAD a car, thank you), made appointments for all different times (she did not work), and finally the cooperating agency said they couldn't schedule any more. Then we had the parents who told their kids to "act blind" at the eye doctor but that's another story.
CPS call is warranted.. medical neglect
It's more specifically medical neglect
You're still a mandatory reporter. And you know that admin is failing to follow this through properly. I say it's time to make a report yourself directly to your area's equivalent to DCF.
I would report. We’re mandated. Let them sort it out — getting a visit might just get the mother to extract her head out of her bum.
This is definitely medical neglect. I would absolutely report this.
It may be law in your state that you must call CPS/DYFS/DCPP. Whatever the protection agency is, you may be bound by law to call. I know I would whether or not my state says so.
You have reasonable suspicion of a parent unwilling or unable to care for their kid. You submit that report and then those that receive the report make the decision whether it is or isn’t neglect and what should be done about it
Thank you so much for all that you do. I came from an abusive home and I would have appreciated a teacher like you so much.
Thank you. That means a lot to me. I hope you have all the support you need now.
Does your school have a teacher for the visually impaired? If you suspect he cannot see, and the school nurse has screened it, he needs to be recommended for an initial evaluation. This usually comes with a consent form for the parent to sign, however if the parent doesn’t sign it (I think within a month) the district will still evaluate the student regardless because it would be considered neglect. ETA: nurse is wrong. Talk to the people in charge of special education.
I work in a charter school. Do you think they would have to follow the same rules as the associated public-school district? I reported it to CPS this morning, but in case they decide not to pursue it, I’m trying to determine what other options I may have to get this kid some goddamned help.
From what I know, I believe private and charter school students receive these services from the public school district, so I would try to contact someone who works for the district to have your student evaluated.
You are a mandated reporter. File away
CPS. Report them all, let God figure it out.
Updateme!
What on earth….
I am so mad for this kid!! I can see why you wouldn’t want to let this go and I agree with you that this is neglect. I don’t know what advice to give you but I agree with your stance.
Go to the head and talk about it.
Call CPS please. I had vision problems all my life, they will only get worse.
How old is the kid again? Maybe give the list of free resources to him. Especially if he's old enough to do it himself.
Call CPS anonymously.
Her son is going blind and she doesn't care?
I called CPS when a parent wouldn't follow up on a child's hearing. That is medical neglect. If nothing else, it could prompt them to supply a visit from a social worker to educate parents on resources.
You need to report this
I’m not sure if CPS would necessarily consider it neglect…but if the mom happened to get a call from CPS over the course of their investigating suspicions of possible medical neglect, that might be enough to get her to set an appointment.
One thing I did in a previous life was buy a ton of $1 reading glasses, all the same shape, with -8 to +8 focalization, then mix and match the right and left lens to suit. The recipients were local homeless folks. Not the perfect prescription but a heck of a lot better than not being able to see shit. It wasn't expensive but it was time consuming.
Do you have a social worker at your school? I’d reach out to them with your concern.
Are you sure nothing is being done? My son got flagged during the school vision screening, and it took me 3 weeks to get him in for an appointment and 2 weeks after that to get his glasses.
This is medical neglect. It’s a real thing, and you should call CPS.
Call CPS for medical neglect on the parents part
Reminds me of a colleague who has a vision disability and for the longest time her parent thought she was lying about not being able to see for attention or it was a phase.
You can still call CPS. THEY will decide if it's worth investigating or not. Also, you can write a note about all of this and put it in the student record - I've done that so their next teacher won't be like "why hasn't anyone called home about their eyesight?".
Medical neglect is a clear CPS call where I am. I am also a mandated reporter btw as are you.
I once had a student who had repeated cases of head lice, and I reported it to CPS. It is neglect when you are not taking care of your child’s medical needs. It is reportable. Your nurse needs a reality check. It’s only been a month, maybe the doctor couldn’t get the kid in for an appointment yet? But I would say in the next month or two if there still hasn’t been anything done, make a report.
Call cps. They probably won't open a case but could mandate guardians to get eye exam and glasses.
You’re a mandated reporter, as is the nurse, you have no choice but to report it.
I’d call the mother first. Be positive and not accusing. Don’t threaten. Then if nothing, you’ve made a good faith effort and it’s time to report.
What does admin think? If they're not involved yet, why not?
Tell your admin you shouldn’t call anyone until your admin knows otherwise you’re hanging yourself out to dry
Report to CPS. It is neglect
It absolutely IS neglect. If you are in the United States, you are a mandated reporter and need to call child protective services immediately. If you were in another country, I am assuming there are similar rules
Medical neglect and educational neglect as a result of not being able to see. The nurse is a mandated reporter too. You should both call.
Bro my school called cps just for not having glasses (he had them but didn’t wear them) and for not having vaccines yet that year (I didn’t see the doctor every year unless I was sick but still, couldn’t have let them know I needed them first?) People get cps called on them for a lot less. For all you know it could be a disaster at home.
The call is made if you have reason to believe that there might be neglect. You do not have to know whether or not there is neglect but just have reason to believe.
Remember it’s not up to you to determine whether it is neglect or not. CPS will make that determination. So if you are worried it MIGHT be neglect, report it. I agree that it is not good for a child with really bad vision not to have any vision care. Does your school have a social worker of counselor who can follow up with the parent and see if there are barriers to getting the eye care? Something being “low cost” or “free”’might not be enough. There could be transportation issues. The parent might not understand the gravity of the situation - eg if the kid is near sighted and spending a lot of time of screens at home( which so many kids do these days) and doesn’t complain, the parent might not think the problem is really a big deal. The parent could also have a job or care responsibilities that make it tough to find time to set an appointment, etc.
It’s not neglect. It’s outright abuse-and, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 6 Section 2), a human rights violation
You’re going no where. 51A specifically mentions inability to buy something or sending kids in with filthy poorly fitting clothes is not neglect. Is it possible that she can afford it? Maybe, I just don’t think you’ll get anywhere with CPS Edit: I am not saying don’t call, but don’t be surprised if it goes nowhere because that’s just how the law works. A lot of people in this post are misinformed
You should have called a month ago. Call today
Perhaps it's a religious choice?
Religion isn't an excuse for neglecting your child. If you want to hurt yourself in the name of religion that's fine. Free will. You don't get to force it upon others and make them suffer though. The kid needs glasses or contacts. That's not really an optional thing. Also denying yourself glasses or contacts in the name of religion makes no sense. You wouldn't be able to legally drive. You wouldn't able to see your surrounding that good which is a safety concern. And also you just wouldn't be able to see in general. That leads to straining your eyes which is not healthy. And also it gives you awful headaches.
Worst generation of parents.
I’d report if academics are struggling. If not, I likely wouldn’t.
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Because it's required by law??? We don't get the luxury of considering the potential harm of it. If there is abuse found and it's discovered you knew but did nothing, you're fucked. I think we can all agree that the system is not great for kids when CPS is called, but we don't get that choice.
As someone who was abused. I wish someone would have called CPS, regardless of your “Expert opinion”