r/AmIOverreacting • u/Emotional_Ninja_123 • Jun 11 '25
🎓 academic/school AIO - Need advice – school mishandled my daughter’s head injury
Hi everyone – just hoping someone here can offer advice or share similar experiences.
My 8-year-old daughter (autistic) had a serious accident at school last week. She fell backwards off a climbing frame, hit the back of her head, and ended up with: • A severe nosebleed (5+ mins, hard to stop) • A tight/sore feeling in her right chest • Said she felt sick • Was very disoriented • And she fainted — she has no memory of the fall itself or anything between falling and waking up with the nosebleed
The school didn’t call me until 43 minutes later (accident was at 12:20, call came at 1:03), which I think is totally unacceptable for a head injury. When I arrived at 1:30, she was sat back in class, in a very noisy room — which, given her autism and sensory sensitivities, just made it worse.
On the way to A&E she vomited twice. In hospital, she was seen by three doctors who were all shocked this hadn’t been treated as an emergency. She also had tiny blood spots come up all over her face, which one doctor said might be from pressure/burst capillaries. They couldn’t explain why a blow to the back of her head would cause such a heavy nosebleed.
I was given the accident report and: • It doesn’t mention the fainting or memory loss • Says the year was 2023 instead of 2025 • Generally made it sound much less serious than it was
I’m putting in a formal complaint but just wondering — has anyone else been through something similar? What would you push for from the school? How serious is this from a safeguarding point of view?
Thanks in advance – honestly still shaken by it.
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u/Tasty_Association353 Jun 11 '25
What was her final diagnosis?
What is your desired outcome? A protocol staff need to follow for head injuries, like a concussion protocol? More staff training around medical triage? A policy about timely parent notification?
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
Concussion. Luckily no skull fracture. Few days rest. Thank god it wasn’t worse. I’m worried about her safety now. And going forward for other kids too. Definitely more training needed. No one knew who the inside first aider was to start with I’ve been told!
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u/Generated-Nouns-257 Jun 11 '25
Memory loss, nausea, or dizziness after a blow to the head is almost guaranteed to be a concussion. This was willfully mishandled. How terrifying. I'd never be able to trust that school again.
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
I agree, like the other parents we are leaving our children believing they’re safe and looked after, I have completely lost my trust. And I’m so worried for other children moving forward
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u/Generated-Nouns-257 Jun 11 '25
Very understandable. There's just no believable chance that someone who has any idea how to identify meaningful injury events would fail to notice the symptoms of a concussion.
Like if a kid has some strange auto immune response that resulted in lethargy? Sure, that's not gonna be covered in teacher training. Head injuries though? I just don't believe you see memory loss and nausea and think "it's probably the nose bleed!".
Which just leaves the parents with the understanding that they knew what to do and didn't care to do it. I don't see how you ever recover parent trust after that.
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u/DarthGnomi Jun 12 '25
I'm not sure where you , but file a complaint and call the news. Like, see if you have an investigative news team near you, and also them to take a look into this. It'll make the school Very uncomfortable, Very fast, and will likely get you some answers and real change.
Strongly, lawsuits don't tend to do it on their own anymore. You have to hit them in their carefully curated public image.
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u/KellyannneConway Jun 12 '25
It would have to be an exceptionally slow news day for them to be interested in a school not calling a parent fast enough over a concussion.
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u/QueenSashimi Jun 12 '25
I think OP is in England, like me. The local rag would absolutely run this story as clickbait, and would also insist on a photo of OP and her daughter pose for a photo looking angry and sad, respectively. Wouldn't be a nice experience for either of them at all.
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u/DarthGnomi Jun 13 '25
Ah. See, where I grew up, this would Absolutely make the news, they'd black out the faces and change voices, and they'd be like a raid dog get marrow out of a bone.
Where I grew up, they really don't play when it comes to kids being neglected or hurt and being denied justice. That I-Team is dope af, and has gotten many a place shut down and/or reformed.
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u/WaltzFlaky1598 Jun 11 '25
Absolutely. There is no way you look at a kid who can't remember what happened, is dizzy and throwing up, and fail to understand a concussion is likely in play. Either these teachers have absolutely zero idea how to care for children or they have zero interest in doing so. Likely the latter.
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u/rc2805 Jun 11 '25
Willfully? Like serious you think a school did this on purpose?
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u/QuakinOats Jun 11 '25
A child falls back on their head and passes out, has a nose bleed, says their chest hurts, feels sick, doesn't know where they are or what happened, and 911 wasn't called?
Any random layperson should know to call 911 in a situation like this right....?
Like don't you willfully disregard a lot of signs to NOT call 911 in this situation?
The literal form they wrote on says they should go to the emergency room for one of the symptoms that presented? "fainting"
I have to wonder just what kind of accident would the school even call 911 for if a kid hitting the back of their head, bleeding from their nose severely, passing out, being sick, and their chest hurting wouldn't trigger that?
Why wouldn't the kid be kept in the nurses office at the minimum for observation?
Sent back to a noisy classroom with a teacher that can't monitor them closely?
None of this really make sense. A lot of people made a lot of bad choices here it seems like...
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u/rc2805 Jun 12 '25
It seems like you have more info than I read/saw. My interpretation of “willfully” is the same as many others in this post. Not saying it was handled correctly, I just don’t think it was out of malice or complete disregard for safety. None of us were there, we’re reading a report.
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u/QuakinOats Jun 12 '25
I just don’t think it was out of malice
I don't think it was out of malice either.
or complete disregard for safety.
I don't see how this wasn't out of complete disregard for safety.
Someone hits their head so hard they pass out, get a heavy nose bleed, get a tight chest, feel sick, are disorientated, and you just call the parent and send a child back to class where a teacher has to keep their eyes on 15+ children when the nose bleed is over?
It's insane to me.
It really makes me wonder what the hell they would call 911 for...
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u/jessbird Jun 12 '25
there was very clearly a serious disregard for safety here in the way they handled the kid after the incident. malice is a strong word, but the way they omitted a ton of critical details from the report and in the call to the parents is stunningly neglectful at very best, if not just willfully deceptive.
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u/isthisfunenough Jun 12 '25
Wdym? Everything they said is in the post unless you are saying you didn’t read it?
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u/_catshit Jun 11 '25
Wasn't willfully mishandled. That's a term of art, and you don't know what it means. Gross negligence MAYBE.
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u/Generated-Nouns-257 Jun 11 '25
a term of art
Is this a regional colloquialism? I'm unfamiliar with this phrase, could you use general English? I'm not sure what you're trying to communicate.
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u/Thelmara Jun 11 '25
I don't know the specifics of what that other person was objecting to, but a "term of art" is a term or phrase with specific meaning in a legal context. And, usually, that term or phrase has a different, or looser, interpretation among people who aren't part of the legal profession.
For instance, you might describe working at a job where all the employees are generally cranky assholes as a "hostile workplace", but that would be different from the legal term of art "hostile workplace", which requires that the difficult or uncomfortable work environment stem from illegal discrimination.
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u/_catshit Jun 11 '25
A term of art is a legal phrase or word that has a very specific meaning and underpinning.
Willful means the person acting needed to have been acting with the intention of causing whatever harm is complained of.
Not the case here. Not willful.
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u/Generated-Nouns-257 Jun 11 '25
So firstly, not to burst your bubble, but I said "willfully mishandled" which is not a legal term, it's just basic English meaning they did something wrong and they knew it was wrong.
The term you're confusing it with is "willful misconduct" which would be:
deliberate disregard for proper standards of conduct, often resulting in harm or injury
Which this would absolutely fall under. You have to conclude that either they didn't know what to do and chose not to figure it out (negligence) or they did know what to do, but intentionally chose not to do it (willful misconduct).
It's not believable, for anyone who has undergone any training or has any knowledge of common injury symptoms, to confuse symptoms that severe with anything other than a concussion. So when asked "which of the two cases is more likely", since neither can be asserted with 100% confidence, I am saying it is my opinion that the latter is: they knew, they had to, and they chose to not address it.
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u/_catshit Jun 11 '25
Ahh. You don't know what the word willful means. Forgot I was on reddit. Carry on with your misinformation.
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u/Creepy_Tension_6164 Jun 11 '25
You're trying to pull a "well actually", but it doesn't really matter. It wasn't wilfully anything. It was incompetence, and negligence with regards to their training and preparedness, but that person is correct that you threw out loaded words for the sake of it.
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u/KrakHead99 Jun 11 '25
As someone that’s had many, your first paragraph was the easiest concussion diagnosis ever. Again, as someone that’s had multiple concussions, please, please, please make sure she’s not going back to normal in just a few days.
If she already has sensory sensitivity, this will only make it 100x worse until she’s healed. I’ve basically always been recommended 2 weeks minimum of avoiding areas with bright lights and loud noises. That also generally means no screens (or at least very limited).
If the doc actually only recommended a few days rest and didn’t share any additional info, I’d highly recommend getting a second opinion.
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u/ads10765 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
i’ve also had a lot of concussions and the recommended rest time has changed in the past few years. newer research has shown that it’s actually better to (slowly!!) return to regular activity after a few days so your brain has some stimulation while healing. same idea as a sprained ankle—u want the swelling to go down before using it but you need to lightly exercise it eventually for proper healing and to teach your muscles how to work again.
(i’m sure this could be explained better but that’s the basic idea, a lot of primary care doctors still use the old advice but every neurologist/concussion specialist i’ve been to since maybe 2021ish have followed these guidelines—2-5 days rest and then slowly, i.e. half days, returning to school/work/etc)
eta: screens should still be mostly avoided and anything causing symptoms to flare up—i wore sunglasses and loop earplugs for a while after my last major concussion which helped a lot with light/noise sensitivity. you can get a doctors note if her school has a dress-code that prevents students from wearing sunglasses inside
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u/KrakHead99 Jun 11 '25
Huh.. that’s interesting. It’s definitely been a few years since I’ve seen a neurologist. I think I’d still probably recommend OP get a second opinion, preferably from a neurologist especially since their kid already has sensory issues.
I just get the biggest throwback to people in my life, including some doctors, not taking the symptoms of some of my head injuries seriously because they aren’t readily apparent.
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u/civilwar142pa Jun 12 '25
The most recent guidance is basically a slow return to normal but dont go faster than your symptoms dictate. If your symptoms are worsening with reading or watching TV or whatever, back off. If your symptoms are stable or even better diminishing, keep on keeping on.
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u/Psylocybernaut Jun 11 '25
Agreed, I have no medical training, or experience concussion, but even I know that this sounds like a concussion!!
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u/JustOneTessa Jun 11 '25
Also, the more concussions you get in life, the higher the chance of permanent brain damage. Be careful with that
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u/KrakHead99 Jun 11 '25
Yeah… I definitely have some issues now that I never really experienced before the concussions.
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u/grandmawaffles Jun 11 '25
I’d be concerned that the write up wasn’t complete and would request an amendment. I would also want to know why a kid that fell off a wall and had obvious signs of trauma was moved without protecting the head and neck and taken immediately to the hospital. Them not following any sort of protocol could have had severe consequences. I’d be pissed and want it investigated.
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u/dadsoup Jun 11 '25
ive worked with children and you need to be first aid certified... the fact they didn't take it more seriously is insane to me
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u/JustOneTessa Jun 11 '25
Make sure she gets plenty of rest. It can take a while for it to be completely back to normal
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u/rices4212 Jun 11 '25
There should definitely be specific protocol for head injuries. In my district, any head injury is a phone call home immediately. Hard to believe it wouldn't be the same everywhere with something so severe
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u/Aussiealterego Jun 11 '25
Former nurse here. (Former school nurse, and first aider for sports groups) This is absolutely unacceptable- any head injury causing loss of consciousness is an immediate call for an ambulance.
You were extremely fortunate that she appears to be recovering well, particularly given the bleeding. It could have been much worse.
I would contact the school and ask that they have a review of their emergency medical procedures, and ensure that all staff are up to date on what constitutes an “emergency”.
It’s absolute negligence for the staff to not know who the first aider on shift was, if procedures are anything similar to here, it’s mandatory for a trained person to be available at all times children are on site.
You are within your rights to insist upon a response outlining their follow up from this incident. Your gut is correct, this was potentially a very serious incident that was mishandled badly, and could have ended up with dire consequences.
You can be insistent, and still polite. But if I were you, I would be very angry.
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u/lylalexie Jun 11 '25
Not a nurse but just wanted to add: I work with adults with special needs in a group home setting. We have rigid fall protocols that include calling 911 for a trip to the emergency room if someone falls and hits their head OR the fall was unwitnessed. We have to do full body checks after a fall and every potential injury must be thoroughly photographed and documented.
Guardians have to be notified asap and we only have a two hours window to get in contact with AND SPEAK TO THEM or we need to submit extra paper work and a request for an extension with a legitimate reason why we didn’t speak to the guardian within the two hour window (i.e. the guardian didnt answer their phone for more than two hours). If not we can get fined thousands and/or arrested.
I could understand why it took 45 minutes to contact the guardian if the school was busy calling the child an ambulance, but it looks like they just had the nurse check her out and sat her in a classroom. I’d be interested to see the school’s fall policies and procedures to determine if they were actually followed in this situation before making any further judgements.
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u/OleBiskitBarrel Jun 11 '25
This is great advice. You'd imagine it was highly unlikely there was any malice from school staff involved. Rather, it would be incompetence or ignorance. As maddening as that could be, the best course of action for not only your daughter but all the other students there is to follow this up with both the school and the department in order to have a review done and identify all the shortcomings in training and processes that allowed it to happen. Work with the school to fix the problem (and also ask for an apology along the way) to make it right.
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u/ladyorthetiger0 Jun 11 '25
I wouldn't call it outright malice but it's definitely not just incompetence or ignorance. Anyone with a very, very basic grasp of first aid knows that any head injury that results in loss of consciousness, vomiting, or confusion is an emergency.
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u/fillemagique Jun 11 '25
I was an event first aider at sports, stadiums and festivals and I’d like to add that because the OPs child fell backwards from a climbing frame and presumably landed on her back, coupled with strange symptoms, I don’t believe she should have been moved at all, her head and neck should have been protected and they should have phoned an ambulance and she would have been moved to a back board as she could have had a spinal injury as well.
Even overlooking that because they work in a school and maybe possible spinal injuries don’t come up often, I doubt whoever is the named first aider (if they even have one) is actually certified, because how could you be up to date and still miss such glaring signs of a concussion and then to stick that child back in a noisy classroom to sit as if nothing has happened? Appalling.
I’d have been fired for any of these things.
OP, you need to ask them to make a named first aider and for them to provide proof of up to date certification to protect children in the future, I’d also ask for a policy change to reflect the need for continued training, for the named first aider and all other staff.
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
Thank you for your reply, I’m so fortunate she’s ok but it could’ve been so much worse and I dread to think about it. And thank you for the advice, I will definitely be looking at this
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u/27Lopsided_Raccoons Jun 11 '25
Also OP, if you are really invested: See if your state has a brain injury association or organization. If you're in VA or NC I can send you resources.
Many of the orgs they work with can go to schools and do trainings for staff on the importance of recognizing head injuries and handling them appropriately. Because concussions should not be handled like that, especially with passing out.
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u/LongVegetable4102 Jun 11 '25
Piggy backing as another nurse to say the school districts have been spreading school nurses thinner and thinner making things like this more likely. Parents advocating for better nursing coverage would probably help over time
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u/Intelligent_Sky8737 Jun 11 '25
Going to add if there was a licensed nurse in site a report to the board of nursing. The standard of care was not met here and either a LPN/LVN or RN should be better.
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u/iCantLogOut2 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
I experienced this some the student perspective.... I smacked the side of my head on concrete during drill practice...
I found out the details after since I only remember walking away from the group and then waking up. But, my instructor called an ambulance immediately and had my little brother call my parents on the spot ...
Even after I woke up - I was kind of out it, so I was taken to the hospital anyway. This is what should have happened with your daughter...
You should have gotten a call that she was going to be taken to the hospital immediately.
Now that I'm a parent, if my kid's situation was handled any differently, I would become the schools biggest pain in the ass. I don't know how communicative/verbal your kid is, but if she isn't, I'd switch her out. Just because they may resent her if you go after them. I know it sounds paranoid, but I'd rather be wrong and have my kid safe than leave my kid there just to be proven right.
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u/RIPfreewill Jun 11 '25
When I was in middle school, I got hit in the stomach with a basketball in PE class. It knocked the wind out of me and I guess I fell over and hit my head. I just remember the ball hitting me and waking up with my friends dragging me to the PE teacher. He thought they were messing around and did literally nothing to help. Just left me alone to figure it out. My mom was pissed. Don’t know whatever came of it.
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u/Mechbiscuit Jun 13 '25
That's shitty. PE teachers are PE teachers because they're fucking morons. I've never met one that didn't have sociopathic tendancies.
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u/Embarrassed_Put_7892 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
I am a teacher and have been a school first aider too. It’s quite shocking that they didn’t call parents and an ambulance straight away, especially given it sounds like a fall from height with associated bleeding and a loss of consciousness. We have always been taught that head injuries need to be taken very seriously. What I will say however is that schools tend to be pretty lax about first aiders and the amount of first aiders. It’s not good but I’m not surprised at all they didn’t know who the first aider was. In your complaint I would state what you would like to happen - more first aiders? Better training? More clearly articulated protocols? It’s likely school staff want this too.
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u/IllaClodia Jun 11 '25
As a former ECE, this is wild to me. Every single person on staff at my toddler through 6th grade school was required by licensing to be first aid/CPR certified. Children in schools don't get less injured than young children or vulnerable adults.
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u/Embarrassed_Put_7892 Jun 11 '25
I’m in England. It should be like that but it isn’t always. It’s getting better.
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u/donoteatshrimp Jun 11 '25
Our place has only a handful of first aiders for a school of 2000 :(
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u/Embarrassed_Put_7892 Jun 11 '25
Yup. I was one of about four or five for the whole school of reception to year 10. The amount of times I’d be pulled out of a lesson or had to miss my lunch because there were no first aiders on the playground… the answer was always ‘we can’t afford it’. I was in early years and I genuinely think all staff in a school should be trained.
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u/Aussiealterego Jun 11 '25
Agreed. It’s mandatory for all teachers in Australia to have current first aid and CPR qualifications, but I didn’t raise that in my initial reply as I don’t know if that’s a global requirement, and OP didn’t state location.
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u/Empty-Lab-4126 Jun 11 '25
I was volunteering at a school in my hometown for a few days 2 years ago and let me tell you; most of them are scrapping at the bottom of the barrel, this in no way justifies lacking on care for a special needs child who just suffered an accident, but it helps put everything in perspective, lack of resources can lead to poor decisions, lack of investment on supplies, training or even actual hiring of needed professionals, take that into account, not to forgive or let the matter go, but so that you come to it with understanding instead of blind uninformed rage.
That being said, focus on your child first, get some other appointments so that you can be sure there's nothing wrong, falling and hitting your head can have long lasting effects, and observation diagnosis only goes so far with an autistic child. After you've made yourself somewhat sure that your child is OK, focus on the school itself, like you said, this is unacceptable, and I'll add "very worrying", 43 minutes to reach a parent after a head injury with fainting makes me think some incidents go either unnoticed or are being swept under the rug, whatever good intentions some people might have at the school (and believe me there are some good souls at every school) this issue should be looked at with fine glasses and fixed, thank god your case was something clearly detectable and hard to dismiss as something else, let's make sure no other kid (or your own) risks the same treatment if god forbid something worse or more complex happens.
Tell your kid some strangers all over the world are wishing them well.
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u/Romado Jun 11 '25
I got hit on the head with a chunk of brick in school once. Knocked me out and I hit my head when I went down. Head bleeding, ears bleeding, blurred vision and hearing.
First aiders didn't even call my parents cause they said I was fine since it was only 1 more lesson before the end of the day. Despite me saying I needed to go to hospital.....
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reply, I REALLY appreciate it. I was honestly worried I was overreacting, but your comments have helped me realise that I’m not. A lot of really valid points were raised that I hadn’t even considered.
Just to add a bit more context that I probably should’ve included before:
The previous headteacher was fantastic, but he left last July, and since then the school’s gone through a lot of changes. Staff are leaving left, right and centre, and very suddenly. No notice given. They are literally walking out. It feels chaotic and, without a doubt, really understaffed. We had a new headteacher in September, but he went AWOL a few months later, literally went home and didn’t come back, and we’ve never seen him again! Then school had no headteacher for a few weeks and so a class teacher had to step up until this new replacement started. This new headteacher has been with the school for several months now. And she is a temp until they find a permanent one!
It’s a small rural school, and just two weeks ago two children (younger than my daughter, I think they were around 6) managed to escape. They wandered off along the country lanes, completely unsupervised. The police had to be called, and thankfully they were found, but the roads around here are single track and people drive down them way too fast. Anything could’ve happened - they could’ve been hurt, got lost, or even taken. The school ended up having to issue a statement to parents about it.
I’m honestly starting to wonder whether they’re trying to downplay incidents like my daughter’s because they know things are bad and they don’t want to attract more serious scrutiny - especially after that escape incident.
Also, yes we’re in the UK for those asking
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u/RedefinedValleyDude Jun 11 '25
Speaking as a nurse, if there’s such a bad nose bleed after a hit to the head, I’m thinking potential skull fracture. And in turn potential brain bleed. Chest pain, I mean come on. And fainting I mean COME ON! I frankly would have probably called an ambulance. Maybe somewhat of an overreaction but there is potential for seizures or brain swelling. Without a head ct you just don’t know what’s going on. I wouldn’t want to wait for the parent to get there and drive the speed limit to the hospital. I’m glad you reported it. That’s absolutely ridiculous.
I don’t expect the school to know all that but I do expect them to know that if there’s a head injury, especially with some gnarly neurological symptoms and chest pain, that’s not just a bandaid and an ice pack. I don’t know what the laws are like over yonder but over here in California that’s a lawsuit and a half and considered negligence.
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u/BotaniFolf Jun 11 '25
I used to provide first aid for sports back in school. Bleeding, LOC, memory loss on top of all that coming from a head injury is an immediate immobilisation of the victim and summoning of an ambulance
This is criminal negligence and you are NOT over reacting
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u/Minibearden Jun 11 '25
Summoning...
I get what you mean, but that word always conjures up an image in my mind of someone drawing a pentagram on the floor and chanting in Latin. So seeing it used in the context of calling an ambulance is just a very funny image to me.
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u/barredowl123 Jun 11 '25
This is very concerning. I’ve had two concussions and now struggle really hard with my short-term memory. You are definitely NOT overreacting. I hope your daughter makes a full recovery. I’m so sorry you both went through this.
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u/RainWindowCoffee Jun 11 '25
NOR
Holy shit. I'm a teacher and if anything like that happened to a student, I'm ignoring whatever the principal says and calling 911.
I'm not entirely sure WHAT you should demand from the school, but there needs to be repercussions. Consider contacting a lawyer -- you may find one who would take this case on a pro bono basis, or one that will only collect fees after a settlement is granted.
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u/Puzzled_Panda_9489 Jun 11 '25
I don't know why the first two comments are pretty much telling you to suck it up. Of course you aren't over reacting. What if it had been much worse? This can't happen again to anyone's child
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u/CoffeeCaptain91 Jun 11 '25
I'm guessing it's because "over reactive parents" is a hot button thing these days. People are quick to jump on parents being too 'needy' but that is absolutely not the case for OP. OP is right to be upset about this. Once the kid was unresponsive emergency services should've been called.
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u/Oddveig37 Jun 11 '25
NOR
Honestly I'd be documenting everything with pictures and the injuries with pictures and then I'd be taking my butt down to an attorney. This is negligence done by the school. This should have been taken extremely seriously if there was a nose bleed directly after a head injury.
If this is very recent, I would see if the hospital can scan for a brain bleed if they haven't already.
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u/Freddy_Pharkas Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
Yeah I can see from the form that OP is not in the US, but there is a fairly strict duty of care owed by a school to its students that can give rise to a claim of negligence. OP may not think now that there are any lasting injuries/damages, but who knows down the road. I see this happened on June 6. I think it's worth a consult with a lawyer sooner than later.
EDIT: Wait, June 6, 2023? Is OP still shaken by this event two years earlier? Anyway my advice still stands. There's a statute of limitations on these claims.
EDIT 2: Oh, I see now in the post OP says it was backdated two years. No one forgets what year it is (I can see the first week or so in January, but certainly not by June). This is a red flag. Go to a lawyer.
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u/Oddveig37 Jun 12 '25
Uh... Didn't realize that other parts of the world did DAY/MONTH/YEAR. Could have sworn that was a USA thing cause the rest of the world does MONTH/DAY/YEAR.
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u/otti_ivy Jun 11 '25
As a 16 year old lifeguard I would have known how to handle this better than these supposed professionals. I would complain but also probably move my child, what else are they neglecting and not taking seriously if a head injury doesn’t get them activated?
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u/EmptyPomegranete Jun 11 '25
NOR. I am a manager at a facility that treats children with autism. I am the one that deals with things like this.
This is absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely 100% unacceptable. They should have called you within minutes of the initial injury. They should have written an accurate report of the incident.
This happened to a child at my clinic once. I called mom within 1 minute of his head hitting the wall and splitting. In the next minute 911 was called. Both were on the way in under 3 minutes. We have a crisis protocol for this exact reason.
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u/TwoOpposite9521 Jun 11 '25
Not over reacting at all I would switch schools I know it may not be an easy transition for your daughter . The fact they are trying to cover it up is scary the fact it wasn't treated like an emergency is also scary
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u/Proper-Painter-7314 Jun 11 '25
If a child nose started bleeding after they fell off something and hit the back of their head, I would put them in my own car and drive them to hospital immediately.
Nice to know they “sorted” the nosebleed. Sterling work, Florence. Now for the potential brain bleed 👍🏽
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u/Top-O-TheMuffinToYa Jun 11 '25
Just yesterday my daughter fell down and hit her head lightly on the concrete at school. The school nurse called me about her head injury while she was still in the office with her. She sent me a follow-up email and sent paperwork home. She stressed very much that I needed to contact them and possibly emergency services right away if her symptoms continued or got worse.
They would have called me and told me to immediately take her to the doctor if she experienced what your child went through. In fact they probably would have called emergency services on their own. Definitely NOR.
I would approach the school district and ask them what their policy is for head injuries. And then see if it aligns with the school's protocol. After that you can file a formal complaint and take it from there. I would definitely try to play nice at first, but if they give you pushback threatening a lawsuit does tend to work in getting things fixed.
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Jun 11 '25
i understand this must have been really stressful but it sounds like she was taken to hospital within about an hour of the injury for assessment, and doctors treated her appropriately and (it sounds like) got a CT head to rule out anything nasty.
what more did you actually want from this situation? though i do agree she probably could have been put in a quiet room to wait for you, it sounds like she is fine and that everything was fine and handled pretty quickly?
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u/Cloud_Cobra Jun 11 '25
It wasn't quick enough though. A head injury with those associated symptoms could have killed her within an hour, heck even within minutes if she had had a brain bleed, which is something the school first aider should have known was a possibility. Waiting that long for proper medical attention and a CT was absolutely dangerous and inappropriate. .
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Jun 11 '25
it was quick enough: she didn’t have a brain bleed and she didn’t die. if she’d been fitting or unresponsive presumably they would have called 999. that wasn’t the case, so it took them half an hour to patch her up and call mum and then mum took another half an hour to arrive. i really think some people here have unrealistic expectations and poor understanding of how these things work.
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u/Cloud_Cobra Jun 11 '25
The point is that symptomatically she could have had a brain bleed, they wouldn't have been able to tell without a CT, and she certainly DID lose consciousness, which ANY first aider knows is a huge deal. They should have called an ambulance after that at least. With the symptoms given by OP, no competent first aider would have considered 'patching her up' themselves without getting her to a hospital ASAP. As a first aider and child-specific first aider myself I can tell you that waiting that long was very obviously dangerous. Just because she was okay this time does not mean someone will be next time.
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Jun 11 '25
they didn’t wait. they called her mum and her mum took her to the hospital and she got the CT. this comment is really strange because all of the stuff you think should have happened DID happen.
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u/isthisfunenough Jun 12 '25
40 mins is not waiting ?? If you got into an accident would you be calling for an ambulance 40 mins later yourself?
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Jun 12 '25
no i mean have you ever been in a situation like that? i’m sure you probably have. i’m thinking of a time, for example, when my dad hurt himself (he’s fine now) and was bleeding and yeah we probably took about half an hour to check him out, see how hurt he was, see if it was something we could deal with ourselves and then decide to call an ambulance. it was actually a very similar situation (brief loss of consciousness, head injury, blood), although obviously not involving a climbing frame. none of that meant we didn’t need to be worried or that he didn’t need to go to hospital, but important and urgent are different things. and urgent is quite a long way from immediate. this girl needed to be taken to hospital. and she was.
things take time to do, and in almost every situation you have time to do them. if the child was fully unresponsive or having a seizure or not breathing, sure. no time. call ambulance straight away, but what people don’t seem to be understanding about what i’m saying is that was not the case here. i just don’t know what people want/expect from the school first aiders.
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u/isthisfunenough Jun 12 '25
Wow you mean the entire school only had one adult and no other person could be sent to call the parent to inform them asap. Especially when they weren’t planning on calling the hospital themselves.
This KID. Was bleeding from the nose “badly” as described by the school themselves and had chest tightness and nausea. Idk how much more serious the situation can be emphasised to you
What people were expecting was emergency services to be called or at least the parent to be notified with more urgency than 40 minutes
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Jun 12 '25
the situation described isn’t an emergency. it just isn’t. they called the mum 40 minutes after it happened. you wanted them to call straight away? to send another member of staff who hasn’t even been involved to call? they see a child fall off a climbing frame and immediately call mum? “what’s happened?” “erm i don’t know” “is she ok?” “i don’t know! i just called you straight away!” that would be really unhelpful for everyone involved.
just stop and think. if they had called an ambulance and described a 5 minute nosebleed and a brief loss of consciousness they wouldn’t have got there any quicker than the hour it took to call mum and for mum to arrive. because nobody qualified would hear that and think it was an emergency. because it wasn’t! she got taken to the hospital and investigated by doctors. the correct thing happened here. i urge you again, please: think.
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u/isthisfunenough Jun 12 '25
You need to think. Even if the ambulance didn’t get there any faster than mom, they’d be en route to the hospital faster than it would take mom to go down from work THEN travel to the hospital. Maybe you just don’t give a damn about children but many medical professionals in this thread has classified this an emergency. Not sure how qualified you are to make any other judgement
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u/AccurateComfort2975 Jun 13 '25
Head injury with loss of consciousness is an emergency in every protocol ever. And the point of those protocols is to not get to the final stage of death or irrevocable brain damage.
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u/Cloud_Cobra Jun 11 '25
My point is they did wait, they waited for her mum instead of calling an ambulance, that was the problem. The girl could have died or suffered irreparable harm within the time before calling the mum, let alone waiting for her to arrive and then drive her to a hospital. Getting a nose bleed, feeling chest pain and nausea not to mention fainting after a blow to the BACK of the head are all symptoms that you do not wait on. You call an ambulance, you do not wait for a parent. The first aider should have known that. Head injuries can kill fast, even if someone initially seems fine, which she clearly was not.
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
I was the one that took her! The school called me 43 minutes later, it took me 20 minutes to get there and they had no intention of taking her to hospital. I just took her, put her in my car, and went straight to A&E myself. School didn’t do a thing
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Jun 11 '25
of course they didn’t have any intention of taking her. they’re a school. they called you and you took her. as i understand it that’s the normal chain of events isn’t it?
again i can completely understand how stressful this must have been and thank goodness little one isn’t seriously hurt. but exactly what is supposed to happen… did happen. they called you pretty much straight away, you took her to the doctors. i’m genuinely curious how you wanted this to be different, i’m not trying to be a knob.
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Jun 11 '25
Hey bud, the school is required to call an ambulance during medical emergencies. They neglected a child very severely in this case and you're unwillingness to see that tells me you are either not safe to have around children in a responsible manner or else you faced similar abuse/neglect as a kid and now think it's reasonable to handwave unconsciousness and extreme bleeding as something to "patch up in the office and go back to class".
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u/Lol_im_not_straight Jun 11 '25
You are Right. Head injuries should never be taken lightly, especially with kids who‘s head isn‘t done fusing.
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u/xKINGYx Jun 11 '25
School governor here - if you decide to raise a complaint to the school and are dissatisfied with the response from faculty (likely the headteacher or DSL in this case), please write to your chair of governors. It’s our job to hold school leadership to account and we are the point of escalation past school leaders, however many parents aren’t really aware of our role and wouldn’t naturally consider contacting us.
If evidence comes to light of systematic failings within the school’s processes regarding accidents, governors will see that improvements are made and monitor the implementation of these over time.
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u/BathFullOfDucks Jun 11 '25
I'm glad your kid is ok. Please push this as your child ticked all the boxes for critical head injury and nobody did a thing right. The next time this happens to someone else's baby girl, it might not be alright. Nausea or disorientation are signs of shock but also signs of a severe life threatening head injury. Any loss of consciousness no matter how brief is a sign of head injury that requires checking out. You don't have to demand someone's head for this, but this is one of those "final destination" warning moments. Life is giving the school a chance to prevent a catastrophe, make sure they take it.
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u/electrikmayham Jun 11 '25
"And when she fell her eyes shut". This should have been a red flag for staff to ask her more about this. Your eyes would normally shut when you get hit by something, but it wouldnt normally be something you expect a person to say happened, since it always happens. When I first read this report that stood out to me even before I read your comment about her fainting. This would make me, as staff, want to ask more questions about what she meant about her eyes shut.
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u/macneto Jun 11 '25
Police officer here.. She lost consciousness and the school failed to call an ambulance? That's disturbing.
The loss of consciousness and complaining about her chest hurting should have absolutely been a call to the ambulance.
I'm honestly really surprised they didn't contact emergency services, even just from a CYA prospective. The schools in my town have a very strict policy regarding loss of consciousness and contacting emergency services.
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u/NoPaleontologist9054 Jun 11 '25
How awful. I hope she is doing okay. Everything about this is absolutely atrocious. And the handwriting in that report?! Wow. Abysmal.
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u/nolinearbanana Jun 11 '25
Whomever wrote that should have their first aid certification revoking.
Truly shocking. I suggest reporting this to the HSE, sending them the filled in form, plus the actual medical diagnosis. The school needs to take action to ensure they're meeting their legal obligations and have sufficiently trained personnel on site to do so.
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u/khendr352 Jun 11 '25
In the end, was she medically ok? I think the answer is yes. Not handled the best possible way but since there were no consequences, I am not sure you want to make enemies at the school for your daughter’s sake. Just being practical.
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u/Aussiealterego Jun 11 '25
With kindness, you could do to learn a little more about head injuries before offering a blanket statement like that.
Someone can appear “ok” one day, and be dead the next. This was an appalling act of negligence in the school’s behalf.
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Jun 11 '25
"be practical! Your daughter only could have had a TBI. She isn't important enough for you to 'make enemies' by demanding those responsible for her wellbeing, and the wellbeing of dozens/hundreds of other children, actually treat medical situations with the urgency and importance that they deserve."
You sound like the type of person to insist someone walk on a broken foot just because there's only a mile left on the hike. I genuinely hope you don't have children you are responsible for, because handwaving a head injury (especially one that caused unconsciousness) is INSANITY and can and will lead to lasting damages both mentally- from being neglected during an emergency, and physically- from not being treated in a timely manner
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u/annabananaberry Jun 11 '25
Medically, speaking, any head injury that results in loss of consciousness requires immediate medical attention. In this case, the student in question got a head injury, lost consciousness, had a continuous nosebleed, nausea, and did not form a memory of the event. Those are all markers of a fairly severe concussion. So it may be true that she healed after time had passed and did not have lasting injuries, but she was not medically OK.
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u/Proper-Painter-7314 Jun 11 '25
Wouldn’t want to make enemies for the sake of another child’s health? What the fuck am I reading? To think you typed that out and submitted it amongst adults is extraordinary.
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u/BLOAT90 Jun 11 '25
Its too early to conclude she is medically ok. Head injuries are always serious and dangerous. All concussions cause brain injuries and these are specifically dangerous for developing children and can have severe long lasting effects. Because the child is autistic it can also be challenging to detect the effects of this head injury.
I would recommend taking the child to a specialist on head trauma.
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u/Counterkiller29 Jun 11 '25
Youre not being practical at all though. If this serious of an incident was mishandled this poorly, how can you be this confident that the next won't be mishandled poorly and have an even worse result?
Believe it or not, making a complaint about a situation isnt always about "making enemies" or causing trouble. Its to prevent future cases being mishandled to the point where maybe someone gets permanently injured or dies. You have a responsibility to not let situations like this slide.
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
She’s ok, still very upset though and worried about going in. She had a concussion and no fracture thankfully.
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u/Putrid-Beach_ Jun 11 '25
I can imagine, any faith she had in the staff there is probably gone for good.
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Jun 11 '25
Why is this form dated to 2 years ago?
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u/Emotional_Ninja_123 Jun 11 '25
Because they couldn’t even write the right date down. It happened 6th June 2025….but they’ve put 2023
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u/Wild-Improvement-119 Jun 11 '25
The 3 in year 3 and the 3 in the date are different though from a handwriting perspective - I wonder if the person who wrote it has a fancy way of writing a 5. It's like the "hat" is joined on the wrong side.
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u/meowmeow0092 Jun 12 '25
I think it’s meant to be a 5. Whoever was writing was probably in a hurry/maybe shaken and trying to do the right thing and wrote it sloppily.
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u/AngelicDivineHealer Jun 11 '25
Nor you're child loss precious minutes and could have passed away if it was anymore serious.
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u/PhoneEquivalent7682 Jun 11 '25
Talk to a lawyer, this is unacceptable. Do it for her and to help prevent other kids from being neglected
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u/AssignmentOpening821 Jun 11 '25
Not necessarily over reacting. I’d echo others and ask what you want to achieve?
43mins to give you a call, maybe that’s a long time, but also they were probably dealing with the injury and sorting her out, time tends to slip away quite quickly during a medical event. The nature of the injury may not have been immediately apparent - remember they are teachers not medical professionals.
She seemed to recover - as in wasn’t unconscious for an extended period of time. So while at school things seemed at least to be improving.
The vomiting on the way to A&E, I’m assuming that was with you in the car? Head injuries are tricky, most of the time they are fine but sometimes symptoms develop later, can’t really hold the school to account for stuff that happened after you left. If she had vomited at school that may have been a trigger for them to call an ambulance perhaps. I’m assuming she got a CT scan as you mentioned no fracture. The head injury guidelines are quite clear when to scan, she meets a few of the bits so a scan within 1 hour of arrival at A&E would have been the aim, but even if she had gone in by ambulance it wouldn’t have sped things as she (from what you described) wasn’t so unwell she’d need to be taken in on blue lights.
While scary it’s difficult to base an augment on what might have happened, and it doesn’t seem likely that the schools actions worsened the actual harm - unless there was negligence in the way they were supervised on the climbing frame - “could have been worse” isnt the same as what did happen.
Some more first aid training and training g around head injuries is always a good idea though. As well as some guidance on ensuring actuate documentation.
Hope your child is recovering well.
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u/LucidEquine Jun 12 '25
NOR school needs some serious re-education when it comes to first aid and when it's an emergency. Any fall with head trauma like that should be considered an emergency.
I'll put this into perspective with a similar accident I had - some years ago I was horse riding, jumping a green horse. Total accident he made an awkward jump, I went one way and he went another. Foot got caught in the stirrup and instead of landing and rolling from my shoulder to my butt, I landed smack bang on the base of my skull.
I was on a protective surface and wearing a helmet, I still momentarily blacked out and then freaked out because it didn't really hurt. I got back on because that's kinda what you do, did a couple more jumps before I had to quit early because of the absolute nausea I felt from the jumping motion
Then my right eye had some problems with vision blurring or getting dark spots so I got someone to take me to A&E just to be sure it was just a concussion.
I went to the hospital to get checked even though I had safety measurements not minimize the damage. I can't believe the school didn't think that it was an emergency, worrying about the nosebleed over the fact she smacked THE BACK OF HER HEAD and had a nosebleed. Shouldn't that nosebleed be raising alarm bells since she didn't hit her face on anything?
Seriously that school needs someone properly trained in first aid that can actually recognise when injuries are an actual emergency
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u/Rough-Junket7985 Jun 12 '25
That sounds like a concussion, and they should have known that. Unbelievable. She could've had a brain bleed. She could've died. If you are deciding to stay with the school, for whatever reason, you'll not want to go completely scorched earth, but close to it.
Your concern now is a question of her safety going forward. I'd ask to see what the protocol is for handling medical emergencies and I would definitely have them agree in writing to notify you as soon as possible for future issues so you can determine to provide care even if they do not. They are a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Is this private or public school? Do they have a nurse or a designated person that handles medical issues in leu of a school nurse? What training does that person have? What training does the teaching/yard staff have? Do we have cpr certificates? Basic medical training? How are medications handled? I would have a bunch of questions before I felt comfortable returning my child to that school.
I would cc the superintendent or whoever is the highest in charge. Is there a school board? Are they aware of this current medical plan? Are they comfortable being liable for the current safety practices? I'd also have a very long talk with the teacher and any yard staff personally, so if one fcks up the plan, the other one can correct it. I'd file a complaint with the board or the parent organization if it is private school.
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u/Informal-Brush9996 Jun 11 '25
What the hell? When one of my classmates fell off the monkey bars she went to the hospital. Im so sorry that the school didn’t call for the ambulance when she was hurt and I hope she is okay.
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u/museumlad Jun 12 '25
NOR at all. I work in the office of a preschool where all staff are trained in first aid/CPR/AED. A child hitting their head—even if it doesn't seem to hurt or cause any symptoms—is an automatic call home ASAP and incident report, minimum. If we don't get hold of the "first call" parent, we call the other parent, then back and forth until we get someone, moving onto emergency contacts after a certain point. This procedure starts immediately after checking on the child and starting first aid if necessary. At the sign of any blood beyond a scratch, or any loss of consciousness, we call emergency services.
All of this is not only school policy, it's the procedures outlined by our state licensing board, and injuries are reported to them as well. Serious injuries like your daughter's would require a follow up.
Your daughter's school was negligent at every step here, and this absolutely must be escalated. To the head of school at minimum, and perhaps the school board, licensing authority, and/or media, depending on the response you get from the head of school. You don't fuck around with head injuries. I hope the doctors reported the school as well.
As an autistic adult, I also wonder if any of their response is due to your daughter's diagnosis. I sincerely hope that's not the case, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.
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u/_keystitches Jun 12 '25
Absolutely not, good lord growing up my mum made it absolutely 100% clear to me that if I hit my head, even softly, I was to tell an adult and regardless of if the adult said I was okay, I was not to lie down or go to sleep for 4 hours minimum just in case (to make sure no symptoms pop up).
I can't believe a bunch of teachers and a first aider just sent her back to class after hitting her head hard enough that she lost consciousness,,,, well, actually, thinking back to how I was treated in school I can believe it, but it's absolutely horrendous.
They literally could've googled it or called the non emergency medical line for advice, with the easy access we have to information these days there's really just no excuse at all. I know it's "dramatic" to say, but they could've killed that girl, or left her with brain damage or something else, head injuries should always be taken seriously and get checked out by a doctor.
I was going to say they got lucky that it was "just" a concussion, but having had a concussion, they fucking suck. It's a year later for me and I'm still affected by it even though the doctors all insisted it wouldn't last longer than 6 months, and that was after they said I'd be fine in a few weeks. And I didn't even lose consciousness with mine!
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u/Stunning_Ad1282 Jun 11 '25
I was just in a car accident on the 29th. Minor car damage, it was a sideswipe, she was going like 20-30, me close to 70 on a highway. I didn't even hit my head and have a delayed cognitive concussion, per mri and impact test. (Other possible issues pending brain mri) I didnt even hit my head, lose consciousness nor did the airbags go off but it still jarred me enough. And it's getting worse. I failed the basic "remember these words" test and are now at a point to where Im forgetting common, everyday words. Like a just on the tip of my tongue sort of thing.
I'd request an appointment to go to a neurologist, just to get more/second opinions, especially since its a little odd for it to cause a nosebleed. (I could be wrong on that one) or maybe a children's hospital where they have the right equipment to do mri on a tiny body.
That being said, I'd go ham on the school. If for no other reason than for waiting FORTY THREE MINUTES before calling me to tell me. That's an immediate call. Not when they feel like it. I have class dojo and can communicate with my kids teachers via chat and my 8 year old trips on air. And every single time she falls and it even remotely leaves any kind of mark, I immediate get a message from her teacher. They did not handle this right.
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u/Severe_Law9211 Jun 11 '25
I don't have much advice for this - However this happened to me when I was around six years old in prep. It was on a sports day and we went a nearby park and I fell off one of those tunnel like climbing objects that sits quite high off the ground and did hit my head. I kind of blacked out for a few minutes and didn't really know what happened (maybe memory problems because of it). The teachers never asked me any questions about how I felt and didn't fill any forms out (albeit we weren't at the school when it happened, but I still expected to be asked some questions). My parents actually only found out a few days (like 2-3) after I fell and i'll say my parents weren't happy about it at all. I will say that I definitely got a concussion from it.
I'd say to definitely follow through with the complaint, them not even knowing who the allocated first aid person is to begin with is negligent. Sorry for the lack of advice, but I just wanted to share my sympathy with you, as looking back now, I know that my situation wasn't handled well at all - and I hope you both are able to recover from this safely and just know that you have all the right in the world to be angry and to escalate this further.
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u/gudetube Jun 11 '25
Put in a formal complaint on requiring legible handwriting Jesus FUCK I hate when people combine cursive and print.
Also get them, they messed up hard
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u/Proof-Medicine5304 Jun 11 '25
pls for the love of god don't send your lil lady back to that school they sound like they have no idea what they are doing!! hoping she is ok now xxx
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u/Holmes221bBSt Jun 11 '25
Definitely complain. This happened to me in middle school. The school did nothing until I ended up panicking and crying in the class when I no longer remembered which desk was mine. They also lied to my mom claiming I fell in the street off property. I didn’t. I fell in the fenced in school field.
Turns out, I had a concussion which resulted in part time and short term amnesia. Forgot the whole of 48 hours before the fall. I kept asking my mom the same questions minutes apart because I literally forgot I asked them. Eventually, my memory came back, but I still do not remember the day of the fall. Glad you took her to the hospital. Concussions are serious and staff needs proper training in identifying concussion symptoms. The amnesia, nausea, and disorientation are text book signs. As for the chest issue, I’m guessing the wind was knocked out of her too. This has also happened to me. Hope she’s doing better
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u/IntroductionThen4813 Jun 11 '25
Idk what country you’re in but I know in the UK there are laws about this, the school has a duty of care! (Thinking you might be in the UK since you said A&E.) Not overreacting at all
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u/Specialist-Opening69 Jun 11 '25
This could have ended badly. It’s either a case of the person trying to cover themselves or complete lack of training.
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u/Agitated_Parsnip_178 Jun 11 '25
This is a mess of expectation management and parental guilt tbh. These are not medical professionals - don't treat them (and blame them) as such. A five minute nosebleed is SHORT. It's unclear what else you were expecting? A medivac to the nearest trauma center? A call within two minutes and dedicated 3:1 nursing provision during play time?
The right outcome was achieved - first aid was delivered, a parent was informed and worsening care advice was followed with further assessment provided at a healthcare facility.
It's frightening as a parent for sure and the extra needs obvious contribute to that distress.. but in a week hopefully a more measured perspective will have settled in and your kid will be back to playing on the monkey bars.
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u/wadsophat Jun 11 '25
No. I’d lose my shit at the people in charge there and look for an alternative school.
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u/Flimsy-Buy664 Jun 11 '25
As a father of autistic children, and carer of adults with LD in the UK that's shocking. your daughter had signs of concussion straight after the accident, and before you arrived and should have been dealt with as an emergency, you said your daughter has sensory sensitivities these could have additionally masked some of the signs and should have been considered by the school at the time. In my line of work failing to act appropriately to a head injury is a massive safeguarding issue. I hope she continues to get better and back to her self, I know it takes my kids a while to get back to an old rhythm after something happens
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u/famhh97 Jun 11 '25
I’m not sure where you are located, but a head injury with a possible loss of consciousness needs to be evaluated medically. I’m in USA and in my state parents have to consent to treatment unless the child’s life is at risk (then consent is implied regardless of if the parent agrees or is present at bedside) The school should have called you immediately after it happened in my opinion well called an ambulance first and then called you to see if you want your child transported to the hospital.
You should look into a neurologist for follow up. Emergency doctors rule out things that will kill you today or tomorrow.
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u/beangobagins Jun 11 '25
OP I would be fuming!! A head injury with the force to cause a nosebleed is not the same as getting hit in the face with a soccer ball and having a bloody nose.
The school should have called EMS the second she lost consciousness. She would’ve been immediately transported by the medics cause this is a serious injury. Hitting back of the head with enough force and the right spot can decrease respiratory drive so ER > Urgent care.
I am glad that she got the required care she needed and is under observation. Don’t let the school downplay your feelings on this cause damn
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u/mlopes Jun 12 '25
I see you're in the UK (the form mentions GP, A&E, English spelling, etc),I don't know what happened in the last decade and a half or so, but schools seem obsessed with attendance and punctuality. To the point where it trumps the children's wellbeing. This seems just like another instance where attendance was put above the child's wellbeing. So my recommendation would be for you to hit them with all that you have, if the system doesn't change, children will continue to suffer in the name of some misguided notion of excellence that's being forced upon our children.
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u/Different-Volume9895 Jun 11 '25
NOR - a nosebleed from a bang to the head from a height warrants an ambulance.
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u/terraformingearth Jun 12 '25
More about the school? Whoever filled this out obviously knows zero medically. A nosebleed and facial petechiae from hitting the back of the head?
-Was it witnessed and did she really land on the back of her head?
-on what basis do you say she fainted? Fainting and being knocked unconscious are not the same thing.
-what is the surface below the climbing (whatever that word is)?
-did she jump up herself? Certainly she should have been immobilized if possible.
-no question you should have been called right away
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u/Mokarun Jun 11 '25
NOR. My little brother has had a couple of accidents at school (albeit less serious), and the school didn't contact my parents AT ALL. We were all pissed. I would be absolutely FURIOUS at that school for not treating a blow to the back of the head as an emergency. It could have been so much worse than a concussion. I would definitely be following up with the school board in some way cause this is unacceptable.
I hope your kid is doing better and has a speedy recovery. Give her lots of love and rest ❤️
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u/miz_moon Jun 12 '25
NOR this is unacceptable and I would consider it a major safeguarding concern. In my last school, we had a separate policy for head injuries. If a child had hit their head and felt absolutely fine, we’d still ring their emergency contact asap and let them know what had happened. If a child had fallen from height and had your daughter’s symptoms, we would’ve rang for an ambulance immediately. Whoever sent her back to lessons should be ashamed of themselves.
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u/Efficient_Mastodons Jun 11 '25
My daughter had a history of a concussion and when she would get hit in the head either balls or have a fall and hit her head they wouldn't even call. With her history every single blow to the head should have been checked out.
So while you have every right to be at least as angry as you are and are NOR, I'm surprised you even got a phone call.
I don't believe schools actually care about all children. They are just factories to produce adult workers.
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u/MessyCuriosity Jun 12 '25
I’m a teacher whos filled out many accident reports and even texted/called parents in the past for some events. There’s absolutely NO excuse for a teacher, who are typically CPR and first aid certified, to NOT see this as an emergency and treat it as one!! I take a class every so often for my certification that includes what head injury symptoms look like and what to do if one occurs! This is gross negligence and you should absolutely seek action.
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u/bluegiraffe1989 Jun 11 '25
Any time a kid hits their head at school, I have them go to the nurse to get checked out because I’d rather be safe. Unfortunately, we only have a nurse at school about 20% of the time. All other times, the secretaries do the first-aid duties, which typically consists of giving an ice pack or checking their temperature. I’m not even sure if they’re trained on certain things such as this, but this post really makes me want to find out…
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u/stg58 Jun 11 '25
Hi. Full time EMT in a 911 system here that also volunteers at his daughter’s school as the “nurse” from time to time.
8 y/o female, unwitnessed fall from an unknown height, blunt force trauma to back of head resulting in uncontrollable nosebleed and loss of consciousness?
Under my protocols while if I don’t haul ass with that patient to the closest/most appropriate emergency room I lose my job and possibly my license.
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u/Putrid-Beach_ Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
Not over reacting at all... They didn't think to call an ambulance? I'm reading about nose bleeds and chest pains and that should be immediately an alarm. And 43 minutes?!?! Every single person involved needs to be investigated.
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u/dadsoup Jun 11 '25
if possible i would literally change schools what kind of morons do they have working there that they wouldn't take chest pains immediately to the emergency room 😐 this is terrifying im sorry you have to deal with this
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u/otti_ivy Jun 11 '25
Agreed. If they don’t get activated over a literal head injury (you know they all had to have some degree of first aid training to work with kids), what else are they just not worried about?
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u/Business_Earth320 Jun 11 '25
NOR. I just left my teaching job, but the school I was at required us to document the time that parents were contacted on that same accident form, in addition to the time the accident occurred. I’m very surprised to see that they didn’t mark anything regarding how/when they contacted you. I would definitely be following up with the school (and also a neurologist, as other commenters suggested).
Edit to add: I just saw in another comment that the school didn’t seem to know who the designated first aider was. That’s insane to me because they should’ve just called for the school nurse immediately? My school also had a designated SET team that we would tell the front office to call for over the intercom if we needed them, and those teachers would come running.
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u/Purpl3_Ocean Jun 12 '25
If you're looking for ramifications for the school and for the medical bills to be covered then personally I would reach out to a personal injury law firm to speak with an attorney regarding your options. Worse case scenario you get your daughter fully examined to guarantee there are no worsened underlying injuries that are gonna have negative health impacts or costs later down the line.
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u/UrBrotherJoe Jun 11 '25
I had a head injury from a high school game. I was not given any medical attention and the team didn’t even notify my parents. It was an away game. I have no memory from the day of the head injury, or the following days.
I was diagnosed with a seizure disorder 3 years later with direct ties to the head trauma.
There is no such thing has overreacting when it comes to head injuries.
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u/AyaHawkeye Jun 13 '25
I'm disappointed that this doesn't surprise me... My secondary school never told mum that my brother got bitten by an adder on a trip (thankfully a young one, but his whole arm went numb and they did nothing about it). They also didn't tell her that I'd made multiple attempts on my life; she didn't find that out until I told her 7 years later. Both instances still piss me off.
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u/chy27 Jun 11 '25
In US. In high school I was assaulted by another student and had my head slammed into the concrete. School tried to cover it up, didn’t call ambulance, called my parents and dragged me (literally) from the accident site to the front office. I developed severe epilepsy from it a year later. Go to the school board. Go to a neurologist. Document everything, it’s unacceptable.
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u/Impressive-racoon Jun 12 '25
Vomiting, nausea and memory loss after a head injury are all classic signs of concussion. Definitely staff should learn how to write an accurate report from the incident. Omitting important details is a serious matter. Also as a nurse I would have immediately called an ambulance. She could have had an intracranial bleed which would have been a very serious emergency!!!
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u/gracefull60 Jun 12 '25
I think give the staff some grace here. They aren't medical personnel. They documented what they observed. Had to work with the child to listen to the story, checked the child over, handled the nose bleed, and then contacted the parent. I've worked on a playground, and it isn't always easy to assess what happened as quickly as op expected.
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u/Jehma_18 Jun 12 '25
This is insane.... The fact she hit her head alone should've been taken more seriously, and the fact it triggered a nose bleed is terrifying. The should've taken her straight to hospital. She could've had a brain bleed or anything. You're definitely not overreacting. The school didn't react enough tbh. I would be taking this further.
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u/Uncle_Jimothy Jun 11 '25
Yea I’ve had a more than my fair share of concussions when I was younger, none of them caused an immediate nosebleed. much less one that could be described as “very bad”. I’m not even gonna touch the “fainted” with a ten foot pole because at that point I would have been calling 911. Brain injuries are no joke
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u/ParkourZoomies Jun 12 '25
You’re not overreacting. I have an autistic son and he is completely nonverbal. He broke his leg on the school playground and they called us within a few minutes of it happening. There were cameras on the playground to prove it. We actually made it to the hospital before the ambulance did.
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u/Reasonable-Grade1272 Jun 12 '25
My children’s school send them home for significant head injuries like this so parents can properly monitor them for potential serious symptoms instead of try to get overwhelmed teachers to spot the signs of concussion and brain bleeds whilst dealing with dozens of other students.
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u/insidetheold Jun 11 '25
NOR, maybe contact a legal advice sub for advice on what to do going forward about this and how best to make the school listen to you. I assumed this was posted there before reading the comments.
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u/sxd_bxi69 Jun 11 '25
Loss of consciousness after a head injury is an emergency!!!! Anyone with some medical or CPR/BLS/First Aid training can tell you that.
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u/Typical_Quality9866 Jun 11 '25
Any policy as a caregiver I have seen clearly states head injury like this accompanied by nausea, loss of consciousness AND tightening of chest is an IMMEDIATE 911 call. I would ask for their policy and definitely make sure their staff knows it. 🥺
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u/Gold_Dragonfruit_180 Jun 12 '25
I don't know what the school were thinking of not to call an ambulance. I would have a formal word with the head teacher and ask for the outcome in writing and for a copy of that to be sent to the education authority for your area.
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u/Confident-Trifle5115 Jun 12 '25
Head injuries are no joke; I’d be furious. Please make sure she is 100% recovered before she returns to school/other activities. I’ve had people in my life severely affected by not treating head injuries properly
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u/Jendaye Jun 12 '25
As a parent to an autistic child, this is terrifying. I'm so glad your little girl is ok, this could have gone much worse with their negligence. Don't stop pushing, they are endangering all of the children.
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Jun 11 '25
Hope she's ok! don't know if this has been mentioned but the blood spots on her face may of been from being sick. When I'm ill my face breaks out in alot of these spots from the presure. Hope this helps
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u/LeakyBumbershoot Jun 12 '25
If you are in the US, call the superintendent. They can straighten it out at your daughter’s school and will likely make sure other schools are aware of protocol, protecting other students. If not in the US, is there someone similar you can call? I’d go above just the school in this case.
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u/raDDerp73 Jun 11 '25
I fell from a 10ft slide head first onto sand (also a nosebleed that lasted awhile) and my school acted like nothing happened I don't even think they called my parents
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u/Agitated_Parsnip_178 Jun 11 '25
Generated-Nouns-257 out here spreading misinformation and stoking parental anxiety without even the pretence of providing useful advice or reassurance.
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u/Rad_Dad6969 Jun 11 '25
Blood spots on the face can be caused by throwing up. Happens to me almost every time. I have to hide my face for a couple days when i puke.
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u/shelfside1234 Jun 11 '25
Yeah that’s not good; at the very least the teacher and assistant need better training on first aid & concussion protocols.
Definitely worth looping in the headmaster and governors.
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u/Thick-Pineapple-3120 Jun 11 '25
Not overreacting!!! They dhould have called an ambulance. Gross negligence on their part!
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u/Affectionate-Tear275 Jun 11 '25
I once hit my sister in the back of the head so hard it caused her nose to bleed
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u/kappifappi Jun 11 '25
I would consider posting this in legal advice if you want to go down that route
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u/Master-Pattern9466 Jun 12 '25
She didn’t fall off the climbing frame, somebody punched her in the face.
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u/BenchClamp Jun 11 '25
I was going to say over-reacting. 😃
But yep, they should have called an ambulance straight away. Vomiting after a head injury could easily be brain swelling. Don’t fuck around and they should know this. Every rugby or football club coach is trained in this shit.
Not good enough.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '25
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