A case where "Sorry" isn't enough.....

So here's the update on the missed meds.

I drop Faith off at school the next day and there's a lady, whom I've never seen, bringing Faith's wheelchair to the door. I see someone sitting on the bench inside, I couldn't tell at the time who it was.

At this point they had no idea about the missed meds.

So the lady pulls the chair to the front of my car and I asked her if she was replacing Dee (the teacher) today, she said no that she was an aide out of one of the other classrooms. She talked to Faith and commented how pretty she looked and joked that she would have to borrow some of her clothes. We shared a little laughter. So I asked her if Dee was there today and she said yes, but that she was already down in the lunchroom. I told her that I needed to speak to someone that was normally in Faith's class. She said that Lisa (I believe that's the name she said) was inside. So I walked in the school behind her and "Lisa" was the aide that I dropped Faith off to the day before (better known as "the missed meds day" 9/27/06).

So I asked "Lisa" if Faith had eaten breakfast the previous day (if they didn't give her meds, I had to wonder if they had even fed her). She said yes, she had eaten breakfast. My next question is who fed her. She said, "Well, let me think....ah yes....I did." OH MY GOD!! She had think who fed Faith?? When she was the one that fed her?? Ya just gotta wonder, ya know? I then said, "Well, we have a major issue...". She gazed at me with a blank look on her face. "....because Faith didn't get her meds yesterday morning." I literally watched this woman's jaw drop. There were two other staff members in addition to "Lisa" and the aide that had Faith standing in the hall as I confronted her. I then explained to her how I had gotten in Faith's backpack to put in her meds for the next day and found that there was a dose left in there. I then made it a point of the hour that I spent on the phone back and forth to Tim trying to find out if Sheri had put the pills in and also made sure she knew that I had to have Faith's neurologist paged at 10pm to find out what I needed to do to ensure that Faith didn't have a seizure because of her low count.

Her response?
"Oh Ms. Smith, I'm really sorry".

My respose?
"Well, while I can appreciate your apology, that doesn't erase the fact that Faith's meds were not administered as directed. You have to give Faith medication ONCE a day DURING breakfast, how hard is that to remember? This medication is crucial. We are lucky that Faith didn't go into a seizure and ya know, I just gotta wonder even if she had...would have anyone noticed? Typically when Faith has a mal seizure it's so severe that this little girl has to be taken into the ER and adminstered Phenobarbital thru an IV. So again, while I can appreciate your apology you obviously understand why I'm so upset."

I left. I needed to before I got angry. I was hurt and felt that her "sorry" didn't even measure up to what I felt needed to be done. I kept very calm and actually when I look back at it, I'm very proud of myself because I'm gonna tell you that I was ready to explode inside. As I pulled away from the school, now late for work, tears were rolling down my face uncontrollably.

I find out later that this staff member that missed giving Faith's meds was the registered LPN.

WHAT???!!!?!

This is bad...very bad. Something has got to give here. While our children are in school it IS the facitlity's responsibility to take care of them as we would. Some children, such as Faith, take a bit more care and attention. Ya know....not having enough staff to see that my child is properly taken care of is NOT an excuse, nor will it be accepted. They think we're asking too much when we stress the importance of Faith needing a one-on-one aide, not only that it will further Faith's learning and development to have that attention but this situation would not happen again if one person would have one responsibility....and that being Faith.

No, I don't think it's too much to ask that my little girl be safe and taken care of while in school. I trust them to see that this is done while she is out of my hands...it IS their responsibility. If something was done to their child while in the care of someone else, wouldn't they expect the same?

The fight for Faith, and now what I feel has been jeopardized..her safety...will turn even stronger.

TV, radio, newspaper, Senators, Lawyers....whatever it takes.
Sad, isn't it?
"Normal" children don't need to go through this to see that they get a proper education and ensured safety.

Not being fair is an understatement.