Fear

pasajes4

Well-Known Member
I have been a teacher for 43 years. It has changed in every way since I was 21. I love what I do.
Several weeks ago, I was outside with my class enjoying a mild beautiful day, one of the kids walked up to me to show me what she had found on the playground under the slide. She opened her hand and showed me a home made rig used to shoot up drugs. I asked her to put it on the ground so that it could be picked up safely and disposed of. That did not happen. I wound up getting stuck in the hand. Thankfully no one else got stuck.

This is where the fear comes into play. The nurse wrote up a report and handed me a form that I would have to take to the public health department in order to be tested for aids. I had to be tested twice. Thank God it was negative. The child's parents chose to have her tested. She is fine.

The admin. was horrible to me about the incident. They acted like it was my fault that the rig was on the playground. It was under the slide under the pea gravel. This is in a wealthy burb and the thought that this could be happening in their part of paradise never crossed their mind. They have apologized and I may return to work. Grounds crew must now check the outdoor play areas at all schools.
 

pigless in VA

Well-Known Member
Admin doesn't like anything that makes them look bad. The focus is not on safety for the workers or students.

Everyone keeps asking me if I want to work summer school again. I don't for two reasons: #1 the pay was abysmal and #2 the working environment was unsafe. We spent 2 weeks in a large building with no administration. If something had gone terribly wrong with our kids, we would have had to call 911 for assistance. This was all due to poor planning. The other summer school program which included several other teachers and aids and admin, ended 2 weeks prior to our class. I felt like we had been hung out to dry.

Wow, pasa! I'm am so sorry that you had to be tested for AIDS, but I'm glad it was negative.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
Hi Pasa,

So sorry about the situation.

Have they checked for hepatitis?

I would go to your personal physician and make sure to get tested for everything.

How is your son doing?

Apple
 

pasajes4

Well-Known Member
I have an appointment with my primary care next week. We are doing labs for the hep screening and a repeat of the aids screening. She is that kind of dr. very thorough.
 

mof

Momdidntsignupforthis
So sorry this happened. It happens all to often. Glad you are OK. Glad the child is.

NO COMMUNITY is safe from drugs..this is the reality.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
I am not sure what the screening protocols are today. When husband was medivac-ed out of the Gulf, he was first taken to a UAE hospital ship where he was given several blood tranfusions.

It was later found that their testing protocol wasn't up to snuff and he (and I) had to be tested several times for AIDS and Hep both.

I think it was over a year period, but i would guess by now that testing procedures are much more effecient and that you won't have to undergo testing for that long.
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
PASA. This is a dreadful story. The part about the thoughtlessly aggressive fouling of the playground and the part where administration wanted to target you as somehow wrong or responsible.

It is almost worst, the latter, because these people hold themselves up as responsible and righteous models.

I like you loved my work but not the institutions I worked within. The same thing happened. Scapegoating.
They have apologized and I may return to work.
Now I am going to reveal just how petty and vindictive I can be: Can you sue? For pain and suffering. And for being targeted, wrongly held responsible, your reputation wrongfully called into question.

They are the ones that fell down on the job. They should have ordered grounds crew to scour any public area where children will go, and they should do so on a regular basis. That they did not indicates their own culpability, irresponsibility and inattention to their jobs.
 

pasajes4

Well-Known Member
I will not sue. Their response was fear driven. The district is full of movers and shakers. Administration quakes in their boots over everything. If this is what it takes to wake them up to the reality that drug use goes on even in elite neighborhoods, thats enough for me.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
I had a friend who was an EMT back in the 1990's. He got a needle stick on the job, and he had to be off work for six months (with pay) till the test results all came back negative (they did).

He was able to work as a bus driver, though, during that time, since there was no danger of spreading anything.

Not sure if they still do that, or if the procedures have changed.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Oh pasa what a horrible thing to go through! There is no where safe anymore and that is so sad. Thank God for your test results being negative!
 
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