The school situation

It has been nearly a week and I think I might just now be ready to actually "talk" about it. I will give the very short version here, however, as I don't want to get into details for legal reasons.

On Monday morning Bug was at school and Princess and I were running errands. When I got home I listened to our messages and Bugs preschool teacher had left a message something along the lines of, "Please plan to pick up Bug from school today or drop her off tomorrow. We need to do her hearing test again because she was being defiant and kept taking her headphones off. We aren't sure if she passed or not."

As soon as I heard that they put headphones on her I got concerned. I immediately called the school to let them know that under no circumstances is Bug allowed to have headphones on.

(A bit of history here...Bug has a programmable shunt which regulates the fluid that drains from her brain. The settings are set by magnets. If she is exposed to magnets and we are unaware of it, the settings could change and we may not know until she shows signs of shunt failure hours, days or even weeks later. Symptoms of shunt failure/problems can be eye rolling, seizures, headaches, vomiting, etc. The consequences can mean brain damage and even brain surgery.)

I know without a shadow of a doubt that I discussed this very important detail with her teacher. I was even asked to come into the classroom to go through the items and look for magnets in the toys, on the walls, etc. However, she now claims that she doesn't recall that I gave her a handwritten note and that we discussed this very important topic.

I immediately made an appointment for Bug to see the Neurosurgeon and learned that Bug was in fact ok. Praise God! I did learn about a young boy that was in the office a week earlier that did not fair as well from his teachers mistake. He was doing a "lab" at school which included the use of headphones. It wasn't until he had suffered flu-like symptoms for nearly a week before it was discovered that he was actually being exposed to magnets. When the parents finally discovered this disturbing news, it was too late. He had already suffered brain damage.

Armed with this true story and my own anger I began addressing those at Bugs school one-by-one. Her teacher seemed so indifferent, which really rubbed me the wrong way. Her principal was concerned for Bug but wasn't sure how to guarantee it wouldn't happen again besides putting a note on the door that it was a "no magnet" zone...yeah, it is a great start, but it needs even more than that. I have spoken with the schools receptionist who asked that I please explain why magnets harm her so that maybe that will help her remember that Bug can't be around them (I appreciate the desire to learn, but it really is inconsequential as to WHY she can't have them near her...the fact is, if I asked them to keep them away and they promise to keep her safe, they need to do it regardless of whether they understand why they need to do it.) I've had discussions with the community health department. The list goes on.

Apparently the school is very concerned about lawsuits. How about being concerned about MY DAUGHTER?!?!?

I was about 2 seconds away from pulling her from the program, but the truth is that she loves going and taking her from that environment would harm her too. That isn't fair to her. So I have to trust these ignorant people to keep my child safe. And that is the problem...I don't trust them at all. I don't think they would ever harm her intentionally, but how do they know when someone is wearing a magnetic bracelet or necklace? How about toys that have speakers...do they remember those? Bags have magnets. Cell phones have magnets. Purses have magnets. How do I trust that they will remember these small details?

Keeping Bug safe is a full time job. One that I wouldn't trade for the world, but it isn't easy. I have worked hard and God has blessed her so incredibly that I would had for one stupid person to take all of this blessings and flush them down the toilet because they exposed her to magnets which in turn caused brain damage.

So, I am going to do what I have had to do ever since her birth...trust in my God to keep Bug safe. I know He loves her more than me even and that brings peace to my heart.

(For the sake of keeping this reasonable in length, I have left out a lot of the story but hopefully there is enough here for you to get an understanding of the severity of the situation)