A New Unfunded Mandate?
There is a proposed bill that would require kids wash hands at lunch. This is to funny to make up. Why do some Legislators, and ordinary people, think the Governement has to require everything. Where has personal responsibility gone? Where has parental responsibility gone? The Government is not a Nanny and it should stop acting like one. How are the kids going to be punished if they don’t wash their hands? Will their be a fine that will go directly to the Teachers Pension Fund or maybe to pay for the All Kids program just passed? How many schools will complain about this and add it their list of unfunded mandates?
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By Dave McKinney SPRINGFIELD — Chicago’s 400,000 public school kids may listen to their parents when it comes to washing their hands at home, but it’s a different story once they’re away from Mom and Dad. So says an Illinois lawmaker, who has introduced first-of-its-kind legislation to require the city’s students to wash up before and after school lunches to help slow the transmission of flu, colds or even life-threatening maladies. “At home, we teach our children to wash their hands. But once they get to school, those rules are thrown out because of the time constraints the schools are under. In the meantime, a lot of children are getting sick,” said Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago). Right now, the city’s public school system has no formal rules on student hand-washing, a school spokesman said. What Flowers, a South Side Democrat and mother of one, has in mind are pumps filled with hand sanitizer stationed in school cafeterias where kids standing in lunch lines would use them before eating. Dr. Judy Daly, a University of Utah medical professor and secretary of the American Society of Microbiology, praised the initiative and said she was unaware of any other public school system in the country with hand-washing requirements like those Flowers has proposed. Expand idea statewide? “It could have a marvelously positive impact,” said Daly, a spokesman for the organization’s Clean Hands Campaign. “I think her plan is definitely an idea that is going in the right direction. It’s so simple and would be very, very effective for the health of kids.” Flowers’ bill was filed in the House last week, and she said she would not press for its passage until the spring legislative session gets under way in January. She said she is contemplating fine-tuning it to apply to all schools statewide. “We can cut down on a lot of these germs that are being spread throughout the community as well as throughout the schools,” she said. “If this could save one child’s life or spare a family from having to suffer from a sickness, then it’s worth it.” |
I have to ask… what will be the procedure for washing your hands? Will it be acceptable to wash with water? How about the tiniest bit of soap to wash them? Will they have to wash their hands up to their elbows? Will they use foam or liquid? Antibacterial or regular? How about their nails? Will they provide a nail brush? What if the kids get caught picking their noses after they wash their hands? There is talk that Antibacterial liquids are being over used and will be rendered ineffective. What will they use then?
I understand that there are plenty of germs out there that are avoided by frequent hand washing. But what about the airborne ones? Will this really help avoid sickness? I believe that it will help very little. I think Lennie is right here and I also think that there is a cause and effect situation will children’s illness. Most schools allow only 10 sick days per quarter before it goes to the attention of the principal or maybe the truancy officer. (I believe… correct me if I’m wrong) So little Carl is sick with a nasty flu and it takes up 7 days of that. Then in the same quarter he gets a cold. It starts with a fever and the Mom and Dad are forced to make a decision. Should I keep him home? They decide to keep him home with a fever that lasts 3 days. It is now on the fourth day and they push it, by sending him to school. But here he is… still contagious, blowing his nose(and washing his hands after that of course), tired, weak, and not performing academically like he should. I would only add to this one more detail. What about the parents who really can’t take a lot of time off for work for one reason or another? Are they going to push having their son or daughter in school despite illness?
Oh… I forgot to add to the school situation that Carl is being graded according to his illnesses too because he’s missed so many days, even though he has done all his make up homework. I know that this does happen for a fact… because I had a public school teacher tell me.
Now I ask you… is this about washing hands or about a system that doesn’t allow a kid to be so sick with normal illnesses and stay home for the full amount of recovery? Or a job that doesn’t allow for your children’s illnesses? (NO, this isn’t something that needs to have more government involvement!) I think that this is about schools laying off kids for being sick and quit making “the many” pay for “the few” that abuse it. Also for the work place to be more understanding and let the workers “make up” the time if need to be.
So to wrap it all up into one statement… let people be sick without the catch 22′s! People can’t help or control when they are sick. It is life!
Lisa wrote:
what will be the procedure for washing your hands?
Chris writes:
My guess is the ISBE will form a commission to develop hand washing standards. A full time agency will need to be formed to monitor compliance — see, this bill would even help job growth! Then Blago can award all the soap and paper towl contracts to his campaign contributors and all will be right with Illinois.
Putting aside the exaggeration of politics and process, I have to agree. When my kids moved from private pre-schools to public schools, I was amazed at the lack of focus on something as simple as this (and the resulting increased frequency of simple illnesses).