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-   -   How cold is too cold for children to be out playing? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/general-chit-chat-non-quilting-talk-f7/how-cold-too-cold-children-out-playing-t33520.html)

Lisa_wanna_b_quilter 01-07-2010 08:06 PM

Our kids didn't even go to school because it was too cold. I'm sure all you northerners are going to laugh, but our school is called off if the temp is in the single digits.

MistyMarie 01-07-2010 08:47 PM

I teach in a middle school and we don't let the kids out if it is below freezing. So, I guess I didn't think I would need to give explicit directions to NOT take her out in the cold, because I assumed no person in their right mind would take a group of 4 and 5 year olds outside when it was 22 degrees below freezing. I only found out because she had on a different shirt when I came to pick her up and she said it was because her shirt was wet from playing outside. Her winter coat had not been zipped up far enough and the heavy sweater I put on her in the morning over a T-shirt had been taken off earlier because she was too hot. They didn't put it back on her before she went out, so she just had on a T-shirt under her coat. Her mittens were still wet four hours after they had gone outside. I couldn't even put them on her when I picked her up because they would have been worse than going without.
Fortunately, she has not had too many problems with her lungs in the last year, so I haven't been too worried about her getting sick, but I just don't want to take chances.

littlehud 01-07-2010 09:09 PM

School has been canceled here for the last two days and tomorrow too. It's just to cold. She isn't going out to play either.

Boston1954 01-08-2010 05:24 PM

If she were my child, I would be in the teacher's face about it. Call the school board and see if there are any regulations.

barnbum 01-08-2010 07:07 PM

I teach 5th grade. The kids were inside for recess for all but yesterday. There is a policy on temps/wind chill, but I'm not sure what it is. I bet that teacher isn't aware of what the wind chill is when she heads out. I wouldn't know--the admin decides for us and calls the shots. She needs to know what it is and know what's appropriate before taking the kids out. How long were they out?

Mousie 01-09-2010 07:11 AM


Originally Posted by QuiltMania
The school should have a policy that covers this. Check with administration on it. My school does not let kids be outside if the temperature with wind chill is less than 18 degrees. However, if your daughter has medical issues, the school should respect that. If the teacher is disregarding her medical issues, I would speak to an administrator.


I only got this far, as I was definitely thinking...since this teacher is ignoring your requests per her medical issues, I would go right over her head!
Don't worry that she might be a nice teacher, or be afraid that she will take it out on your daughter. You can keep an eye on that too!
This is...I can't think of the words, but I don't blame your DH. I hope he fills both ears on this one!:evil:

MistyMarie 01-09-2010 02:17 PM

When I came to pick my daughter up the next day, the teacher was waiting for me. (She usually leaves about half and hour before I pick my daughter up.) She already knew that we were upset because my husband talked to the director earlier in the morning.She explained that they went for a short walk and that it pertained to a conversation about the weather. They were only outside for about ten minutes.
I did explain to her about my daughter's health issues and she said she had no idea because it was on the longer medical form I filled out three years ago, not on the short one I update each year. She said she would make sure to not take my dd out again in the cold. She will just go into the 3-4 year old classroom when her class goes outside. (I almost feel like I am punishing my daughter now.) From the sounds of it, I wasn't the only parent upset about the kids going out in the cold.

BellaBoo 01-09-2010 02:48 PM

It's the parent's decision when too cold is too cold for small child to be outside. Although I don't think being in the cold for a short time will make a healthy child sick, the teacher was out of line or lacks common sense.

BobbiSue 01-09-2010 03:05 PM

This reminds me of an incident that happened way back when I was in 4th grade and my brother was in third. Mama had written a note and told me to give it to his teacher. He had been ill and she didn't want him outside in the cold weather. His teacher grabbed me and banged my head off the brick wall in her classroom. She was yelling all the time my head was bouncing off the wall. "What does she think I am..........." The next morning she found out what Mama felt because she was at the school before the doors opened.... A few months later I started sufffering with seizures as a direct result of the assault. We found out later that her husband had committed suicide by gunshot in their back yard and she found him. The school knew about it and let her return to teach with no time off... At that time, we were really country folk and knew nothing about talking with lawyers, etc. Teachers were the "say so and all that". I'm so thankful things have changed in that tealm.

Oklahoma Suzie 01-09-2010 03:35 PM

They don't let them go out if it is below 32 here.


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