Mother outraged after son has teeth removed at school

[JohnPaul]

At my school, the permission slip was sent with the child to the dental team

what may have happened at "your school" does not apply here, and is completely irrelevant, this did not happen at "your school",

There is ZERO doubt in my mind a new permission was signed

and there is zero doubt in my mind that i no longer trust one word out of the mothers mouth



.

 

[flourish]

what may have happened at "your school" does not apply here, and is completely irrelevant, this did not happen at "your school",



and there is zero doubt in my mind that i no longer trust one word out of the mothers mouth



.

By the same token, how other nine year old children got home from school doesn't apply here. This child was not a regular walker. He should not have been expected to do so that day.

The judgement and coldness displayed in this thread tells me so much.

Every single day here we have threads about horrible things happening to children, including 9 year old children. And multiple posters lament "where was this child's mother?" "why was this child allowed out and about without proper supervision?" "why wasn't someone with this child?" "why wasn't someone watching this child?"

And then there's this thread.
Very informative. Shaking my head...reminds me of all those memes on facebook about how "back in the day, we didn't have car seats or hand sanitizer or bike helmets, and we did just fine." Yeah, the people who died from lack of car seats or bike helmets or whatever aren't exactly around to dispute how "just fine" everything is.
Empathy. It's a great quality and all too rare.

 

[al66pine]

My earlier post -
-- noted the B'more school calendar I saw covered district wide info & events, and
---asked if someone would search for a calendar specific to the boy's grade school.

beechfield elementary school.
http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/246
http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/25226

Elley Mae. Thanks for the ^ links.

I may be overlooking something but -
-- 1st link has banner for Beechfield Elem, but calendar for Jan has no events listed. Ditto other months. Hmmm? Maybe his grade/classroom/teacher has a facebook page &/or auto-email system for events like clinics? Anyone?

-- 2nd link describes health services provided w B'more City Health Dept, to district students, specfically this:
"Dental care. Through an agreement with the Oral Health Impact Project and Mobile Dentists/Smile Maryland, in-school dental services can be provided to all students whose parents provide written consent. This includes routine examinations and cleaning, dental x-rays, sealants (when appropriate) andpreventive and restorative services, such as filling cavities."

Is pulling baby teeth a 'preventative or restorative service'? IDK. Does not mention anesthesia but does include filling cavities.
Says dental care is "provided to all students whose parents provide written consent." bbm Not surprising that ^ written consent policy is in place, as many/most of us thought. But in any institution, things can 'slip between the cracks.' IDK if that happened here.

 

[JeannaT]

My earlier post -
-- noted the B'more school calendar I saw covered district wide info & events, and
---asked if someone would search for a calendar specific to the boy's grade school.



Elley Mae. Thanks for the ^ links.

I may be overlooking something but -
-- 1st link has banner for Beechfield Elem, but calendar for Jan has no events listed. Ditto other months. Hmmm? Maybe his grade/classroom/teacher has a facebook page &/or auto-email system for events like clinics? Anyone?

-- 2nd link describes health services provided w B'more City Health Dept, to district students, specfically this:
"Dental care. Through an agreement with the Oral Health Impact Project and Mobile Dentists/Smile Maryland, in-school dental services can be provided to all students whose parents provide written consent. This includes routine examinations and cleaning, dental x-rays, sealants (when appropriate) andpreventive and restorative services, such as filling cavities."

Is pulling baby teeth a 'preventative or restorative service'? IDK. Does not mention anesthesia but does include filling cavities.
Says dental care is "provided to all students whose parents provide written consent." bbm Not surprising that ^ written consent policy is in place, as many/most of us thought. But in any institution, things can 'slip between the cracks.' IDK if that happened here.

Someone provided the actual document upthread, and the services included "removal of infected baby teeth".

 

[AlwaysShocked]

Due to potential liability issues, I am quite surprised that procedures such as fillings and extractions are performed on underage children without a parent present. That "permission slip" must have some pretty strong release of liability wording in it in order for any dentist to even touch these children.

The mother's story just isn't making sense.

 

[Elley Mae]

She needs a visit from CPS and her kid(s) need to be removed if she can't care for them. There's a good view of his lower anteriors and I can tell by looking at them he has poor oral hygiene and that is HER fault--he's only 9.

Here's what she signed.

I request that the dentist perform a dental check-up on my child at school which includes exam, cleaning, fluoride, sealants and x-rays as needed, as well as other dental work as needed, including fillings, extractions of infected baby teeth, numbing the mouth and teeth and other procedures as described more fully on the back of this page. This permission includes future dental visits. I have read the IMPORTANT NOTICE AND CONSENT ON THE BACK OF THIS PAGE and understand and agree to its terms.

Back of page:

I understand and authorize S.K. Pesis D.D.S. Big Smiles Maryland, PC; OHIP Lawrence B. Caplin DMD, P.A.(Provider) and its affiliated dentists to provide the following services for the named child for whom I am the custodial parent or legal guardian: dental exam & oral hygiene instruction, teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment, x-rays & dental sealants. I authorize the dentist to fill any cavities or to place a crown over the tooth if needed. I authorize Provider to extract any problem baby teeth or perform a pulpotomy (treatment of the nerves inside the tooth) as needed. I understand that there are risks to dental treatment including swelling or pain that may occur from the injection of a local anesthetic or allergic reaction. (For additional information regardingtherisksoftreatmentandtreatmentalternatives,pleasecallthenumberprovided.)

http://www.baltimorecityschools.org...entricity/Domain/8832/2015 16 Dental form.pdf

Unsubscribing now--stuff like this is incomprehensible to me.

Here it is.

 

[queenb3577]

Here it is.

If you look at the form, it says at the bottom of the HIPPA section that it is effective 8/2015...but she signed a form in March. How do we know that THIS is the form and the wording on the form that she signed? There could have been a different form with different wording in March of that year. All these people judging the mother on a form that she signed in March of 2015, but I'm not seeing that we know the exact form she signed and like I've said before, she still should have been notified that day of the plans to pull 3 of his teeth.

 

[Elley Mae]

If you look at the form, it says at the bottom of the HIPPA section that it is effective 8/2015...but she signed a form in March. How do we know that THIS is the form and the wording on the form that she signed? There could have been a different form with different wording in March of that year. All these people judging the mother on a form that she signed in March of 2015, but I'm not seeing that we know the exact form she signed and like I've said before, she still should have been notified that day of the plans to pull 3 of his teeth.

The date on the form is the latest form in use, not the year for the forms use. There have not been changes to the wording on the form since then. She signed the form, she didn't read the form. I believe what I believe and I also believe he is a walker. jmo idk

 

[queenb3577]

The date on the form is the latest form in use, not the year for the forms use. There have not been changes to the wording on the form since then. She signed the form, she didn't read the form. I believe what I believe and I also believe he is a walker. jmo idk

Yes, so the form we saw was from August 2015. Where is the one used in March 2015? It is possible that the wording is different. You can believe he's a walker all you want, his mother still should have been informed on the day of the procedure of what was happening and had the option to decline or be there for the extraction or at the very least pick him up at school after.

 

[al66pine]

Consent form avail at http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/...tal form.pdf. w "Effective date August 1, 2015."

As Elley Mae posted (TYVM) noted: the form avail online now is/likely is the form currently in use.
Doubtful to me that co. or school would keep obsoleted form online and any consent form the co. or school would want signed by parent/guardian would be the most/current version.
As I posted earlier, its poss --
--- Mother had a copy of form she signed in Mar 2015 and that's what she referred to in talking to reporter; and
--- she did sign the current (Aug 2015) version but did not keep a copy or did not look at it when she was taking to reporter.

We don't know w certainty, imo, which version she signed.
Nor do we know from info in this thread, whether there were significant changes or any changes in terms/language from one version to next.

How long is consent form effective?
On its face, the form* states: "This permission includes future dental visits." bbm
Imo, would a court give it effect indefinitely.

Some unanswered/unanswerable questions ATM. As always, JM2cts.



______________________________________________________________________
* "READ & SIGN BELOW
I request that the dentist perform a dental check-up on my child at school which includes exam, cleaning, fluoride, sealants and x-rays as needed, as well as other dental work as needed, including fillings, extractions of infected baby teeth, numbing the mouth and teeth and other procedures as described more fully on the back of this page. This permission includes future dental visits. I have read the IMPORTANT NOTICE AND CONSENT ON THE BACK OF THIS PAGE and understand and agree to its terms.
SIGN & DATE HERE _______________________________________________________________ ____________"

 

[al66pine]

Re the company performing the dental care, on school's role in the process.*
Looks like form for ea student is supposed to be mailed to dental care provider beforehand (the clinic).
Seems the provider would need to know # of participants, to schedule sufficient personnel of the 20+ of DDSs listed.**
Also form addresses ongoing care: "dentist will regularly check" so not a one-shot consent form.***

Sometimes the procedure as practiced varies from the procedure on paper. :thinking: JM2cts.

____________________________________________________________________
* http://www.mobiledentists.com/for-schools/how-it-works/. w greening below by me.
"Our innovative in-school dental program is designed to be easy for schools. Check out our short video about the programhere:
Here’s how it works:

• You schedule a date for the dental team to visit your school. Prior to your visit date we send you permission forms.
• Your teachers hand the forms out to each student. Students take them home to be completed and signed by their parent or guardian, then bring them back to the school.
• You collect all of the signed forms and return them to us in the postage paid envelopes we provide.
• On the day of the visit, the dental team sets up an in-school “dental office for the day” and provides the necessary dental care.
  • Every child seen gets a dental “report card” to take home and a FREE TOOTHBRUSH.

Be sure to see our Best Practices page on how to maximize the number of students getting the dental care they need and deserve."

** On form just under "KEEP FOR YOUR RECORDS" there are 20+ dentists listed.

*** On page 1 of form:
"EASY & CONVENIENT - A state licensed dentist will regularly check your child's mouth & teeth, as well as provide a cleaning, x-rays as necessary, fluoride treatment and apply sealants, as needed. Additional care, such as fillings, may also be provided. A dental report card will be sent home with your child. Includes initial dental care & follow-up visits. SIGN AND RETURN TO YOUR SCHOOL TODAY!" (greened by me)

 

[Plombage]

I have a school age children and every year we have to sign all new forms for the current school year. I personally find it odd that this school district doesn't do the same.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[tpayne1987]

"What's there to treat anyway?" - are the perplexed dads and moms and grandparents of little kids when they bring them to the pediatric dentist's office. Later in life, doctors work primarily with baby teeth. Permanent teeth we see only when it is necessary to seal fissures or - in extreme cases - when it is necessary to treat medium dental caries, but not deeper. Happened once before in my child's childhood, associated with the removal of milk teeth at school. When I came from another country, I was outraged; the teeth were growing very crooked; before that, there was also trauma to the extraction area. Already in our time, when he was a teenager, we went to the orthodontist at <modsnip>, where we put braces. Very comfortable to wear so far and some effect also.

 

[Mojito]

When I read the headline I envisioned the Math teacher pulling teeth in class. The video is so old it won't play but the dental program was ramped up after an 11 year old died from an infected tooth about 10 years ago. Trying to save kids' lives. Good on them!
And this Mom is mad. I have no patience for people like this.

 

[OddOneOut]

Flemming says she sees now that the consent form she signed in March 2015 mentions extractions of baby teeth, but she&#8217;d still want to be notified before such a serious procedure.
In a statement, the Oral Health Impact Project of Pipersville, Pennsylvania, says its policy is to &#8220;obtain signed, valid consent forms before any and all procedures.&#8221;
http://wtop.com/baltimore/2017/01/mom-sons-teeth-pulled-at-school-without-notification/
bbm Now she sees.

She should have been notified before anything like extractions was done. He could have had an allergy or reaction to pain or sedation medications during the surgery creating a serious emergency.