Information, Please

Last week a form came home from the school, asking for the Howler's name, school, grade, whether or not she has been diagnosed with asthma, and if so, what medication(s) is she taking. It's labelled as a school district survey.

Now, I don't have a problem talking about her asthma, or sharing information about it, but if the school district wants the information, with her name attached, for a "survey," I want to know why they want it, and how it will be used.

I called her school and talked to the nurse. All the nurse was told was that it was "for the state" and she was told to make sure she got all these surveys back.

This is not enough information for me.

I'm supposed to give out my minor child's personal medical information to the state, without knowing why? They need it for undisclosed reasons?

I think not.

So, the school nurse gave me the head nurse's phone number. I called. I left a message. I hear nothing back, AND get several new forms, including "return by" dates. And I get to have the Howler tell me off for not filling out this form.

This is unacceptable.

This morning, I took the first form (the one with no explaination and no return by date,) filled in the Howler's name, school, and grade, and wrote a specific note. "I will fill out this information when I hear back from Ms. Head Nurse regarding what it will be used for." Signed my name and gave my phone number.

As I'm writing this message, the Howler asks me what they want to know...and why they want to know it. Now, if a six-year old can figure out that to fill out a form you need to know WHY, how hard is it for the people who sent the form to figure out that somebody, somewhere, is going to want to know WHY too.

I called the admin building and asked them. They contacted Ms. Head Nurse and she will be returning my call (I made it clear I had already tried to contact her, and am surprised that they would request this kind of information without an explanation.)

I anxiously await her call.

Now, don't get me wrong.

I'm sure this is some useless and harmless survey being conducted by the state to use tax payer money for no particular reason. BUT the fact that they want my daughter's name, and what amounts to her age, specific medical information, and my signature (which implies that whoever has access to this information may use it as he or she sees fit) just doesn't sit well with me.

If it were an anonymous survey asking if she had asthma, no name, age, or signature given, I'd have no problem filling it out. Even if they wanted specific medicines being used to treat and control her asthma, I'd have no problem filling this out. And, of course, if I'm being totally honest, if she didn't have asthma, I'd fill the beastie out and send it back without a second thought.

BUT.

I have a responsibility to my family (and my daughter) to KNOW what the school district AND the state are going to do with her name, and my signature.

That being said, they'll cough up the information, or they won't be getting the information from me. (And, if way back in the dark ages the district couldn't use or give out personal or identifying information, you can bet your bippy that they can't use it now, in the hi-tech privacy-at-all-costs new millenium. You can bet on that as a sure winner.)