katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378 
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Post by katybee on Feb 22, 2016 2:17:21 GMT
I had to call 911 for a coworker on Thursday. It was about 6:30 (PM!) and 4 out of the 5 teachers on my team were still at school (very typical). One of my coworkers was walking down the hall and had her hand on her back and was complaining of a sharp pain. Then she immediately moved her hand to her chest and doubled over in pain. All she could tell me was it was a sharp pain in her chest unlike any pain she had ever felt before. I took her to her room to get her calmed down, and quickly decided that I would drive her to the emergency room.
I called to another teammate to go get her car, which was on the other side of the school. Our parking lots are not connected, so you have to drive on the streets to get close to where we were. While we were waiting for her, I decided we were better off calling 911 – so I did. My third teammate came into the room and was comforting the teacher with chest pains (had her lie down on the floor, got her a blanket, was praying with her… ) while I was on the phone with 911.
Within five minutes, a supervisor from the fire department had pulled up in his truck and was in my friend's room getting her vitals. A few minutes after that, a fire truck arrived. It all happened very, very fast. Our next step was to get on my friends phone and call her husband and daughter. That took a few minutes. A third-grade teacher came running down the hall and asked what she could do. My friend told her to call my principal, which she did.
We followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited until her husband and daughter got there. While we were waiting, we texted my team leader to make sure my principal had been contacted, and we contacted our school secretary to make sure that we had a sub for the next day. We knew my friend was stable, and we knew that they would be running lots of tests and that we wouldn't know anything for a long time. So my teammates and I went home. At that point, my principal knew everything that we knew.
My team leader called down to the principals office the following day. My principal is very disappointed that we did not "follow protocol." Mind you – we have no idea what "protocol" is. This was at 6:30 PM! If an emergency happens during the school day, we would call the office and the office would deal with 911. But there was no one in the office! My principal was upset because she did not know what was going on… Even though she knew everything we knew…
We still don't know what exactly we were supposed to have done differently!
Two more things… My principal left right before the fire truck arrived. She admitted she saw the fire truck, but she thought it was for the YMCA – like a community education thing. I called 911 at 6:30, YMCA closes at 6:30. Why would they have a fire truck come at 6:30 unless it was an emergency? Why didn't she turn around when she saw the fire truck headed towards her school?
Also--she lives about two minutes from the school. Literally, two minutes. Why didn't she rush back to school when the third-grade teacher called her. She would've been back before the ambulance took my friend away. In all the time my principal was lecturing at my team leader about protocol – she never once asked how my friend was doing. Not once! She's fine by the way. Thank goodness!
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 22, 2016 2:29:09 GMT
Good grief! I'm guessing she's really freaked out about the whole thing and this is how she's dealing with processing it? I dunno.
I hope your friend is ok!!!
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Post by karen on Feb 22, 2016 2:35:16 GMT
I'm glad your friend is okay. The principal is a piece of work.
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Post by destined2bmom on Feb 22, 2016 2:38:41 GMT
I think that all of you acted totally appropriately! I would have done the same thing. And thank heaven you did.
And you are right your principal could have stayed and found out what was going on or came back to school when she received the phone call. And I would be bothered at the fact that she didn't ask about your coworker.
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Post by originalvanillabean on Feb 22, 2016 2:48:50 GMT
I'm sorry she's your principal.
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Post by sunraynnc on Feb 22, 2016 2:49:12 GMT
You did the right things. She is just feeling guilty because SHE didn't do the right things.
What state are you in?
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Post by maryland on Feb 22, 2016 3:12:35 GMT
When it's emergency situation, saving your first is what comes first! So glad you all did what you needed to do.
How is your friend doing?
Your principal is crazy! Sorry, but I can't believe she is giving you all a hard time and not even asking how the teacher is doing.
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Post by smokeynspike on Feb 22, 2016 3:47:42 GMT
I think you did the right things and your principal is the one who just needs to get over herself. If she wants to enact some after-hours protocol in light of this situation, then fine. Let's hope you never have another brush with this situation though!
Melissa
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 22, 2016 4:14:05 GMT
My last principal was a piece of work also. Some people don't handle theses things well. Let her stew for a while and if she gets upset with you ask her what the unwritten protocol is. She knows in her head she is being ridiculous.
My guess is she is worried about what admin will say to her for messing up.
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angier
Shy Member
Posts: 12
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Post by angier on Feb 22, 2016 4:16:31 GMT
Your principal sounds like my principal. I'm glad your friend is okay though.
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 22, 2016 4:20:34 GMT
Maybe she is afraid that the district will find out that many teachers were still in the building at 630.
Like you, we are supposed to call down to the office if 911 needs to be called. We have a code on our intercom, so we can get them while helping the situation.
If there is no office staff, how would follow the protocol?
I am glad your friend is okay.
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 22, 2016 4:25:52 GMT
Maybe she is afraid that the district will find out that many teachers were still in the building at 630.Like you, we are supposed to call down to the office if 911 needs to be called. We have a code on our intercom, so we can get them while helping the situation. If there is no office staff, how would follow the protocol? I am glad your friend is okay. This sounds like my building. Weekends too. We could stay as long as we liked. Is that not okay in your building? |
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 22, 2016 4:28:09 GMT
Maybe she is afraid that the district will find out that many teachers were still in the building at 630.Like you, we are supposed to call down to the office if 911 needs to be called. We have a code on our intercom, so we can get them while helping the situation. If there is no office staff, how would follow the protocol? I am glad your friend is okay. This sounds like my building. Weekends too. We could stay as long as we liked. Is that not okay in your building? my district is wonderful to work for and gives us quite a bit of plan time so teachers don't typically stay too late. I stay about 30 min past contract most days and I'd say 80% of the staff is gone unless they have department study hall that night (mon-science, tues-math...) If that many of us were there late, the district would look into why |
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georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846
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Post by georgiapea on Feb 22, 2016 4:44:58 GMT
Well, now you know - in an emergency or disaster, your principal is WORTHLESS. First thing to do now is ask what "protocol" s/h/b followed and where is it found.
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anniebygaslight
Drama Llama
I'd love a cup of tea. #1966
Posts: 7,394
Location: Third Rock from the sun.
Jun 28, 2014 14:08:19 GMT
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Post by anniebygaslight on Feb 22, 2016 7:14:31 GMT
She wasn't part of the drama so she is pissed off. Hope your colleague, who is the only one who matters in this scenario is OK.
If there is a protocol. She needs to make staff aware of it, and it is her fault that she didn't, no-one else's but when you are faced with a real live situation, you do what seems logical.
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CeeScraps
Pearl Clutcher
~~occupied entertaining my brain~~
Posts: 3,831
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Post by CeeScraps on Feb 22, 2016 10:47:37 GMT
GREAT call! You and your teammates did the correct thing.
We WERE supposed to go through the office too until the Emergency Service people said, hmmm....NO. We are adults. We know or can realize when 911 should be called.
Now, if need be we call 911 and then notify the office that we've called them.
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eleezybeth
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,784
Jun 28, 2014 20:42:01 GMT
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Post by eleezybeth on Feb 22, 2016 13:13:58 GMT
Someone doesn't work well in a crisis! I'll wait for the update where she writes up the sick teacher for needing an ambulance.
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Post by melanell on Feb 22, 2016 14:26:19 GMT
I actually hope that those of of you who feel it was a control thing are right, because my first thought was that she's just really bad in an emergency, which is pretty scary for a principal!
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Post by beanbuddymom on Feb 22, 2016 14:42:05 GMT
I had to call 911 for a coworker on Thursday. It was about 6:30 (PM!) and 4 out of the 5 teachers on my team were still at school (very typical). One of my coworkers was walking down the hall and had her hand on her back and was complaining of a sharp pain. Then she immediately moved her hand to her chest and doubled over in pain. All she could tell me was it was a sharp pain in her chest unlike any pain she had ever felt before. I took her to her room to get her calmed down, and quickly decided that I would drive her to the emergency room. I called to another teammate to go get her car, which was on the other side of the school. Our parking lots are not connected, so you have to drive on the streets to get close to where we were. While we were waiting for her, I decided we were better off calling 911 – so I did. My third teammate came into the room and was comforting the teacher with chest pains (had her lie down on the floor, got her a blanket, was praying with her… ) while I was on the phone with 911. Within five minutes, a supervisor from the fire department had pulled up in his truck and was in my friend's room getting her vitals. A few minutes after that, a fire truck arrived. It all happened very, very fast. Our next step was to get on my friends phone and call her husband and daughter. That took a few minutes. A third-grade teacher came running down the hall and asked what she could do. My friend told her to call my principal, which she did. We followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited until her husband and daughter got there. While we were waiting, we texted my team leader to make sure my principal had been contacted, and we contacted our school secretary to make sure that we had a sub for the next day. We knew my friend was stable, and we knew that they would be running lots of tests and that we wouldn't know anything for a long time. So my teammates and I went home. At that point, my principal knew everything that we knew. My team leader called down to the principals office the following day. My principal is very disappointed that we did not "follow protocol." Mind you – we have no idea what "protocol" is. This was at 6:30 PM! If an emergency happens during the school day, we would call the office and the office would deal with 911. But there was no one in the office! My principal was upset because she did not know what was going on… Even though she knew everything we knew…
We still don't know what exactly we were supposed to have done differently! Two more things… My principal left right before the fire truck arrived. She admitted she saw the fire truck, but she thought it was for the YMCA – like a community education thing. I called 911 at 6:30, YMCA closes at 6:30. Why would they have a fire truck come at 6:30 unless it was an emergency? Why didn't she turn around when she saw the fire truck headed towards her school? Also--she lives about two minutes from the school. Literally, two minutes. Why didn't she rush back to school when the third-grade teacher called her. She would've been back before the ambulance took my friend away. In all the time my principal was lecturing at my team leader about protocol – she never once asked how my friend was doing. Not once! She's fine by the way. Thank goodness! The first thing that needs to be addressed is that you and your teammates need to document what you did and then you need to address to the principal that you followed the protocol that was the best that you could have done, which was common sense in the absence of not having staff there - calling 911 first and then informing others - I can't think of another way that you would have done differently/better. Then you need to let the principal know that her telling you all that you "didn't follow protocol," what protocol would this have been, exactly? Have her point out exactly what this is and where you all would have known this. Something like this should be a formal handbook/sign off type of thing that you would have all signed off on knowing, and she is likely mad because this a) doesn't exist and that b) you were left to fend for yourselves in the absence of such protocol. I would chalk up her attitude about not coming to the school as well as her lack of asking for the teammate as pure CYA - she is probably scared that she royally screwed up by either having you all working so late and also for not having a protocol on the books. I hope by this time she has asked for your coworker's status and also that she is doing all right. |
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
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Post by freebird on Feb 22, 2016 17:04:19 GMT
just shake your head and move on. She seems to be a drama queen to me.
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Post by Merge on Feb 22, 2016 17:06:41 GMT
It's very common in my district for teachers to work that late, so that wouldn't be on the radar here. We don't have real unions and our contracts include an "other duties as assigned" clause.
I vote that principal is freaked out that she hadn't trained you all on the protocol for after-hours emergencies and is afraid of being held liable for that.
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Post by sunnyd on Feb 22, 2016 17:13:46 GMT
What a dumbcrap! She could take this opportunity to reward moral, teamwork, heros, etc. in her school for her students and her staff but she's an idiot. She should be thanking you and showing concern for the person who went to the hospital.
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Post by ilikepink on Feb 22, 2016 17:46:15 GMT
Those situations are scary - it sounds like you and everyone else present did everything that could be done appropriately.
Turn in around on the principal - what is the protocol for after-hours emergencies? Where is it in the handbook? And if it doesn't really exist (which it probably doesn't), this is a good a time as any to get it done. What you all did was perfect - that should be the example used in the newly-written protocol.
Hope everyone, especially the patient, is doing well.
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 22, 2016 22:35:03 GMT
My old teammate had heart issues and was very sick. We had very specific protocol for dealing with him his last year of teaching. Many days I would I would be on edge wondering if I would be giving him CPR. We had about 15 people who were CPR/First Aid/Defib trained. I made my old teammate get out the defibrillator with me just to go over it in case of an emergency. My principal was more worried about where his class would go. She did not have any training at all. These things are stressful, but you know, you just have to plan, plan some more, and trust that you will do the right thing- like you did,
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Post by peasapie on Feb 22, 2016 23:50:33 GMT
Imagine if this was the type of emergency where minutes counted towards life or death. Trying to call the office, and getting through or not, and having them call 911, could have been the difference between life and death. You made the right call.
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flute4peace
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,757
Jul 3, 2014 14:38:35 GMT
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Post by flute4peace on Feb 23, 2016 0:18:24 GMT
Imagine if this was the type of emergency where minutes counted towards life or death. Trying to call the office, and getting through or not, and having them call 911, could have been the difference between life and death. You made the right call. Exactly. Give the principal my #, I'll tell her about how my Mom coded ON THE CATH TABLE. They told her she had literally been seconds from death. Had my sister not called when she did, had EMS not done a grab & go, had they hit one more red stoplight, she wouldn't be here.
I get that there's protocol, and it's for good reason. But for crying out loud, we're all humans first. If someone gets written up (or worse) because they broke protocol in order to save someone's life, they deserve a better job, anyway.
I'm so relieved to hear your friend is ok. You did the right thing!
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Post by Really Red on Feb 23, 2016 0:20:06 GMT
Wow. She's a bit kooky. I'd just ignore her unless she persists, then ask her what protocol is after hours and tell her you'll gladly follow it the next time now that she's created it! Glad your teacher friend is fine!!
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flute4peace
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,757
Jul 3, 2014 14:38:35 GMT
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Post by flute4peace on Feb 23, 2016 0:22:38 GMT
Wow. She's a bit kooky. I'd just ignore her unless she persists, then ask her what protocol is after hours and tell her you'll gladly follow it the next time now that she's created it! Glad your teacher friend is fine!! Better yet, tell her you'll be happy to follow it when it's HER having the heart attack.
This has really touched a nerve for me 
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Mystie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,299
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Post by Mystie on Feb 23, 2016 0:27:32 GMT
Imagine if this was the type of emergency where minutes counted towards life or death. Trying to call the office, and getting through or not, and having them call 911, could have been the difference between life and death. You made the right call. That was exactly my thought too. If the co-worker had been having a heart attack, a few minutes one way or the other could have made a huge difference. This topic is really sticking in my craw, too! That principal needs a reality check bigtime. |
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Post by scrapApea on Feb 23, 2016 1:43:48 GMT
Imagine if this was the type of emergency where minutes counted towards life or death. Trying to call the office, and getting through or not, and having them call 911, could have been the difference between life and death. You made the right call. That was exactly my thought too. If the co-worker had been having a heart attack, a few minutes one way or the other could have made a huge difference. This topic is really sticking in my craw, too! That principal needs a reality check bigtime.  OP my head was exploding reading your post. Hope your teammate is going to be ok. Emergencies don't wait for protocol. |
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OP my head was exploding reading your post. Hope your teammate is going to be ok. Emergencies don't wait for protocol.