When a School Reports Multiple Seizures: A Parent’s Experience and What Every School Team Should Know
Updated: Oct 14
A ParentsOfBraveHearts Case Study:
Why Communication, Documentation, and Seizure Education Matter
This case study is based on a parent’s experience and is shared for educational purposes. It is not intended to diagnose a seizure or determine whether a particular school observation was medically a seizure.
As parents, receiving a phone call from your child’s school can be stressful. But receiving a call from a school nurse saying that your child may have had multiple seizures can be frightening.
For a parent of a child who already has epilepsy, that phone call can immediately raise questions:
What happened? How many episodes were there? How long did they last? What did my child look like? Was my child safe? Should I take my child to the emergency room?
These questions are exactly why communication between parents, teachers, school nurses, and healthcare providers matters.
A Parent’s Experience
In this case, A child is actually receiving a 1:1 nurse service from the school district but on that day a 1:1 nurse was absent. A mother received a phone call from the school nurse. The nurse reported that her child had experienced multiple episodes that a teacher described as seizures.
The mother asked what type of seizures they believed they were. She was told they were “absence seizures.”
When the mother arrived at the school, she was told that the teacher had observed approximately 50 episodes between 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
For a parent, hearing “50 seizures” can be extremely frightening. And they were clustered and the last one lasted 10 minutes.
Her first thoughts were about her child’s safety and whether she needed to take her child to the emergency room. And why a teacher didn’t reach out to the school nurse immediately before 5 mins? The school has seizures action plan. And Is a teacher sure they were absences seizures?
But when she began asking questions, she discovered that the episodes had not been documented in a detailed seizure log.
The teacher said that she was not a healthcare provider if a mother needs a written note needed to talk with a school phycologist or a school nurse.
A teacher who observed a child and told the nurse about what she had seen 50 absences seizures can’t give a written information.
That raised an important question:
Staff cannot diagnose a seizure, what should they document?
A teacher does not need to diagnose a seizure.
However, careful observation and documentation can be extremely important.
Instead of writing:
“Student had an absence seizure.”
A staff member can document what they actually observed:
The exact time the episode started
The exact time it ended
What the child was doing beforehand
Whether the child responded to their name
Eye movements
Facial movements
Body movements
Changes in awareness or responsiveness
Whether the child stopped an activity
What happened afterward
Whether the school nurse was contacted
What actions were taken
Whether another staff member witnessed the event
The healthcare provider can then use those observations, together with the child’s medical history and testing, to help determine what may have happened.
Why Exact Timing Matters
In this situation, the mother was told that some episodes lasted approximately 2–3 seconds, while another episode was reportedly described as lasting approximately 10 minutes.
That difference makes accurate documentation especially important.
If a school reports that a child experienced an episode lasting 10 minutes, the parent needs to know:
When did it start?
When did it end?
What exactly was observed during those 10 minutes?
Was the school nurse contacted?
What was done during that time?
The parent also wondered why the teacher did not immediately contact the school nurse when an episode was believed to have continued for several minutes.
This is where every child’s individual Seizure Action Plan becomes important. Emergency instructions can vary depending on the child’s diagnosis and medical plan, so school staff should follow the child’s written plan and the instructions provided by the child’s healthcare team.
“I’m Not a Healthcare Provider.”
One statement in this experience stood out:
“I’m not a healthcare provider.”
And that is true.
Teachers should not be expected to diagnose epilepsy or determine medically whether an event is a seizure. But, How can a teacher verbally tell a parent that an episode was an “absence seizure”
Calling an event a specific seizure type such as an “absence seizure” can sound like a medical diagnosis.
Obviously teachers are often the people who are physically present when an episode happens.
That means their observations can be incredibly valuable.
A teacher doesn’t need to say:
“This was definitely a seizure.”
Instead, they can say:
“At 10:42 a.m., while sitting at the table, the student stopped responding for approximately 5 seconds. His eyes were looking forward. I called his name twice or tried to touch his face and body and he did not respond. He then returned to the activity.”
That is an observation.
The medical interpretation belongs to the healthcare team.
A Notebook Is Not the Same as Detailed Seizure Documentation
In this experience, the teacher provided a “no nurse” notebook.
Having a notebook for communication between school staff and parents can be helpful.
However, if a child is experiencing repeated episodes that may be seizures, parents may need more specific information than a general communication note.
A detailed seizure observation record should make it possible to understand:
What happened?
When did it happen?
How long did it last?
How many times did it happen?
What did the child look like?
What happened afterward?
The Epilepsy Foundation provides seizure-related forms and resources that can help families and school teams communicate about seizures and observations.
What About an EEG?
Parents may also have questions when a school uses a specific seizure label.
For example:
“My child has never had absence seizures identified on an EEG. Could these episodes be something else?”
That is an important question to bring to the child’s neurologist.
An EEG is a medical test interpreted by qualified healthcare professionals. A teacher should not be expected to interpret an EEG, and a parent should not be expected to diagnose an episode based solely on what happens at school.
The purpose of school documentation is to provide the healthcare team with accurate observations.
What We Learned as ParentsOfBraveHearts
This experience reminded us of something important:
Teachers do not need to be neurologists.
But teachers should have basic seizure awareness.
A child with epilepsy may spend many hours at school.
Teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses, transportation staff, coaches, and other adults may be the people who witness an episode.
Basic seizure education can help school staff understand:
What seizures can look like
That seizures can look different from one person to another
What seizure first aid involves
What not to do during a seizure
When to contact the school nurse
When emergency assistance may be necessary
How to follow an individual Seizure Action Plan
How to document what they actually observe
Why accurate timing matters
Resources Every Parent and School Team Should Know
Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation provides resources for families, schools, educators, and caregivers, including seizure first aid, seizure action plans, seizure observation forms, and education for school personnel.
School Resources:
Seizure Forms and Resources:
Training for School Personnel:
CDC — Epilepsy and Schools
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information about supporting students with epilepsy in school and educating school personnel about seizures.
CDC — Seizure First Aid
The CDC also provides seizure first-aid information, including what to do during a seizure and when emergency medical help may be needed.
A Message to Teachers
You do not have to diagnose a seizure.
You do not have to be a neurologist.
But if you are the person who witnesses an unusual episode, your observations matter.
Write down what you see.
Record the time.
Record how long it lasted.
Describe the child’s behavior.
Tell the school nurse.
Follow the child’s Seizure Action Plan.
And when you are unsure, communicate with the appropriate healthcare professional and the child’s family.
A Message to Parents
Parents, you know your child better than anyone. If the school tells you your child is having a type of seizure they have never experienced before, it is reasonable to ask questions.
Ask:
What exactly did you see?
How many episodes were there?
What time did they happen?
How long did each episode last?
Who witnessed them?
Was the school nurse present?
What was documented?
What does my child’s Seizure Action Plan say?
And most importantly:
Please communicate with your child’s neurologist or healthcare team about new or unusual episodes.
You don’t have to figure everything out alone.
Our Goal at ParentsOfBraveHearts
At ParentsOfBraveHearts, our goal is not to blame teachers or school staff.
Our goal is to educate, empower, and connect parents with resources.
When a child has epilepsy, communication between home, school, and healthcare providers is incredibly important.
1.) A parent should feel comfortable asking questions.
3.) A school nurse should have access to the child’s medical and seizure action information.
4.) And the child’s healthcare team should receive accurate observations that can help them understand what happened.
Because when it comes to our children, every observation matters. Every question matters. And every child’s safety matters.
Writing by Chotimanee Guandique
Founder of ParentsOfBraveHearts
Educate • Empower • Inspire
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