As schools begin to navigate reopening amid a global pandemic, the institutions are also navigating how to handle students who display apparent symptoms, especially as also prepare for the fall allergy and flu season which can bring similar symptoms. However, one father from Arlington, Mass. believes his son’s elementary school overreacted when his 9-year-old son was sent home after sneezing.

“I’ve been so upset about it,” Thierno Keita told CBS Boston. “I’m so upset about [them] sending my kid home.”

Keita now says that his son will not be allowed to return to school until he gets a negative COVID-19 test, which could cause him to miss work and his son to miss the first few days of fourth grade, the news station reports.

Keita said that his son, Lancinet was fine when he left to school and displayed no symptoms when he went to pick him up after he got a call from the school nurse. He also checked his son’s temperature, which was normal.

“He don’t have any symptoms…” Keita said. “And I checked his temperature everything was perfect. His temperature was okay. It’s okay.”

“I was thinking I didn’t have anything just a couple sneezes,” Lancinet added, saying he had sneezed twice when the teacher told him to go to the nurse.

The school, Bishop Elementary, released a statement noting that the decision was made out of an “abundance of caution and in accordance with district protocols related to COVID-19,” after the student “displayed…related symptoms.”

Sneezing is not a common symptom reported among coronavirus patients and is not listed among the symptoms on the CDC website.

In the meantime, Keita said that his son will go for a test, and hopefully will get the results back quickly so Lancinet can get back to school.

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