FL School Protested for Accommodating Student with Severe Peanut Allergy
Peanuts... as controversial as gay marriage.
A Florida elementary school was picketed by parents for making sweeping changes in support of a little girl with a severe peanut allergy. According to Fox News, students at Edgewater Elementary in Volusia County “must now wash their hands and rinse out their mouths before they can walk into their classroom, desks must be regularly wiped down with Clorox wipes, snacks are no longer allowed in class” and “even outside food is no longer permitted for holiday parties.” Given how obsessed schools across the country have become with trying to prevent allergic reactions and stopping the spread of germs, those rules don’t sound too extraordinary to me. (Except maybe the rinsing of mouths thing. That one sounds almost cultish, actually.)
The student’s father says, “We’ve fought very hard to put certain things in place to keep her alive in school. She’s already a cast-out. She can’t do things that most kids can do.” For this one student, exposure to peanuts would cause her to be terribly ill, so the question remains: should public school students be forced to undergo such rigorous procedures before entering the classroom, or is it incumbent upon the family of a student with such severe allergies to school them at home?
Dr. Richard Wachs, an allergist and pediatrician, says the requests that have been put into place by the school are not unreasonable. But signs at the parent protest asked, “What’s next? Where does it stop?” and “Clorox wipes approved by school board! For our children’s FACES!” Wachs told Fox News that schools have to be careful when it comes to banning food products due to a student allergy because it can “create a false sense of security,” allowing (for example) peanut products to slip in and leaving a school unprepared to deal with an allergic reaction. Wachs also said some children have developed milk and egg allergies, and it won’t be possible for schools to accommodate that type of allergy by banning those food products.
Creating a peanut-free zone is always a hot-button issue, especially for the parents of children with peanut allergies. Back in August, Wrigley Field reserved the centerfield Batter’s Eye skybox during one game for those with peanut allergies, making it a peanut-free zone. The airline industry – famous for serving their oft-mocked tiny bags of peanuts – even thought of banning the product from flights. It’s strange to me that one little legume can cause as much anxiety among the general population as gay marriage does, but so it is.
School Peanut Allergy Rules Protested: MyFoxPHILLY.com
So what do you think? Did this school go too far in helping one student? Is your child’s school a peanut-free zone? If so, does it bother you? If not, do you think it should be?
Source: Fox
I’d sure as hell make sure the school was also fragrance free so my child wouldn’t have to suffer migraines from perfume-hoes anymore.
In any case, all those precautions doesn’t preclude peanut oil from clothing, does it? You know how kids wipe their hands and faces on their clothes when you aren’t watching…..
I went to school with a girl who died from a peanut allergy. She ate some chex mix which she didn’t know had peanuts in it. If my child had this severe of an allergy I would hope my school and community would be supportive. I think what they’ve done is fine- I don’t know how I feel about the clorox wipes though- bleach on my child’s face is not ok with me!
Excellent point.
In my former life as a teacher, I had a first level foods class. The mother of a boy with an allergy of similar severity wanted him to take my class instead of wood shop (HIS choice) because she thought it was “safer.” How she reached that conclusion I have no clue. I didn’t even get to purchase the groceries we used on my own and my stuff was always mixed in with the other teacher’s stuff. There’s no way I could have ensured his safety in my room. I fought it. I was pregnant at the time and did not need the stress of trying to keep him alive.
I don’t think we’re doing these kids any favors teaching them that the world will accommodate them instead of teaching them how to cope on their own.
Oh, and Goddess…EXACTLY! There’s a male teacher at my son’s preschool who wears so much cologne that I almost barf every time he’s been in the “gross motor room.” Blech.
Public schools have a responsibility to make reasonable accomodations for students with medical issues (yes it’s the law is most states). Nothing here sounds unreasonable to me. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between milk intolernace (it’s not an allergy and should not be compared to one) and a peanut allergy. People who are allergic to nuts go into anaphylactic shock VERY quickly, within seconds oftentimes. Meaning they can not breathe and can die from exposure. Milk intolerance usually results in some stomach upset, cramping or constipation. Not nice things but nowhere close to the same ballpark. If it was your kid, you’d be asking the school to be careful too.
If my children were that severely allergic, they would be schooled at home. There is no way that a school can prevent any peanut residue at all from making its way into the school. PB toast in the morning can be on shirt sleeves, stuck in hair, on a pencil that was used for last minute homework.
I think this is another example of parents feeling entitled to make their problems everyone’s problem. I’m sorry your child has such a severe allergy, but the responsibility lies with the PARENTS of that child. That’s part of the risk you take when you have children. Parents of children with sensory processing disorders don’t demand that the entire world be made silent. They teach their children how to cope with the world as it is.
While some of the classroom accommodations may seem slightly inconvenient, I would be more concerned about making sure my own child felt empathy and compassion for this poor child, rather than disgust and annoyance. These protesting parents should take a good hard look at what message they’re sending their own children here. Some good life lessons to be taught and learned from this situation…
I thought the Clorox wipes were for the desks not the face? There is NO WAY I WOULD GIVE PERMISSION to use them on my children’s faces!!!!!!
@Lydia: However, now that migraines are in the same class as strokes, prevention is the key. That will put fragrance bans in the same class as peanut bans.
The problem here is that to attempt to support the principle of mainstreaming, they are putting one child in life-threatening risk and making all the other children her potential murderers and/or witnesses to her murder.
Basically they’re creating a situation where if a six year old has one single moment where they’re irresponsible or immature, a kid can die. And that six year old becomes a murderer. And a room full of kids can watch another kid die. And all of this, just for the sake of saying “We mainstream everyone!” It’s insanity.
Picture if you told a room full of 1st graders, “No one must ever fart. It’s really important. Something terrible will happen to little Jill over here if anyone farts.” How long do you think you have before some kid decides to fart and laugh? They’re SIX YEARS OLD. No six year old is ready for that responsibility and imposing it on them is not reasonable.
I think the school would need to take necessary but not unreasonable precautions, and that the teachers who supervised the child would need to carry an epipen with them.
My brother was severely allergic to wasps and had to carry an epipen with him all through childhood. But he was still allowed to go out for recess (and obviously wasps aren’t something that is as controllable as peanuts).
I don’t think “no outside food” is unreasonable, because someone WILL forget and send some favorite recipe that has peanuts. I would just be concerned with the way the parents are protesting that someone woudl do something deliberately.
OK form the article:
“They claim their children are losing time in class and are having their faces wiped with Clorox. ”
and:
“According to a letter issued by the school, she could have a severe reaction just from sitting next to a pupil who had eaten peanuts.”
So what if the kids’ have peanut butter for breakfast?. – Or lunch at home? Just saying if the allergy is THAT severe, not sure the girl is safe in public at all.
AND- no Clorox on my kids skins. EVER. No matter WHAT the reason.
Wow – lots of issues here. TBROOKSIDE makes a great point about 6-year olds being held responsible for the safety of another (although I would have opted for a term other than “murder”).
With DCT’s comment, I agree – I’m sure the protesting parents have instilled in their kids similar attitudes, which makes me wonder what sort of social life the poor kid has at school, anyway. With all the news of bullying, she now has 2 major issues to deal with on a daily basis.
But it’s the parents’ right to enroll her in public school and she deserves every chance to lead a normal life (or as much as possible with such a severe allergy).
I have no definitive opinion on this one, it’s definitely making me think, though. I have a healthy 2-year old and am days away from having a second. How do you not think about how your lives would change in such a situation?
I think the precautions sound reasonable. As this child gets older, she will have to cope with the world as it is. Right now she is six, and I don’t think accommodating her disability a little is too much to ask. Sure her parents could keep her locked in the house for the rest of her childhood, but quite frankly school may be one of the few relatively controlled public situations where this kid can get some socialization and have a chance at relatively normal childhood experiences. I bet all the parents protesting would want the school to follow its mandate of mainstreaming if it was their child. The child’s parents are the best people to weigh the risks vs benefits of attending public school, and unless anyone can prove they are negligent, I’d trust their judgment. I do think that the lesson of accommodating and working with other peoples differences is a pretty valuable lesson to learn, at any age.
If it were my child, the child would be home schooled with the resources of family and co-op for “socialization” (which seems to be people’s huge hangup with non-religious homeschool… which is comical to me, because my teen sister is home schooled and has a social calendar that’s packed…).
It is my job to keep my kid safe, not the school’s job. Reasonable accommodations, sure, but this…it’s like the earlier poster said, you’re putting your kid’s life on the line of a 6 year old not cramming a peanut butter cracker in her pocket and forgetting about it before school. Until my child is old enough to know how to manage their allergies themselves, they need to stay in the company of someone who can. Schools can’t keep kids from being bullied, I have no idea how they’re supposed to keep every drop of peanut out successfully… I couldn’t trust them to do that for my child, and wouldn’t expect it.
“If my children were that severely allergic, they would be schooled at home. There is no way that a school can prevent any peanut residue at all from making its way into the school. PB toast in the morning can be on shirt sleeves, stuck in hair, on a pencil that was used for last minute homework.
I think this is another example of parents feeling entitled to make their problems everyone’s problem. I’m sorry your child has such a severe allergy, but the responsibility lies with the PARENTS of that child. That’s part of the risk you take when you have children. Parents of children with sensory processing disorders don’t demand that the entire world be made silent. They teach their children how to cope with the world as it is.”
Agreed, 100 times over.
Washing up IS a reasonable accomodation. Nothing more needs to be said about that. Some teachers do not allow snacks in the classroom due to the odors left behind from the various foods as well as not wanting crumbs or any other mess left behind. So yes, NO snacks due to a SEVERE food allergy IS a reasonable accomodation. I’ll be bold and add, yes, it is also reasonable for a parent with a child attending the school to ensure their child is NOT entering the classroom with a peanut butter cracker in their pocket. Don’t spend your time worrying how the school can successfully ensure her safety, just do your part by adhering to the rules they have put forth and feel proud knowing you are contributing to a safe environment for this little girl.
@Lydia Actually, the girl for whom the Ontario anaphylaxis law is named had a milk allergy that killed her. Anaphylaxis is not an exclusive reaction to nuts, peanuts, or stings, but can occur across a broad range of proteins. My sister and one of my best friends have anaphylactic reactions to shellfish, fish, apples, and latex, and have had since they were children. It took me years away from home to stop equating shrimp with death, and I’m not even allergic! This is a much more complex problem than the near-blanket bans on peanuts would lead us to believe.
Reasonable accommodations:
)
1. A nut-free building at the elementary level in every district (more than one at each level in larger districts… but no need for all to be nut free) and nut free sections in the cafeteria wiped between lunches at middle/high school.
2. Clorox wipes to be available for middle/high school students w/ nut allergies to wipe their desks/chairs with.
3. No outside food at the elementary level or restricted options (like fruit only, unopened products specifically labeled nut free) if a child has a touch allergy in the classroom. For children with ingestion allergies, parents can provide safe, alternative treats to be stored in the school for parties.
4. No food on school buses.
5. Handwashing of elementary students after lunch. (before is good too
6. Training staff of emergency procedures. Training allergic student on their special hygiene/health needs.
7. Materials used only by that student and not shared with others (math manipulatives, markers, crayons, etc.)
Unreasonable accommodations:
1. Rinsing of OTHER students mouths.
2. Washing other students faces
3. Scaring the other children and making them feel responsible.
I don’t see how rinsing your mouth is that big of a deal. I highly doubt that kids are getting clorox wipes on their faces, I’m betting those are baby wipes and I’d love if someone gave my child one so she wouldn’t have her lunch all over her face all day long.
I subbed in a class with a kid with an allergic kid like the one described. He had an aide who double checked all the sanitation issues, it wasn’t that big of a deal for the kids. The allergic kid had a room that they ate in alone at lunch and all snacks were double checked. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
I think the protesting parents are the assholes here. They can’t teach their kids to be respectful of others.
Wow! Years ago I felt like all of you, before my #2 was born with severe allergies and before I watched her almost die from eating chocolate (that had contained milk) — blue lips, wheezing for air, etc… Homeschooling is not an option for most of the population — we need to work during the day to provide for our families. By age three my daughter knew not to eat any food given to her by anyone other than my husband or me. We have requested the school enforce handwashing after meals — which is good hygeine — why should people protest?
We dpo not need to be crazy allergy Moms, and I try not to be. My family just lives our life a bit differently (carrying meds everywhere and not even allowing certain foods in our home) — but to say that a kid with allergies should not be accomodated at all and to get so worked up about it is crazy. Maybe we should also protest against wheelchair accessaibility because it somehow inconveniences us?
I am allergic to peanuts. As a child, I went to public school. I carried an Epi-Pen and I knew how to use it as did my teachers. My mom would go with me the first day and demonstrate and have them use the “practice” epi-pen. I ate the food my mother sent and that food only. Remember, this was YEARS ago before everything was clearly labeled. I sat away from outside food and was usually given a “fun” task do away from outside food. It was no big deal, I adjusted. I never remember any of the parents making me feel like I was bothering their kids and everyone was very compassionate and understanding. What these parents are teaching their children is intolerance. Horrible. This poor child will spend her entire life making adjustments because of her allergy – give her a break and let her have as much as a normal life as possible!
The parents who are protesting at the school in front of impressionalbe young children are sending a message of intolerance & that is deplorable. The time and place for such protests are at School Board Meetings & PTA meetings. I feel horrible for this family. All they want is a normal experience for their child and other parents are making them & the child feel like an outcast.
I agree public schools need to take steps to accomodations for children with special needs. However, those accomodations should not be made at the expense of others. An entire school should not have to be “nut-free” because 1% of the students have an allergy. These are not reasonable accomodations, this is the squeaky wheel who threatens to sue being accomodated to. The school is trying to protect the rights of one by withholding the rights of many.
This is also a slippery slope to start going down. Are we going to accomodate an autisic child who can’t handle other children wearing a certain color? Or a child with a severe milk allergy (as stated in a previous post), will they ban milk products?
The child’s father has stated even if his daughter “smells” a peanut it could cause a severe alleregic reaction. If her disability is so severe how do they take her out in public? If it were my child, I wouldn’t send her to public school until she was old enough to manage her disability on her own. A more reasonable solution, have a peanut sniffing dog with the child at all times.
Ugh, I wonder if these protesting parents saying this child shouldn’t be able to go to school would be able to shout their slogans to her (probably very upset, confused and crying) face? We make resonable concessions to disabled children all the time, and inconsistent does not equal unreasonable in this case. to reverse the homeschool argument (which is simply impossible for some families where there is only one parent or both parents work) if you are THAT DESPERATE for your children to have peanuts before and during school hours, why dont up you homeschool? My god, have a little sympathy for a CHILD, surley giving up peanut butter toasy for breakfast or sending (gasp) cheesr crackers as a snack is a small price to pay to keep a child safe?
INconvienent not inconsistent
@RiChan- nope. I will let them eat it for breakfast an bring them home for lunch when they want it. But I will NOT homeschool until I get the funds available to public schools per child, per year to compensate me.
I totally support the ban of outside foods, and will abide by no peanuts at school if called upon to do so. But, they will eat what we choose at home.
@Goddess- I admire your devotion to peanut butter -_- I didn’t realize how incredibly important this food must be to you. How silly to expect that you might make an amazingly small sacrifice for 2/3s of your childs day in order to preserve and improve the life of another child. I am amazed by your determination to give them pb, though, you’d even bring them home for lunch just so they could have it? I would just pack something else and save the pb for after school, thinking that it was really no big deal considering the vast amount and diversity of food available here, but your willing to go out of your way and make THAT sacrifice to assure your child gets this most delicious of treats…
Peanut allergies kill. I’m amazed at the insensitivity of these parents to what is a minor inconvenience.
@ Ri Chan- yup- it’s one of my basic foods groups. But my rights to serve food at home is even more important to me. IF a child can’t eat what they like for breakfast or lunch 5 days a week, when do you think they are going to have that chance? Dinner. I don’t think so.
Since I’ve already said I’d honor a school ban AT school, what in the heck IS your problem with my response?
And yes, if they wanted PB for lunch- OR I ran out of alternatives, I certainly would bring them home for it. I actually walked to and from school for lunch every day as a child.
Also, after school is not snack time, it’s homework time til dinner at five. So again. if they want PB for breakfast or lunch, so they shall have it.
And until you or the state starts buying my groceries and preparing them for me, it will remain that way.
Yeah, I’m with Ri-chan. I had no idea people felt so strongly about peanut butter.
There is no ban at my kids’ preschool, but they have a classmate who is allergic to nuts. My kids told me they will NOT eat almond butter sandwiches (an old favorite) at school anymore, because their friend is allergic. I like to see them thinking of another child so much, and I’d rather encourage that kind of compassion than a self-righteous insistence on eating peanut butter.
My son is allergic to milk (not lactose intolerant, but anaphylactic-allergic). He’s in 5th grade, now. His schools have always consulted with us and his doctor to make sure they put a plan in place that was safe for him and as non-interfering as possible for others.
Each school year, too, his schools, teachers and classmates parents have always taken the opportunity of his allergy to teach his classmates the wonderful lessons of living compassionately with others who share the world with them. My son’s ‘milk-free’ table over the past few years has been the ‘cool’ place to sit at lunch time. I’m really proud of the kids and families in my community. We all work together to do what’s best for all of the kids in our district.
This is ridiculous. My daughter is in a peanut free school and does not have the allergy herself. I just started sending her with a peanut free almond butter, Barney Butter. She doesn’t even know it’s not pb and it’s so much healthier for her anyway!! You can get it from their website http://www.barneybutter.com
I would rather live in a world where the people around me have a shred of compassion than the wild west tea party hell where children are taught that weakness and illness should be the object of of anger and derision. I feel so sorry for the child of any parent who was out there protesting, I sincernly hope they turn out OK regardless of all the damage that has obviously been done to them from bad parenting.
So many good points all around. Whoever posted that they have a peanut allergy, and that they dealt with it growing up – Bravo! Both you & your parents took responsibility. Though I do agree that 6-yr-olds on either side can’t typically be expected to do so.
Overall, I think that nut-free zones (no jokes there!), limits on what is brought in for shared food, and epi-pen training are all very reasonable. However, taking the issue to the extreme is not, as it disrupts the wider population, and ultimately, no, it probably doesn’t do the child a favor. Yes, compassion, but not the message that the world will do anything for them. It sounds as though the previously mentioned person reached a balance. I would also resent needing to modify my child’s diet for this, especially if there are compromises that can satisfy both sides. Reaching a middle ground would probably have kept the “noise” down – It’s the radical approach that made this into a big deal, and raised parents’ ire.
I’m curious in this – How does a person with this disability function outside of school, where peanuts and nuts can be found in and on so many things? If nut allergies are so prevalent, why don’t we see more kids walking with their parents in the store wearing a medical mask, gloves, etc? I don’t quite understand. I would like to hear how this later transfers to the working world. I’ll have to do more reading on that…
I had a daycare provider, whom I love and was great with my kids, that accidently used clorox wipes instead of handi-wipes because they were in the same-sized yellow carton. My kid’s cheeks turned red and raw before I noticed what she was using, but suddenly, the kid who ALWAYS had a green snotty nose, stopped being sick and sneezing on my kid all the the time. She was horrified and stopped using them immediately when I said “are you seriously wiping his face with bleach?!” Anyway….
My child is also in a peanut-free classroom. This child cannot breathe air that has peanut dust in it. I always make rice krispie bars for my child’s birthday and make sure his lunch is peanut free, until I made a mistake. We were late, I let him eat a waffle covered in peanut butter in the car on the way to school. I didn’t tell him to wash his hands, wipe his face off or not wipe on his pants before he went into his classroom because I just did not think of it. Thank God nothing happened, but BECAUSE nothing happened, it started to make me wonder…………..
I have been gluten free for 10 years due to a serious illness. I can certainly understand and appriciate for parents who frustrating this must be. However, I do not think that schools should have to inforce regulations above and beyond common cleanliness habits like washing hands and washing desks.
While I doubt I would picket the school (a bit tacky) I do think this school is going a little too far.
You simply could not meet everyone’s needs. Gluten free, peanut free, dairy free, pefume free, chemical free, and so on.
Public schools are just that “public” and people will have to learn how to be in public.
I frankly am surprised the schools are meeting these demands because it puts them in a position of being responsible.