Nova
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It would be the responsibility of the parents to keep the child out of school, not the school deciding not to educate the child. You can't segregate kids from school because they have an allergy.
The kid with the allergy to peanuts on some kid's coat could have an accidental death anywhere, anytime, even in middle age. He or she should be allowed to carry an epi-pen and allowed to live his or her life....and if the school is smart, they will make the school peanut free.
The 13-year old girl likely would not have died if there was an epi-pen in the classroom. Why aren't they suing the doctor for medical malpractice?
When you have a child with a peanut allergy, you are sent home with an epi-pen and told that your child could have a life threatening respiratory event from an accidental exposure. You don't have to have a history of full-blown anaphylaxis to have it occur. You live with the risk as a way of life, and you maintain close contact with the school and room parents.
I asked to have my son placed with other peanut allergic students, and my school declined to group them. We actually would have had two or three peanut-free classrooms for each grade. The school must have seen a benefit to educating the other students about this allergy that they kept the allergic kids in separate sections. I received a phone call whenever outside food was brought into the classroom. The teacher received a list from me of foods we had eaten at home with no problems and had clean labels. The list always included the stipulation to check the current food label. I always said no to food like Dunkin Donuts where peanuts were on the premises. I personally called the manager of Krispy Kremes to make sure they didn't have peanuts or peanut oil. My kid's teacher always had a bag of safe food from me to substitute when a parent brought in Dunkin Donuts. These are not a lot of steps to keep a kid safe and to provide them with a normal life. Again, I did most of the leg work..the teacher made a minute phone call and 30 seconds to read a food label.
There are kids in the school dealing with lifethreatening illnesses such as epilepsy and diabetes that have to leave class to be medicated by the school nurse, and sometimes EMS has to visit the school. Their classmates might get scared by the ambulance. Are you suggesting to homeschool these kids as well?
Thank you, twinkiesmom, for the informative post. I don't know what I wrote that gave you the impression I am generally opposed to having kids with peanut allergies in public classrooms. I am not. As I said, my own grandchildren have to follow the peanut allergy rules; their mother (my daughter) not only complies, but enthusiastically supports those rules. (She's a teacher herself, her major in college was special-needs children.)
Nor do I feel Title XII is a burden. I didn't think it was a burden even when I was teaching and it meant I had to work extra hours and schedule special testing and tutoring sessions. I figured that was part of the job.
So I wish you would let go of me as the villain here. I think your kid should be allowed in the classroom; I don't think it's a hardship if the other students have to limit their party snacks. I think your idea of grouping peanut allergy kids together sounds like a good one, but maybe, as you suggest, the school decided everyone benefits from learning to accommodate different needs.
All I'm allowing for is the hypothetical possibility that there may be allergies or conditions so severe that a public school classroom simply cannot insure a child's safety. In which case, I have no problem with the school district hiring a full-time tutor or attendant for that child.