School Parents Want 1st Grader W/ Peanut Allergy Sent Home/Home-Schooled

[Quiche]

How scary!

I have to ask, do children grow out of this allergy? I had a lot of food allergies when I was a tween-- they went away/subsided by the time I was in my twenties. None were as severe as this.

Also, I'll add my two cents: I avoid life threatening things, and would do so for my child in this instance. I would home school. jmo

And-- I might reach out to other parents who had children with this allergy.

 

[gitana1]

I always find it interesting that the same people who think Christians shouldn't judge others, judge Christians the harshest, and that even a thread like this turns anti-any one religion.

I can see both sides on this issue - if it were my child that had a life threatening allergy, I just don't think I'd trust other 6 and 7 year olds to be the keeper of my daughter's life. I also think that if the unthinkable were to happen, it's not fair to burn that particular memory in a class full of kids.

I don't know what the answer is, but I think harsh views on either side don't help in this particular situation. It's not a crime to not want to be responsible for someone else's life, it's also not a crime to try to assimilate your kid with other kids.

I do take issue with "well what if both parents work and one doesn't want to quit" fact is maybe one should to take care of their child that they want to see grow into adulthood instead of hoping the school or school children don't make a mistake. Home school options include much more than one parent or the other staying home too - there are charter school choices, and home school co-opts that parents can join for little or no cost.

As a side note my family has tons of allergies, when we were kids the principal called my mom and said "why does Richie not ever cheat with his allergies, and Charlie does?" My mom laughed and said "because Rich gets blinding headaches that knock him out for days, and Charlie's inside elbow itches a little bit, so it's worth it to both of them to cheat or not cheat." I don't think 6 and 7 year olds fully comprehend that it could be life or death...i just think that's too much responsibility to put on them.

I actually did not take Steely's comment to be a criticism of Christians, Christianity or religion in general. I took it to be a criticism of hypocrisy, and the thousands who claim to follow Christ yet fail to adhere to his teachings about compassion and love. There is a huge difference between the two criticisms.

I don't believe anyone here wants to see a child ostracized or put in harms way because of any allergy. I do believe everyone here has a good heart. But, I also believe there are far too many who would put their own needs above the needs of many others and call "foul" when they weren't catered to.

Why? should any group be forced to bow to the needs of one? Back when there was "natural selection", that didn't happen, nature took care of itself. If the parents, in this case, want safety for their child, in my opinion, they need to provide it, even if it means putting themselves out, never mind the million dollars, and homeschooling the child. You want your child to live? As parents, DO WHAT IT TAKES, but don't expect others to do it for you.

My opinion only

You know, I hear you about people who expect others to be considerate of them while they fail to be considerate of the needs of others but there is an assumption that this is the case with this child and her parents. We don't know that they are that type. I don't think a group should be forced to "bow" to the needs of one but I do think there is nothing wrong, and everything right about voluntarily bowing to the needs of one for the sake of that individual. We are all one. We will all have needs at different times in our lives that the majority don't have but that doesn't mean our needs should go unmet. As long as it does more good than harm, who cares?

It reminds me of this lovely and very funny movie called Lars and the Real Girl. Has anyone seen it? At first I thought it was a comedy about a guy and a blow up doll so I wasn't keen on seeing it. But my cousin forced me and I'm glad I did. Really, it was so moving. It showed an entire community coming together to assist a man in serious crisis, by going above and beyond in creative ways to help this man survive. They all "bowed" to his needs but they did so very willingly and it was precious. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh and a good feeling about the possibilities of the human race in showing true empathy toward each other.

 

[JBean]

Family sues restaurant over seventh-grader's fatal food allergy

Chinese food at school's end-of-year party had peanuts or peanut oil, lab says

The family of a Chicago Public Schools seventh-grader who died last year after an allergic reaction to peanuts at a school party has filed a wrongful-death suit against the Chinese restaurant that provided the meal, claiming the student's teacher told the restaurant to avoid peanut products

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/..._food-allergy-peanut-products-katelyn-carlson

 

[katydid23]

Family sues restaurant over seventh-grader's fatal food allergy

Chinese food at school's end-of-year party had peanuts or peanut oil, lab says

The family of a Chicago Public Schools seventh-grader who died last year after an allergic reaction to peanuts at a school party has filed a wrongful-death suit against the Chinese restaurant that provided the meal, claiming the student's teacher told the restaurant to avoid peanut products

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/..._food-allergy-peanut-products-katelyn-carlson

Personally, I think it is really unfair to sue the restaurant. Apparently the restaurant was told to ' avoid peanut products.' That is not a very explicit instruction. My kids are lactose intolerant, and they try to 'avoid' dairy products, but they are not going to DIE if they eat ice cream.

I think the family is passing the buck by targeting the restaurant. First of all, they had to KNOW there was an end of the year catered party. They should have chaperoned the event themselves and made sure their son had his own meal that was safe. And why didn't anyone give him the ephedrine when he first went into distress? That is not the restaurants fault imo.

I wonder how those 7th graders felt watching their friend die at their end of the year party? I think it was irresponsible of the family to allow their highly allergic kid to be at a party like that where the food was going to be catered by a Chinese restaurant, when it is common knowledge that chinese food is often cooked in nut oils.

 

[cianne]

To be perfectly honest, if my child had such a severe allergy that any contact could result in death, I would make the choice to homeschool myself. I just wouldn't want to take the risk.

Agreed with this. If your child is going to have a life-threatening reaction because, as some posters here are claiming, someone else was in a room with a peanut hours before*, then that child probably shouldn't be leaving the house much. Obviously that's a terrible life for the poor kid with the allergy, but the world is not peanut-free. I would have to choose between how much I wanted to insist that everyone accomodate my child as opposed to how much I was willing to risk my child's life.

*I have a hard time believing this, just for the record. There would be anaphylactic shock-related deaths all over the world every day if this much sensitivity were really possible.

 

[jjenny]

Family sues restaurant over seventh-grader's fatal food allergy

Chinese food at school's end-of-year party had peanuts or peanut oil, lab says

The family of a Chicago Public Schools seventh-grader who died last year after an allergic reaction to peanuts at a school party has filed a wrongful-death suit against the Chinese restaurant that provided the meal, claiming the student's teacher told the restaurant to avoid peanut products

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/..._food-allergy-peanut-products-katelyn-carlson

If somebody wanted food that is totally peanut free, I fail to see how Chinese food is a good choice. Even if the restaurant didn't put peanuts in this particular food, if they use peanut oil in the kitchen, there might be peanut traces in the food.

 

[JBean]

Personally, I think it is really unfair to sue the restaurant. Apparently the restaurant was told to ' avoid peanut products.' That is not a very explicit instruction. My kids are lactose intolerant, and they try to 'avoid' dairy products, but they are not going to DIE if they eat ice cream.

I think the family is passing the buck by targeting the restaurant. First of all, they had to KNOW there was an end of the year catered party. They should have chaperoned the event themselves and made sure their son had his own meal that was safe. And why didn't anyone give him the ephedrine when he first went into distress? That is not the restaurants fault imo.

I wonder how those 7th graders felt watching their friend die at their end of the year party? I think it was irresponsible of the family to allow their highly allergic kid to be at a party like that where the food was going to be catered by a Chinese restaurant, when it is common knowledge that chinese food is often cooked in nut oils.

I don't think there is enough information. If the restaurant assured them that they would take care of it and they didn't then they were indeed negligent. If the restaurant knew what the potential consequences were and they did not take precautions, I think suing is appropriate.

if they were not made aware of the ramifications or seriousness of the request, then I don't think they should be held responsible. If the request was casual in nature and the issue of life and death was not made really clear then it was an honest mistake. If they told them it would be very difficult and they would do the best they could, then that is all they can do and should not be held liable.
No way of knowing who was irresponsible from the information provided.
I do agree that a Chinese restaurant would be a pretty tough place since peanut oil is all over the place.

I don't wonder how those kids felt watching a friend die. I am sure they felt terrible. But you cannot keep children with problems away from the rest of the world for fear that someone may see something happen to them. Living life in fear is no way to live. So kids with allergies shouldn't be afraid to go out and live and their friends should not be afraid to enjoy life with them.

 

[katydid23]

I agree with much of your post , JBean.

My point was mainly that the article itself states that the restaurant was told to 'avoid peanut products.' To me the term ' avoid' does not imply urgency or severity. It just says basically ' do the best you can.' imo

And I agree that you cannot keep kids with allergies away from the rest of the world, but provisions and accomodations must be made if your child has a deadly form of the allergic response. If you know your 12 yr old is going to be at a large outdoor party with catered Chinese food then I don't think you should rely upon the word of the restaurant if you have not worked with them before. Especially one that would have lots of nut oils in the kitchen. I think it is up to the family to have a chaperone on hand with epi-pen ready and with alternate food sources for their child. imo

 

[Steely Dan]

Why did the school pick Chinese food with a student who has a peanut allergy?

A friend of mine has a very bad MSG allergy. She went to a Chinese restaurant with a group of friends that had a salad bar she could eat from. They asked the waiter if they put MSG in the food they served he said no. They then told him she had a severe allergy to MSG so if any was put in the food she could have a bad reaction. He then told them they put "a little" MSG in the food.

 

[twinkiesmom]

This is a general statement so please no one person be offended because for the most part I have no idea who is Christian and who is not.

It amazes me how a lot of people want this to be a "Christian" nation but seem to have no clue what Jesus was about. I find it exceedingly hard to believe that Jesus would tell that girl to get home schooled and the complaining parents they understand his message very well. JMO

Fortunately, JBeans story above shows that a lot of people do get it. Unfortunately, not enough. The sacrifices that are being asked of these kids are so small it's embarrassing me to be in the same country as these people. Japan has been destroyed. People are homeless, cold, unaware of whether loved ones are alive or dead, needing water and food. In Libya people are being tortured by an evil regime and warplanes are dropping bombs. The people of North Korea are living a hellish existence and it goes on and on. Now these people are up in arms over hand washing. :banghead:

And I'll reiterate another point that really bothers me in a lot of different situations. If one of the complainers had a kid in the same situation they would want their kid in the school and suddenly the people, like them, who are against the kid going to the school would be bad guys.

Before making a big stink like this people should ask themselves, what if it were me on the other side. It's real easy to give an off the cuff; "I'd home school my kid." comment. More questions need to be asked of yourself though.

How? Who would teach them. This is a first grader if both parents have to work who quits to home school?

I really don't understand why you're bringing in religion here.

I am a Christian. My son is no longer allergic to peanuts but I do not allow him to bring peanut products to school in support of his fellow allergic students. This has little to do with me being a Christian and much to do with me having some compassion and common sense.

We have federal laws in place that protect people with disabilities and guarantee a free public education. The law trumps public opinion.

 

[Steely Dan]

I really don't understand why you're bringing in religion here.

I am a Christian. My son is no longer allergic to peanuts but I do not allow him to bring peanut products to school in support of his fellow allergic students. This has little to do with me being a Christian and much to do with me having some compassion and common sense.

We have federal laws in place that protect people with disabilities and guarantee a free public education. The law trumps public opinion.

BBM

That's what Christianity is all about. A lot of those people probably consider themselves Christian and yet have no compassion. Compassion is what Christianity is all about. You get it. As Gitana pointed out, it's not religion as much as the hypocrisy that bugs me.

 

[Trino]

Whyaduck, that wasn't meant for you. I'm sorry if it came across that way. It was a comment meant for the complaining parents. I'd bet dollars to donuts that none of them, before protesting, looked into what it would take to home school a child. They probably don't care if it costs that family a million dollars. Making their kids wash their hands and mouths is too intrusive.

To be honest I don't even think the people protesting are protesting what the cautionary steps are. I think they are more upset about what rights the parents "think they have" or having to adjust their lives so another persons life is more normal and that's what saddens me. They should be happy to do it for moral reasons alone. JMO

In an earlier post I cited a story about misinformation that is going around about this case.

Only the children in the child's immediate classroom are affected, not the entire school. Their lunches are placed on a cart and transported to the cafeteria each day. The child in question does not go to the cafeteria, so other kids can eat what they want.

Also, the other kids are no longer required to rinse their mouths. They must only wash their hands twice a day. That seems very reasonable; most kids should do that anyway.

There is no classroom mid-morning snack at the teacher's request because lunch is at 10:45.

So, why are we discussing a problem that really isn't a problem?

 

[Steely Dan]

In an earlier post I cited a story about misinformation that is going around about this case.

Only the children in the child's immediate classroom are affected, not the entire school. Their lunches are placed on a cart and transported to the cafeteria each day. The child in question does not go to the cafeteria, so other kids can eat what they want.

Also, the other kids are no longer required to rinse their mouths. They must only wash their hands twice a day. That seems very reasonable; most kids should do that anyway.

There is no classroom mid-morning snack at the teacher's request because lunch is at 10:45.

So, why are we discussing a problem that really isn't a problem?

Because some people get all huffy when they are asked to do small things to help others. They think they shouldn't be told what to do.

 

[JBean]

In an earlier post I cited a story about misinformation that is going around about this case.

Only the children in the child's immediate classroom are affected, not the entire school. Their lunches are placed on a cart and transported to the cafeteria each day. The child in question does not go to the cafeteria, so other kids can eat what they want.

Also, the other kids are no longer required to rinse their mouths. They must only wash their hands twice a day. That seems very reasonable; most kids should do that anyway.

There is no classroom mid-morning snack at the teacher's request because lunch is at 10:45.

So, why are we discussing a problem that really isn't a problem?

Hi TRino. If you read the whole thread, we posted about the misunderstanding the very next day. So, the thread has since evolved a bit and we are just exploring different philosophical aspects of this issue, as well as another case including a lawsuit in another story.

 

[JBean]

I actually did not take Steely's comment to be a criticism of Christians, Christianity or religion in general. I took it to be a criticism of hypocrisy, and the thousands who claim to follow Christ yet fail to adhere to his teachings about compassion and love. There is a huge difference between the two criticisms.



You know, I hear you about people who expect others to be considerate of them while they fail to be considerate of the needs of others but there is an assumption that this is the case with this child and her parents. We don't know that they are that type. I don't think a group should be forced to "bow" to the needs of one but I do think there is nothing wrong, and everything right about voluntarily bowing to the needs of one for the sake of that individual. We are all one. We will all have needs at different times in our lives that the majority don't have but that doesn't mean our needs should go unmet. As long as it does more good than harm, who cares?

It reminds me of this lovely and very funny movie called Lars and the Real Girl. Has anyone seen it? At first I thought it was a comedy about a guy and a blow up doll so I wasn't keen on seeing it. But my cousin forced me and I'm glad I did. Really, it was so moving. It showed an entire community coming together to assist a man in serious crisis, by going above and beyond in creative ways to help this man survive. They all "bowed" to his needs but they did so very willingly and it was precious. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh and a good feeling about the possibilities of the human race in showing true empathy toward each other.

Really well said gitana, thanks.
I am now desperate to see Lars and the Real Girl. I just watched the trailer and even that was moving.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I really don't understand why you're bringing in religion here.

I am a Christian. My son is no longer allergic to peanuts but I do not allow him to bring peanut products to school in support of his fellow allergic students. This has little to do with me being a Christian and much to do with me having some compassion and common sense.

We have federal laws in place that protect people with disabilities and guarantee a free public education. The law trumps public opinion.

So the school could provide a lap top and access to online virtual school or a homebound instructor. The child is a liability.

No way, do I feel the Chinese resturant is to blame for this other child's death.

 

[JBean]

So the school could provide a lap top and access to online virtual school or a homebound instructor. The child is a liability.

No way, do I feel the Chinese resturant is to blame for this other child's death.

It is all perspective. I think the girl is an asset.

I would bet that in some instances a situation like this could bring a community together as opposed to driving them apart.

 

[twinkiesmom]

So the school could provide a lap top and access to online virtual school or a homebound instructor. The child is a liability.

No way, do I feel the Chinese resturant is to blame for this other child's death.

We don't tell people in wheelchairs to get their books online, we build ramps up to the library door. This is America.

That does not mean I believe the restaurant is to blame for this.

 

[angeldust]

Obviously if someones allergy is so serious that even breathing in a peanut substance could cause death, most parents wouldnt let the children out their sight. The other thing is each time an allergic child is exposed to peanuts their reaction becomes more severe, thats why total abstinence is better for the child. We all love our children and want the best for them and I as a parent of an allergic child have made a lot more sacrifices, so has my daughter believe me, we all make adjustments in our lives every day to accomodate others, well most of us anyway.

The problem here is there are certain posters that think its too much to ask for them not to eat peanuts around an allergic child or wash their hands.

Also what I have problem with is people stateing that allergic children or their parents want everyone to accomodate them thats just not the case.


People are just asking for a little consideration personally I think some are blowing this all out of proportion.

One of my friend daughters was born with a serious heart condition went through major heart surgery when she was days old. She has cardiomyopathy
and hates balloons the bang gives her a fright. So when were having parties no balloons. thats consideration not a chore or inconvenience.

As for this story about the restaurant it looks like they were asked by the teacher to have no peanut products INCLUDING OILS AND SAUCES. All restaurant owners or anyone in the food industry will be well aware of the dangers of food allergies and guidelines they can follow, there are Health and Safety rules that must be adhered to so saying theyre not responsable is wrong. If they couldnt have guaranteed there would be no peanut based products then they should have informed the school of this. The school then could decide whether to use them or not.

However, I also agree and think the easiest would have been the child could have taken her own food its what I would have done. The girl was 13 she could have avoided the food table, BUT, the restaurent was asked the question and were told no peanuts or oils or sauces and look what happened no amount of sorrys can bring this child back.
It alsostates the food was HEAVILY CONTAMINATED so it wasnt even trace contamination.

I also wonder why didnt they adminster any medication where was her epi-pen? did she even have one? It does say that officials, even though she had trouble breathing, didnt administer medication. sad.

 

[BuzzieCat]

In an earlier post I cited a story about misinformation that is going around about this case.

Only the children in the child's immediate classroom are affected, not the entire school. Their lunches are placed on a cart and transported to the cafeteria each day. The child in question does not go to the cafeteria, so other kids can eat what they want.

Also, the other kids are no longer required to rinse their mouths. They must only wash their hands twice a day. That seems very reasonable; most kids should do that anyway.

There is no classroom mid-morning snack at the teacher's request because lunch is at 10:45.

So, why are we discussing a problem that really isn't a problem?

This is actually why I am a little confused. I agree that washing hands and transporting lunches on a cart are no biggie. But what about the report of the peanut-sniffing dog? That was never addressed by the school, as far as I can tell. Was that also a misunderstanding and never happened, or not? Not sure why they would have a peanut-sniffer dog if peanuts are in fact allowed at the school - if so, there are no surprise peanut traces for the dog to find.

I'm also wondering if this girl actually does have an allergy so severe that sniffing peanut in the air could cause a reaction. If she does, washing hands and eating by herself wouldn't seem enough precaution to my way of thinking. :waitasec: