Parents want child with peanut allergy removed from school

[NFS4]

From the article:

A 6-year-old girl at a school in Florida has a peanut allergy so severe that she could have a reaction if she were to breath traces of nut dust in the air. Her elementary school in Edgewater, Fl., has taken extraordinary measures to accommodate her.

All students are now required to wash their hands and rinse out their mouths before stepping inside the classroom. Desks must be regularly wiped down with Clorox wipes. School administrators have banned all peanut products and snacks are no longer allowed in the class. Earlier this month, a peanut-sniffing dog walked through the school to make sure everyone is following the rules.

The school is legally obligated to take these safety precautions because of the Federal Disabilities Act, according to Nancy Wait, the the spokeswoman for Volusia County Schools.

"It would be the same thing as putting a handicap ramp for a student that is physically disabled. The only difference with this is that is affects other students," Wait told FoxNews.com.

A group of parents are outraged by the new requirements and protested outside the school holding signs emblazoned with phrases expressing their frustration: "What's next? Where does this end?" Parents feel that the new requirements are taking up to 30 minute out of the students' school day. They are asking the district to require that the girl with the allergies be home-schooled.

The girl and her family are deeply hurt by the protests. "We've fought very hard to put certain things in place to keep her alive in school," David Bailey, the father of the student with the allergy, told My Fox Orlando. "She's already a cast-out. She can't do most things kids can do."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=85498

 

[NetGuySC]

I agree with the group of parents on this.

 

[rasczak]

While I understand the frustration of the the parents, this quote made me pretty sad:

"The girl and her family are deeply hurt by the protests. "We've fought very hard to put certain things in place to keep her alive in school," David Bailey, the father of the student with the allergy, told My Fox Orlando. "She's already a cast-out. She can't do most things kids can do."

When I works with special needs children a few years back, we had one with a peanut allergy as well. He was sent to the hospital a couple of times because of it too. It's quite sad really.

 

[dud]

This is the second protest that we've had here in CF this year ... the other being a young boy. In that case the mother of the boy yelled at the other mothers telling them they should be ashamed of themselves. That didn't go over well with the protestors.

I can see both sides in this case but ultimately it is the other kids who are "inconvenienced" and the allergic child who is singled out as the pariah. I have to wonder what is in everyone's best interest ... keep the kid at home (home schooled) until they out-grow their allergy, hold a special class in a "clean" room for these kids ... or continue the status-quo?

 

[Vette73]

Yea I think schools should do things to make it as accessible as possible. But in this case I think they have crossed the line.

 

[slugg]

Why should one person's disability become everyone else's? I'm all for accommodating the student, but not at the expense of anyone's basic rights. No; it's not the same as adding a ramp for wheelchair accessibility. It is what we refer to in academia as "bullshit."

If I had kids and they got in trouble for eating peanuts in school, I'd raise hell, too. There is NOTHING wrong with eating peanuts, so back the fuck off.

I'm gonna go make a sandwich. Wanna guess what kind?

$.02

</angry>

 

[Triumph]

What about the rights of the peanuts? I'm sick of this bigotry towards our most sacred nut. I love peanut butter and who granted these people authority to prohibit me or anyone else from enjoying it?

 

[Anubis]

if her allergy is that bad then she should be home schooled or sent to a school for kids with peanut allergies.

yes it sucks for her but inconveniencing an entire class/school for the needs of 1 is wrong. and its nothing like a wheelchair ramp

 

[Ancalagon44]

As sad as it is for an otherwise normal girl to not be able to live a normal life, frankly, with such a severe allergy she would be better off in a special needs school, or home school, where the risk can be better managed. I mean, this is crazy, the entire school doing this. All you need is one kid to get fed up and bring a PB&J sandwich in, unnoticed, and shes a goner. Why would you, as a parent, take that risk?

 

[Vette73]

Also the school is twisting the ADA. The ADA says the school system must take/educate her, it does not mean they can do what they are doing to the other children. They could put her in a seperate class room away from other children amoung other things.

 

[NFS4]

As sad as it is for an otherwise normal girl to not be able to live a normal life, frankly, with such a severe allergy she would be better off in a special needs school, or home school, where the risk can be better managed. I mean, this is crazy, the entire school doing this. All you need is one kid to get fed up and bring a PB&J sandwich in, unnoticed, and shes a goner. Why would you, as a parent, take that risk?

Agreed 100&#37;

 

[Geekbabe]

This is the second protest that we've had here in CF this year ... the other being a young boy. In that case the mother of the boy yelled at the other mothers telling them they should be ashamed of themselves. That didn't go over well with the protestors.

I can see both sides in this case but ultimately it is the other kids who are "inconvenienced" and the allergic child who is singled out as the pariah. I have to wonder what is in everyone's best interest ... keep the kid at home (home schooled) until they out-grow their allergy, hold a special class in a "clean" room for these kids ... or continue the status-quo?

They should be ashamed of their behaviors! There is a place to air grievances & ask for changes in school policies, that place is at school board meetings, not standing in front of a school making a small child & their family feel like lepers!

The rules this school has put in place involve cleanliness .. getting kids in the habit of frequent hand washing, having desks/surfaces where kids work cleaned daily, these measures will benefit everybody in terms of reductions in school acquired illness,not just the allergic child.

 

[KB]

Wouldn't you want to home-school your child if her life depended on the responsibility/irresponsibility of her classmates? Peanuts are in so many products. You would have to change the diet of every child in the class effectively telling them what they can and cannot eat. And where would it end? If my child was allergic to UV light should all the kids not be given recess and the windows be blacked out?

 

[Geekbabe]

if her allergy is that bad then she should be home schooled or sent to a school for kids with peanut allergies.

yes it sucks for her but inconveniencing an entire class/school for the needs of 1 is wrong. and its nothing like a wheelchair ramp

The same people who stand in front of schools picketing & humiliating a 6 yr old are usually the same people who vote down any tax measure to fund things like special needs education. Home schooling will require the district to provide an actual teacher on a regular basis.

 

[yinan]

As others have said this is BS. There is a difference in a small accomodation that should be made and this. This one person's right is infringing upon others rights to eat what they want. Why should I have to pay more to get specialized food and not be able to pack my kid any type of sandwich I want.

F the kid, if they want to send em to school buy a space suit, or a bubble.

 

[Beev]

Coming from a person who does not like peanuts, IDGAF.

30 minutes a day for the wipe down, etc.? Hey, at least you know the classroom is hella clean. I honestly don't have an opinion on whether or not she should be homeschooled, but the protesters are fucking retarded. Grow up.

 

[vi edit]

They should be ashamed of their behaviors! There is a place to air grievances & ask for changes in school policies, that place is at school board meetings, not standing in front of a school making a small child & their family feel like lepers!


The rules this school has put in place involve cleanliness .. getting kids in the habit of frequent hand washing, having desks/surfaces where kids work cleaned daily, these measures will benefit everybody in terms of reductions in school acquired illness,not just the allergic child.

I absolutely agree with your first part. But your second part...eh not so much. Turning people into germophobes is defeating a healthy persons immune response. We get stronger through exposure, not avoiding it. Basic hygiene is certainly required (washing hands after bathroom use and covering mouths while sneezing, ect). But washing hands and rinsing your mouth before entering a room every time? Come on.

 

[JTsyo]

So there's a whole school of kids who can't enjoy a PB&J sandwich for lunch? 🙁

This is the second protest that we've had here in CF this year ... the other being a young boy. In that case the mother of the boy yelled at the other mothers telling them they should be ashamed of themselves. That didn't go over well with the protestors.

I can see both sides in this case but ultimately it is the other kids who are "inconvenienced" and the allergic child who is singled out as the pariah. I have to wonder what is in everyone's best interest ... keep the kid at home (home schooled) until they out-grow their allergy, hold a special class in a "clean" room for these kids ... or continue the status-quo?

Does the allergy go away with time? Never knew that.

 

[Vette73]

Coming from a person who does not like peanuts, IDGAF.

30 minutes a day for the wipe down, etc.? Hey, at least you know the classroom is hella clean. I honestly don't have an opinion on whether or not she should be homeschooled, but the protesters are fucking retarded. Grow up.

Would you think that if you knew they have gone to the school admins and the board and got no where?

Not saying that is the case but if the went through all normal channels then I think this is ok, if not then yea I agree with your statement.
That and it got them national coverage so now the board/admins will have to do something.

 

[ch33zw1z]

The same people who stand in front of schools picketing & humiliating a 6 yr old are usually the same people who vote down any tax measure to fund things like special needs education. Home schooling will require the district to provide an actual teacher on a regular basis.

I guess a cost comparison is in order. Based all the added accommodations, I bet it'll be a close race.

On a side note, I think all the other parents protesting should pull their kids and choose to home school instead. Bet that would change some of the policies in place.

I feel bad for the little girl, but I think this situation has crossed the line. As bad as the parents want to have a "normal" child, it's not the case. They should accept it and make the appropriate accommodations.

 

[waggy]

talk about overkill. this is insane i have no issue with washing hands but cleaning out the inside of the mouth? whats next making sure the kids didn't get peanut oil on clothes?

they need to take the girl into a diffrent class or school. sorry it sucks for her but why make it harder on the other 30 kids in the class?

 

[waggy]

They should be ashamed of their behaviors! There is a place to air grievances & ask for changes in school policies, that place is at school board meetings, not standing in front of a school making a small child & their family feel like lepers!

The rules this school has put in place involve cleanliness .. getting kids in the habit of frequent hand washing, having desks/surfaces where kids work cleaned daily, these measures will benefit everybody in terms of reductions in school acquired illness,not just the allergic child.

the 2nd part is why more kids have allergies. we NEED to be exposed to germs. this is just hurting the kids more then it is helping.

The same people who stand in front of schools picketing & humiliating a 6 yr old are usually the same people who vote down any tax measure to fund things like special needs education. Home schooling will require the district to provide an actual teacher on a regular basis.

the people humiliating the 6 yr old is the school with these fucked up rules. you don't think the kids don't know why they can't have a PB&J sandwich? or have to rinse out the inside of there mouth?

not to mention the leap of logic is insane.

 

[ch33zw1z]

5 guys burgers and fries should take out a restraining order...just to be safe. Can't come within 500 feet! 😛

 

[Saulbadguy]

Diddy Kong incoming with the peanut blaster!

 

[lxskllr]

They should be ashamed of their behaviors! There is a place to air grievances & ask for changes in school policies, that place is at school board meetings, not standing in front of a school making a small child & their family feel like lepers!

I disagree. Public protest is how shit gets done. School board meeting are a waste of time, and it allows them to sweep the problem under the rug. Protest means it gets resolved NOW, one way or the other.

The rules this school has put in place involve cleanliness .. getting kids in the habit of frequent hand washing, having desks/surfaces where kids work cleaned daily, these measures will benefit everybody in terms of reductions in school acquired illness,not just the allergic child.

It's already been covered, but obsessive cleanliness makes people sick. Germs are your friend ;^)