Munchausen on the increase?

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It is my observation that many parents strongly advocate for their children to the point of excluding the rights of the rest of the students. I would love to hear from experienced school nurses if this has always been or is this relatively new? We just had a parent demand the school go peanut free despite talking to the student's allergist stating we did not have to do that. Had another demand her child needs special consideration for PE on a week by week basis dependent on the child's decision, a student who plays basketball and softball after school. A student who has refused PE in school and goes to her after school sports? Parents are condoning this. I am sure my coworkers here have more stories than this, as I only have 90 families. AN administrators, please don't put this on FB. Thanks

Specializes in School nursing.
I bet same kid has been at the mall with somebody drinking a hazelnut coffee in the vicinity. Did they sue the mall??? Did they even realize or care?

This is a bit extreme, but I'll bite and play devil's advocate for a minute. (Don't shoot me!)

I work at a peanut free school. We don't have a cafeteria and students eat in homerooms, so we went fully peanut and tree nut free. Made in facility with foods are okay for lunch, but not class-wide distribution for celebrations, etc. I had a student eat a peanut butter protein bar next to a student with a severe peanut allergy. I ended up having to use an epi-pen on that student with the severe peanut allergy.

In the real world, the student would have just left the room, but teacher didn't allow it at the time as it was simply protocol for lunch and even student wasn't aware of airborne nature of allergy that became apparent. Since then, student's allergy plan was updated to reflect needing to leave room in allergen in place. And reminder went home to parents/staff/students about school being peanut free and that if a student did bring in peanut butter, we can go that student a peanut-free lunch easily if needed.

Now parent was great about this! Parent is one that realizes she can't protect her child from everything, nor can I police the entire school all the time. But at the same time, the school environment is not one students can usually freely room/leave if needed. It is a balance and man, it sucks to manage it sometimes. I have students sneaking Reese's in the bathroom, for example.

Of course, there are extreme parents. Many more of them than I wish there were.

Specializes in kids.
I have a parent who listed allergies to cherries, coconut, etc. Dislikes, not allergies.:no:

We now need a prescription from the MD and a very long form to be filled out for the "allergies"

I work at a peanut free school. We don't have a cafeteria and students eat in homerooms, so we went fully peanut and tree nut free. Made in facility with foods are okay for lunch, but not class-wide distribution for celebrations, etc. I had a student eat a peanut butter protein bar next to a student with a severe peanut allergy. I ended up having to use an epi-pen on that student with the severe peanut allergy.

In the real world, the student would have just left the room, but teacher didn't allow it at the time as it was simply protocol for lunch and even student wasn't aware of airborne nature of allergy that became apparent. Since then, student's allergy plan was updated to reflect needing to leave room in allergen in place. And reminder went home to parents/staff/students about school being peanut free and that if a student did bring in peanut butter, we can go that student a peanut-free lunch easily if needed.

Now parent was great about this! Parent is one that realizes she can't protect her child from everything, nor can I police the entire school all the time. But at the same time, the school environment is not one students can usually freely room/leave if needed. It is a balance and man, it sucks to manage it sometimes. I have students sneaking Reese's in the bathroom, for example.

Of course, there are extreme parents. Many more of them than I wish there were.

Then this falls on the teacher. If students are eating in the classroom, it is up to the teacher to be sure that students with allergies are not seated by students eating the allergen. I have also had to give an epi-pen to a child who was next to someone eating peanuts and I worry about that child's long term future in the real world. Going peanut/tree nut free gives a false sense of security to parents.

Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
We now need a prescription from the MD and a very long form to be filled out for the "allergies"

Isn't it amazing the lengths we go to to prevent potential lawsuits? We so need tort reform, that and insurance reform would negate any healthcare legislation.

Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
This is a bit extreme, but I'll bite and play devil's advocate for a minute. (Don't shoot me!)

I work at a peanut free school. We don't have a cafeteria and students eat in homerooms, so we went fully peanut and tree nut free. Made in facility with foods are okay for lunch, but not class-wide distribution for celebrations, etc. I had a student eat a peanut butter protein bar next to a student with a severe peanut allergy. I ended up having to use an epi-pen on that student with the severe peanut allergy.

In the real world, the student would have just left the room, but teacher didn't allow it at the time as it was simply protocol for lunch and even student wasn't aware of airborne nature of allergy that became apparent. Since then, student's allergy plan was updated to reflect needing to leave room in allergen in place. And reminder went home to parents/staff/students about school being peanut free and that if a student did bring in peanut butter, we can go that student a peanut-free lunch easily if needed.

Now parent was great about this! Parent is one that realizes she can't protect her child from everything, nor can I police the entire school all the time. But at the same time, the school environment is not one students can usually freely room/leave if needed. It is a balance and man, it sucks to manage it sometimes. I have students sneaking Reese's in the bathroom, for example.

Of course, there are extreme parents. Many more of them than I wish there were.

This is the danger of saying peanut free, you can not control the actions of all students. You also can not control what a student eats before school. I feel for the children with that severe of a reaction, hope they can stay safe, but that is on them.

Specializes in NCSN.
Then this falls on the teacher. If students are eating in the classroom, it is up to the teacher to be sure that students with allergies are not seated by students eating the allergen..

And this takes up valuable classroom time too.

I have a student where the teacher needs to assign her a lunch buddy to sit next to EVERY DAY, which means she has to check everyone's lunches every day for "spill-able dairy products" (student had an anaphlyaxis event from dairy contact in the past). This takes can take up to 15 mins sometimes because the little ones usually don't know what is packed in their lunches.

And sometimes Subs don't get it or decide to do their own thing.

Specializes in School nursing.
Then this falls on the teacher. If students are eating in the classroom, it is up to the teacher to be sure that students with allergies are not seated by students eating the allergen. I have also had to give an epi-pen to a child who was next to someone eating peanuts and I worry about that child's long term future in the real world. Going peanut/tree nut free gives a false sense of security to parents.

Oh, I've discussed this with the student and parent. Student was unaware her allergy had progressed to that degree and we came up with a plan for it that can be applied to school and the real world. Student has Epi-pen on them at all time. Student is in HS and part of my job (or really how I see it) is to help student's figure out to realistically manage their health in the real world.

I also can't expect teachers to be able to police everything either and I can't stop Reese's from being eaten in the bathroom. But I can do my best to provide a safe learning environment. So I try and we decided for now going peanut and tree free from our end is that, and that includes messaging home, providing peanut and tree nut free lunches, and ensuring all school sponsored events have food that is tree nut and peanut free. But we are building a cafeteria so who knows if it will evolve after it is done.

But, back to this thread, I cannot tell you how many doctor's notes I have allowing students to use the bathroom whenever they want. And most students tell me that they don't have a medical reason, just asked doctor to write them the note and doctor did. (Which, yes, one can argue that students should be able to use the restroom, but some abuse it and use it as place to use their phones and text home, for example.)

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

We do not have a peanut free school for the reason of the unrealistic expectations that peanut products have to be policed. By making the blanket statement of no peanut products, you may have some success. But you will also stop being mindful of their potential presence. So when Jimmy has to stay with Grandma or Aunt Debbie for a few days and they are not aware of the policy and pack his lunch and a big peanut butter sandwich because that's what they pack themselves for lunch -well, now we have a problem when Jimmy is sitting in a peanut free school with an illegal sandwich. It will ultimately be taken away, Jimmy doesn't have a lunch and the local paper has a story with a nasty twist either way.

We have peanut free zones. They serve us well.

Specializes in School nursing.
We do not have a peanut free school for the reason of the unrealistic expectations that peanut products have to be policed. By making the blanket statement of no peanut products, you may have some success. But you will also stop being mindful of their potential presence. So when Jimmy has to stay with Grandma or Aunt Debbie for a few days and they are not aware of the policy and pack his lunch and a big peanut butter sandwich because that's what they pack themselves for lunch -well, now we have a problem when Jimmy is sitting in a peanut free school with an illegal sandwich. It will ultimately be taken away, Jimmy doesn't have a lunch and the local paper has a story with a nasty twist either way.

We have peanut free zones. They serve us well.

I wish, but like I said, we have no cafeteria and lunch is eaten everywhere. No where is a safe zone, so we try. I do hope I can convince a revisit of it once our cafeteria is complete.

(And we provide lunch to any student that needs it; so no student would ever go without.)

But also, can't fully police, so instead I work 1:1 with students with severe allergies to help them be mindful, which is the real success, I think.

But when a parent doesn't want to let them be independent, that can be also be the real issue. Then head against a wall.

Specializes in kids.

And today I hear of students calling my VERY anaphylactic student "peanut boy/girl" and saying REALLY unkind things. I am so angry.

Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
And today I hear of students calling my VERY anaphylactic student "peanut boy/girl" and saying REALLY unkind things. I am so angry.

Uncool, thankfully we addressed that before school started. Not the student's fault.

Specializes in School nursing.
And today I hear of students calling my VERY anaphylactic student "peanut boy/girl" and saying REALLY unkind things. I am so angry.

Ugh. Kids can be jerks.

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