School parents want girl with peanut allergy sent home

rn/writer, RN · Mar 28, 2011

Sounds as though this child's parents voluntarily chose to home educate this child. Good for them. Their child will be safer, and may very well receive a world class education as a happy result. This also shows a willingness to take responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their family that is sadly lacking in the general population and a respect for the rights of others, which is also in shorter supply of late.

I thought that when I first saw the article. But when I read it more closely, it became clear that the parents being referred to were the parents of the other kids in the school.

Here are a few more questions and considerations:

Has it been established just how serious this child's allergy is? If so, by whom? Her pediatrician? An allergist?

Is desensitization a possibility?

What are her parents willing to contribute to finding a solution? Are they just expecting the school system to make this work, or are they actively participating in the process?

In a situation like this where there are so many variables and so many things that could go wrong, it isn't only the school-wide restrictions that are a burden but the awful possibilities that hang over everyone's heads.

If this little girl is truly life-threateningly vulnerable, why would her parents put her in a situation where her safety depends on hundreds of others, most of them children?

Sometimes it seems that the politically correct and the "everything has to be the same to be fair" people want to legislate away reality. The truth is that there are people, children among them, who have to deal with disabilities and conditions that, on the scorecard of life, don't seem the least bit fair. Of course, accommodation should be made whenever possible, but there has to be room for some sense of balance.

Along with the risk to the child with the peanut allergy, what about the risk to the school community if someone inadvertently makes a mistake? What if she has an attack and has to be hospitalized? What if she dies? How will blame be assigned? How will the guilt--both legal and emotional--be handled? Who will pay for the likely lawsuit?

I cannot believe that responsible parents would knowingly expose their daughter to life-threatening danger on a daily basis and bet all the marbles on everyone else doing their part.

caregiver1977 · Mar 28, 2011

Some more questions:

1) How are they going to make sure all the students in this class properly wash their hands and mouths? Have you all seen the way 6 year olds wash?

2) How are they going to know if one of the classmates has peanut butter/peanut products on their clothes or hair?

3) How are they going to handle her contact with other students in the hall, playground, etc.?

4) If her peanut allergy is that severe, wouldn't it be better if her classmates/teachers didn't eat peanut products at home? How is anybody going to enforce that?

5) Students this age often have parties for holidays that involve candy. Are those cancelled?

6) What if a student decides to play a dirty trick on the allergic girl? Don't tell me that's not a possibility.

I just don't think the school can suddenly function as a hospital. They are not staffed with nurses and doctors; they are teachers. As well-meaning as everyone may be, too many things can go wrong with dire results.

LACA, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 28, 2011

There have been MANY good questions and thoughts raised here....If this was simply a case of a child who had a mild to moderate peanut allergy, I would be fine with the school making things easier for her...but it's not. This is a child with a FATAL allergy. No way in the world is it possible for the school to completely maintain her safety. If this was my child, there would be no question that she would be homeschooled. The risk of giving her the socialization and other things that public school provides is just too dangerous---it's absolutely impossible to make sure that she would be safe.

Heidi the nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2011

Agree, LACA. As a parent of 3 children, there is no way in heck I would send my child to school as a first grader if she truly was so allergic that smelling peanuts could cause a reaction. From everything I have read this is extremely rare (maybe not even possible), but still, if the parents believe it. And as it says right there on my care plans - "allergic reactions usually occur when a person eats something they ate was safe".

LACA, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 30, 2011

Honestly, I don't see why the parents are even making it a problem with the public school....Maybe i'm just being completely oblivious here, but we aren't talking about hives and watery eyes...we're talking LIFE AND DEATH. As a parent, I just can't fathom even considering sending my child to a public OR private school with that type of allergy...I would be terrified that something minor would go wrong and my child would die...I just don't understand the reasoning behind this.

Marathonrunner79 · Apr 7, 2011

This whole allergy things has become out of hand. These kids go out in public to malls, the beach, etc where their is peanut butter. Other kids should not have to be banned from bringing peanut butter, that is not fair. There has to be a reasonable half way. Perhaps if it is life threatening the peanut kids should eat in a special room together as a group and not be in the cafe if it is "life threatening"