Have you all read about the school in Edgewater Florida that has been making accomodations for a girl with a severe peanut allergy? Apparently, the kids were being required to wash their hands, face,and rinse their mouths before entering the classroom. Teachers were also required to continually wash surfaces with Clorox wipes. There were parents protesting this. One problem was that this was taking up valuable instructional time to do this...apparently 30 minutes twice per day. I am on the fence about this one... I do understand that there are people that have SEVERE allergies to nuts and exposure can have very adverse health effects. I also agree that reasonable accomodations should be made to keep this child safe. However, I question if this is really reasonable to expect every other child to comply with these requirements. If the allergy is really this severe, I wonder if the child would be better in a more controlled environment. As I understand, they have removed the mouth rinsing requirement. My objection would be for my child losing one hour per day of teaching time. What do you think? How would you feel if your child was in a class with these restrictions? Would you feel differently if your child was the one with the severe allerge?
Whoa!!!! Back up ladies...I said in my post that I was really on the fence on this one. My objection really wasn't that the other children shouldn't eat peanut butter...it was really the loss of class instruction time needed to accomodate one child. How do you really define what reasonable accomodations consist of???
Why not just make the school nut free? I understand washing hands before going into class but if the school went nut free wouldnt that eliminate the need to wipe the desks twice a day?
But I also wonder how these people and there kids function outside of their homes? What do they do when they go shopping, to museums, parks, etc?
I am not so sure I trust the 30 minutes a day report -- I believe that was a statement from one of the complaining parents, who is actually not in the class all day every day. I have a hard time imagining what the class could be doing that would take that long -- washing hands and rinsing mouths? 10 minutes tops. And getting the kids to wash their hands is not exactly a bad idea anyway.
While I do agree that the child won't be able to expect the grown up world to accommodate her, we all know that kids are not great about keeping things and themselves clean without guidelines. Restaurants are wiped down regularly, most grown ups are not wiping their dirty peanut butter hands on their own clothes, etc.
I also agree that I would be concerned about my child losing instruction time, but I think they what they are learning is pretty valuable. Cleanliness, sensitivity to others, being accommodating, and seeing the the truth about risk and potential for harm. It reminds me of how I was concerned when my daughter's classroom got a new student, with pretty severe Downs. I didn't understand why she had been mainstreamed and was very concerned she'd be a distraction and soak up valuable class time (although she has an aide). What I see instead is my daughter learning something she couldn't learn if this girl had been "in a more controlled environment" -- she is thrilled when the girl speaks to her and says nice things, and the whole class has learned that a disability is a simple fact, not a reason to judge or alienate or ridicule. Acceptance.
My question is - What will these kids do when they graduate? Ask their bosses and coworkers to rinse? What about the grocery store or the mall?
Allergies are scary and stressful, but you can't expect (or even trust) the rest of the world to accommodate. What if one person accidentally slips up?
It's been all over the news here and I honestly don't know how I feel about it. The parents of the other children are protesting and asking that this child with allergies be removed from the school All I keep thinking is, what a poor little kid. From what I recall the child is very young, I think first grade. Can you imagine being a parent of a child that other parents are asking be removed from the school for something no one can control?
A close friend of mine has a 19 month old that is allergic to eggs, dairy, brocolli, and nuts. Every second of her mothers day is consumed with ensuring that things are safe for her daughter. If she ingests something with nuts she can die. Her other allergies are not as severe, but she will get hives, rash, vomiting, etc. Nothing pleasent for a child. She has to plan every second that she is out of the house with her daughter and make sure that she has food, drinks, and things to clean and sanatize with. If we take them to the playground, my friend has to wipe things down so that he daughter can play on them, etc. I can't imagine having to live like that. I am afraid of enough with my wild little two year old!
As far as I know the school is nut free, but some parents were upset that all their child wanted for lunch was pb&j and their kid couldn't have it because of this one child. Well let them eat peanut butter at home, this little kids life is at stake.
Anyway I just wanted to say my piece but it is a tough issue.
Shame on the parents protesting things. What better lesson for a child to learn than empathy. They are teaching their children not to be empathetic to a child with special needs.
This has made national news. Have they thought about the poor child in the middle of this? I pray thischild makes it through this with a little self esteem stil in tact.
If the measures implemented are extreme talk it out like civilized adults. Protesting....really. Grow up and look at the big picture. There is a child involved here. This child has already been handed a less fortunate life than most kids and those parents can't empathize and compromise? For shame.
I feel that every REASONABLE effort to accommodate should be made to keep this child safe. Requesting kids wash their hands is reasonable (it's also essential for preventing the spread of germs and keeping sick days to a minimum).
I take issue w/ the Clorox because it does leave a residue and then kids touch it and get that residue on their skin. Clorox is bleach, bleach is a pesticide. It is bad enough that they are using Clorox at all but to continuously use it mean more exsposure to pesticides (both through absorption and inhalation...we all know how bleach smells even when masked by fragrance). So in an effort to keep this one child safe you are not only losing valuable instructional time but are also exposing all the kids (this child included) to harsh chemicals and increasing them to those health risks.
I don't know what the solution is as there is no easy answer. I am blessed to not have that sort of allergy in my family. My heart goes out to those that do.
But what about the child who refuses to eat anything but PB&J for lunch. Does that child have to go hungry? Don't get me wrong, his likes should take a back seat to a life threatening condition but he also shouldn't be forced to skip lunch either.
Dealing with children is different than dealing with grownups....when the child grows up, she can be responsible for keeping herself safe. Until then, it is the responsibility of the school, the teachers and her parents. For those suggesting homeschooling as an option -- not everyone can afford to quit working in order to homeschool their children nor hire someone else to tutor/homeschool their child. Allergic children often end up in public schools because those schools MUST make reasonable accomodations because peanut allergies are covered by the ADA (so for those saying will coworkers in the future have to wipe down surfaces or work in nut-free environments...I would say it is possible -- ADA applies no matter the age of the disabled allergic person). My daughter has a life threatening peanut allergy and then other hive/rash allergies to milk, eggs and fish. Her Pre-K is peanut/tree nut free (3 to 5 year olds) but once she gets to Kindergarten and up, they allow PB & J and other snacks and peanut/tree nut allergic kids sit at different tables. Right now my 3.5 year old sucks her thumb -- we have been trying to break her of it as it is DANGEROUS for her to be anywhere and stick it in her mouth after touching anything. As her school is Catholic -- not public -- their accomodations made do not have to comply with the ADA (exempt) but they have been reasonable in attempting to do so. I attend ALL school parties (Virtus trained) or my daughter doesn't attend. I pre-screen all snacks to be served at the parties as there are other allergic kids too. The schools keeps my daughter's snacks on the premises for her and the other kids are taught not to share with her and she knows NOT to take food from ANYONE. She will tell anyone who will listen about her allergies. Precautions can be made but slip ups happen and kids die (if you don't believe it, google the story about the Chicago Public Schools girl who died of accidental peanut ingestion in December -- she was like 13/14 yrs old and teacher brought in Chinese that was promised to be peanut free....should have NEVER happened -- Chinese, Thai and certain African cuisine will never be peanut free to those with anaphylaxis!). I think it is important that they are teaching these kids understanding and compassion. Too many food allergy kids are bullied -- often even with the items that they are severely allergic to. My question is what are these protesting parents teaching their kids! To shun those who are different and to force them into social exile. I think they all need to take a look inside and think "what if this was my child" -- food allergies are growing wildly and even parents with no allergies can end up with kids who have life threatening allergies. ....there but for the grace of God go I ....
If a child is that allergic, homeschooling is the way to go. Takes up way
too much classroom time.
Practically speaking, I don't know how a public school would be able to ensure a nut-free environment. To think all parents would comply with their kids' packed lunches is unrealistic--peanuts and nut ingredients will get taken onto the school. For the school to check all the lunches for compliance is impractical.
Legally, children have the right to attend public school. Special needs have to be accommodated. Her parents pay taxes, so she has a right to claim her place at the school and exert her rights for an equal opportunity for public school education. And, she probably isn't the only child at the school who is allergic to nuts--her parents are just the first to be successful in demanding allowances for her needs.
If my child attended that school, I would have a few choices if I felt the quality of education was at risk: I could move to a different school district; I could send my child to private school; I could supplement lessons at home myself (on the weekends or evenings); I could hire a tutor for the evenings or weekends. I already plan to supplement my child's education, especially in regard to handwriting. So, the idea that I may need to be more involved in my child's education isn't outrageous to me. However there are parents who want someone else to be wholly responsible for educating their child... Unfortunately those days of sending your kid to school and not needing to be involved except for looking over the report card twice a year are ending. Parents need to step up and make an effort--and not blame other kids, teachers or the school.
Clarification. My post was based on the other responses and my own experiences. My opinion is that the mouth rinsing is a colossal waste of time. It's much simpler if a school goes nut free. To me, that is a reasonable solution, and class time is not infringed upon.
I am sensitive to people with special circumstances because you wouldn't BELIEVE how nasty some people can be! People get cranky when you suggest taking away their kids PB&J!
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They should just take nuts out of the school. There are so many nut allergies! Peanut and tree nut allergies are abounding.
It's not that people with severe allergies can have "very adverse health effects", it's that they could DIE.
Now, the argument seems to be.....what happens when they grow up? The whole world can't accomodate! SOMEONE has to have a rational thought about this! There are adults that suffer from severe allergies, but they are better equipped to avoid exposure and act quickly when they are having a reaction. An adult can stick and Epi in their leg the moment they realize that they are in danger. A grade school child CAN'T ALWAYS DO THAT! Yes, I realize that I am doing the internet equivalent of shouting, but this makes me so mad!
People have zero compassion. They would rather that people will allergies be cloistered so Johnny or Suzie doesn't have to give up their beloved peanut butter for ONE MEAL. No matter that another child could experience anaphylactic shock before a teacher realized what was happening, people want their "rights"!
Give kids a break. They will learn how to manage their allergies as they grow older. For now, parents are doing their job by being hyper vigilent.
I wouldn't fuss if my kids had to do make concessions for someone with an allergy. Our church is nut free and my kids WANT to make sure they don't bring any contaminants so that their friends won't have a reaction. Kids are so much more compassionate than we give them credit for.
I'm not sure I believe the 30 minute estimate. Some of these parents who are protesting are downright crazy. I heard they were even threatening to smear their kids' backpacks with peanut oil to make a statement! Can you imagine?? I can't believe these people are even parents. They're acting grossly immature and insensitive and I hope their kids don't grow up to be as lacking in insight and empathy as them. I agree that it's a change and it's inconvenient but honestly, its not right to discriminate against this girl for what is essentially a disability. Handwashing isn't that crazy. And if they're not allowed to enter the classrooms without handwashing I dont know why they'd need to clorox the desks. What the parents should be doing is working together to come up with a safe and viable solution -- not picketing outside making this little girl feel hated and ostracized. Shame on them!
Not a popular opinion in this PC society but frankly if it were my kid with the peanut allergy, I would not put them in a public school under those conditions. Primarily because the irritation alone would cause hostility amongst parents and kids and also I couldn't be guaranteed a nut-free environment despite their extreme measures.
And I completely see how hand and mouth washing would waste up to 30 minutes. These are first graders! Playing with water at the sink! Putting water in their mouths and spitting it out. I say if you have 15 kids minimum, getting each one to wash hands, rinse mouth and dry off, then settle at the desk? 2 minutes each x 15 children = 30 minutes.
It's a huge distraction. We're not talking about a wheelchair ramp, or even "no outside food". WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE NOT GETTING PB&J! Nobody worth listening to is whining about that!
In my opinion when you restrict a behavior (no nuts) to accommodate someone else that's one thing and I'm ok with that. When you require something of someone else that's another (incessant hand/mouth washing). The parents of this little girl really and truly should be as considerate of other families as they are asking them to be of her.
I have very close disabled friends and family, and I don't know a single one who would want to affect an entire classroom of peers in order to function. They'd rather be somewhere were everyone is on an even playing field.
