After nearly a decade and a half of living with a person with a severe allergy (my wife is allergic to cats, but she’s also an avid cat lover), I can only imagine how difficult it must be for parents of little kids with various food allergies.
Because if an adult, fully aware of their allergies, sometimes finds it difficult to resist the temptation to pet a cute cat, how difficult must it be for a kid, for example, to refrain from eating peanuts at school, where everyone else is eating them? Especially when the teacher doesn’t actually care… But the user u/schoolpnutbtr2828, the narrator of our story today, had to face exactly this situation.
More info: Reddit
Being a kid with a food allergy at school could be really dangerous, as the teachers should always monitor kids' diets
Image credits: golubovystock / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post has a son who has a peanut allergy, and it's been an ongoing issue for the boy's family
Image credits: seventyfour / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The problem is that the teacher supposedly doesn't monitor the author's son's diet at all
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After being asked by the parents directly, the teacher even tried to put the blame on the kid himself
Image credits: peoplecreations / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Meanwhile, the boy swore that he didn't take the allergen, and that the teacher even gave this food to him herself
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
So the parents decided to take legal action and hired an attorney to push the school to fulfill their duty
Image credits: schoolpnutbtr2828
So, after several months of paperwork and legal issues, the attorney did his job, but it took so much time and stress
So, the original poster (OP) has a son who started school last year. And perhaps the parents’ main concern was that the boy had a peanut allergy. Not a severe one, but with allergies, there’s no such thing as low risk, right? So, the original poster warned the teacher about their child’s allergy in advance.
The school year began, and several times the parents discovered that their son had indeed eaten peanuts at school. When they asked the teacher for clarification, she always tried to shift the blame onto the boy himself. Allegedly, he had grabbed someone else’s lunch and run away. The kid, however, tearfully swore he hadn’t done it.
The parents had several educational talks with their son and asked him to always ask for peanut-free lunches. Apparently, the teacher and school administration took this for granted, and when the situation repeated itself, they immediately reminded the parent that the child, it turns out, was supposed to warn them about his allergy!
As a result, the OP decided it was enough and embarked on a campaign against the school system – a system that can’t prevent situations in which a 6-year-old kid is not only constantly exposed to an allergen but also enables these situations. Yes, that’s right – according to the author’s son, the teacher herself gave him food containing peanuts several times.
Image credits: Stockbusters / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Well, if a school in the US participates in the federal school nutrition program, it is obligated to provide a child with a food allergy with individually modified meals. However, to do so, the allergy must be documented as a disability, and a corresponding medical certificate must be issued.
In any case, monitoring the student’s diet must be formalized through a 504 plan or an individualized plan. Then, teachers and school staff will be officially obligated to monitor it, respond to possible violations, and take appropriate action.
Some regions in Indiana, where the author says they live, implement this policy at the school level. For example, Noblesville provides special dietary accommodations for students with medical needs. It’s possible the original poster’s son’s allergy hadn’t been officially documented before. That’s likely why the attorney they hired began by gathering and filing a ton of paperwork, including medical documents.
The author says it took quite a while to prove her case and ensure that her son’s diet would now be properly monitored. Many people in the comments also largely supported the original poster, pointing out that a child’s health and safety should always come first. So what do you, our dear readers, think about this story? Please feel free to drop your comments below.
Many commenters gave the parents their sincere support and also shared their similar school stories about allergies
