Would you be upset at the school (re: peanut allergy)?

[EnchantedPrincess]

My dd has wheat, eggs and peanut allergy and it is noted in her file, and her teacher is really good about it. However, her teacher has been out for a while due to some health issues with her husband so they have couple other teachers subbing for her, and they are well aware of her food allergies and I always let any new teachers who are subbing for her teacher know about her allergies. Anyway, today they were having Winter Wonderland activities, and she came home with a bagel spread with peanut butter, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds!! She got them out of her backpack when she got home and told me that "this is for the birds". I looked and saw that the whole bag was smeared in peanut butter...I asked her if her teacher or someone else did the bagel for her..she said no, and she put the peanut butter on the bagel herself but didn't get any on her hands or anything. Ok..she is four years old, and I am surprised that she didn't get any on her hands but am really thankful that I have not seen any sign of reaction yet, and hope I won't. I was really upset that they even let her spread peanut butter on the bagel!

Am I overreacting? Should I just let it go since she is fine.

 

[scammermom]

No, you are not overreacting. I assume this is a pre-school and your child is a little young to be their own advocate.

I would call the principal immediately and explain your displeasure. I assume they have an epi-pen for her at school. This is unacceptable and could have caused a severe reaction. I wouldn't do it in front of your daughter but explain to her that she hasn't done anything wrong but remind her she can't do things w/ peanut butter.

They should have found another craft or let her use shortening for her craft. FYI, from what I've read that works equally well and the birds like it as well.

 

[laughinplace199]

I don't think you are overreacting. I would freak out if that happened to my DD.

When DD8 was 3, her ballet teacher gave the kids Halloween cookies during class. The cookies were baked by another child's mother, so no ingredient labels were available. The teacher had forgotten about DD's allergy. DD came out of the class with frosting on her face and I almost fainted. She ended up being fine, but it was so scary. Her dance teacher still talks about that day. She said she was so worried sick about DD that she didn't sleep for days, and she can still remember the look on my face when I saw DD come out of class with frosting all over her face. That incident changed the rules at dance school. No more cookies, cupcakes, etc are allowed. If someone wants to celebrate a holiday or birthday, they bring in stickers or pencils or something like that.

Since your DD appears to be ok, you could look at this as an opportunity to discuss the situation with the teacher(s) involved. Perhaps there were communication issues between the different teachers and the one who let her spread the PB was not aware of the allergy. Perhaps they thought it was just an issue if she ate it and not if she just touched it. Whatever the case, this is a good opportunity for you to get together with the staff and remind them of how serious this is so it doesn't happen again.

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Thats a shame, I grew up with many many allergies, and had a strick diet at home and school. All my teachers and the food servers knew about it - I was able to get around it though by sending a friend up to the line to buy me what I wanted.... Anyway, I would be very upset about it, and tell the principal, but in all truth, even though the child is allergic to the peanuts, I would never think that touching it would be a problem. I guess you should figure it would be since if your allergic to cats, you can't touch them, and the same with dogs or anything else, but peanut butter never would have crossed my mind. So not that I'm saying the teacher shouldn't be confronted as well as the principal so he/she can let everyone know, but just that it may have been a total lack of thinking on her part.

 

[Beehn]

I am very alergic to tree nuts...but only when I eat them. I have used shampoo...body scrub and other things with almond shells or walnut husks and never had a problem. (That said... I still do try to avoid them) maybe the teacher thought if she just touched it and didn't put it in her mouth it she wouldn't have a reaction (But at that age I wouldn't chance it) I'd talk with the school again and re-stress the importance of enforcing the restriction and not just relying on the child to do it.

 

[zoemurr]

We have a boy with severe allergies in my preK class. The mom checks with us every few weeks about what the projects will be and brings in a suitable substitute if necessary. While we try not to let him feel excluded we have him do his project away from anyone who has something he is allergic to, and we always make sure he does his first, so there are no cross-contamination issues.

I'm assuming they thought she would be ok if she didn't eat it. What I don't understand is how they could assume a 4yr old wouldn't put her fingers in her mouth?

I would call the school and tell them this is unacceptable, and to let you know every time they are going to be using food for a project and to check with you first.

Your DD also may need a refresher so that she knows while she did nothing wrong that grown-ups may not understand her allergies and she needs to speak up sometimes.

Good luck.

 

[disykat]

Yes, I'd be upset. It sounds like you need to do some educating about peanut allergies, because someone really dropped the ball. I can't imagine why, with the prevalence of peanut allergies, people still do craft projects with peanuts products! Can you imagine how much peanut residue is in that classroom right now? Your child shouldn't have even been in the room with that much PB in the air, much less touching her skin.

As the parent of a 15 year old with peanut allergies, I found that educating people about his allergies was usually my job. I'm surprised people are still unaware 10 years later though.

 

[BeckityBobbidyBoo!]

I am freaking out on your behalf! I have a son with a severe peanut allergy and we had a tough time educating people at school about it. I made sure to note to them that any projects with food items needs to be allergen free. They do counting with cereals and sorting etc. And the peanut butter birdfeeder is done all the time. People just don't think, they don't understand. Thank goodness your little girl is ok. I would definitely call the principal and I would set up a meeting to educate/reeducate any adult that would be supervising your child.

 

[Momvic5]

I would be upset too. I am surprised that they even allow peanut products in school activities. Peanut allergies are very common and can be very dangerous. My DS11 has a peanut allergy too, and our Dr warned us that with each exposure his reaction could possibly get worse. Like another poster stated, just think of all the peanut residue in that classroom. Some peanut allergies are so severe that just smelling or touching it could bring on a reaction. For some, it is life threatening.

I would definitely let the school know you are disappointed. Your daughter is fine, but they need to know that they put her in what could of been a dangerous situation.

 

[minkydog]

I'd be concerned about this, though I don't think you need to freak out since your child didn't have a bad reaction. I'm sure they never thought that touching peanut butter would be a problem; this was not a malicious act.But you need to have an earnest but calm conversation with the teachers and principal. As you know, this could have turned out BADLY. Like 911 bad.

I'm a school nurse. Last year I treated a teacher for anaphylaxis after a student decided he'd be a smart alec--he chewed up some peanut M&Ms, then breathed directly in her face. She got a facefull of peanut breath. I don't know who was more shocked, the teacher or the students. She nearly died right in front of them

 

[Tinka_Belle]

I would not let that go, because next time she might have a reaction. DD was allergic to milk when she was a baby and her daycare gave her another child's bottle and she broke out all over her body in a rash. They wouldn't listen to me. Needless to say that was the last time DD went to that daycare. It's your child and if their mistake costs you your child they can't make up for that. I would definitely address the issue with the principal.

 

[noahdove]

I certainly don't think you are over reacting. The teacher somewhere in her sub plans should have those "allergies" highlighted. I know for fact, the elementary school where I retired prints out " health concerns" per classroom and child. The nurse also speaks with the teacher and other staff that deal with the students with severe allergies...this being your child. I am so sorry this happen, the Good Lord was watching over her...I know you must have talked to her about her problem and she should be learning that the allergy is bad enough. I know we had a little girl that couldn't get a drop of milk on her and yes it did happen, but not at school and the only thing that saved her was the family was driving past a hospital....by the time they got her into the ER...well, lets just say, she didn't have a second to spare...I would check with the school nurse as to how the staff is alerted to this type of problem.

 

[torinsmom]

I'm a pre-K/Kindergarten teacher and that is really inexcusable! There should have been no peanut butter used in a class with a child with a peanut allergy! And why are they making bird feeders in January anyway? I taught an afterschool food prep class and we substituted cream cheese in recipes that called for peanut butter. Although none of the kids in the class were allergic, other kids in our building are. After the class, they go on the playground, and I wouldn't want to chance one of the allergic kids getting exposed.

We tried to make our school totally peanut-free a few years ago, but we weren't successful. Since we don't provide all meals with tuition, we were told we can't ban certain items. If we have a peanut allergy, we have a peanut free table and then wash any table where peanut butter was present with bleach solution right after lunch. I've only had a few peanut allergies over the years and most parents will not send PB once they know there is an allergy.

I'd definitely make the school aware that this is serious business. Maybe print out an article that goes in depth about what can set off a reaction. Knowledge is definitely power and I'm sure the teachers just did not get how serious this could have been.

Marsha

 

[GraysMom]

I certainly don't think you are over reacting. The teacher somewhere in her sub plans should have those "allergies" highlighted. I know for fact, the elementary school where I retired prints out " health concerns" per classroom and child. The nurse also speaks with the teacher and other staff that deal with the students with severe allergies...this being your child. I am so sorry this happen, the Good Lord was watching over her...I know you must have talked to her about her problem and she should be learning that the allergy is bad enough. I know we had a little girl that couldn't get a drop of milk on her and yes it did happen, but not at school and the only thing that saved her was the family was driving past a hospital....by the time they got her into the ER...well, lets just say, she didn't have a second to spare...I would check with the school nurse as to how the staff is alerted to this type of problem.

Now that HIPPA rules are around, many schools consider it a violation to give out a list of students and their allergies. As a classroom teacher I had a list, but I had to get written permission from the parents in order to leave a list of food allergic students for my subs.

There was one student in our building who had a life threatening allergy to strawberries. Her parents made up an "allergy poster" to be posted in her classroom, the cafeteria, the nurse's office and the faculty lunch room (right next to the caf, where teachers would see it when heading out to do lunch duty). It had a picture of the student (in color), her allergy triggers, her expected reactions and numbered step-by-step directions on what to do if she was exposed. They also included *CALL 911*, the nurse's phone number, and the parent's phone numbers on the sheet so they would be notified immediately.

 

[torinsmom]

I don't know about other schools, but we have a list prominently displayed at the front and back of each room with the kids' allergies and food restrictions. Most of ours are food restrictions, as we have a lot of Hindus and Muslims who do not eat certain meats. Noone has told us it violates any rules. I can't think of how this would hurt anyone; it can only protect; especially when the kids are too young to realize the danger.

Marsha

Now that HIPPA rules are around, many schools consider it a violation to give out a list of students and their allergies. As a classroom teacher I had a list, but I had to get written permission from the parents in order to leave a list of food allergic students for my subs.

There was one student in our building who had a life threatening allergy to strawberries. Her parents made up an "allergy poster" to be posted in her classroom, the cafeteria, the nurse's office and the faculty lunch room (right next to the caf, where teachers would see it when heading out to do lunch duty). It had a picture of the student (in color), her allergy triggers, her expected reactions and numbered step-by-step directions on what to do if she was exposed. They also included *CALL 911*, the nurse's phone number, and the parent's phone numbers on the sheet so they would be notified immediately.

 

[bellebud]

I think they're not taking your dd's allergy seriously enough. They shouldn't have done the pb project. They can easily use something else, for goodness sakes! And what about a child putting their fingers in their mouths after, biting their nails, etc...

I'd call the principal, since this was a sub, and you may have other subs, you can't leave it to rest w/ just the teacher who was in the classroom that day.

And for when she's older... just some general info. I volunteer every day for lunch and recess duty in my kids private catholic school. Other parents do once a week. We, the lunch duty parents, are not told about any allergies by the school, because of those privacy laws. We push a snack cart around the cafeteria and kids can buy snacks. We have no idea who can have the ice cream w/ peanuts on top, and who can't. (I don't know why they still have peanuts on the cart!) There's 1 teacher in the lunchroom, who has nothing to do w/ the cart and IF he/she knows of allergies, they can't watch every kid every minute anyway. My point is, even our pre-k-er's pick their own snacks... and kids always give each other money to buy snack w/out us parents/teachers knowing, so a parent couldn't even be sure their child wasn't getting a snack by just not sending money. And of course kids share food all the time. SO... your dd is going to be the main person who will be looking out for herself in school. I'm not sure how it is in public school, but from what i hear from neighbors, it's similar.

I'm not saying this to scare you, just want to make you aware.

glad your dd is ok!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Now that HIPPA rules are around, many schools consider it a violation to give out a list of students and their allergies. As a classroom teacher I had a list, but I had to get written permission from the parents in order to leave a list of food allergic students
for my subs.

Now this is just crazy. our small preschool is peanut free and we do have a child that has had a life threating reaction. i know that privacy acts are important but this is sad crazy .



There was one student in our building who had a life threatening allergy to strawberries. Her parents made up an "allergy poster" to be posted in her classroom, the cafeteria, the nurse's office and the faculty lunch room (right next to the caf, where teachers would see it when heading out to do lunch duty). It had a picture of the student (in color), her allergy triggers, her expected reactions and numbered step-by-step directions on what to do if she was exposed. They also included *CALL 911*, the nurse's phone number, and the parent's phone numbers on the sheet so they would be notified immediately.

I LOVE this idea. i printed it out for the mom of our peanut allergy child that will go to kindergartn next year. He has been at our school since two and never had a reaction there and we hope no exposure. He was recently tested and is now MORE sensitive than when he had his initial reaction as a toddler.

OP- You did not over react. Yes, you need to be calm and rational when you address it but be firm and persistant that the procedure must change,

 

[princess stich]

Another preschool teacher here... You have every tight to be upset, and this definitely needs to be brought to the school's attention. I have two studetns with allergies, and there have been several things that I have wanted to do that we were unable to due the the allergies. One thing I can think of was at Centeres during Halloween we wanted to do a counting candy corn Math center. I buy the candy corn get to school, then realize before we do it that I better look at the ingredients... Yep- manufactured ina fcility with peanuts, etc... Couldn't do that activity.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

I'm a pre-K/Kindergarten teacher and that is really inexcusable! There should have been no peanut butter used in a class with a child with a peanut allergy! And why are they making bird feeders in January anyway?

This is a silly comment. Our schools have made birdfeeders in the winter because the birds are out there eating. How can there be a 'right' time to make birdfeeders?

but that is besides the point. With a child with peanut allergies, there should have been no crafts with peanut butter. Especially with a child as young as 4 - even if the teacher was not aware that touching it could be a problem, with a child that young, you never know if they accidently touch their mouth with the stuff. While I would not go in the the teacher breathing fire, I would go in and say you have a serious complaint.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Another point is that more and more co. are covering themselves my listing "may contain trace nuts" and manufactored in a facility that contains nuts. We will use NONE of these products in the classroom where the peanut allergy child is, though we do allow them in other classes. This limites a lot of activities that class can do BUT nothing is worth putting a child in danger.

BTW- We do the bagle bird feeders every January but since we went peanut free we use cream cheese or once we used icing that we had left over. Can you say hyper birds!!!