Here’s another update to “A Reaction Waiting to Happen…”. My school’s principal never directly apologized for the incident, but focused on explaining how every action was taken to prevent a potential issue. She said they checked the label on the popcorn against the allergies listed in the 504 and Food Allergy Action Plan and found nothing objectionable. She says it wasn’t until they heard from me that they discovered dairy and milk ingredients might have had other names in the label. The principal then recommended we re open John’s 504 plan to make an amendment that states I am contacted first if there will be any food served. Hmmm… that sounds fishy because I am fairly certain the 504 I signed states I am always contacted if there is to be any type of food celebration. I’ve never ever had anything written otherwise. She said she’d send home a copy of my 504 to review.
The response from the superintendent went along the lines of “I agree the 504 Plan needs to be amended. That was it. No one apologized for miscommunication, the slip up, for anything. My son’s life could have been at risk and I got the sense that little tidbit was overlooked. In fact, in my follow up email to them both, this is what I wrote:
This is no longer an acceptable and appropriate action, due to the fact that all the accommodations were in place (including notifying me if food will be served) and due to human error, mistakes were still made. For the record, are you saying there isn’t language in the 504 Plan that states I would be notified if food is served? I would never agree to a 504 that says this, as I have always strongly advocated that I am in direct contact with his teachers over celebrations, etc. Including the fact that I have asked to be his room mom every single year because I wanted to oversee how class celebrations were handled. I have even gone so far as purchasing safe treats for every activity just to ensure his safety.
This incident is exactly why the policy needs to be changed, because mistakes can and do happen. Would you have still responded this way if John indeed did suffer a reaction and was taken to the hospital? Would it have taken a tragic outcome to change your policy?
What exactly is your aversion to a No Food/Treat Policy in the classroom? Are you concerned with public outcry because it is a “change”, or should you really be taking a proactive approach in keeping our children safe and eliminating the potential for serious, life threatening consequences? If it means keeping our food allergic children safe, and our other intolerant children included then why are you adverse to such a change?
The school principal never answered my very simple question: What exactly is your aversion to a No Treat/Food Policy at school? They didn’t have the decency to answer this important question which, quite frankly I have every right as a taxpayer to ask. Why is the school administration more concerned with the rights of parents and teachers to share cupcakes, cookies, etc. with their classmates, when it has no educational impact on their day? Food allergies aside, what about the alarming rise in childhood obesity, children with gluten free diets, or even children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD who could strongly benefit from a reduction of sugar in their diets (especially during the school day when they are trying to stay focused?).
Just because this issue wasn’t as prevelant 10, even 5 years ago, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention now. It is time to stop with this archaeic way of thinking, and create some policies that reflect our changing environment. I plan to do a little research at my school, talk to some people who are AGAINST a No Treat Policy, because I genuinely want to understand their reasoning. I want to know how and why they don’t see the risk, and why the right to bring in cupcakes is more important than keeping our food allergic children safe. I also plan on meeting with the principal and superintendent as a last ditch effort to agree on some sort of policy that works for everyone. If that doesn’t work, you betcha I’ll be at the board meeting and inviting my local press to stop by as well. Hopefully we’ll get to some sort of compromise on this issue that is agreeable to everyone involved. I’ll keep you posted.
Here’s another update to “A Reaction Waiting to Happen…”. My school’s principal never directly apologized for the incident, but focused on explaining how every action was taken to prevent a potential issue. She said they checked the label on the popcorn against the allergies listed in the 504 and Food Allergy Action Plan and found nothing objectionable. She says it wasn’t until they heard from me that they discovered dairy and milk ingredients might have had other names in the label. The principal then recommended we re open John’s 504 plan to make an amendment that states I am contacted first if there will be any food served. Hmmm… that sounds fishy because I am fairly certain the 504 I signed states I am always contacted if there is to be any type of food celebration. I’ve never ever had anything written otherwise. She said she’d send home a copy of my 504 to review.
The response from the superintendent went along the lines of “I agree the 504 Plan needs to be amended. That was it. No one apologized for miscommunication, the slip up, for anything. My son’s life could have been at risk and I got the sense that little tidbit was overlooked. In fact, in my follow up email to them both, this is what I wrote:
This is no longer an acceptable and appropriate action, due to the fact that all the accommodations were in place (including notifying me if food will be served) and due to human error, mistakes were still made. For the record, are you saying there isn’t language in the 504 Plan that states I would be notified if food is served? I would never agree to a 504 that says this, as I have always strongly advocated that I am in direct contact with his teachers over celebrations, etc. Including the fact that I have asked to be his room mom every single year because I wanted to oversee how class celebrations were handled. I have even gone so far as purchasing safe treats for every activity just to ensure his safety.