Parents want to kick out Severe Peanut Allergy kid from school

March 31, 2011

Have you guys heard about the Central Florida case of a 1st grader with such

severe peanut allergy that being around it can kill her? Dozens of parents at

the school are protesting asking that the child be homeschool because they don't

want their kids to waste academic time having them wash their hands in class

three times a day and rinsing their mouth after lunch? I say, some of the most

valuable things in life are not learned in books; like empathy, tolerance,

kindness, and love. Those parents are missing out on an opportunity to teach

that to their children. And what about proper hygiene? If kids washed their

hand 3 times a day at school, we would have less colds and other viral

infections. The inconvenience of not having a peanut butter sandwich at school

and missing a few minutes of class time is more important than saving a child's

life?? It just drives me crazy how some people can have so little humanity!! No

wonder we have so many bullies in our schools. They learned well from their

parents! Ida

March 31, 2011

This sad & unfortunate situation reminds me of when my adorable disabled son was in first grade...and parents asked me why I had him with typical children. They asked "Don't you think he would be happier with kids that were like him?". Yikes that was 10 years ago & it sounds like we haven't made too much progress re: inclusion.

April 1, 2011

Unfortunately, there is not even inclusion within my family for my child so how can I expect others to include her (even though I do). I was told by her grandmother that she would have liked a little girl she could take out to lunch and play with. When I told her that she could, that she has an amazing granddaughter and she goes everywhere, could have taken her out more when we last visited etc and how that remark hurt me, well, lets just say I'm glad she moved away and is really not in our lives if she is unable to appreciate the gift that is my child. (be forewarned I'm still welling up over this)

To: "sList " <sList >Sent: Thu, March 31, 2011 8:58:30 PMSubject: Re: Parents want to kick out Severe Peanut Allergy kid from school

This sad & unfortunate situation reminds me of when my adorable disabled son was in first grade...and parents asked me why I had him with typical children. They asked "Don't you think he would be happier with kids that were like him?". Yikes that was 10 years ago & it sounds like we haven't made too much progress re: inclusion.

April 1, 2011

My son is now 16, and when he was diagnosed we were excluded from invites by certain family members. I was close with cousins, their friends and everyone's children played...once disgnosed and the differences became more apparent...the invites stopped , no more get togethers etc. It hurts to be excluded and the only way I look at it now...is that it was a lesson for me to learn to be sensitive to the exclusion my son would likely face due to his disability. For me to learn to be strong and to grow past the emotional hurt for the lifetime journey of advocacy I would undertake protecting my son and fighting for him to be included.

To: sList Sent: Fri, April 1, 2011 10:04:07 AMSubject: Re: Re: Parents want to kick out Severe Peanut Allergy kid from school

Unfortunately, there is not even inclusion within my family for my child so how can I expect others to include her (even though I do). I was told by her grandmother that she would have liked a little girl she could take out to lunch and play with. When I told her that she could, that she has an amazing granddaughter and she goes everywhere, could have taken her out more when we last visited etc and how that remark hurt me, well, lets just say I'm glad she moved away and is really not in our lives if she is unable to appreciate the gift that is my child. (be forewarned I'm still welling up over this)

To: "sList " <sList >Sent: Thu, March 31, 2011 8:58:30 PMSubject: Re: Parents want to kick out Severe Peanut Allergy kid from school

This sad & unfortunate situation reminds me of when my adorable disabled son was in first grade...and parents asked me why I had him with typical children. They asked "Don't you think he would be happier with kids that were like him?". Yikes that was 10 years ago & it sounds like we haven't made too much progress re: inclusion.

April 1, 2011

It does not stop to amaze me how some people think that people with disabilities

have less of a right to participate in or even occupy the same space as the rest

of the population in society. Often it's a combination of ignorance and lack of

heart. We can do something about the former only.

>

> This sad & unfortunate situation reminds me of when my adorable disabled son

was in first grade...and parents asked me why I had him with typical children.

They asked " Don't you think he would be happier with kids that were like him? " .

Yikes that was 10 years ago & it sounds like we haven't made too much progress

re: inclusion.

>

April 2, 2011

I am sorry for your pain. I am fortunate to have a loving supportive family (most of my family at least), I do not know how I would make it without them. My in laws are another story. They think I am crazy for doing everything I do for my child. They still think he will grow out of this.

Re: Parents want to kick out Severe Peanut Allergy kid from school

This sad & unfortunate situation reminds me of when my adorable disabled son was in first grade...and parents asked me why I had him with typical children. They asked "Don't you think he would be happier with kids that were like him?". Yikes that was 10 years ago & it sounds like we haven't made too much progress re: inclusion.

April 2, 2011

I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I wanted to comment on this story.

I agree that the hand washing and cleaning of surfaces should not be objected to

and is probably good for all concerned, but wonder if some compromise might be

made. Does the banning of peanut products apply to what all the kids at the

school can have for lunch. Could she wear some type of mask (like dust masks

that people who do masonry work wear) so that if some one from another classroom

has peanut butter in their snack or lunch it won't affect her. If a kid wants

something with peanut butter in his lunch could he eat half an hour earlier?

Could she eat in the classroom, maybe with a friend, on a day when the cafeteria

serves anything with peanuts in it?

ADA says reasonable accommodations must be made. It doesn't say that everyone

else must give up their rights or privelages or enjoyment of life. I feel sorry

for this kid, and DO NOT think that reasonable accommodations should be a

problem. In a society where people should be reasonable and unselfish we would

hope that the parents and children would do this because they want their

schoolmate to have as normal a social and educational atmosphere as possible. I

wonder though, if she has to fly on an airplane or go into the hairdresser or

some other building, does she insist that no one have peanuts in the area? Does

she limit all of her travels to home, school, the homes of friends and family?

People at the park might have peanut butter in their picnic lunch, etc. so do

they avoid public places?

>

> Have you guys heard about the Central Florida case of a 1st grader with such