Sorry, but if you want your child to get an epipen, then you should get one from the dr and provide your child's school with the dr's orders.

Not all allergic reactions are the same. Teachers and school administrators are that and not medical experts. I don't think it's fair and smart to expect them to be the ones to try to diagnose and treat a medical condition, especially one where the symptoms can cover a broad spectrum. My daughter's allergies were originally misdiagnosed because she did not exhibit the normal symptoms. What may be a sign of an allergic reaction, may be another condition. Epi-pens are effective against severe allergic reactions, but can be harmful if applied as treatment for other conditions. I would be afraid if a non-trained medical professional felt as if they had to use an Epi-pen every time a child, who was not known to have allergies, was experiencing an unknown medical condition. The possibility of making a bad situation worse is possible as a result of this.

My daughter and many like her who have allergies have provided the school an epi-pen in case one was necessary. If the school has no idea that a child has allergies, I don't see how they can be expected to make the split-second decision that a specific condition is an allergic reaction and that an epi-pen is the appropriate remedy.

I feel awful for the family. For all they knew, she never had an allergic reaction before and there was no way to expect this. I would hope that if they did know about an allergy, they would have provided the school with an epi-pen or at least have informed the school about the allergic condition.

Yep, and if they did administer, and there was some type of negative outcome, you'd be the first in line, down at the county courthouse, to sue the school district. You're the "Parent" its your responsiblity, not the school's (or the government's). Why does eveyone try to pass the buck along to someone else?

If a child suddenly developed a severe allergy overnight, then what? I believe there are certain things a schools medical facilities should have on hand. I know they can't prepare for everything, but what's so hard about having a small number of pens on hand?

I votes yes on the poll. A life is more important than parents knowledge or permission.

The mother doesn't know who to blame..Look in a mirror! Child had medical problems she should of worked with the school about it when school started.

While I think they should allow school personel to give a child a shot even if it wasn't perscribed or with the parent knowledge or permission, this state did not have that law in place on Monday. If they had given her something the article would have said "School being sued for giving child unpercribed drugs". You can't blame the school.

Who makes the determination that an epi-pen is "obviously" needed? The non-medically trained teacher? Symptoms associated with allergies are also know to exist with other conditions. What would you say if a teacher assumed a child had allergies based on "obvious" signs and the epi-pen caused more damage than the actual condition?

This is an awful tragedy. Let's not make it worse by playing the blame game for the sake of blaming someone. Epi-pens are not a panacea and are not to be administered capriciously. Even if you had extra pens at the school, does that mean teachers should use them if they think someone is having an allergic reaction.

While they're (i.e. the government) at it, lets require every school to have a Level 3 Trauma room- this gets ridiculous quickly. Somtimes, bad things, unforseen, just happen, albeit sadly.

But school officials aren't doctors. What if they boot the kid up with an epi-pen and the kid dies as a result because the school "misdiagnosed" a non-existant allergy? Who's going to be sued then?

JACKAL8991 I agree with you. There are all sorts of problems caused by teachers and school administrators trying to be psychologists (“well, we don’t think your child really has autism”). Must we expect them to be medical doctors too?

JackAL8991: If a person needs an EpiPen, they are experiencing anaphylactic shock (not hives or other signs of allergic reaction). Anaphylactic shock is quite obvious to even a layperson - difficultly breathing, swelling of the face, lips, throat, etc. Also, the most common thing confused with anaphylactic shock is a very severe asthma attack - guess what, an EpiPen can and is safely used to treat a very severe asthma attack.

That said, I agree that an EpiPen should be used with caution - only in severe cases. No one is saying that an EpiPen should be used for any allergic reaction - only for those that are severe. Also, I think that parents should be required to provide the EpiPen and a written plan on when and how to use it to the school. The school should not be required to just have EpiPens just in case they need one.

Oneman - isnt the child dying negative enough?

and what makes you think this person isnt STILL going to sue?

I would be willing to bet, they will still sue (and I dont think thats right either way).

But damn, i'd rather err on the side of "might get sued" trying to save a childs life, than stand there and watch her die and hope I still dont get sued.

I guess that just says something about you and me, and how we are.

no one is trying to pass any bucks...just trying to save as many lives as we can, when possible.

Regardless of the mother providing the shot or not, it should have been administered. There's plenty of legislation in every state that protects against litigation in circumstances like this. With so little info on what happened, my guess is that the mother had not provided an emergency shot, some how this little girl ingested something she shouldn't have, and an under trained faculty responded improperly to the situation. It's truly sad because even if the mother had provided the shot and her daughter had died, I know for sure that no one at the school intended for this outcome.

What this story fails to mention, that the local news story does.....is that the child/parent did have an allergy plan on file with the school. The school did not administer Benadryl that the plan states the school should do. According to the parent, she tried to provide the school with an Epipen, and was told to keep it at home, that they didn't need it there. If what the mom states is true, then the school is at fault for what happened to this child. Time will tell.

Ya'll need to think about this a little. It is entirely different having a teacher make a determination, and having the school nurse make a judgement call. I'm surprised anyone in authority found out the child was having a problem within 5 minutes, let alone react to the problem in a timely manor. Normal course of action is to send any kid with problems to "go see the nurse". When I was in the PTA, we bought all the teachers 2-way radios, so they could call the office. Parents (organized) can make a difference in a school.

I guess most teachers have personal cell phones now, to call 911.

Every teacher, every janitor, every secretary, in short everyone who works in a school, as well as every school bus driver should be trained to administer this, just as they should be trained in CPR. A single, two=hour training program is all that's needed, but it must be mandatory and all such individuals should be mandated to not only take this course, but to do so ever year. There is certification offered.. but it needs to be a certificate that expires every year, so that taking and passing the course every year is mandatory.

This child's death was inexcusable, and frankly. if there is a way to charge the teacher and the other school officials who did nothing with any type of crime, then do so. There are each of them separately or severally, culpable in this girl's death.

Epipens cost about $100 each and have a shelf life of 1 year or so. Who gets to pay for this? if my child has a medical issue it is my responsibility to make sure staff is aware of it and has the tools and training to handle it. What if this child was diabetic? Should the school have insulin on hand if parents don't provide it?
Admistering an epipen is not like giving someone an aspirin, epinephrine is a potent drug.
If a child has a Life threatening allergy their parent knows what is needed. This Mom chose not to anything about it.

I feel bad for the girl and her family.

Having said that : she had peanut and egg allergies.

There are eggs in everything. And peanuts and their oil are used in all sorts of things.

So she really should have had the epi-pen with her at all times. The Parents should have been clear about her condition.

What is sad is that the school probably had a epi-pen or at minimum benadryl (all anti-histamines block allergic reactions, I'm guessing her lungs got so inflamed she couldn't breath) - but were afraid to do anything in our sue happy society.

We need civil and criminal immunity laws for all people acting in emergencies. Police, Fire, and Ambulance already get those protections.

We all have heard of people getting sued for performing CPR. If your intent is good, and no one else more qualified is there - no court should second guess people in an emergency.

Like someone else pointed out, anaphylaxis isn't exactly a medical mystery. It's very obvious to determine even if you haven't had any medical training.

This issue is kind of sticky. Ethically, the school should have administered the Epi-Pen. You don't need to be a medical expert to administer them. In fact, they're designed precisely for patients to administer them themselves. My father is deathly allergic to mud wasps, and while not a medical expert, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to give him a shot (an Epi-Pen, unlike a regular syringe, is an auto-injector, which means that you place it against your skin, press a button, and it injects it - there's no needing to find a vein and determining how deep it is and measuring the medication and so forth) to help save his life. Seconds can be the difference between life and death. Even though I'm only a mile from the nearest dispatch point, I'm not waiting those 2-3 minutes.

However, legally, they may not be allowed to unless trained professionals are present to do so. This stems from people suing over every little mishap (though this isn't a "little mishap" - I'm talking about other stupid things), and had the child died even with the injection, the school could have been sued. Contrary to popular belief, Epi-Pens are not cures for anaphylaxis - they only buy enough time, if that, to get to a hospital, where you can receive further treatment.

As someone who lives with someone who can die within minutes from an allergic reaction (well hell, as a human being, I feel this way, but my views are strengthened because of my experiences with my father's allergy), I come down firmly on the "ethics" side. But I do see where the school may be coming from, too. It's a tragedy all around. A person died, and frivolous lawsuits have taken away any decent acting power public schools had. There's plenty for everyone to be disgusted with.

rdh1983 - all details are not clear, but the local news in that area states the Mom had provided the school with a medical plan (which originally included an EpiPen), and was told by the school to keep that at home. The plan on file was to administer Benadryl, which thay also did not do.

You should probably keep your snide, know it all remarks to yourself until you in fact do know the situational details.

You can't get one from the dr unless your child has a known life threatening allergy...
If my son had a reaction to something for the first time at school, itd be nice if they would treat him.
My son shouldnt die from an allergic reaction that he has never had before just because it happened at a school

Gregorovich, the problem with your answer is that sometimes people, children included suddenly develops an allergic reaction to something, such as shellfish. That happened to a nephew of mine. We fed him shrimp and he went into shock; we had to call 9-1-1. He hadn't been allergic to shrimp before. So allergic reactions cannot always be anticipated. Therefore, schools should carry Epi-Pens.

Did anyone read the article? This tragedy happened b/c the school was NOT provided the EPI-pen and/or allergy medicine by the parents. School do not have "extra EPI pens" on file.

A parent is a child's #1 advocate for medical information. Full-disclosure is necessary for the school.

At my son's school, they won't even administer a Tylenol without my providing it. I would have to check it in at the front desk with explicit instructions and sign something saying that they are allowed to adminster it. My co-worker's son is diabetic and he wears an insulin pump. The school doesn't even have to administer anything to him, but she still made sure the school knows exactly what to do (like give him juice or something).

This child's parents should have provided the school with the necessary medication and instructions. The bottom line here is that her parents failed to do what was necessary for their daughter and it had dire consequences.

Becca - Unfortunately, because schools are not medical providers, they cannot administer prescription medications unless the child has already been prescribed it and it's been bought in from home. That's a federal regulation. They can only give over-the-counter medications, and only "safe" (heh, not getting into the safety of so-called "safe" over-the-counter meds!) ones at that. I think they can give Benedryl for allergic reactions, but their hands are tied beyond that.

Personally, and again, my views are biased because my father has a life-threatening allergy and seeing a loved one thrashing on the ground because they can't breathe is something you never forget, I think exceptions should be made for Epi-Pens. They administer pure epinephrine, which your body naturally produces, so there's not the allergy issue. They also make pediatric and adult versions (the latter with varying dosages, which may be the reason that it is not administered over-the-counter in the U.S.). Again, I'm not a medical professional, so maybe there's another reason or potential danger that I'm unaware of that warrants it requiring a prescription in the States, but with my limited knowledge, I think they should be OTC, to be honest. If I wasn't so cynical, I'd say that the reason is because there's a needle involved in the administration.

Megi - As I said previously, my son's school will give him NOTHING without permission and then I have to provide it. That includes OTC stuff.

Who the mother should be angry at? Herself, a school cannot administer medications without it being provided for by the parent. If she had a history of egg and peanut allergies, there was no excuse for the mother not notifying the school and having that epi pen on her daughter at all times. Its a tragic lesson to learn and maybe someone elses child will be saved by reading this and understanding the importance of having that with their child when they have those allergies.

Parents are aware of their child's current or past allergies and the relative degree of reaction if exposed, whether mild or severe. Treatment can vary individually and those with life-threatening allergies might consider a Medi-Alert bracelet. That said, it is truly a sad loss for the family of this little girl that l cannot imagine experiencing, a loss which may have been prevented. The administration of an epi-pen by school administration in an life threatening situation, should at least be an available option. Not all allergic reactions and their cause may be known until it occurs and allergic reactions to specific stimuli can change throughout our lifetimes. How do you know if your child or anyone, is allergic to a bee sting until it happens? Those who have been stung know, but what about the child, teen or adult who has never been stung? All you can do is pray that someone nearby has an epi-pen should they go into anaphylactic shock before emergency treatment can be provided. You don't always know and you don't always have time to care about the logistics if it saves someones life.

Mom, the school said they had not been notified of the allergies and no pen had been provided, Any parent should know that is a basic precaution and blaming the school is wrong, federal laws do not allow for non certified medical professionals to administer any medication without a doctors order and it being provided by the parents.

Epi pens are made specifically for administration by non-medical people. You take off the cap and slam it into the patient's thigh. End of problem. Not being trained is no excuse, because they are made for the untrained to administer. There is, if the family supplied the EpiPen as stated above, absolutely NO reason this child should be ill, much less dead. They need to be very thankful that this was not my child, because a lawsuit would be the least of their concerns.

And what would you say would be the most major of their concerns? Physical harm? That's what it sounds like to me. Maybe you should enroll in an anger management course. You sure have an ability to a.) jump to conclusions and b.) make idle threats. Good thing you're retired, as I would never want to be a patient of yours.

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-chesterfield-student-death-20120103,0,4150762.story

The child's mother Laura Pendleton was distraught and she has many questions.

"She has an allergy action plan at the school," said Pendleton, which authorizes the school to give herBenadryl during a reaction. "They didn't do that," she said.

County school and health officials could not discuss Johnson's death directly. However county officials said it is up to parents to provide medicine and instructions to doctors.

"Parents need to provide all necessary medication their child needs to the school," said Jody Enoch, Public Health Nurse Supervisor for the Chesterfield County Health Department. "That is the responsibility of the parent."

At the beginning of this school year, the mother said she tried to give the clinical aid an Epipen for emergencies, but she said she was declined and told to keep it at home.

It sounds like the family TRIED to equip the school with an Epi-Pen, were refused and then an action plan to include Benedryl was drawn up which wasn't followed. Chesterfield Co. has a LOT of "splainin' to do. Then again, having once had a step-daughter in Chesterfield Co Schools who needed an IEP and with whom I had numerous fights over the requirements of the IEP (I was the designated person for ALL school related stuff because that's the way my then-husband wanted it), this is not entirely surprising news to me.

We pile on more and more responsibilities on schools because the parents can't (or won't) do them. Now I don't know on this incident whether the mother did or did not let the school know, I am just addressing the posters that think the school should have had the shot(s) available. Schools are there to teach period not be the quasi parents that they are being turned into these days. The school district will probably get sued because they "should've known" or "should've provided paperwork" telling the parent that the parent is responsible for telling the school about any medical conditions their child may have.

What would happen to a teacher or anyone else if they gave that shot and she still died? Would you say Well, we tried and let it go at that. You are willing to lay that heavy a guilt on someone because the parent didn't do what they were supposed to do?

EpiPen disucssion aside for a moment. Certainly, there should have been and probably was one available and not a single adult at that school, realizing this child was is "distress" used appropriate judgement in using one. My biggest concern is that, having worked at a respiratory therapist for over 30 yrs, this child would have began with swelling in her airway and experienced breathing difficulties. I find it hard to understand that a school did not have an airway in their emergency services kit, and no qualified individuals on that campus to administer appropriate CPR to maintain this poor child's airway. Ofcourse she was in Cardiac Arrest when EMT's arrived. Her airway was compromised. This is a shear case of neglegence on the part of every adult who was in attendance with this child. She died needlessly and although her mother may or may not have been lax in providing an EpiPen specifically for her, where was the common sense and appropriate reaction on the part of adults present to secure this childs safety?

A fatal allergic reaction is often because people are unaware of the severity of their allergy until the second or later exposure to the allergen. When my then age 5 son was stung by a wasp, he got a small bump on his hand - I was relieved that was it, since several family members have sting kits, or Epipens.

His second sting left him with his forehead, back and extremities nearly solid masses of hives - I was not home, my husband gave him Benedryl, and it went down, the ER said they could not do much since it seemed to stop the reaction. Having an allergist father, I knew to have my son evaluated. His allergy was the worse the office had seen, a third stinging incident would likely be fatal. That was age 8 - his peewee football coach was very cautious, since the coach's adult brother died from a bee sting the year before - he'd been stung in the past, but had a fatal reaction on the final.

It is doubtful the girl's family knew the severity of the situation, each exposure getting worse. If her reactions were so severe an epipen was required on hand, and the school had known, they would not allowed her to attend school without an epipen and forms completed by her medical doctor. At least, this was our situation in 5 school districts in 3 states - and I had to go on any field trip, until high school - unless a teacher could carry the epipen - after the nurse's instructions. I would always go, the kids are fun. Annually, I would say to the school nurse, to use my son's epipen if she ever thought it would do good.

My dad had a news article framed on his office wall, to alert patients to the danger they faced. A girl had adults monitoring her through childhood, but her first year of college, at a sorority dinner, the desert served had - nuts. The student died. I'm thankful my kid's allergy is not a food related one.

It seems to me that people are forgetting about school nurses who are medically trained professionals. I would assume that if a child collapsed in class, the nurse would be the first person the teacher called. The nurse would no doubt begin asking questions: did she ingest something, did she get stung, etc... all while the nurse was checking vitals and examining the child. And I would bet that a nurse would be able to determine if a child is having an ana reaction.

That being said, I am fully for having extra epi-pens in schools. They are life saving devices like an AED. One would not have to have a medical plan in place for a school to use an AED on a child, why would paperwork keep them from using an epi-pen on a child if a medically trained professional administered it? Or if a 911 operator walked an adult through the procedure? I mean really, take the cap off, push the pen into the thigh until you hear a click, and hold for several seconds. Not much to it.

At the beginning of every school year, I have to sign a waiver allowing the nurse to give my son ibuprofen if she determines he needs it. I'd be more than willing to sign a waiver for my 2 children without diagnosed allergies to have an epi-pen administered if the nurse felt is was medically necessary. One of my children is 4 and has an epi-pen for multiple food allergies. I'm terrified by continually reading these types of stories recently. It only highlights the fact that more children have food allergies and the general public isn't ready to accept that.

rpearlston,

CPR may very well not have saved this girl. In an anaphylactic reaction, the airway can close to the point that there is no way for air to enter the lungs.

Linda, CPR alone may not maintain an airway during an anaphylactic reaction. Oral and nasal airways may also be inadequate. I hardly think it's practical for every school to keep someone qualified to intubate on hand.

I also question the Benadryl protocol quoted. Benadryl isn't fast-acting enough to treat severe anaphylaxis - an Epipen is essential. So I have my doubts about the truthfulness of the school declining the Epipen.

I am sorry but every class room in a Country as rich as the USA should have an epi-pen. And every teacher in this country should be able to tell when a child is having a severe anaphylactic reaction.

Absolute disregard for child safety if you ask me.

In my area of Virginia, even an EMT with only basic training can't legally administer an Epipen unless it is the patient's own medication. With additional training, administering epi carried on the ambulance is permissible, but this additional training is being actively opposed by some in our EMS council. It's not a policy I agree with, but it is the policy which I and my fellow EMT's have had to abide by (I have the additional training, already).

So if trained EMT's can't give epi from their own stock, I don't see policy changing for teacher and school administrators. Like I said, I disagree, but that's the law.

Again, I'm not a medical professional... I think they should be OTC, to be honest. If I wasn't so cynical, I'd say that the reason is because there's a needle involved in the administration.

Megidolaon - that is exactly the point. You have no medical knowledge of the negative effects of epinephrine. The fact that our bodies produce it naturally, (epinephrine is also known as adrenaline) doesn't make it safe to sell OTC, or to administer without the presence of trained personnel. Your body synthesizes cholesterol, as well. Would you be willing to start snarfing doses of cholesterol if it were sold OTC simply because it is naturally produced by the body? Just because our bodies produce a substance doesn't mean that it is incapable of causing an allergic reaction, either. Do you know what causes Type 1 diabetes? A person's own immune system attacks the pancreas. You wouldn't think that one's own immune system would try to kill it's own body, would you? The fact that a needle is involved in the administration of epinephrine has absolutely nothing to do with the reason why it is not sold OTC. It can be a dangerous drug in hands of a novice, that is why it isn't sold OTC.

Epinephrine increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. Adverse reactions to adrenaline include palpitations, tachycardia, arrhythmia, anxiety, headache, tremor, hypertension, and acute pulmonary edema. Would you be willing to risk the possibility of a child dying from a heart attack if he were administered epinephrine because someone thought he was having an allergic reaction?

You are obviously capable of using a computer or you wouldn't be able to post a comment. Try doing a little research before posting inane comments supporting positions about which you know nothing. There is nothing more annoying than the uneducated promoting something about which they have no knowledge for everyone to read. Educate yourself.

I will not get into the specifics of this case, since it seems there may have been a medical plan on file that the school did not follow. However, those that are calling for the schools to keep EpiPens on hand and administer them if a child has an allergic reaction whether there is a plan in place or not are dead wrong. There are other things that could look like an allergic reaction that could be made vastly worse by using an EpiPen. School personnel are not doctors and are not qualified to make medical decisions. Those who talk about laws in place to protect those who try to help from being sued do not understand those laws. They protect those who act within their level of training and knowledge. Therefor a layperson injecting someone with an EpiPen when there is no medical plan in place and no specific knowledge of an allergy issue would not be covered by these good samaritan laws. They would be seen as acting beyond their level of training and knowledge and be subject to being sued. School personnel are not medical experts and even a school nurse is not considered by the medical community to be qualified to diagnose that something is specifically an allergic reaction that should be treated with an EpiPen. Unless there is a medical plan on file with the appropriate medication provide by the parent pursuant to a doctor's prescription, then the school can not be expected to do anything beyond calling for emergency medical assistance from the local EMS. To expect them to do more place unreasonable requirements on the schools system to provide personnel that are trained far beyond what is required of teachers and school administrators.

This was an unfortunate tragedy and, if there was a medical plan on fie that was not followed, the school should be held responsible. Barring a medical plan being on file, the school did nothing wrong and acted as they should.

Johnny N., I do not share my last name with my husband, but my children will have his last name. I know women who have remarried and taken their new husband's last name and no longer share a name with their children. I know what you're trying to say about this mother, but be careful not to make assumptions that can easily be proven wrong given the right circumstances. That being said, it breaks my heart that a family has to bear the loss of a child and that a little girl will not have the chance to grow into a woman.

always, this is true to a degree. In cases of MEDICAL EMERGENCY, the school has the right and responsibility to perform CPR, perform the heimlich, call for an ambulance etc. Anaphylaxis is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY, it's not like a headache or fever or sore throat. It's as serious as a child whose heart has stopped beating. It WILL lead to death. In those cases a school can not hide behind a "we must have a note from the parent to authorize us to act". Think about how insane that would be:

"Mr. Smith, your daughter Jane had a heart attack at school today but since we didn't have permission to perform CPR, she died before the ambulance could reach her. We're so sorry."

"Mrs. Jones, your son Bobby was choking on a piece of apple today, but because he didn't have a note signed by you authorizing us to treat him we couldn't perform the Heimlich and he died before the ambulance could get here."

I feel terrible for the girl and her family. Allergies can be serious, but unfortunately some doctors and families think that if their little child just avoids some foods, it will be O.K. Even for serious bee allergies, there are shots that can be given over time to desensitize a patient. This MUST be done for a small child who could be exposed to another child's foods even by mistake. If a child suffers from serious allergies, take them to an allergy specialist, get the series of shots, allow them to live a normal life.

And the school must be informed, and also informed with doctor's instructions as to what to do in an emergency, and provided with epi pens or other gear just in case. Parents often send children with bee allergies camping with no epi pens, or expired epi pens (I've done first aid at a camp). This isn't just something that you might forget, like a pencil, but something that your child might need in a life or death situation. Remember that the school might not be authorized to administer the epi pens! It takes a doctor to do that, or parent, in some states. You really need a LONG talk with a teacher and school administration, or else you MUST home-school your children just to keep them safe.

I went to an 'alternate' (read: behaviourly troubled, mentally challenged) school for my 7-12th grade years. There was a girl in my class who was a severe asthmatic, and it was written in her IEP that she was to have her inhaler ON her at all times. Early in the school year it was stolen by another classmate, who thought he could get high on it. Well, in the environment we were in, the teachers took it (I later learned it was without the mother's approval) and they held onto it for the rest of the year, and would only supply it if they thought she needed it (or asked for it). Well, one hot day, said teacher walked out for 10 minutes, apparently left the building, and forgot to give the inhaler to our room's aide. Said girl had an attack, and by the time she got her inhaler, it was too late. She was rushed to the hospital and never returned to the school.

I later learned from one of my old classmates a few years later that she didn't die, but suffered brain damage to the point that she was almost vegetative. It's remarkable that she even survived.

The point of my telling this is that school won't stock EPIpens for liability reasons, parents might not want their kids being assaulted over their needed life-saving drug, and a whole host of other reasons. That being said, the girl who perished in this article SHOULD have had access to SOMETHING. I'm not going to Monday-Morning Quarterback, but something smells very rotten about the chain of events here.

Federal Law REQUIRES the person who receives the medication to have it prescribed for them. Look on any prescription bottle: "Federal Law prohibits the transfer of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed." Without a prescription for the person to take the medication, it is a FEDERAL OFFENSE to administer it to that person. @ retired RN: perhaps it is good that you are retired. If they administered the epipen to the little girl without a prescription & she died, whoever did would be looking at murder charges & the parents would, rightly so, be screaming that the person who did had killed their little girl. This is a tragedy that could have been (perhaps) prevented with a proper prescription & the medication being provided to the school.

Let me say just two things to those of you who feel that my last post was over the top: a) I don't make threats, but I DO say exactly what I mean and b) if you wouldn't want to be the patient of a nurse who gets angry when there is a completely inexcusable death, and particularly the inexcusable death of a child, just whose patient WOULD you like to be?

Okay, I couldn't reply to this post last night, so I just have some things to address.

UMGator - I made it very clear that I am not a medical professional and do not have full knowledge about lethal allergies, anaphylaxis, epinephrine, and so forth. Believe me, I have done plenty of research. However, merely Googling a medical condition or medication is not a replacement for the knowledge of someone who has gone through years of training and education to understand these things. There's no need to be a complete prick about it.

Catjmj - Ah, things may have changed between the time I was in grade school (a long time ago - sigh) and today. I don't have kids, so I'm not familiar with the restrictions school nurses may have these days. The nurses were allowed to give us OTC medications for minor fevers and headaches and whatnot. But as someone who is allergic to a lot of OTC medications, I can understand the new restrictions. It does make me wonder just what powers the school nurses do have these days. It seems like they can't do anything but send the kids home, which they almost never did back in my day.

Pretty much all a school nurse can do these days (in my experience) is take a temperature and call the parents.

Back when I was in school, the school nurse was able to give some stuff. But with this litigious society we're in, they can't do anything anymore.

I agree that the parents should provide the school with a plan for all diagnosed allergies.

There are 2 times when this will not help. First-when a child has an allergic reaction to something that had not been diagnosed. A bee sting while on the playground for example. If the child had never been stung by a bee before, the parents would not know that a plan was needed. In such case-a school should have treatment on hand and give it to the child.

Also, when parents are negligent and do not provide the school with information and a plan. While the blame in the child's death would be on the parents in such a situation, the child still dies.

My thought, taking into all that has been said here into consideration, is this: Can school nurses be given specific training to identify allergic reactions? While some may say this would open a pandora's box, I would say that, given the high number of kids with allergies today compared to the past (I can not remember any peanut allergies among my classmates and just learned what gluten was a few years ago) it makes sense to make sure that school nurses know how to recognize allergic reactions. Having a spare epi pen or 2 on hand, in this scenario, seems like a good idea. Maybe ask parents to sign a waiver that gives permission for the trained nurse to make the call. This would eliminate children from dying due to undiagnosed allergies or parental negligence. If parents did know and not say anything-that can be dealt with later-with the child alive.

This is a local story for me and I find that this account leaves out far too much information regarding how the school handled, or mishandled rather, the situation.

First, the mother did try to provide an epipen for her daughter but the school refused to allow it despite the fact that they have a clinical aid in the office that is allowed to dispense medicines (i.e. inhalers, and other prescription meds .

Second, the mother set up an "allergic plan of action" with the school that gave them permission to administer benedryl; which was provided by her.

Third, the school has an actual policy regarding how severe allergic reactions are treated but then failed to follow their own policy; when the child's tongue was swelling they called the mother to "pick her up" from school. It was the mother who told them to call 911.

Now, to all of the bad teachers (who are civil servants afterall and are therefore bad for not being generous about serving their wards) and the finger waggers who are blaming the mom for her daughter's death: The mother did everything she could to ensure her child's safety at school and the school failed her. Stop blaming the victim and look in your own mirror for "what's wrong with people today." Oh, and FYI, epipens are designed so that ANYONE can use them-- that's how they save lives. To parrot the EMS worker who commented on the board, it's not rocket science!

This should be a wake up call to parents with children with known allergies! If you know your child is severely allergic and they will not allow you to send in an epi pen, along with the paperwork...... contact an attorney! Generally, letting the school know how serious you are, will make them work with you to keep your child from suffering the same fate. I am in no way blaming the child's mother, but I am saying it is up to the parent to make sure their child's needs are met.

In many/most states a school nurse is not allowed to give any medicines not even a aspirin by law. Only a nurse practitioner can or a doctor. A nurse may oversee a student taking a prescription medicine. The school I worked at had rules about students and medicines. Only prescription medicines were allowed and the student had to bring them to the nurse for safe keeping. Even an aspirin had to be prescribed and sent in a new unopened bottle. They had to be in their original container and the parent had to send along a note verifying they approved of their child getting the medicines as prescribed. The medicines had to be kept in a locked cabinet. Even asthma inhalers. All this is to stop illegal drugs and to prevent one kid from sharing with another kid that could be fatal, even aspirin. To be honest school nurses while well meaning are not the best nurses. Why would someone work for the small amount a school district pays the school nurse when they could earn double or triple working in a doctor's office or a hospital? Very few schools have backup nurses when the school's nurse calls off. This child would probably be alive today had the parents gotten a prescribed eppy pen from their doctor and given it to the school nurse. Parents fight that kind of thing usually based on cost. I saw parents refuse to have a asthma inhaler at the school because of the cost. All we could legally do when the kid had a attack was call 911. Strange thing was the parents had to pay for the EMT service and it was way more than the inhaler. It is a complicated subject. Where I worked we had one kid with diabetes and behavior issues that would purposely spike or crash her blood sugar to get out of classes.

i am a person with allergies. my food allergies, which include caffeine and aspartame (the chemical that makes diet soda sweet), have phsychological/emotional reactions, which includes exteme tiredness and sometimes extreme anger, whereas my allergies to certain medicines, which include aleve and flexiril (a muscle relaxant), have physical reactions, such as swelling of the throat. the point of this is allergies show themselves in many different ways, and all reactions should be acknowledged, although this can't always be done by an average person. so, why can't schools have a registered doctor who is available and willing to work voluntarily or for lower pay, such as a retired doctor, around? this would help big time. plus, he or she would be authorized to administer any necessary medications if he or she feels the situation calls for it, and this would include epipens. then, deaths like these would be less likely to happen. some allergies just show up. i was never allergic to any medicines my whole 21 years of life, until recently. i was alone when my throat swelled up both times, and i was never allergic to aleve until after i had the reaction to flexiril, so i was lucky it wasn't extremely serious, but i did have a phone by my side in case it would get worse. i didn't need to go to the hospital those times, but god forbid if i did. i had no prior record of allergies, and being alone the times that the reactions happened, i probably wouldn't be here right now even though i had the phone, because things could've changed quick. but, as we all can see, not everyone's that lucky. my heart goes out to this little girl's family. and, hopefully this is a lesson learned that will invoke changes, such as a school doctor. also, as far as the family apparently not supplying the medication, either this was a first time reaction or maybe the family didn't have insurance. if the family knew about her condition, not having insurance is the most likely reason for no medication.

Generally quiet,

Knowing that they called the Mom to pick her up (and also refused to hold her EpiPen) makes me want to vomit... Pretty darn sad how people with responsibility handle their jobs. I seriously hope they think next time anything like this comes up again.

Poor girl, must have been scared out of her wits ... and no one to help her.

I agree with Jackal, teachers should NOT be charged with administering potent and dangerous drugs.

This REAL solution is simple, and "GASP" costs MONEY. EVERY school should have one or two TRAINED AND DEGREED REGISTURED NURSES on staff, preferable ones with training as nurse practitioners or other training in basic diagnostic and prescription administering.

Giving medical aid at this level requires someone with REAL training, NOT somebody who took a few first aid classes.

But, like I said, to do it RIGHT, costs MONEY, and we all know how the majority of americans are loath to even part with pennies. I mean, we USED to have school nurses, and in most countries they still DO have them. But then, I guess most countries care more about KIDS than saving a few bucks.

I don't know, but I'm taking a guess that the Good Samaritan law isn't applied in this situation. If it is, then any school official should have tried to save this girl's life! I live in Virginia, and when I heard this, I cried. In Northern VA, we have special schools that kids go to that are peanut free! It blew my mind when my girlfriend told me that, but I see now maybe this is the reason why.

Auzziegirl: My son is allergic to peanuts, treenuts, fish & shellfish. He goes to a public school. I have provided the school nurse with a detailed plan on what to do should he have an accidental exposure to something he is allergic to and provided the school with everything necessary to manage the allergic reaction until the ambulance arrives. Now, if they go on a field trip, I am required to go with them or he can't go on the field trip, which is fine with me.

I am a single mother and private school is not an option. As a single parent, I can't stay home to home school him. So, what do you suggest I do for him? Just not send him to school? That's not reasonable.

Parents need to be sure that they provide the school with the proper supplies and plans on how to handle these medical conditions in a school setting - whether the school be a public school, private school, charter school, etc., etc. True there are some medical conditions that can't be handled in a school setting - however, allergies can typically be handled in a public school setting fine.

The School's spokesperson in this article implied that the school did not have either a plan to treat on file for this child and/or they did not have the proper medication on site for this child. He also stated that the parents must provide this information - implying that the parents hadn't provided this to the school. There is no comment from the parents. I do wonder what, if anything, the parents had provided to the school to provide for their daughters needs.

All that said - I also offer my condolences to the family.

My heart breaks for this child's family. I have managed to get a 16 y.o. through almost a full term of public school (she's a junior now) without any reactions despite her allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs but this situation has always been my nightmare.

I am thankful that every step of the way I had a very good line of communication with the teachers and nursing staff at her schools and always felt reasonably safe that they would carry out the correct treatment plan if needed. I never stopped being afraid but I am the staff I dealt with was so interested and responsive.

Are you gonna pay for it. That statement adds no value to this post. Did you even think before saying that private or home school should be used. People use public school because it is thier only option. Please stay down under.

Wow, Auzzie. Is it that hard for parents to not send kids to school with peanut butter? parents can shove peanut butter down their kids' throat to their heart's content all day after school and on the weekends. Where's the compassion? This is a real problem. We will bend over backwards for airport safety, but we suddenly don't give a crap about kids' safety in schools. Why is that?

Summer, I agree with AuzzieGirl - however - I fully agree with you as well. You know your child has allergies, alerted the school and given them what they need to treat your child should the need arise. What you have done is the correct way, whether it's public or private school. School officials can only do so much, and I think that maybe the parent of this poor child did not give her school any info to speak of. No one admitted to it either way, but that can say a lot.

I think if more parents did what you did and continue to do, what's the issue here? We spend more money on funds for schools for epipens that they may never use, while they're shutting down classes all the time? Also, if a child falls on the floor and the school officials get to them, how will they know for sure the kid is having an allergic reaction? What if they're not, they just assume, inject, and end up doing more damage possibly death? Not all allergic reactions react the same with everybody, I know this for a fact. It just makes me wonder if they may end up doing more harm than good. That's just an open law suit.

I feel horrible for this little girl, and it just would be nice to know if the mother did inform the school so the right people get the blame for this.

@bonos_rama - If your child wants something specific, like anything related to eggs and nuts, then the last thing you will think about is if some other kid at school will have an allergic reaction to it. I don't think a public school can get away with telling parents what food they can and can't let their children bring to school to cater to a small group. The best course of action is to make sure that the school nurse is prepared to assist a child with an allergic reaction based on information the parent has given them prior.

As for teachers being a medical staff, I don't know. As long as they can use that epipen thing then I'm sure that's ok. In any case, I am saddened that quite a few kids these days have allergies this bad. It's really scary that there isn't some better way to cure it other than to administer extremely small doses to the affected so they get used to it over time.

I wonder what the economic situation of this family is.

Epipens are not cheap - WITH INSURANCE.

I can only imagine what they cost without.

I am sorry for the family of the little girl. Her parents obviously didn't do their job when it came to protecting her in the ways they should have. My problem is with schools trying to take peanut products out of schools. My son brought a cilff bar to school for snack when he was told he would have to throw it away or be sent to the principle's office. All this because a few kids have allergies. Ridiculous!! What about the rights of the kids without? It is sad that my kid can't bring a healthy snack to school. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, it like everything else in the USA.

"if your child has allergies or requires medical assistance from time to time, please consider private school or homeschooling."

You can't possibly be serious. What kind of allergies would that be? All allergies or are the seasonal ones ok? Many children, especially the ones in elementary school tend to get ear infections easily and usually multiple times during winter. Most antbiotics are taken 4 times a day for 10 days. Does that qualify for "medical assistance from time to time"? What about kids with physical injuries? If my child meets your criteria of not medically acceptable for public school, isn't that considered discrimination? Will the school district pay for the private school? If not, do I get a tax waiver because my child has been refused admittance at the public school so I don't have to pay school taxes? If the private school isn't an option due to costs or transportation issues and I am forced to homeschool, will the city or the school district make up for my loss of income? Do you have kids? I could be wrong but from your statement, it really doesn't sound like you have a clue as to what you're talking about.

Most, if not all, states have laws that require schools to have medical information on EVERY child in that school. When my kids were in public school I was REQUIRED to provied the nurse with a copy of a current physical and a list that proves their inoculations were up to date. (If I didn't the kids couldn't go to school until I did.) My daughter has severe seasonal allergies and guess what? It was right there on one of those papers in upper case, bold, underlined, words. There was a treatment plan in place (also required) and when she was too young to do it herself, I provided the nurse with her allergy medicine and ta da!! No prob. My sister did the same with my nephew who has a severe peanut allergy and he graduates this this spring. And he didn't have to go to private school or homeschool or anything.

Auzzie, public schools are not subsidized, they are paid for in full, owned and operated, by and for the public, and that public has every right to expect that their school is prepared to address such a simple thing as an allergic reaction.

"...All of this because a few kids have allergies. Ridiculous!! What about the rights of the kids without? It is sad that my kid can't bring a healthy snack to school I guess I shouldn't be suprised it like everything else in the USA"

Wow... I haven't heard anything that callous or self-centered in a long time. Well done you...

If it was YOUR CHILD that could so easily die from accidential exposure to peanuts, I doubt you would have such a cavilier and selfish attitude. Would it really be SUCH an infringment on your rights or the rights of your child if he took a healthy, peanut free, snack to school and saved the cliff bar for a time when the odds of killing someone with it are lower?

I don't and will never understand anyone who thinks their personal rights on small things - like taking peanuts to school - are more important that a child's right to learn in a place where they dont have to worry about whether or not they are going to die because some people fail to understand common courtesy.

LOL Last year my daughter started kindergarten in a private school, paid over $600 a month for her to go to a catholic school. Guess what? I pulled my daughter out of private school in April of last year and put her in public school. Wanna know why? Because the school, the religious school my I add that claims they love people and children blah blah blah, the same school I was paying money for her to go to wouldn't participate in her health care after she was diagnosed on Jan 19th 2011 with type 1 diabetes and she would need daily injections to stay alive throughout the day. I tried to be flexible realizing that it is a lot of responsibility for them to take on. However, I did offer to have a diabetes educator from children's hospital come in to teach everyone hoe to care for her, they refused. So I left my work, lost a half hour of pay to go to her school at lunch to give her the insulin she needed to keep her ALIVE.. All I asked in return from them was to put in her care plan if she was to go unconscious to administer the glucagon needed to save her life. I even put it in writing that they could administer it, they refused. They said it was a liability. So I pulled her out immediately. Public schools have to follow rules and there are laws. Public schools are not a privileged and if it wasn't for those laws put in place my daughter wouldn't be able to even go to school. They are protected from being sued PERIOD... So they should have put that child first and saved her life... So what if the school district might or might not be sued. I do wonder though, why the parent didn't have an epipen available for them to use? Money maybe? I know that the glucagon pen is around $300 dollars and they expire after a year. I have one in the house, in her school bag she takes to the nurses office everyday, my glove compartment, and all my relatives have one at their homes. And they will all need to be replaced in a few weeks or so. Maybe they didn't even know she had an allergy? NO matter what its a really sad story. Its too bad this world as become so scared of being sued that they would let a child basically suffocate to death right in front of them. All you have to do is ask yourself what would you want someone to do if it was your love one?

Bonos Rama - YOu say how hard is it for parents not to send their kids to school without peanut butter...as if peanut butter is the only thing that can cause these reactions. Granted it's the most common, but I have a friend whose son is allergic to chicken. My son is allergic to Tree nuts - not peanuts. So what about them? Are all schools going to ban chicken nuggets now? What about the peanut allergic kid who brings in an almond butter sandwich.... deadly to my son?

My point is that we cannot create bubbles of safety for allergic kids. Case in point, the article states this poor girl was allergic to serveral things and no where does it state she ate a peanut. She's allergic to eggs, it could have been a piece of french toast she ate! If you know your kid has a life and death emergency, you make sure that the school AND the teacher (not just the nurse) know about it, know what to look for, and know what to do. You provide clear written instructions on what medication to administer and make sure that medication is available. If all that is done and they still do nothing then the fault lies with the school.

How awful for the child, her family, teachers and classmates!

I know that folks do and don't support having Epi-pen's available at schools for emergency use. I'm one that thinks they should, BUT the most troubling thing is the reference to the COST of this item. This is an inexpensive drug, with a very expensive delivery system. No doubt because of the potential liability?

I believe the mfg of these devices has an obligation to work out some kind of program for schools so that they have what they need, in date, etc. No doubt they do it for hospitals and Dr's offices.

Auzziegirl,

That's got to be the most absurd comment of the day. What does Public vs Private schooling have to do with properly treating an illness?

No, schools should not stockpile epinephrine. If a child has severe allergies, his/her parents should provide the school nurse with the appropriate prescribed medication with instructions for it's use. The last thing anyone needs is some teaching assistant jabbing a kid with a piece of food stuck in his airway with multiple shots of epinephrine.

The little girl's school DID have an action plan - one that wasn't followed. The family DID try to provide an Epi-pen, but they were told to keep it at home by the school

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-chesterfield-student-death-20120103,0,4150762.story

Johnson's family said the allergic reaction was to a peanut product. Information Johnson's mother told CBS 6 News she learned from the school principal and a doctor who treated the child.

Emergency crews were called to Hopkins Elementary Monday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. When the EMS crew arrived, the child was in cardiac arrest, according to a Chesterfield Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jason Elmore.

The child was pronounced dead a short time later at CJW Medical Center.

The child's mother Laura Pendleton was distraught and she has many questions.

"She has an allergy action plan at the school," said Pendleton, which authorizes the school to give herBenadryl during a reaction. "They didn't do that," she said.

County school and health officials could not discuss Johnson's death directly. However county officials said it is up to parents to provide medicine and instructions to doctors.

"Parents need to provide all necessary medication their child needs to the school," said Jody Enoch, Public Health Nurse Supervisor for the Chesterfield County Health Department. "That is the responsibility of the parent."

At the beginning of this school year, the mother said she tried to give the clinical aid an Epipen for emergencies, but she said she was declined and told to keep it at home.

Lindsey, I hear you! My 5 year old son's little girl friend (who is 6 months younger than he is) has BRITTLE Type I diabetes as well and had to be pulled out of private pre-kindergarten because the school refused to follow the instructions of the girls' parents and doctors about how often to test her glucose level, what amount of insulin to give her, how to recognize a blood sugar spike or low etc. Her mother who was a professor of Sociology has had to quit her job and now plans on homeschooling the child because they had too many episodes where the child was HOSPITALIZED upon leaving school for the day because the teaching staff couldn't follow directions.

Schools don't have to "stockpile" epi-pens. Just 1 or 2 twin-paks per school year should be just fine. The epi-pen lasts a year. Most children with known allergies will provide their own epi-pen so there is little chance that the school will use more than 2 twin-paks per year. And I also don't think it would be too much to ask for reimbursement if a child were to be administered a school purchased epi-pen at school.

But, as a life saving device, they should be every little bit as available as an AED in (schools which also hopefully won't be used during the school year.)

Cat,

At the beginning of this school year, the mother said she tried to give the clinical aid an Epipen for emergencies, but she said she was declined and told to keep it at home.

That fact is painful to hear. The school failed this child. It seems the mother was trying to do the right thing. Heads should roll.

Have you seen what symptoms are caused by an overdose of epinephrine? I just looked it up and it looks scary. What if it's NOT an allergic reaction and the epinephrine causes a secondary problem that ultimately kills the child? Or causes some kind of other serious problem? Or the child has some other medical condition (diagnosed or undiagnosed) that doesn't play well with epinephrine? Teachers may be able to be trained to recognize an allergic reaction, but really, what if an allergic reaction also looks like something else? We can't expect teachers to make that distinction -- they're not medically trained, and I don't think they should be. I think the school district's policy that the parent is responsible for providing the plan and medication is the best way.

Heather, I think in this case, risking an overdose would have been preferable to what actually happened.

The child died.

She isn't at risk for secondary problems, other serious problems or other issues. She's dead because no one even tried.

And if they can't even recognize an allergic reaction in a child who's never displayed symptoms (which of course happens, how can a parent provide a plan and medication for that?), what makes you think they can properly treat the ones with known allergic reactions? What if one of the allergic kids is treated with their Epi-Pen, and it turns out to be something else? It goes both ways. You can't always predict what's going to happen, but isn't it worth trying?

Heather - lets just keep going down that slope shall we?

So the parent provides the plan - and medication.

And a child has a reaction, of some sort - like you describe, that SEEMS like an allergic reaction, but really isnt!!!!!!! And then...the teachers go into action, following the parents plan...and administer the drugs.

BUT WAIT!!! It was never an allergic reaction, and the teachers...just killed this child!!!

How, is that ANY different?

You dont think the parents of that dead child arent going to sue the pants off the school district for NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL that their child WASNT having that kid of problem?

Im sorry...but your boogeyman scenario is just a veiled attempt to say WHY THE F SHOULD ANYONE CARE?

dont worry, you dont have to care...it's abundantly clear.

As a teacher I have had students with not just various allergies, but epilepsy, diabetes, heart and kidney problems, and many other medical problems. I happen to be at a school with a fulltime nurse because my school happens to house a particular special ed program, but most schools in my district have a nurse halftime. If a parent is aware a child has a particular medical problem, it is the parent's responsiblity to let the school know and supply the medicines. Epipens are not a magic wand that makes everything alright, they are prescription for a reason. They can have serious consequences if administered when unneeded, especially if the child also has a heart problem or diabetes. We are teachers, not nurses, and there is a very big difference between applying a band-aid to a skinned knee from recess and deciding when to give an allergic child an epipen or a diabetic child juice when they have a sudden problem. Very few schools these days have a fulltime nurse and with all the cuts to education, that is unlikely to change. Parents, communicate please.

This is so sad for this child's parents and family, and her teachers and classmates. My deepest sympathies. For those of you who are parents, prevent tragedy by communicating your child's health problems to your child's school and supplying them with how your doctor said to handle emergencies and supplying them with any needed emergency medications.

Many, many years ago I had a reaction to EPI at the dentist office (they use it in the stuff they numb your mouth with) and b/c I'm allergic to Novocaine (which, incidentally, ISN'T used anymore) it takes a lot of stuff to get me numb. I don't remember much of what happened (or the panic attack that resulted from it) I just recall that my dentist's office was great, they said "it happens, just be happy you didn't wet your pants" so now I have to use EPI free numbing stuff so it doesn't happen again. That said, I also had serious reaction to a sulfa drug several years later and was given EPI b/c my throat was swelling shut. Having experienced both too much EPI and needing EPI, I'll take the too much EPI reaction (even if I do end up wetting my pants) versus dying from anaphylactic shock.

Heather, the misinformation you are spreading about Epipens is not helpful. Epipens are not dangerous, and nobody should ever be afraid to use one if someone is having a reaction. They have minor side effects that go away quickly. Death from anaphylaxis, however, is not minor and does not go away quickly. So please don't make people afraid to use an Epipen by spreading the false rumor that they are dangerous, it could cost someone their life.

The amount of Epinephrine in an auto-doser, especially if you only give the first dose, is not enough to overdose, even if you had no need for it. However, epinephrine is a powerful drug that can cause dangerous heart problems. Don't hesitate if it is clearly indicated but you should most definately be cautious. It is only intended to buy you the time to get to a doctor/hosp.

scorpion - as a person who has had reaction to dental epi - is the epi pen that much worse?

Hey threevok! Try supplying some ideas of your own, instead of sniping at others! I suspect that she is a great teacher who understands that no one person can handle everything in a classroom, lunchroom, playground, bus when there are dozens of kids who require attention.

I have anaphylactic allergies and I have been in education for 24 years. I have administered epi-pens and I've had to have others administer them to me.

I teach at a university now. One of the things I do is to use a trainer epipen and teach all of my prospective teachers how to use it.

Just because you don't want to deal with a life threatening condition does not mean a child will not ever suffer an anaphylactic reaction in your classroom.

Get your head out of the sand, ask your school nurse (if you have one - if not ask a local physician) to take the 10 minutes out of a faculty meeting and show each and every school employee how to use an epipen. There are trainer models that come with instructions (for free!!) that can easily be accessed.

You job as a teacher is, first and foremost, to keep the kids in your classroom safe. In loco parentis.

So, marmaduke, what are you saying is you would let the child die because you are not trained medical professional ? When it comes to allergic reactions, seconds count. Why would a teacher oppose to" jab " a child witn epi- pen is beyond me. What about administering CPR to a child ? How about first aid ? It´s funny, I am a teacher as well and I am required to have first aid and CPR training, just for the purpose of recognizing and TREATING medical emergency as best as I can according to the limits of my skill. So, if you are telling me - one of your children has a medical emergency and you just call for a nurse or 911 and just stand there...Then you do not belong in the classroom. Seconds can save or doom you.

ArbyH, perhaps marmaduke is in a school district other than yours and does NOT have the specific first aid/CPR training that you are required to have. And Beth, a teacher's job first and foremost is to TEACH our children.

Although I'm glad that I don't have children in marmaduke's class, I can see her point. Americans are just too sue happy.

The parent in this article doesn't know who to be angry with. Well, she should get a mirror. I believe it was her responsibility to keep the school system informed about her daughter's medical problems, provide epi-pens and verify that there is someone at the school that can recognize the need for and perform the injection.

I don't want the schools to keep a stockpile of epinephrine and inject kids without knowing the medical history of the kids and without the parent's knowledge. There are too many people working in the school system that should not be making these decisions on their own.

I had a school nurse send my son home demanding that I take him to the clinic because he had an "angry pustule." What he had was a zit! I took him to the clinic because if I hadn't, this nurse would have most likely reported me for neglect.

We expect teacher to do too much. Their job is to teach yet we also expect them to disipline, detect abuse, and now be their doctor; not just for one kid but an ever increasing number of them. Yet when they want to be paid fairly all the rest of you can do is whine about how greedy they are. Well you can't have it both ways. You want teachers to be everything, train them and pay them enough so they have a reasonable chance at meeting your expectations.

Teachers can only do their job when the parents support them. Instead parents belittle teachers and teaching then whine about how everything is the teacher's fault when something goes wrong.

As a hospital employee I want to let you know that diagnosing an anaphylactic attack is one of the simplest things in the world. You can look in the mouth and see the airway is closing from swelling caused by an allergy........Everyone in any school should be trained in this just like they should be trained in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. It is not rocket science! Also, a person's first allergy attack does not always happen at home or the doctor's office, sometimes it happens at school! I feel all schools should have Epi-pens in their first aid kits!

I think we place too much responsibility on teachers these days anyways. But to expect them to administer an EpiPen to a child on top of that? Isn't that what TRAINED nurses are for? Isn't that part of what our tax dollars go to?

Also as a parent, if my child were to have allergies, it is MY responsibility to provide the necessary equipment to save my childs life should anything go wrong.

My best friend has a very rare, very serious allergy to fish. I can't tell you how many EpiPens she has distributed to people. I have one in my car, just in case. She gave it to me because it is her allergy.

What happened to people, especially parents, being held accountable for their actions? School's do not have enough resources to provide EpiPens for each and every single child with an allergy.

Choco640,

I'm thinking that if you were a doctor, nurse, paramedic, therapist or other highly trained employee that you would have said so. Stating that you are a hospital employee says nothing. That could mean that you work in the laundry.

Thank you Choco, well said.

I hope most of you spend tonight thinking about the way our society is.

Why is that we dont feel we have any collective responsibility to each other?

Why do we not care if SOMEONE ELSES child dies...but we would never want our child to die?

I dont know if this child had known allergies or not, but thats not even the point.

Wanna know why it's not?

Because YOUR KID could wake up tomorrow with allergies he didnt have yesterday, go to school...eat a PB&J and suffocate to death.

All because YOU DIDNT KNOW and YOUR SCHOOL DOESNT WANT TO HELP YOU.

I struggle to believe this a nation full of christians, when all any christian seems to care about is $...not saving kids lives.

SICK, PURE SICK.

For those of you who are curious..I am a surgical technician with 20+ years of experience.

I completely agree with you. We are not medical professionals. What if she died after being given an epi-pen? The teacher or staff would lose their jobs and the school district would be sued. Sure enough, they still probably will be sued.

This is completely the parents' fault. They must have known she had allergies. Without informing and arming the school appropriately with the needed medication, THE PARENTS failed the child.

The poor staff and teachers at this school are probably devastated. Most educators care deeply about their students. The last time I taught I tried calling several parents using the phone numbers given by the parents and all lines were disconnected. What are these parents thinking? What if it was an emergency? Step up parents, do your job. I am so tired of the general public wanting our public school to accomplish what parents should be doing.

Thank GOD you are not my daughter's teacher. I want my daughter surrounded by people that care about her well being almost as much as I do. I expect that when I drop off my daughter to school that she is safe and well taken care of. I have no choice but to leave her in the care of teachers and faculty for 6 hours a day and I demand that they take care of her as if it was their own child. How selfish are you do not want to learn how to help one of your students who may or may not need your help to live? WHY should it matter if you are a "trained" professional or not? So your not a trained professional teacher? I would think as a teacher you swear to some sort of oath to protect and care for all your student no matter their race, religion, disability etc? If the school aides and office staff can learn how to administer my daughters insulin, I am pretty sure you could do it too. Like you stated my daughter's school only as an RN 2 days a week so the other days the office staff has to do it. I talked to her teacher before she started and said do you have a problem administering her glucagon if she was do go unconscious in your classroom, she said she didn't. That is the kind of teacher I want caring and teaching my daughter. I want to know that you would save my daughter's life and that you wouldn't care about being sued. That helping a child would be your first thought. I personally would help anyone in distress regardless and I wouldn't need to think about it. But that is obviously the difference between you and I. :) MAYBE you aren't in the correct filed of work.

I'll say it again. Epipens, not dangerous. Misinformed teachers who would refuse to help a suffocating child, pathetic.

There is no medical condition or risk of side effect that would prevent you from giving a child suffering from an anahylactic reaction a shot from an Epipen.

It's not rocket surgery people!

Epi-pens are one of the easiest medicines to administer. They are made that way because seconds count when someone's tongue is swollen and their airway is closed. Wait... I just taught everyone how to recognize an ana reaction!

Wow! Two easy things! I honestly think that so many people think that using epi-pens require some sort of medical degree. Please, a kid in elementary school could administer it to himself if he had the time. People are afraid of what they don't know.

Administering CPR the correct way takes a class with certification to know when and how to do it. Administering an epi-pen the correct way means, "Is their tongue swollen and their airway blocked right after they ate something or got stung? Yes? Remove the safety cap, stick the epi-pen in the thigh until it clicks, and hold for several seconds"

If you are for teachers administering CPR, then why would you be against something as simple as an epi-pen?

I am just glad my son does not have allergies to food. I think the teachers in my kid's school are kind of ADHD and couldn't administer an epi-pen if they were allowed.

mike - I agree that the parents should provide an EpiPen (I say this as a parent of a child with allergies - he's peanut, treenut, fish and shellfish); that is not the schools responsibility. I would like to point out that in most schools, students are NOT allowed to carry the EpiPen on them (they are required to keep it in the nurses office or other designated locked box that only an adult has access to).

Also, on your answer number 2 - let the parents of children like this teach them at home. Do you realize how unrealistic that is? I can't stay home at teach my son - I'm a single parent. If I did that, we'd have to live on welfare (and then there would be issues of poverty).

Actually, at least at public schools in my state it was ILLEGAL for my child to carry either her EpiPen or rescue inhaler with her at that age. In elementary schools, these items are restricted to the nurse's office.

Summer, I sympathize with your situation but how can schools be the answer to everything for what parents used to do? Learning is one thing and babysitting is another. The father of your child should be supporting them and providing for daycare facilities as needed.

JS - that shows how STUPID and easily influenced "legislators" are! "Laws" are the answer to everything! Campaign to get those rules and laws changed. There is a law against carrying prescription drugs not in the original prescription bottle. Should we send kids with a 90 count container everyday so they can lose them? It's a bad law. Ignore bad laws!

In many states, children cannot carry epipens. They must be secured in the nurse's office.

That needs to be changed. In cases of anaphylaxis, seconds count.

First thing, my condolencses to the family. As a mother of a child with allergies, I know that this is one of my worse fears.

I agree with Summer. Parents of a child with severe food allergies should provide an EpiPen for the child. At the school here, you have to write down any medical issues your child has, any medicine they have to take and provide it to the school nurse, who would then hold it for the child. An EpiPen would fall into that category.

Also, once again, I agree with Summer's answer to Mike on his #2. It is totally unrealistic to say that parents of children "like this" should teach them at home. I am a single mother of a special needs child. I cannot home school him, since my ex-husband is not involved in my son's life, it falls on me to support us--or go on welfare.

The school's officer personnel should be trained on how to handle a situation like this and hopefully, this will be a wake up call to parents of children that have allergies---always provide any medication that your child may need to the school.

mike: I never said the schools had to do everything. I firmly believe the parents must provide the EpiPen (or other medication) to the school, they must work with the child's physician and the school to ensure that the child's medical needs can be met. I provide these things to the school and the school nurse.

Also, I never mentioned babysitting in my post - I'm not sure where you are getting this. But, the fact remains - if a younger (elementary age) child is going to be home all day for homeschooling, they need an adult there with them the entire day, whether they are learning or not. I can't feasibly stay home and home school my son as a single parent - after all, someone needs to provide for his needs. He's 8 years old - what do you suggest? I just leave him home all day? He won't get an education (since he's not going to school, and I'm not able to be there to home school him). It certainly wouldn't be safe to leave an 8 year old home alone all day - and it is considered child neglect.

My point is telling parents of children with allergies that they should home school their kids is simply unreasonable. It's really a very poor answer to a serious situation that does need addressed.

As far as what my ex-husband should be doing - there is a lot he should be doing but doesn't do. Even if he paid the child support and half of daycare like he's suppose to per our divorce decree, it would come no where near the cost necessary to pay for private school or someone to stay with my son at home all day and teach him. Keep in mind - this is a public school - that means that even parents of children of allergies have the RIGHT to send their child to the public school that is within their school's boundaries. We pay taxes just like you do. Think about it like this - if a child has a special need that the public school cannot accommodate, then the public school is required, by law, to pay for the child to get the education they need in a setting that can provide these accommodations. The schools feel they can handle these allergies - IF the parents provide the proper equipment, medications and information on how to handle these.

"The father of your child should be supporting them and providing for daycare facilities as needed."

Yeah, right, Mike. That's real easy to say, but not so easy to get them to do. My ex had to be forced by the state if Texas to pay $175.00 a month child support for two kids or he just flat wasn't going to do it. Getting money out of him for daycare when I couldn't get a single extra penny out of him for school clothes and supplies was totally out of the question.

You need a reality check, dude.

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-chesterfield-student-death-20120103,0,4150762.story

The parents supplied an Epi-Pen and they were told to keep it at home. An action plan to administer Benedryl (a less-than ideal solution) was drawn up and apparently the school refused to administer the Benedryl.

As someone who suddenly developed wasp/bee/hornet/yellow jacket sting allergies as an adult (after the age of THIRTY), I recognized the anaphylaxis that was starting during the first allergic reaction while I was at lunch with co-workers and asked one to run across the street for CHILDREN'S Benedryl (we were eating outside) since it's a liquid and has to go through one less step to be absorbed by the body. I have stepped on a wasp while house sitting and took Benedryl THEN called 911 (in the space of about 15 - 30 seconds) to get paramedics on route. The 911 dispatcher could hear my throat tightening as I spoke. I used to carry a Primatene Mist inhaler (which is epinephrine) but those are becoming harder and harder to find.

Blue - People think everyone is, or should be, as "good" as them. In a perfect world, they would be. Since it is not perfect, maybe Mike can let us know his suggestion.

My confusion about this is....

If your child has life-threatening allergies, the appropriate medication is the epi-pen, and your public school refuses to accept your child's epi-pen, why accept that? Why say, "Oh, all right. I'll send my kid in anyway, even though she doesn't have the right drugs and could die."

Your public school can, should, and must have the appropriate medication! If they refuse, call them on it. If they drag their feet, climb your way up the food chain until you get an authority that will make them comply. The school does have to accommodate. If some office worker turns you away, you can do something about it.

Don't risk your child's life. Some things are worth taking the effort to fight for.

hwilson, the problem being that if your child is NOT in school because the school refuses to allow the life-saving medications to be there, your child CAN fail for the year after 30 days. That's the Virginia Law. So as you're fighting to get your kid the FEDERALLY PROTECTED and MANDATED medical care while in school, you could be dooming them to failing for the year. You can also get in trouble for allowing your child to stay home from school. Even if you're fighting for their RIGHT to have their medications on hand and the school won't allow it, if you keep them home they are truant and you can lose your kids for doing it since they are SUPPOSED to be in school by LAW.

They did have the option to home school. Parents always do. No one forced her on anything. But for one reason or another,probably because the parents had to work to survive, the girl was sent to public school.

Exactly right cat, Even if you have rights, if the school doesn't cooperate, you can't just keep your child out of school. It can land both you and your kid in hot water. Also, transferring isn't always an option, there may be no schools close by or with an opening, or they may also refuse to cooperate. Homeschooling is also not always an option, money, training and ability to teach are all important. On top of that, unfortunately, fighting for your rights also costs money. Make no mistake, it was the school that didn't do the right thing, and now a child is dead because of it.

In Virginia in order to homeschool you must submit a lesson plan for the entire year, submit at least quarterly reports on your child's progress, engage in standardized testing with your child to show that they are progressing at an "acceptable" pace. You can't START homeschooling until your DETAILED lesson plan has been APPROVED by the state. I've looked into it because my son was 26 DAYS short of the required cut-off to start Kindergarten this past fall and we don't have the money for private school ... even though he's almost ready for FIRST GRADE, he has to wait until the fall to enter Kindergarten. He's starting to READ already ... he's starting simple mathematics. This is not due to ANY pushing on my part... it's almost "unschooling" where he expresses an interest in something (lately it's been learning Spanish) and we explore together. You also can't "transfer" from homeschooling to public school in the school year. If you start the year homeschooling, you must FINISH the year homeschooling.

So, homeschooling until the school gives in to allowing the epi-pen is not something that CAN happen in Virginia. If you withdraw your child in order to homeschool, then the impetus to change the decision on the epi-pen is GONE and they just have to fight it again NEXT year.

As several posters have commented, students are not allowed to carry their medication ON THEM. The medication must be kept in the nurse's office.

The requirement that medication be kept in the nurse's office has been in effect since at least the late seventies. I know I had to keep my Anakit (before Epipens existed) in the nurse's office. Luckily for me, I did not get stung by any of the insects I am allergic to while I was at school. I graduated in 1983.

I have carried an Anakit (1971-2000) or Epipen since 2000. Thankfully, the only times I have needed it I have had it right with me.

Anaphylaxis is very frightening, and that first reaction can occur at any time. Also, that first reaction can occur after numerous non-reacting exposures.

Its already happened there chief many schools have banned nuts and nut products, harm the many to protect the few

You cannot expect everyone in a school to change for one child.

Banning one food then another and what healthy food do we send children to school with?

Just curious, but how harmful is it to a child with no life-threatening allergies to not be allowed to eat peanut butter at school?

Now contrast that with the child who may actually die if they come in contact with certain allergens.

See the difference?

Funny, but people will do anything the government tells them to do, including stripped down to their skivvies, in the name of airline safety, but ask someone just to not bring peanut butter to school to save children's lives and suddenly that's asking too much. I t hink I see a pattern. If adults' lives are on the line on an airplane, it's important, but kids are not worth a damn. Wow. Ever hear of ham sandwiches? Tuna? bologna? Cheese? Pizza? There are a million other foods your kid can bring to school. It won't kill precious Johnny to not have peanut butter at lunch. He can pig out on it once he's home.

First you ban peanuts, and everything that is manufactured in a place that uses peanuts (this is a huge list, go read some packages in your pantry, granola bars, cereal, breads, most baked goods) then eggs, nuts soy, dairy, wheat ect. The list is long. It is unreasonable.

It is not fair for all children to have a restricted diet for one child. It is difficult for children to have nutritious food at that point.

T-dog it does not harm the many to not have penutbutter. MEMEMEMEMEME that is all i hear from you.

You know what is interesting ? Not ONE kid in my class complains about not being able to have peanuts and nuts in school.
Couple of parents have told me how their kids reminded them- "Hey, mom, I can´t have this in my lunch" We should learn from kids sometimes.

Kato- first off penut butter is not exactly healthy- alot of fat. Nut allergys are very serious and not all of the foods that you mentioned carry life threatening allergys. These are kids lives we are talking about. It would be worth it to ban some of these foods.

Actually peanut butter has alot of healthy fats as well as protein. Please do better research.

My kid cannot digest animal proteins. We are careful at home and she is careful at school. She does not share food with any other kids. Period.

If you ban peanuts, soy, nuts and other things that other people are allergic to (that are life threatening), she will have nothing left to eat. I do not expect other people to stop sending there kids to school with things she cannot eat. It comes down to a parent's responsibility and then the child's. They cannot have parents feed them forever.

What happens when she goes to college or goes to work?

The issue is more of subverting the desires of the majority to satisfy the needs of a minority. It happens all the time and we have no choice in the matter because of the laws enacted to "protect" minority groups. Expecting an entire school to forgo something, even as simple as peanut butter, because of a handful of kids is unrealistic and unfair.

The thing is, there is a laundry list of foods that can cause anaphylactic shock and death. I really don't know the answer, but isn't it odd how many food allergies there are now days? None of my four children have food allergies, that we know of . . . In our school district a first grader died after eating a strawberry. Her mom said they didn't know she was allergic to them, but she had always avoided them at the advice of her pediatrician. As a teacher and a mommy with kids in public school, I fear that my children who I pack healthy lunches for every day, will some how expose an allergy kiddo. I do wish there was a way to protect the ones with allergies and let the others do what they want. There is a boy in my sons class that is allergic to everything, so as room mom I have to be ultra careful of what I bring for the other children and he still has to bring his own treats on party days. My heart breaks for this family, but the food allergy thing has become epidemic and there has to be a "happy" way to deal with it!

little denton mommy,

I'm not trying to attack you but part of your comment just doesn't make sense. You say the mom said they didn't know she was allergic to them (strawberries) but she had always avoided them at the advice of her pediatrician.

Unless the pediatrician was having a personal feud with the strawberry farmer, I see no reason why he would offer this advice to someone who isn't allergic.

Strawberries are on the list of possible food allergies. I'm assuming he was giving her a list of foods to avoid and strawberries were part of that. Make sense now? :o)

Women are having babies at too high of an age nowadays. They wait until they're 35 years old to start trying and suddenly half of the kids have medical issues.

little denton mommy,

No, it still doesn't make sense. I can't imagine a pediatrician suggesting that a parent keep their kids away from foods that they aren't allergic to, especially foods that are highly nutritous.

Oh my gosh! When she was a baby, toddler, whatever! Yes, pediatricians tell parents to stay away from foods when kids are young and add them in slowly. Mine told me this with each child, I made my own decisions on how to proceed. I am not the parent of this child, I am just repeating what she said. Read the list of highly allergic foods . . . most of them are very healthy and are included in my children's lunches. Fish, eggs, milk, tree nuts, honey, etc . . . The point I was trying to make is, I wonder if sometimes parents hold out too long offering some foods. Maybe, it's contributing to the allergy problem?

Dmama, my mother had me at the "high" age of 37 and the only things I'm allergic to are penicillin, Keflex, sulfa (drugs), dust and mold. My grandmother had three children after the age of 40 (two after the age of 44!) and two of them are still around with no allergies (one died of breast cancer) so your "too high of age" theory doesn't hold any water for me. It just seems that kids today in general have more life threatening allergies than I can recall happening when I was a child; perhaps the fact that most people are germ-phobic has something to do with it. I think eating mud pies, running barefoot all summer long and sloshing around in gutters as children toughened up the baby-boomers' immune systems. (And I don't know if I could have survived elementary school without PB&J, it was all I would eat in first and second grade.)

Too high of an age? 35? Oh brother. While I wasn't that old, it would have suited me to wait till then. It was nice having cars paid off, a house, my degree, and world travel enjoyed before "the kids" came along. My mother was only 19 when I was born - and HAD to work, my dad was still in college, and I assure you, it - daycare and being poor - sucked.

I am 42 (will be 43 in a couple of months) and I have a 5 year old son. His pediatrician has a term she uses to describe him (I think it may be too medical for most to understand) - it's DISGUSTINGLY HEALTHY. He has NO food allergies, no known medication allergies (I am allergic to sulfa, Penicillan, bacitracin and heavy first aid tape ... my mom was 22 when I was born), no known sting allergies (I developed mine after the age of thirty), has had very few colds in his life - WAY less than the "average" 5 to 6 per year for his age. Now, I WAS allergic to cow's milk when I was an infant and my younger sister was allergic to cow's milk and chocolate until she was a teenager ... but my son has NO food allergies. He also doesn't seem to have inherited my grass allergy (literally a contact allergy).

Then again, I do not sanitize my house the way that so many people seem to think they need to these days, he runs around barefoot most of the time (including winter, to my mother-in-law's astonishment and dismay), makes mud pies, rolls around in the grass, gets DIRTY, drinks from the garden hose and has yet to have a single course of antibiotics. He ATE dirt as a toddler, eats VEGGIES (gasp!) and LOVES them now, eats fruits and other assorted "good things" .. UNWASHED (gasp) the way we all used to, plays with his 1 year old Mastiff puppy outside as much as he can ... in general, I am giving his body the chance to develop a healthy immune system and develop good feet (shoes restrict and confine the feet, cutting you off from your environment and warping the foot - which medical studies are now proving). My house is not anti-germed out the wazoo and in fact is frequently cluttered. He washes his hands with soap and water, but not the anti-bacterial stuff.

I don't think it's the aging of today's mothers that is at fault ... I think it's all the disinfecting, formula feeding, anti-bacterial EVERYTHING, germ-phobic nonsense that has been touted as the "best way" to raise a child. It starts in INFANCY with parents going overboard to sanitize everything. I have never ONCE washed my son's toys except when they were covered in grime (like baby food) and then it was a simple soap and water. And before people jump on me as being "anti-formula", I'm not. What matters is that you feed your baby. But a whole generation of mothers were told they should NOT try to nurse and MUST feed their kids formula by doctors in the pockets of the formula industry. I was breast-fed, my son was breast-fed. In fact, he was nursing as late as 15 months. There are certainly mothers who can't or shouldn't nurse their babies, but breast milk isn't "dispensed" by the ounce and is always bio-engineered by mom's body to be the BEST food for every stage of an infant's life and developing body. Women who formula feed because they don't WANT to nurse is who gets me angry ...

Yes Cat!! That was the point that I was trying to make . . . I guess not very well! I'm with you on all of this! And I too will be that ripe old age of 42 when my youngest is 5. Geezers! :o)

We introduced foods earlier than the current "recommended" ages - though we held off on starting solids until he was 6 months old and didn't do a whole lot of cereals. He didn't get honey until the recommended age but he was eating crab and shrimp early. He tries literally EVERYTHING before he decides if he likes it or not, and usually tries things more than once. We have found very few foods that he DOESN'T like (olives are one). This kid loves his broccoli, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn ... bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, clemantines, ALL berries, SUSHI, Indian foods, venison, buffalo, chicken, pork etc. He usually prefers to drink milk or juice but does sometimes have soda. He sometimes gets ice cream for breakfast, but with the rest of his diet being so darn HEALTHY who cares?

My mother was allergic to strawberries and iodine. She could eat crabs and lobster, but she couldn't handle the shells or her palms and the soles of her feet would break out. She also was allergic to bacitracin (the combination of the two of us having that same allergy is literally 1 in a million) and the heavy medical tape. My sister having the milk allergy was hard since in her first couple of years of school the school only had milk or the high fructose corn syrup off the mixed fruit to give her to drink, so guess which one SHE had at lunch time? And my mother breast-fed all three of her children. (and all but the youngest of her grandchildren was breast-fed).

I know that part of the issues lately has been the over-antibacterial everything and the overuse of antibiotics for everything. Viruses do NOT respond to antibiotics, but many parents insisted that their doctors and pediatricians provide the medication for colds and 'flu. This has given rise to "super bugs". I wonder if the same mechanism is to blame for the higher rates of food allergies. I wonder also how much these things have to do with the rising rates of autism spectrum disorders...

Hah, schools in my area (both alternative and public) already ban tree nuts and peanuts. When I was still in school we had an 'allergy' table for kids with allergies in our lunchroom. My class alone had two kids with allergies (one had egg and lactose, the other just nuts)... I remember our post-lunch routine was to get those sanitizing wipes and wipe down our desks, and we lined up at the teacher's desk for squirts of hand sanitizer upon returning to class.

Now, I hear tree nuts and peanuts are banned altogether, since apparently a child died even though they were at the special table, and I assume the class he/she was in did the sanitizing routine too. It's crazy, really

An allergy is a disability. It represents the inability to eat a certain food. If a child in a wheelchair decides to wheel his or herself down the stairs, does that mean all stairs should be removed from the school and the able-bodied children should be forced to walk down 4 flights of ramps?

I don't recall saying that all babies born to women over 35 have food allergies, so while I appreciate the stories about "my mom was 37 and I was fine" it doesn't change the fact that having a baby (especially your first one) at 35+ increases the likelihood of a multitude of issues.

While I'm sure it's very convenient for the mother to have her house purchased and college loans paid off before she has a child, she is exposing the child to these increased risks by waiting. I'm sure it's lovely to have an extra ten years of freedom and travelling after marriage before you have a child, but at the same time, you are accepting unnecessary risks for a baby who's done nothing to deserve it. I don't believe every child in the school shouldn't have to pay for these mothers' life decisions.

From WebMD: The traditional age at which a woman is considered to be at high risk for chromosomal abnormalities is 35. Approximately 1 in 1,400 babies born from women in their 20's have Down syndrome; it increases to about 1 in 100 babies born with Down syndrome from women in their 40s. Studies show that the risk of miscarriage (loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation) is 12% to 15% for women in their 20s and rises to about 25% for women at age 40. About 12 percent of U.S. babies are born preterm. The older a woman is, the higher her risk for preterm delivery. Women over 35 are 20 percent more likely to deliver preterm.

I don't know where to start dmama!

I am 35 and do not yet have children because I am not yet married. I'm sure if I had children already, someone would be yelling at me for having a child "out of wedlock." or if I married the wrong man and got divorced for "lessening the sanctity of marriage." When I have children is none of your business.

Yes, there are more risks for having babies later, but allergies-what this article is actually about, has NOT been linked to it. No other children have to "pay" for any choices a mother makes as to when to have a child.

Your comparison to a ramp has no place as not having a ramp poses no risk of death to a child in a wheelchair.

The "suffering" of not having peanuts...really? Not quite the same thing as kids walking down 4 floors of ramps....I agree that children with allergies need to be aware of their allergy and know when an environment is not safe. However, if sending a PB&J sandwhich with my child could KILL another child in his class-I think I could find my way to send them in with tuna instead without too much damage to me or them. What lesson is that sending? That not killing someone is a good thing and worth the miniscule sacrifice of enjoying peanut filled treats at home!

An allergy is a disability. It represents the inability to eat a certain food. If a child in a wheelchair decides to wheel his or herself down the stairs, does that mean all stairs should be removed from the school and the able-bodied children should be forced to walk down 4 flights of ramps?

How is walking down a ramp (versus stairs) harming the other children? Although to be fair, your analogy doesn't really work, since ADA laws require multi-storied public buildings to have elevators.

While I'm sure it's very convenient for the mother to have her house purchased and college loans paid off before she has a child, she is exposing the child to these increased risks by waiting. I'm sure it's lovely to have an extra ten years of freedom and travelling after marriage before you have a child, but at the same time, you are accepting unnecessary risks for a baby who's done nothing to deserve it. I don't believe every child in the school shouldn't have to pay for these mothers' life decisions.

It would have been much more convenient for me to have been married before I turned 32, if I'd been able to get pregnant the first several years after the wedding, and if my two miscarriages before age 35 had gone to term. However, when my son was born I was the "ripe old age" of 36. Sorry if you don't approve, but it's really not any of your business at what age others choose to become parents.

And for the record, my 6-year old is perfectly healthy, other than the occasional cold.

Well said. I'm 33, and am trying to savethe 2,000.00 I need for my second try at pregnancy through IUI. I will most likely be at least 34 or 35 by the time I try a second time. I hate, hate, hate people telling me what and when Ishould do because some person somewhere out of thousands or hundreds had something bad happen when they had a child past a certain age.

I care less about offending women who wanted to be single longer, or were holding off to find "Mr. Right", or were more interested in paying down their mortgage than getting pregnant at 25. I care more about the babies who are born to mothers who waited this long and now have to suffer the consequences themselves. I care more about the 5 year old whose mom will be dead long before he or she gets married and has children of their own, since apparently 35 is the "right" age now.

Many OBs would agree with me regardless of whether every 35 and 40 year old mom of a toddler on here does.

I don't want to sound like cold-hearted b****, but the reason women are having to have fertility treatments after 35 is because your body isn't meant to be having babies at that age.

It's not cold-hearted, catjmj, it's reality.

At age 25, a woman has a 1 in 1,250 risk of having a baby with Down's syndrome. At age 40, the likelihood skyrockets to 1 in 100.

Women over 35 have a higher risk for premature birth which can be the cause of lifelong disabilities.

What I don't understand is this:

If someone who has smoked cigarettes for 20 years gets lung cancer, people say "it's horrible but they knew the risk and they made that decision"...

but if a woman waits until she's 40 to have her first baby and then the child has a medical issue related to mothers over 35, we say "this is terrible, but she needed to finish her Masters and get the car paid off so it's not her fault"?

I care less about offending women who wanted to be single longer, or were holding off to find "Mr. Right", or were more interested in paying down their mortgage than getting pregnant at 25.

Wow, judgemental much? So in your mind I shouldn't be allowed to have a baby past 25, because I didn't meet the right guy until I was 30? I should have settled for "Mr. He'll Do For Now Because I Don't Want dmama122 To Think I'm Irresponsible".

Perhaps I should have gotten pregnant at 25 when I was single, working my way through college and had two roommates. That makes much more sense. //sarc

I care more about the babies who are born to mothers who waited this long and now have to suffer the consequences themselves.

My son is healthy...or did you simply "conveniently" ignore that part of my post? Most babies born to women between 35 and 40 are perfectly healthy. Sure, the risks of things like Down Syndrom increase, but that's still a small minority of babies. And even if my son had been born with health issues, I would still be just as thankful for him as I am now.

In addition, my son has the added advantage of having a stable, happy home life (since I did actually wait for Mr. Right), financial security, so we can provide him with all the things he needs, the benefits of mature parents who have wisdom that can only come with life experience, and most importantly, love.

Since you profess to care so much about my child (and all the rest of the poor, deprived kids born to selfish moms like me), I thought you would be relieved to hear that.

I care more about the 5 year old whose mom will be dead long before he or she gets married and has children of their own, since apparently 35 is the "right" age now.

So if my son gets married at 25 (which is apparently the perfect age), that would make me 61. Do you know something I don't? Because I don't plan on being dead at 61.

Many OBs would agree with me regardless of whether every 35 and 40 year old mom of a toddler on here does.

And many other OB's (including my own) would agree that not only is it the woman's choice to become pregnant at 35, but that it's fine to do so.

Fedupwithliberals, I don't care what you do and your choices are your own. You shouldn't only read tiny portions of what people say but expect people to read your defensive rantings end to end. Your posts are very angry considering there are about a million opinions on here and no one knows you.

I don't understand why you keep pointing out that your son is healthy. Of course he is. Obviously even when your chances are 1 in 100, you're still more likely to have a healthy baby than an unhealthy one. 99 of those 100 are. It doesn't change the fact that by waiting an additional 10 years you increased his chances at being sick tenfold. You rolled the dice, that's cool, you win.

If your son gets married at 35 (as your husband probably was when you married him) then you will be 71. How fast will you be chasing your grandkids in your mid-70's?

I fail to see how anyone's ability to play with their grandchildren in their 70's is dmama's business or has anything to do with this article as allergies are not attributed to the age of the mother.

The point of this story is that schools must be more educated on how to identify and treat children with food allergies considering there was a plan in place that the school did not follow as they did not recognize it as an allergic attack. With so many children having food allergies today, this seems like a reasonable expectation.

This child had a swollen toungue and the school knew she had allergies. How they did not recoginize it as an allergic attack is beyond me as it seems obvious-but clearly there was a glitch somewhere. There was a plan, and the school failed to implement it. The reasons must be investigated and addressed to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Uchusky99 the mother of this child did not have a plan in place nor did she have a prescribed EpiPen stored at the school. 635 other parents in the district *did* have a plan and medication in place with the school.

The reason the school did not administer the EpiPen is because the parent did not provide the medication and appropriate documents. The school didn't fail this girl; her parents were careless.

Several children in my daughter's class have severe peanut allergies and their parents have medication and doctor's orders on file with the school. That is a 3 hour a day nursery school so there's really no excuse why a parent whose child is in a full-day first grade class wouldn't have taken the appropriate steps to make sure that medication was available.

The school is not a hospital, they're lucky if they have nurses let alone doctors, it isn't their job or their place to diagnose children who don't have a specific medical plan or medication on file.

dmama122, the mother did too have a plan, since the school would not allow her to provide an epi for her child she gave them permission to administer benadryl, which they did not do.

dmama, the mom did have a plan (cat has given that info many time over) and did offer an Epi Pen (which was refused by the school)

A family member of mine had her first at 42.

So again, if something happens, you would preffer that I just stand back until the ambulance comes ? No first aid, no CPR, no epi-pen ? BTW - administering first aid is NOT a practicing medicine without a license.

If the child has a medical issue, there are steps the parents can (and obviously should) take to prevent such a tragedy. Most, if not all, schools have some sort of system by which the student has access to needed medications, such as an Epi-pen or inhaler. If so, the school generally has the authority to administer said drugs. And no one has said that first aid/CPR can't be administered. It's prescription drugs we're talking about here - drugs with potentially fatal side-effects if improperly administered. Epinephrine can cause cardiac arrest if there is an underlying heart issue.

Yes, epineprine can cause cardiac arrest in there is an underlying heart issue. Then again, if parents know their child has a heart issue, I should know. Because in a case of anaphylactic shock, the epi-pen is the only first aid I would have. And all things considered it is a pretty great first aid. It is not hard to administer - they also come with trainers - and anaphylic shocks are pretty telling. And again - first aid itself has a potential for being fatal if improperly performed - even if administered by proffesionals. There are no guarantees. That is why a good samaritan law was put in place. And again, we are talking about life threatning situation in which EVERY SECOND counts. When child is having a reaction and he enters the point of not breathing, there is nothing but epi-pen I can do for him- short of cutting a hole in his throat and inserting a straw in there . I would much rather use the epi-pen. And as a parent as well, I rather take chances of my children´s teacher to administer the wrong treatment then just stand there while my kids are dying.

ArbyH

So again, if something happens, you would preffer that I just stand back until the ambulance comes ? No first aid, no CPR, no epi-pen ? BTW - administering first aid is NOT a practicing medicine without a license.

You're right, administering first aid isn't practicing medicine without a license, but administering a prescription drug/controlled substance to a person who it was not prescribed for IS. You're comparing apples to oranges. There's a HUGE difference between providing basic first aid or CPR and administering medication based upon what you, as a medically untrained person, think may be happening to the person you're "treating".

I have severe food allergies myself and carry an EpiPen. I hope I never have to use it, because the side effects of epinephrine are terrible, even when it's been administered in response to an allergic reaction. It is a controlled substance and requires a physician's prescription for a reason--if incorrectly administered, death can result. It should not fall to school administrators and teachers to diagnose and treat a severe allergic reaction. All of the people on this board who say that allergic reactions show different symptoms for different people are absolutely correct. I have had several different "types" of allergic episodes where the symptoms were not the same. EpiPens aren't Tylenol and shouldn't be handed out as such.

I feel badly for this family. If the school did in fact have a "treatment" plan with prescribed medications on hand for this girl, then they acted negligently. If not, the negligence falls to the family/parents.

mmr - I had anaphylactic reaction first time when I was 26, carry epi-pen ever since. Had to use it once, saved my life, no horrible side effect. Actually, most of the side effect of epi-pen are not severe and go away quickly. You know, when my husband called 911 for me , the first thing the operator said was : " Does anybody there has epi-pen?" I am not advocating going around administering epi-pens at every whim. What am I saying is that in case of not breathing due to the anaphylexis - which btw shows the same in all people, the epi-pen is the only first aid I have - short of cutting a hole in child´s throat and inserting a straw there to act as a breathing tube. I would rather administer the epi-pen. And as I teacher I feel I have a responsibility to administer first aid to the children. If I am not 100% sure it is anaphylexis, I would not administer epi-pen.

Arby--while I have not used my EpiPen, I HAVE been dosed with epinephrine in an ER. My side effects were terrible and created a situation in which I would have been in trouble if not already in a hospital. I carry a child's EpiPen because my body can't handle a larger dosage. It's not the same for everyone. And yes, anaphylaxis can look the same in most people, but not everyone, especially children. I commend you for wanting to take responsibility for the children you teach!! You also seem to have a better handle on the use of epinephrine than a lot of other people because you have suffered severe allergic reactions in the past. However, that's not the case for the majority of school administrators and teachers (because anaphylactic reactions aren't the norm in society, they're certainly not going to be the norm among a subset of people, in this case, adults working in any particular school). Having EpiPens available for a person not trained or experienced in allergic reactions just isn't smart, in my opinion. There can be detrimental side effects, which would leave the schools (and by extension, taxpayers) open to lawsuits, not to mention the possibility for harm to the child.

mmr - in ER - have you received the epinephrine via IV ? Because that makes a big difference. EpiPens are administered into your thigh and side effects from these "shots" - even if used on people who do not need them are generaly mild and go away quickly. I also firmly believe all teacher should have first aid and CPR training. As for recognizing anaphylaxis, I was tought in my classes, to look for swollen tongue and/or airways - because no matter what the cause,in order to be able to give that person/child a chance to survive, you administer EpiPen. Or cut a hole in their throat and insert a straw to act as breathing tube.

Actually you have to be MAT certified to administer an EPIPEN.

Do people just make stuff up on here or bother check their facts? Use google if you need to.

You do NOT need special certification to administer an EPI-PEN (prescribe, yes...but not administer).

Yes, but don't you think it's better to choose the "sued but child is still alive" route?

Local coverage of this implies the parent attempted to supply the school with an epi-pen and was told to keep it at home. I have not read much more about it, but on first glance it seems that both the school and parent were a little casual about care for this precious girl.

I'd be weary of this local coverage, unless there are facts. I have never heard of a school telling a parent to leave essential, life-saving medicine for a child at home. Epi-pens in public schools are not unusual, since there's been a rise in peanut/tree nut allergies over the last decade. Epi-pens are child-specific, as well.

@Appalled I read that too and as an adult with peanut allergies I was beyond pissed. If it this is true and I was mom I would have raised hell until they agreed or would have told the school system I want my child in another school that would allow me to bring in the life saving medication.

I don't think they should have the just laying around the school for child that don't have allergies because of lawsuits but it should be mandatory for children with known allergies especially if they are really sever.

Glenda I guess you don't know all the facts, then. This mother had a plan in place at the school, attempted to give them an epi-pen, and was told it had to be left at home. Then benadryl was supposed to be given in case of an episode. The school didn't give the benadryl and is backpeddling. If I was the mom, I would have insisted on the epi-pen being on-site. There is a lot left out of the article above and local coverage has more detail. I am not local but this is where I grew up.

And what if a school nurse has not been budgeted? In this economy, that's not unlikely.

Oh, I'm sure a school nurse isn't in the budget, but I think this is a good example of why they are needed. Because, I agree that teachers aren't properly trained to handle these kinds of situations.

I doubt very seriously they would cut out the school nurse from the budget. That is a necessity in every school. I work with RNs who are also school nurses during the week and the amount of kids that are "sick" or hurt everyday is overwhelming. Regular teaching and office staff cannot handle the load, and besides that, you need someone licensed to dispense meds.

Mother of Two, we do not have a school nurse at our school. The PTA parents volunteer for shifts in the infirmary. No meds are given, except to children who have doctor's notes and prescriptions with instructions and a signed order from the parents - and those doses are given by a school administrator, not a volunteer.