The following was sent to us by a close friend whose child attends a public Bogalusa school. While we haven't researched this and therefore can't vouch for its accuracy, similar things have taken place in other school districts. I've added links where appropriate to aid understanding.
My son was recently diagnosed with a severe allergy to stings (wasp, hornet, bee) and was told by his pediatrician to carry an EpiPen at all times in case of a future sting. Minutes count.
Bogalusa Middle School claims that my child's EpiPen will need to be left with the nurse - who isn't always at the school. They also claim that the medication will be available because someone else has a key, but they didn't elaborate on what their procedure will be. They don't want him to carry it because it's sharp. Gee, so are pencils, pens and scissors, all standard school supplies.
I talked to a woman at the Bogalusa School Board also. She claims that she is also allergic to stings and carries an EpiPen. She said as long as my child gets the shot within 15 minutes, everything is fine. Ha! 15 minutes passes pretty quickly if he'll need to leave to find the right teacher, or go to the health center (which isn't always open). What if he's stopped by a teacher on the way? What if the nurse is out and the person with the key can't be located immediately?
She had no good answers.
I asked her if they could assure me that the EpiPen would be available within 15 minutes. She said they could not. Nice of them to treat his life so cavalierly! I asked her if she was aware that there is a diabetic student who carries all her supplies with her, including syringes with needles. She was not.
I don't think my son should go to school without guaranteed quick access to his EpiPen, and that means he ought to be allowed to carry it.
Catherine Seipp wrote possibly
the definitive article on children who need to carry asthma inhalers and the stupidity of school boards. Excerpt [emphasis ours]:
...Nancy Sander referred to the 1991 death of a New Orleans high school student, Catrina Lewis, who was delayed by security guards before being allowed to get her inhaler from the office. When it didn't help, she asked school staff to call an ambulance; instead they spent a half-hour trying to call her mother first. Catrina's sister, another student, finally called 911 herself, but emergency help arrived too late. In 1996, a New Orleans judge ordered Lawless High School's acting principal, a school counselor, and the school board to pay $1 million in damages to Catrina's family.
I wonder about several things:
1. Was the woman at the Bogalusa school board office a doctor? Or was she practicing medicine without a license?
2. Is she aware that the Louisiana State Board of Education's standard forms have a space for the prescribing physician to allow the student to carry their own medication?
3. Are they aware that public schools are
required to accommodate a student with a medical condition, or pay tuition if necessary for the student to attend a school that can accommodate them?
And that's just for starters. I'm sure they aren't aware of much except the pleasure they get out of playing with children's lives and saying No. Dumbasses.
