Peanut Allergy Protest a 'Misunderstanding,' Florida School District Says

if the parents are so concerned they should homeschool their daughter. her allergy is not a disability and the school district should not discriminate against the other students to accomodate her. this is clearly infringing on the classrm time and their ability to learn. send her to school with an epi pen if you are so concerned.

then this girl belongs in a bubble like that bubble boy movie or homeschooled.

I am a teacher and a mom and have had to deal w a lot of the problems listed. Here is my question. How does this child exist in the real world? Does she NEVER go in a grocery store, gas station, mall, amusement park, regular park, or sporting event? All of these events have peanuts and people that have eaten peanuts. Can she NEVER visit a friends house where there might be peanuts or peanut butter? I am not being mean. I really want the answer and no one has every been able to answer it. I feel really bad for people w a peanut allergy because it is almost like being allergic to air.

Rocky........Are you for real???????????????
I stand by my comments. You said that you are against the politically correct behavior but your words tell a different story.This person's allergies are not the fault of the other students and it is the responsibility of the child and the parents to make the accomodations;.I do not believe that society is responsible for a person"s mental or physical limitations that occurred by birth.I did not create the world's problems and I should not be held responsible for solving them.

OMG you must be retarded those comparisons you made are plain stupid. The parents of that kid are obviously not wanting to admit that they have a special needs child. They cannot realistically expect a regular school to accomodate them. Clearly they need to enroll her in a facility that can, but Of course the publicity gives them a chance to make national news and gain certain celebrity status. Perhaps this is a set up towards a frivolous and baseless lawsuit they are planning? Whatever the case those people are just selfish in expecting everyone elses's child to cut time off their schedule just to make special exceptios for their child.....Un believable.

I agree with lanlov63 mostly. If my child was that sick where other students would need to wash out mouths, my child would be wearing a surgerical mask not only to school but everywhere outside my house. She would be educated on what not to eat and how to handle situations where ever she went. Sounds like the parents of that young girl need to be educated, it's not against her, it's the catering to a point of hurting her and not teaching her how to live among everyone outside her home.

Why force whole groups of children to change their behavior when it's as simple as having the affected child(ren) wear gloves and breathing masks? It's their disability, not the rest of the school. That is a reasonable accomodation the parents can make to ensure their child's safety. Accomodation goes both ways.

Peanut sniffing dogs?! Washing hands is healthy hygiene. This student should be home schooled anyway as she is going to be an outcast at too young an age. What the school is doing is obeying some politically correct law that ensures this handicapped child is protected. Nancy Wait is doing her job so she can keep it. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what is allowed and what is not. I don't blame the other parents for protesting.

Walter, you are such an unbelievably ugly person.

As for the parents who protested, perhaps some of them really weren't cognizant of the true import of the little girl's situation. But I fault them too for being so quick to claim their rights. You know what? Not everything is about one's rights; sometimes you need to be a little altruistic and try to look beyond your nose. These parents could have turned this into a teachable moment for their own kids to teach them about being caring and considerate towards others. Instead, they have set an ugly example. Really, if the parents cannot behave with civility and consideration it's hard to expect their kids to do the same when they grow up.

OMG is so right......what is the alternative for this little girl???Death...?????would these parents that are protesting feel better....????...this infuriates me......can we not go above and beyond for our children's education once in a while????.......I bet if you were to ask most of her classmates....they aren't bothered by having to do this....and.....isn't hand washing that mite not otherwise be occurring....not a good thing???......Personally I think these parents have nothing better to do......Just hoping their children never need anyone to go above and beyond for them.....how is it these parents could rightfully expect it?????

Actually, her allergy *is* a disability, and as such is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

From the ADA web site:

Does the ADA Apply to People with Asthma and Allergies?
Yes. In both the ADA and Section 504, a person with a disability is described as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or is regarded as having such impairments. Breathing, eating, working and going to school are "major life activities." Asthma and allergies are still considered disabilities under the ADA, even if symptoms are controlled by medication.

For those of you who say this child should be sent to a separate facility, that would be in direct violation of Title II of the ADA: "Public accommodations must comply with basic nondiscrimination requirements that prohibit exclusion, segregation, and unequal treatment."

Schools *are* a public accommodation, and people with disabilities--including severe allergies--have a right to equal access to them.

I hope that someday you become disabled and experience what it is like.

This is life threatening! And if you find washing hands and wiping mouths to save a life "problematic", I would hate to see the hygiene of people around you! Is showering too "problematic" so you or your co-workers don't smell at work????

Washing hands is punishment?? Really??

How is extra hand washing punishment? This young child's LIFE is at stake. I wonder what the protesting parents would think if it was their own child with this LIFE THREATENING allergy. Geesh. Another reason why I HATE PEOPLE (ESP TODAY'S PARENTS)!!! Always whining about something. Maybe they need to go to one of these third world countries where EDUCATION IS AT A PREMIUM. Maybe, just maybe, they'll get the point that you cannot protest everything. If I were that child's parent, I'd pull my child from school and have the state pay for an at home tutor.

Great teaching moment for the other children. Be considerate of others who are less fortunate than you, or tell them to go to #$!!. Maybe the other shoe will drop and one of these nasty, self righteous parents will end up with their own child having something devastating happen. Hopefully when it happens to them, karma won't bite them.

it is a punishment because it takes away from the other childrens educational time. maybe the class would have time for snack if they weren't spending that 15 min washing faces and hands. maybe they would have time for math. the article says it takes half an hour for these procedures. if you take out lunch, recess and specials the average elementary student only has 4 hours of instruction as it is. there is a reason our children perform worse than those in other countries. If her allery is indeed that bad perhaps she should have a teacher come to her home at the district expense.

Being "PUNISHED??" Are you all kidding me? Obviously you do not know of anyone with any of these severe allergies and I am sure if you did you wouldn't be making any of these comments. A child could die if they were to be exposed to this and its all about practicing good hygiene for kids too.. Obviously you weren't taught any of that when you were a child. I hope for your sake and stupidity no one in your family will ever have such an allergy.

I love it! So we will help other children in this world that have suffered from a tsunami or other diasters but not a child that suffers from a life threatening allergy and in our own community? And I am sorry...what did you say about them being normal? It doesn't make them normal that they can't eat peanut butter? What is normal? Does anyone cook anymore or is peanut butter and jelly sanwhices the only thing people can make for lunch for their kids these days? No wonder we have such a high obesity rate in America! And can't you give that to them when they come home for a snack or is school time the only time they can have peanut butter? So if you can't relate to having a child with allergies you don't care and do not want to be bothered with it eh? Maybe they should just home school or put their child in a room by themselves all day? Wow what a world we live in with so much compassion for our neighbors. But beware of Karma my friend! Seriously, why would you say what you did? Compassion...., you don't even know the whole story to be so opinionated and we are talking about a child. This must have ruined your day huh?

If indeed this is life threatening then this student should not be in school. Should a child with a disability have more rights than a child who does not? These situations overwhelm the other students, the teachers and yes, the taxpayers! I worked in the special education department of a middle school for 5 years and I was appalled at the accommodations and expense that a small number of students are legally required to receive, while the majority of students, many who also struggle but do not have a so called "learning disability" were left to languish on their own. It seems that what people with disabilities now desire is not to be given equal treatment and opportunities but to be given special treatment and opportunities and accomodations that others do not receive and they also want the already overburdened taxpayers to foot the bill.