This story popped up on my Google Alerts this afternoon: Webutuck Student Rushed to Hospital. In Connecticut, an eighth grade student was having a life threatening allergic reaction during track practice after school. No one seemed to know what to do. The student actually managed to telephone his mother during the event and she called 911 for him. She rushed to the school and discovered that no one knew where the epipens were. It's a parent's nightmare.I don't like fear-mongering, but since I recently posted about schools that do not have nurses--particularly in the context of food allergic and asthmatic students--I thought this article would further drive home the point that parents of food allergic children (and other health conditions such as asthma or diabetes) need to consider whether a trained medical professional of some kind is on campus during all school activities should a medical emergency ever arise. It's a very serious problem.
2 comments:
My first question to my sons new school next year was "WHERE DO YOU KEEP THE EPI PENS"? They assured me that I can have one in every room he's in and he'll have one with him at all times. I still have a lot to do to get them ready to handle his allergies, but that was a huge relief lifted off my shoulders. It's a private school and we were fully prepared to put him in public with a 504 plan and IEP for food allergies if we needed to. Every school district is different but at least here, if you get a 504 plan, they will let you keep the EPI's in the same room and not locked in the nurses office.
Scary stuff that article!!!
Yes, huge problem! I also have insisted on EpiPens with my daughter at all times while she's at school--she carries them in a little bag and they are also in the health office.
Parents need to know this info--and it doesn't hurt to check up even after the plans are put in place. Teacher/Parent conferences are a great time to do this!
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