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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Year 2 teacher not acknowledging my child's allergy!

126 replies

101waystoworry · 15/03/2018 09:28

Hey guys, I am really not sure what to do here! My DD is in year 2, she is very allergic to chicks, she cannot touch them at all. Yesterday they had some chicks in class, parents were not informed, and DD was told by her teacher that she was fine to pick them up, ect. Luckily she was ok, last time she was incredibly poorly. I don't understand why the children's notes where not checked, surely teachers are meant to check when doing a safeguarding check?
I spoke to him this morning and he did not apologise, he just stated the children all washed their hands after!! This is the second time the class has not looked after her properly, last month at the end of the day, they lost DD and to make it worse they didn't even notice. She had gone off with her friend! ( I have spoken to her about this obviously and she understands this was wrong) My friend notice her and took her back to school! So AIBU to be worried they are not safeguarding properly? Would I be unreasonable to write an email to the head expressing this worry? I am at a loss at how someone could be so unbothered about an allergy!

OP posts:
Eltonjohnssyrup · 15/03/2018 11:54

Have you given them medical evidence of the allergy? You have to do that at my DS’s school to get it dealt with. They were getting so many spurious ‘allergies’ reported that it was having a detrimental effect on children with serious allergies so they won’t do anything without medical evidence.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 15/03/2018 11:55

I think they give you a couple of weeks to get the evidence in and send you a few reminders but if you don’t reply it’s shelved.

Fruitcocktail6 · 15/03/2018 11:59

Is it a diagnosed allergy? She could've picked up a bug or something the chick at nursery was carrying, they are farm yard animals.

Original poster
101waystoworry · 15/03/2018 12:02

The school have never asked for evidence.

OP posts:
feathermucker · 15/03/2018 12:04

She ISN'T 'very' allergic to chicks if she touched one and was fine. If she was very allergic, she'd have had a reaction.

The teacher's reaction was fine as nothing had happened to your daughter.....no reaction.

feathermucker · 15/03/2018 12:05

Had her and her friend left the school grounds?

GinIsIn · 15/03/2018 12:06

Did the school have documentation of said allergy? Are you sure she had an allergy at all and didn’t just happen to be ill when the chicks were at nursery? Being allergic specifically to chicks isn’t a thing, by the way - she could have an allergy to birds/feathers but not just to chicks....

Gemini69 · 15/03/2018 12:10

never heard of a Chick allergy ...

Lunde · 15/03/2018 12:12

Feather allergies aren't unusual surely? I am surprised at some of the questioning here

I would be unhappy if a school was exposing my child to potential allergens - they could not have known that she would be OK beforehand. Also letting 2 year 2s walk off school premises sounds bad.

I would be contacting the head

DesignedForLife · 15/03/2018 12:12

Our school you have to give evidence of allergy. There are some who claim allergies but are just fussy and they make it worse for allergy sufferers.

I'd follow up with the school, wouldn't go all guns blazing tbh as it sounds like your daughter may have outgrown the reactions. But to be honest you really should ask for allergy testing, as yes it is possible to be allergic to certain animal danders and feathers, (horse dander and some cat dander makes me asthmatic, but only when there's a lot of it) but you need to know for sure so you can get some antihistamines to keep handy.

I'd be really raising a racket over the school loosing two 6 year olds.

GinIsIn · 15/03/2018 12:12

@Lunde but the OP hasn’t said a feather allergy, hence people asking

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 15/03/2018 12:12

Allergic to chicks Grin. She clearly isn't, so what on earth is your problem? How do you know the last time your dd was incredibly poorly was because she'd been exposed to a chick?!
Did a medical professional do an allergy test?

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 15/03/2018 12:15

How did she go off with her friend after school? Surely the friend's mum was there also, didn't she enquire why your dd appeared to be tagging along? And where were you?

upsideup · 15/03/2018 12:15

She ISN'T 'very' allergic to chicks if she touched one and was fine. If she was very allergic, she'd have had a reaction.

The teacher's reaction was fine as nothing had happened to your daughter.....no reaction.

The school are really lucky that she proberly isnt actually allergic to chicks or has at least grown out of the allerfy.
But she could have had a serious reaction! The school were informed by the parents that she had a serious allergy to chicks, the failed to make adjustments for this.

feathermucker · 15/03/2018 12:16

Can you explain the circumstances surrounding the children leaving school premises?

What did the school say and did the girls leave the grounds?

Original poster
101waystoworry · 15/03/2018 12:23

Sorry I wasn't entirely clear, yes it was the feathers. I shall speak to the head nicely, I have no intention of getting angry eith anybody, I just want the children to be protected.

OP posts:
FairiesVsPixies · 15/03/2018 12:24

Whether or not OP's dd has an allergy, or outgrown etc is not the issue. The school has been told she has and yet they exposed her to the very thing she is supposedly allergic to. That is incredibly bad and I would definitely be complaining to the school.

Original poster
101waystoworry · 15/03/2018 12:24

Also, I will go and get an allergy test done. It is possible she has grown out of it as her last reaction was three years ago. She was definately allergic at that point, I have allergies myself and know what they look like!!

OP posts:
Willow2017 · 15/03/2018 12:30

The fact that she may have grown out of the allergy is neither here nor there. The FACT is that teacher was told she was allergic to birds yet she told her it was ok to pick one up. If she had had full blown anaphylaxis what would they have done?
A friend of mine had a mild reaction to a bee sting and thought no more of it then next time had the full on throat closing up, swelling etc and now carries an epu pen.
Its not up to the teacher to decide if someone is allergic to something or not, they are potentially playing with someone's life.
And losing kids is a whole different matter to investigate too.

martellandginger · 15/03/2018 12:30

Your child is Yr2 so 7 years old? they should know not to touch anything they are allergic to just like a 5 year old boy in DC class asks every single time about nuts, or products made in factories with nuts.

Losing a child is a whole different ball game, what if a stranger had taken her? again though at 7 years they surely know not to wander off.

Willow2017 · 15/03/2018 12:32

lama
Op clearly said her dd should have been taken to the hall for after school club. Obviously op was not there.

RideOn · 15/03/2018 12:39

My DC has a peanut allergy, also documented allergy to kiwi, 1 type of melon and 1 other nut. He has an epipen, antihistamine and inhaler in school.

I suspect he is allergic to peas also. He is 5yrs old. He has never had anaphylaxis to peas, possibly mild hives/cough with peas. At the last allergy clinic they didn't test this, they were ok with peas being used in our house, they also said we can test him eating well cooked peas at home. We havent, I don't see much point in doing that now and will wait until the next round of testing.

He is well able to say he won't be eating or holding peas! I have told school that I suspect he has a pea allergy. They havent added it to his notes. He doesnt get school dinners or snacks, there is a no nut policy in school. He knows he is unable to share lunch with other children.

On balance if he held some peas as part of a class project and didnt have a reaction, I would be OK with that level of risk, and not expect an apology. If he had reacted I would be ok too but have to insist on testing and a pea-free environment!

Overall IMO I think the allergy situation was reasonable. I wouldnt be happy for my DC to be outside school premises, unauthorised, for even a second! What happened then!

LagunaBubbles · 15/03/2018 12:42

Why all the sceptical sarcastic posts about chick allergies? If someone doesnt believe something report it.

never heard of a Chick allergy ...

A prime example. So you havent heard of it does that mean it doesnt exist? Hmm

LittleCandle · 15/03/2018 12:45

DD1 had a teacher in P2 who thought she knew more than me. So on taking the kids on a farm visit, she let DD1 pet and cuddle a lamb. Lovely. Except when DD1 broke out in hives all across her hands and face, her lips swelled and her eyes swelled shut. Given she knew DD1's allergy list, the teacher got shirty when I challenged her and asked how she would know DD1 was allergic to lambs. I asked her what she thought the lamb was covered in, since DD1 is highly allergic to wool (its the lanolin content as much as anything). her response? 'I never thought of that'. She was not a young woman and it had never occurred to her that lambs' coats were wool... I may have spoken loudly and at some length to her thereafter and I have to say, she was a damned sight more careful from that day on.

Sadly, we had another teacher who told me that allergies are 'not rocket science' when I went in to talk to her at the start of term, as DD1 was anxious about a brand new teacher who might not understand. She was right to be anxious. The teacher genuinely believed that allergies were all made up - right up until she made DD1 eat something that had nuts in it, after lying about the nuts, and I had to make an emergency dash to the hospital after the school had used their adrenalin pens.

You should indeed speak to the teacher, but as your DD was all right this time, don't go in with all guns blazing. Reserve that for total fuckwittery.

RideOn · 15/03/2018 12:46

The details above were supposed to ask how much action you have taken, eg is your house feather free? Have you spoke to the teacher about avoiding feathers in craft projects? Do you spend your time out wandering around fairs etc on high alert for feathers
(like I do but not for feathers!) if not then I think it puts what happened into the class into context.

If you are at the stage of having a feather free house and for example when you leave her at a club or party check that the room is feather free and know all the attendees are aware of this. Then I think it is the stage of going to a paediatrician to discuss testing.

I hope you understand the point I am making, I am not blaze about allergies.