What will school actually be able to do about this?

[NotGettingRidOfPetsPlease]

DC aged 8 Y4, new pupil joining the class.

The child is so allergic to cats and dogs fur that they have been hospitalised with it according to the mum and they can’t even put up with a small amount of fur on someone on the other side of the classroom, this is apparently the reason they left the last school because of the schools lack of doing anything about it – they live on our street and I gave school permission for my details to be passed on.

The mum is obviously very worried about their DC starting a new school and class and asked me if I know about pets within the class.

I have pets, as does DCs dad. DC has SN, and the animals in both homes are brilliant at helping to regulate emotions and also with their social skills as we do dog parties and obedience training.

I know the teacher has a couple of pets, and of DCs immediate group of friends (6 DC) I only know one without either a cat or dog or both. Then in the wider class I know around 50% have pets, its just the way it is.

The mum of the DC says they left the last school because the Headteacher “refused to keep their DC safe when in class” she said she expected her DC to be in a class with only DC who didn’t have pets and they couldn’t guarantee this so they changed schools.

Apparently they’ve had assurances from the HT that their DC will be safe in class.

The mum doesn’t know we have pets and has not met my DC yet as DC has been with their dad for the last week (home now).

Bar asking for clean unpethaired uniform and asking us to lint roller/change the uniform if it does come into contact with a pet, I don’t see what else the HT can expect. Unless she’s expecting 14/15 families (possibly more due to separated parents) plus the teacher to rehome their animals? Which I don’t think she would ask anyway.

I’m worrying about this though, I don’t want my DC to feel pressured to get rid of their pet due to their classmate – which they would ask of me/ExH due to their SN, they love everyone and wouldn’t want someone to suffer.

So what else can the parent expect the HT to do? And do I need to be worried that I might be expected to get rid of our dog?

We have 2 local cats that seem to think our playground is their kingdom. They seemingly love the attention from the children and are known to appear in classrooms if you leave the door open!

Clearly if this child has allergies to this extent, they can't attend mainstream school. Or go to many places in general ? Must be an awful situation to be in but how is this kid ever going to function in society ?

Yes and you can all say yes you’ll do your best. In reality this isn’t going to happen.

That email is ridiculous. I'm a teacher and wouldn't be able to follow that myself. I have to feed my kitten etc before I leave for work. My daughter eats her breakfast in the same room as it etc . Totally unworkable.

This is so ridiculous it can’t be real. How on earth has this child survived up until now? The mother must keep the child in a clean room 24hrs a day or the whole family must never leave the house because there is animal dander everywhere. Any public place has the potential to kill the child because other people who have pets may have dropped hair.

reading your message again the idea that kids can be stopped from stroking pets when in uniform is quite ridiculous.

yes they can ask parents to comply but very few will.

I think it’s reasonable to formally let them know that you have DPets. The parent needs to know that more than half the class have pets.

I wouldn't even reply. Quite frankly, it's nobody's business but mine if I have pets or not.
As pps have said, if the child is that bad, they shouldn't even BE in a school.

Actually thinking about it, what would they do with the information if folk DID tell them they had pets? Give said child a list of other children to avoid, or something?

Nonsense. You are worried about something that will never happened. Sounds like hysteria over Chinese whispers

My dog is my baby and I wouldn't give her up for anything. They wouldn't suggest this. Sounds like the mum has made an assumption about the HT wording.

What about all the teachers and TAs they don’t get home and change immediately. My two children, me and my car and school bags are covered in dog hair. Covered. More hair on the carpets than the dogs.

They will just to try and see. Playtime, lunch time etc moving and playing etc

it might be they need a medical TA.

Sorry just seen update. I would email her back a brief message saying it will not be possible for my children to stay away from my family dog when they are in their uniforms.... Goodbye...End of

I'm not wondering how the child got on in previous schools. I'm wondering how they get on in the world. Shops, GP surgeries, dentists, parks, soft play, etc

The family needs to be investigating allergy pills/jabs/other preventative measures for their own child, not demanding the rest of the world give up/not touch their pets.

It's completely inappropriate to ask anyone to rehome their pets, you DC needs them to regulate their emotions/moods, so your pets are assistance pets. I have dogs, I used to be very allergic but I've grown out of it, thankfully. Anyways, my dogs are as much my family as my kids are. Better behaved too, lol! So pls stop fretting over this.

The DC with the severe allergy may expect to be accommodated, but schools arent set up for this. It's the same if someone with 21st century allergies or daylight allergy applied to a school, they can't be accommodated.

I don't know what assurances school has given but if 50% of the class plus the teach have pets, short of providing the child with their own micro environment it's hard to guess what they have in mind.

I feel bad for the child with allergies, maybe his/her parents need to get him/her into the Kings College programme that desensitises these deadly allergies or on meds that help. The alternative is the child uses appropriate PPE depending upon how they react to pet danda.

Good luck OP x

We had this situation at our school, the school got a therapy dog….it was blamed for a flare up in a child’s allergies, ended up in the media and she left the school (even though the school offered to remove the dog until a longer term solution could be found for her) It was really sad as she loved the school and had a lot of friends.

The thing is, where we are, everyone has a pet of one sort or another - dogs, cats, Guinea pigs etc. You just can’t limit children’s contact to pets in the home, it can only really be a ‘best efforts’ basis. As people say, if the allergies are that bad, th child needs to be homeschooled. If they are not, they need to be managed with anti-histamines where needed, and a best efforts approach by all.

Please don’t feel under pressure to get rid of you pet OP, I’m sure the school would never even think of suggesting it x

That's fair...and also useless, to some degree. On a bright, sunny day, when the sun shines directly in my windows, I can occasionally spot a cat hair floating gently on the air currents, riding along happily to some new resting spot. Dog hair does the same thing. Even having your child unwrap a hermetically sealed bag containing the clean uniform and LEAP into it as s/he heads out the door won't guarantee that there will not be a random hair here and there.

If that new child is that violently allergic to animal hair, there's probably a good case to be made for homeschooling, or a tutor to visit. And they really should be considering the injections to help reduce the severity of the allergies. Either way, it is not the responsibility of every other child in the school.

Of course you’re not going to have to get rid of your dog, are you bonkers?

Of course nobody will be expected to re home their pet. If this severe allergy can’t be controlled by medication the poor kid will never be able to live a normal life.
it’s not like asking parents not to give their children nuts in their packed lunches for a nut allergic pupil.

You can’t avoid pet hair on clothes in life, you can minimise it but not eliminate it.
I suspect she’s a bit hysterical. I say this as mother to a child that carries epipens for severe allergies.

This is how the parents who got the email (was it the whole school? Because as others have pointed out, if the child's allergy is THAT severe they're going to be affected in other areas) will react:

1. A few will make an effort for quite a while and then give up
2. Some will make an effort for up to a week and then give up
3. Many won't bother at all. Actually getting their children and themselves ready and out the door on time is a job in itself without this on top.

Besides which, as many have said, it's impossible.

Of course you are not going to be asked to get rid of your dog/cat/hamster. Why would you believe otherwise, how bizarre! If this is truly this child’s need, then homeschooling is the only option.

It's the sort of thing I'd think I would try and make the effort until the reality of trying to get the DC out of the door happens and it just ends up bottom of my thoughts process.

It's just not workable. You can't keep children away from their pets. And often you can't keep the pets away from the children. Child is told not to stroke pet once they have their uniform on - a cat isn't going to stick to that rule - cat wants a cuddle and goes up to the child. What are you supposed to say? "Hey, cat, don't go near child when she is wearing this uniform". Cat: "fuck that".

It will be too disruptive to many families routines and a lot of people just won't be able to manage it.
I also wouldn't be happy about having to provide information about whether we had pets or not. What are they going to do with that information? Rejig all the classes and cause a lot of disruption of potentially 59 children (thinking of two parallel classes 30 children in each) who are already established in those classes and friendship groups and all based on whether they have a pet or not?

Schools absolutely should try to accommodate children with allergies and make adjustments, but not when so many children are going to be disrupted because of one child, whose allergy is so severe that perhaps home-schooling would be a much better idea.

The school can't dictate when, where and how you handle your pets!!! The onus is on the mother to keep her child as safe as possible.

If the girl was that allergic she would carry an epi pen and if adjustments were needed they should have been put in place before she started.

anything happens since?

i thin its just tcover their back theres no way you can keep pet hair away from anything in yur home-dh used to find cat hair on his clothes that the cat never went near-impossible