504 meeting tomorrow

Quote:Originally posted by iansmom:
I'm expecting some resistance from the nurse on having the EpiPens anywhere but in her office. She's alluded to a "policy" prohibiting meds anywhere but the nurse's office, so I'll be asking for a written copy of the policy, and pushing for an exception for Ian if the district won't change the policy across the board.

I'd ask for a copy of the School District policy. Alaska is listed as having legislation allowing a student to carry epi. Go here: [url="http://www.aanma.org/cityhall/ch_childrights.htm"]http://www.aanma.org/cityhall/ch_childrights.htm[/url] nad then click on Alaska to print out a copy of the law.

I remember valuable teacher conference time used to address allergy issues. I hope that you have the same conference as any other parent that focuses on your child's classroom performance, and not solely on PA. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

You might also want to print out and take with you the full copy of the American Academy of Asthma Allergy and Immunology's position statement on epinepherine:
[url="http://www.aaaai.org/media/resources/academy_statements/position_statements/ps34.asp"]http://www.aaaai.org/media/resources/academy_statements/position_statements/ps34.asp[/url]

[i]"Epinephrine should be kept in locations that are easily accessible and not in locked cupboards or drawers. All staff members should know these locations. Children old enough to self-administer epinephrine should carry their own kits. For younger children, the epinephrine device should be kept in the classroom and passed from teacher to teacher as the child moves through the school (eg, from classroom to music to PE to lunch).

All students, regardless of whether they are capable of epinephrine self-administration, will still require the help of others because the severity of the reaction may hamper their attempts to inject themselves. Adult supervision is mandatory."[/i]

Remember, just because its the school district policy, that does not in any way mean its a legal policy.

Thanks, Gail, I have both the law and the position statement in my handy dandy notebook. Unfortunately, Ian is only in kindergarten and his doctor doesn't feel he's ready to self-administer. According to the law, that means he can't carry the EpiPens on him. We want them passed from teacher to teacher until he is ready to have them on his person.

And Debbie, you are correct about not necessarily accepting the situation just because they say it is school district policy. Policies can be changed, and if this is actually policy, then it *needs* to be changed.

Nancy

Good luck at your meeting. I hope you'll post how it goes.

Quote:Originally posted by Gail W:
[b] I hope you'll post how it goes.[/b]

Any news, iansmom?

Well, yes and no. We got to the school, and the principal met us in the hallway. Unfortunately, the nurse was out of the building so we couldn't have the 504 part of the meeting. I think it was for the best because I hadn't had much time to prepare, and I really didn't want to short-change the academic part of the parent/teacher conference. It went by far too quickly as it was. So we'll be setting a date for all of us to meet soon. The principal wanted us to know that he has been working on this, and has every intention of getting everything finalized soon. He's a real gem!

I gave him a copy of FAAN's school kit that I bought. I had never seen one before, so I went through it and highlighted important points, and I watched the accompanying video. With as frequently as I feel that FAAN does a disservice to those it represents, I was surprised that the video was as good as it was. The principal was thrilled to get the kit, and wondered if there was already a kit in the school nurse resource center for the district. He said that they should buy one if they didn't already have it.

We had our biannual checkup with the allergist on Thursday, and discussed some of this with him. One of the issues we'd like to work on is having the EpiPens and inhaler passed from teacher to teacher rather than ONLY in the nurse's office. Because the allergist's office was instrumental in crafting the law that was just passed, they were able to tell us that the state law doesn't provide for that, but allows students who are deemed mature enough to self-inject/self-administer life-saving meds to carry them on their persons. Ian is only in kindergarten, and isn't ready for that yet. Yes, this is a disappointment, but I understand why a law this weak was passed. My cousin works in the legislature, and said that anything stronger right now would never be passed. This is a beginning step, and lays the groundwork for a more stringent law in the future. In the meantime, we'll push for having good means of communication (walkie-talkies, probably) between all staff who interact with Ian and the nurse or her proxy (if she is absent or out of the building for any reason). The allergist said that he figures that most kids would qualify to carry by the time they were 10, but that Ian might be carrying sooner because he's so mature. That makes me a bit more hopeful. If we can keep him safe for a few more years while pursuing a more stringent law, then we can get him to a point where he will have his meds on him.

So the next challenge is coming up this week--the Thanksgiving feast. The students are making a lot of the food for it, with the dishes broken down by grades. K/1 are doing rolls (but Ian's class is making butter which he also did in preschool--I'm helping out that day), 2/3 is making mashed potatoes, 4/5 is making stuffing, and 6 is making pies. Ian won't be eating most of that (perhaps the mashed potatoes, and the butter), so we'll bring safe side dishes for him. Parents are bringing additional side dishes, with a few roasting turkeys (myself included). Notices have been going home asking folks not to bring in nut products, so I'm anticipating a fun but busy day. Sheesh! Then I get to gear up to make Thanksgiving dinner for 15 people less than a week later! Wish me luck (and maybe a little rest...)!

Nancy

Glad to hear that the 504 meeting got rescheduled. I also think that you should get the full parent/teacher academic conference like the parents of non-pa kids. My dd is in 5th grade, and the only time we address her food allergies at the academic parent teacher conference is if we are done discussing her academic situation (that usually goes pretty fast with her as there is not much to say). Then sometimes we end up discussing what food will be at the Christmas party because the parent/teacher conference is usually early December. We have never really discussed her 504 at the parent/teacher conference.

About the law about students carrying epis, I know it doesn`t meet your needs, but it has been great for us and gives me peace of mind. Dd started carrying hers at age 9 11/12. It came up because she already had epis in five different places at school because there were so many different places during the day it could be as she got older. I do think your school should allow epis anywhere your ds will be. I really don`t see how they can`t. Dd started kindergarten with four epis in the school---one in class, one in the office, one in the cafeteria, and one in aftercare. If they went anywhere such as music class, the kindergarten teacher was present and brought the epi that was in the classroom.

Quote:Originally posted by Carefulmom:
[b]I do think your school should allow epis anywhere your ds will be. I really don`t see how they can`t. Dd started kindergarten with four epis in the school---one in class, one in the office, one in the cafeteria, and one in aftercare. If they went anywhere such as music class, the kindergarten teacher was present and brought the epi that was in the classroom.[/b]

This is very similar to what we did in elementary school. Could your allergist write a letter stating that this is what needs to happen?

This is what we do also. My son has a red emergency bag(i ordered off faan) with his epi, benedryl, and instructions. It goes with him wherever he goes and is given to the teacher in charge. They want me to have him carry it on him all the time but that is just so the responsibility is off them and on us. He is 8 and i wont allow it until at least 4 or 5th grade. Good idea to have the allergist write a letter. I actually wrote the letters myself so they were worded the way i wanted and my allergist would copy them on their letterhead and sign or sometimes retype. It makes less work for them and is done just the way i wanted.
keep us updated.