Reading the forums last night I came across a mother's cry of frustration.  Like many of us, she is facing the new school year with hands wringing and worry for her child.  It's not about will they get lost in the school, bullied in the playground or even make nice friends.  It's something as simple as

" Will his teacher keep him from eating something poisonous."

Peanut allergies are taken very serious in our culture now.  Have a child stop breathing  after brushing a peanut and you DON'T forget that!

 

 

My son starts kindergarten in a week. He has Celiac disease. Today I found out that he has one of the worst teachers to have. She is very mean and not very understanding. My son's wheat Allergy is very severe. How do I go about educating the teacher about Celiac Disease and make sure there is absolutely no what bright into the classroom for fear of cross contamination? Would you print out information and hand it out at the meet the teacher day and also parent night?

Canadian or American School? Regardless, there are a few things you can do. I have three boys, ranging from 13 to 5.5, and have been dealing with schools for a while. Some have great and understanding systems, others have either a poor teacher or simply poor information. We had a good dose of both this past year on a new school and it sounds like you are going to have a challenge on your hands!

1)   Most schools follow a " no sharing" policy due to peanut allergies and liability issues. Play on that! No Sharing is No sharing. It doesn't have to be about JUST your child.. and can take some of the isolation out of this. Act on " the best interest of all the children…" at least on the surface!

2)   Find an Aly!   A school secretary, another teacher, a Parent Group, ANYONE. Approach it as " I am really needing some help with understanding how to work with the school…". 

3)   INFORMATION! Yes! Sharing information with the school can help. Keep it breif and targetted. I made up stickers for my kids lunch boxes that showed clearly a WHEAT & Gluten Free status. Cartoon stickers help for the little kids. ( it is also stunning to me how people don't seem to connect that bread is wheat! that flour is wheat… oih LOL. Yes, information is important!)

4)   Volunteer. IF this is an option for your schedule/home dynamic it is WORTH it! I am not a big volunteer junkie… but it got us through some rough patches and smoothed the way. Volunteering to make cupcakes for a class event, supervising at lunch hours, or being a teacher's helper in the mornings ( staying late to cover lunch hours).

5) Protect YOUR  OWN! Ultimately, we will have a life ahead of running into people that WON"T meet us half way. Document EVERYTHING, get medical letters from Dr's stating it a health requirement (not just a fad!), and stand your ground firmly. Be willing to go above peoples head on strike three.

MOST important? Talk about it! Find people and places to vent, share and find support for YOU! I hope I am going to be wrong, but I suspect this is going to be a rough road ahead! You can do this!