Public school Ingorance of CD

[The Edifying Conscience]

Mom of CD Teen,

It seems to me that you want the school to make all of the accomodations for your son. I see you offering no solutions or compromises. Why can't your child take his lunch warmed in a thermos? Other children do it...why is yours different? Last week I saw a microwave at a big box store for $19.99. It's a cheap price to pay to keep your son safe from CC issues. A pizza brought from home and place in a box wrapped in towels can be kept warm for a while. In addition, I don't know a child who would turn down cold pizza. There are solutions, reasonable solutions abound.

The school owes your child and you nothing but a great education.

TEC - who thinks you are doing a disservice to Celiacs everywhere!

[The Edifying Conscience]

By the way, I've been glutened at PF Changs. A CC free meal is not easily done.

TEC

[Fawn in CA]

I really like PF Changs, but we have to be really careful. They are more careful about the gf sauce substitution than helping gf diners totally avoid the won ton pieces. We've had won ton strips at the bottom of the chicken salad (couldn't see them until it was too late b/c they weren't on top) and also barely visible on top of the street noodles (thought they were pan-fried street noodles or sliced almonds).
Our best luck is with gf salmon and gf ginger broccoli chicken. Also, the gf Changs spicy chicken (or shrimp, if there isn't anyone allergic to shellfish at our table). Had good luck with gf lettuce wraps (lots of calories!) and gf cucumbers.
I guess everyone knows not to eat the fortune cookies. We've learned to break the cookies and read the fortune without tearing the wrapper!

[Guest]

TEC
I only want my son to have access to a microwave to heat food that I send, not them. I am sorry that you fell this is a disservice. It's funny because I was going to let it drop and it was his teachers and my friends that can eat gluten that encouraged me to stand up for my son's rights in school.

And the thermos would work for soups and chilis, not a pizza or a hamburger or his favorite, stir fryed vegetables with chicken.

And by the way, the school is providing an excellent education to my son, but there is more to teach than just book knowledge, and that is compassion. He learns it at home and compassion /understanding should be taught and practiced at shcool and anywhere he goes.

momofcdteen

[GFSarahSmiles]

MomofGFteen -

I think you're doing just fine. It's not like you're demanding that the kitchen staff prepare something for the other kids and then something completely separate and guaranteed safe for your son. Use of a microwave is not at all unreasonable. It is rediculous for them to deny him that - especially if their safety concerns can be solved by simply having a teacher pop it in and push the buttons for him. There's no disservice in asking for the use of a microwave that's just sitting there waiting to be used, and there's certainly no disservice in raising awareness. If people feel that you are being unreasonable in your simple and easily accomodated request for use a microwave in a school now, I have to wonder what people thought when someone first said "Hey, I think manufacturers shound have to tell us what's in their product; and I don't think they should be able to hide it in other names, either." What a disservice THAT was to anyone out there with a food allergy ...
_________________
Sarah
Birthday: December 6, 1982
Gluten-Free Birthday: March 2, 2004
Remission & Dx Confirmed: March 30, 2004

[aklap]

[aklap]

[The Edifying Conscience]

Al,
I respect you and your opinion.

It's essential that we educate society about Celiac Disease. Actually, it's imperative. I think the way we do it is far more important than what we say. Involving the media or going to the school board because a school won't provide a GF lunch or a microwave for a child to use unsupervised isn't going to help our cause. It only hurts our cause and it makes us look demanding and unflexible.

There is a definite order in dealing with the issues at hand. Mom of Cd Teen never answered whether her child had a 504 Plan and if he did none of this would even be an issue because she and the school would come up with reasonable accomodations. The key is reasonable.

Meeting with the classroom teacher would be far more effective than going to the school board or principal. The accomodations a SB or principal would make would set presidence for future students while the accomodations a classroom teacher makes would only affect the current class or student. Even meeting with the school nurse would be more valuable. A school nurse carries more weight than one might imagine. There are ways of making changes that don't have to negatively impact a whole group of people.

TEC

[aklap]

Thanks TEC, I truly appreciate your kind words. I think we are on the same page.

147% agreement on educating the society (math never was my strong point ) I also agree on not appearing unflexable and demanding.
I think it's a combination of both what AND HOW we say it. It's a matter of "spin".

One scenario, Mom does get an audiance with a newspaper/radio/TV to spread the word about gluten intolerance. She can discuss all the daily life struggles and everything that goes with gluten intolerance. From shopping at the store, checking everything you come in contact with, eating out, cross contamination issues, gluten is EVERYWHERE, why even at Jr's school we are trying to get him access to microwave so he can heat up some gluten free food that he must bring from home. Due to rules and regs the students are not allowed use the mw...see...so many things that most people take for granted...are issues that we need to deal with on a daily basis...blah blah blah.....

Would this get immediate action? No probably not...but it at least plants the seed. I think it's a reasonable way to at least start the ball rolling. I maintain...it's not always a matter of what was said...but HOW it was said.

I have heard of the 504 plan, I have read a little bit about it. Could you give us a brief (ie laymans) explaination of what it is and how it works?

Since you have an education background...what types of information would the school personel best be served by knowing? It might help to have an "insiders" viewpoint (I know...some of this you have brought up already in prev. posts in this thread). If we can come up with a "packet" of info for other parents that need to educate their schools, it'd be nice. I posted some things that I thought would be helpful in the a prev. post.



Hey Mom...I don't know if we ever got an answer from you about having a school employee putting his food in the MW...is that a possiblity? If you did answer already, I apologize for missing it
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Fawn in CA]

I think the school may be concerned about more than whether or not a 12 yr old can push the buttons and microwave his own food, or whether he'll get radiation exposure. They may be concerned about burning, not just when removing or spilling food or from steam (hands or face), but from "hot spots" that may be in the food after it's heated and served, no matter who heated it up. Could burn lips, mouth, throat. Not real likely to be a major problem, but one that could be completely avoided by not allowing a student to have home-prepared food heated in a microwave at school.

[The Edifying Conscience]

Al,

Basically a 504 plan is worked up between a team consisting of the parents, the principal, the teacher(s), social worker and maybe a school nurse or staff in the special education department. The parents request a 504 meeting and then everyone gathers to find a way to best meet the needs of the student.

In the case of a child with more of a physical illness (asthma, diabetes, cancer, etc) the plan would accomodate extra time for homework, some planned half days if necessary, tutoring by the teacher, exclusion of physical fitness, place to store meds, med management during the school day, etc. Like I said before the key is reasonable accomodations. In the case of CD, they may compromise on food in the classroom, safe place to eat lunch, place to store GF treats, provide a safe place to store lunch away from CC issues, sending notes home to class parents about CD, etc.

Wearing my other hat, I would never suggest a school allow a student access to a microwave as it opens up a "huge bag of worms" in that other students may want to warm up their lunches and the liabilities are too high as accidents can happen when a child uses a microwave unsupervised. It may be that a school staff person would do the warming for the student, but this task would then takes the staff away from other duties and other students. Just because said child likes to have "mom's leftovers for lunch" doesn't mean using the microwave is a reasonable accomodation when there are other lunch options available to said student that don't involve the microwave or a staff person.

The 504 is a moot point if the student attends a private school or a school that takes no government money.

Hope that explains the 504 and reasonable accomodation more clearly.

TEC

[momofcdteen]

I have presented the 504 to the school and they basically told me that their advisor (whomever they are) said that celiac IS NOT covered under 504 and that was not an option to fall back on.

And another thing, his teacher offered to let him use her microwave in the 6th grade teachers breakroom. They are even giving him 5 minutes before lunch to do this. God bless them for this.


gotto go. kids are hungry
momofcdteen

[aklap]

Mom,

I am glad things worked out!!!
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[The Edifying Conscience]

Celiac is covered under the 504 plan.

[aklap]

I found this a the Dallas ROCK site

http://www.dallasrock.org/links.htm

Section 504 Information The information contained in this document is presented by Theresa Werner, M.Ed., J.D., Associate Professor, Special Education Outreach Coordinator, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. She explains the steps to take with the public school system in order to have your child accommodated when it comes to receiving a gluten-free meal in public school. She also has her contact information there if you have questions.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa