post lunch hand washing at school

[evergreenmom]

My five year old son is allergic to peanuts. He is in all day kindergarten. In September while putting together an "emergency care plan" with the school nurse I requested he and his classmates wash their hands before and after lunch to minimize potential of peanut exposure as the school is not nut free. Nurse and principal agreed and put it in his ECP. Teacher followed through about three times and then blew it off and excuse was it took too much time.

I have been fighting this uphill battle for six months now. Both my sons pediatrician and his allergist have written letters to the school regarding this issue to no avail. The peds letter simply stated students wash hands after lunch- the principal called her and asked that she change wording of not to read teacher shall encourage students to wash hands after lunch. Since that time according to my son no one has been encouraged in any way to wash their hands after lunch! The school nurse even lied to the allergist and said "but we are following everything in the ECP"!!! It's like they just can't fathom what my problem is!!! I mean peanut allergic five year old surrounded by masses of peanut eaters on a daily basis what could my problem possibly be???

I emailed the principal last week requesting a 504 plan- hoping actually labeling the plan 504 would give me some recourse if they continue to sweep this under the rug. After not hearing back for six days I called his office and asked if he had gotten my email. The secretary said she would check but then she never got back to me either! I cannot believe they think they can just blow me off like this!!! So then I called the district 504 office and spoke with an assistant who was helpful and said she would have someone get back to me with answers. So yesterday I spoke with the district 504 coordinator who stated that while my son likely qualifies for a 504 plan, an accommodation would never be approved which would require other students to wash their hands after lunch. She said accommodations for my son could not institute any change to what other students may or may not do. I reminded her that the school nurse and principal agreed to this provision back in September and I also reminded her that in the "WA State Superintendent guidelines for students with anaphylaxis"- the guide repeatedly stresses the importance of "appropriate hand washing" and "facilitating students to wash hands before and after eating". She replied that those are merely guidelines and they are not the law. So when the person who is supposed to be your advocate has no interest in actually doing so where do you turn???

What I failed to ask her was- don't most schools request other students sit with a student who needs the peanut free table- so if it's ok to ask a classmate to please join their FA classmate at a separate table for lunch so that the FA kid isn't lonely why can't they nicely ask classmates to please wash hands after consuming allergens so that there FA classmate won't die today??? Also they send home notes to families saying don't bring peanut snacks to be eaten in classroom and they "request" that families try to make sure birthday treats are peanut free again- in this accommodations they are asking classmates and their families to do something out of their norm to accommodate the FA child so why is washing hands so much to ask???

We have been trying since September to make this one simple request happen. I feel as though I am in some kind of weird science fiction novel where everyone tells you one thing but they mean exactly the opposite. My quality of life has suffered tremendously over this issue. I have been constantly worried. I spend most of my time researching FA and 504 trying to figure out how to make this happen. I never leave my house during the day because we live 3 blocks from school and I want to be right here just in case they call saying he is having a reaction. Since he only eats meals I prepare for him and I know he won't take food from others my biggest fear has been potential for accidental exposure due to so many kiddo's eating peanuts and no doubt they are smearing trace amounts all over the place!!! We have been trying to explain to him that he must wash his hands and that he mustn't put his fingers in his mouth (or nose or eyes) but he is five- seriously? He can't remember most days to wash his own hands never mind keep his fingers out of his mouth and elsewhere;o) I mean he's just not developmentally ready to be totally responsible for himself in this way- I know there have been studies done on how many times young kids touch their faces and the statistics are frightening- even adults do it a lot!

Amazingly (as I wrote about in a recent thread here) we just very recently found out my son may be outgrowing his peanut allergy- testing to occur in the next months or so. Even if he does test negative for PA he will still need epi pens at school and we will still not want him ingesting peanuts at school so I still want him to have a 504 plan just because I feel so mistrusting of them. Additionally, while it may be that he won't really need the accommodation of post meal hand washing since it's in the superintendents guidelines and since all authorities on the subject from the CDC to Faan etc recommend hand washing after eating I sort of feel like I should be championing this practice for all children in his school with FA just on general principles because hand washing is considered a best practice in terms of FA prevention. Additionally, maybe there would be fewer school days missed due to flus colds etc if all kiddo's were just washing hands a little more often!!!

So my question is- does anyone have post meal hand washing for classmates in their 504? Does anyone have any accommodation in their 504 which dictates or in any way affects other children? Does anyone's elementary school have a school wide policy on hand washing?

[ajasfolks2]

Hi evergreenmom.  Welcome and I'm glad you found us.

First off, you need a    :group hug:    and you have to know that many (most) of us have been in your shoes and we understand your frustration and concern.

I'm going to respond to your post in bits and pieces and try to help where I can.

My five year old son is allergic to peanuts. He is in all day kindergarten. In September while putting together an "emergency care plan" with the school nurse I requested he and his classmates wash their hands before and after lunch to minimize potential of peanut exposure as the school is not nut free. Nurse and principal agreed and put it in his ECP. Teacher followed through about three times and then blew it off and excuse was it took too much time.

It is not uncommon that this particular provision of the "care plan" (whatever it is called -- an "emergency care plan", an IHCP or "individual health care plan" OR a 504 accommodation plan) gets shoved away and staff claims "it takes too much time".  You will have to patiently persist -- IN WRITING, MANY TIMES -- with reliable source info to support (studies, FAAN/FARE stuff, etc) that HANDWASHING after eating is a KEY to preventing allergic reaction.  Something else you can include is supporting info as to the amount of time lost AND the incredible impact (time, educational, emotional, medical) if your child WERE to have a reaction just because the hand washing "took too much time".  Help yourself by also looking to the school district published info as to allergy policy AND flu/disease prevention -- and the hand washing that is supposed to be instituted.

I emailed the principal last week requesting a 504 plan- hoping actually labeling the plan 504 would give me some recourse if they continue to sweep this under the rug. After not hearing back for six days I called his office and asked if he had gotten my email. The secretary said she would check but then she never got back to me either! I cannot believe they think they can just blow me off like this!!! So then I called the district 504 office and spoke with an assistant who was helpful and said she would have someone get back to me with answers. So yesterday I spoke with the district 504 coordinator who stated that while my son likely qualifies for a 504 plan, an accommodation would never be approved which would require other students to wash their hands after lunch. She said accommodations for my son could not institute any change to what other students may or may not do. I reminded her that the school nurse and principal agreed to this provision back in September and I also reminded her that in the "WA State Superintendent guidelines for students with anaphylaxis"- the guide repeatedly stresses the importance of "appropriate hand washing" and "facilitating students to wash hands before and after eating". She replied that those are merely guidelines and they are not the law. So when the person who is supposed to be your advocate has no interest in actually doing so where do you turn???

As to the email requesting 504, I'd PRINT UP your original email (hope you also cc'd yourself -- ALWAYS do that) -- and then I'd either snail-mail with return receipt ~OR~ I would hand deliver and get receipt at the time from the office personnel. 

Here is a thread with magnificent resources as to documenting and dealing with schools:

DOCUMENTING  (cya) 

BE SURE to spend some quality time reading at that dphilpotlaw site I link to in that thread.  GOLDEN!!

Be sure you document the conversation you had with 504C who stated "an accommodation would never be approved which would require other students to wash their hands after lunch" -- seriously?  so, the school personnel already goes into the 504 meetings with a list of items they'll NOT approve because it's too inconvenient?  Document.

. . .

So my question is- does anyone have post meal hand washing for classmates in their 504? Does anyone have any accommodation in their 504 which dictates or in any way affects other children? Does anyone's elementary school have a school wide policy on hand washing?

Yes, we had it in our elementary school 504 for our son.  In fact, this was something that the principal fought HARD against . . . we had a really long, ugly battle over it and eventually the district 540 coordinator had it added to the 504, BUT with the verbiage "encourage" and without a hard-and-fast "must wash".

Now, that was in 2008-2009.

Since then, there have been numerous national food allergy org's and studies and physicians/groups who have come out publicly with serious support of hand washing as a KEY component of mitigation as to exposure to allergen and avoidance of reaction.  So, use these resources, provide the school with them, and stick to your guns on this one.

Meanwhile, you've got to get the school to go through it's appropriate motions to refer your child for 504 eligibility review (a formality and part of the procedure).  Then you'll need to have all your supporting info there for eligibility -- use the facts, and no discussion of accommodations yet.  THEN you'll have a 504 accommodation plan meeting where you lay out those accommodations that are NECESSARY AN APPROPRIATE for your child. 

In all of this, you've got to get your allergist/physician behind you.

~ ~ ~

I didn't even touch on the stupid birthday food.  Your child has a federally protected RIGHT to his safety and inclusion.  The birthday food/crap DOES NOT.   

[ajasfolks2]

Going to move this thread to the SCHOOLS forum.  Just to let you know.

[hedgehog]

I sub at an elem school.  I have subbed in classes where every student must wash hands following snack.  This is not a big deal once it is routine.  Does not take much time if there is a ink in te classroom, but I can see where it would if they all have to go down the hall to the bathroom.  Although, even that, if they made a class trip to the bathroom right before lunch would not be bad.

In our school, lunch is in cafeteria with about 150-200 students at a time, and they go straight to recess with no stop in the class room.  Hand washing would be unrealistic at that time.  But every student in a class with anyone who has a food allergy gets a wipe at the end of lunch, and is expected to use it. The wipes are thrown out with other lunch garbage.

[Macabre]

Hedgie that singles out students with FAs.

Okay--let me get this straight--the principal called your ped??!? Did you give permission for that?

If not, that is a violation of HIPAA. Wowza.

I think with the 504 person you need to write a Letter of Understanding. There may be discussion about it in the Documenting thread. State in your letter your account of the conversation. This is a letter that is factual--free of emotion. You state what your understanding of the conversation is and state that if there are any points that are not in fact how it happened to please respond in writing by X date.

If your child outgrows, you can be an advocate but not really a champion  for this cause--at least in terms of 504. Accommodations are individual.


Wow--this is such a hard thing to deal with emotionally. I do worry from your description that you may be getting too stressed about it.   I would work on not living in constant fear. He's been doing okay, so that is a comfort. However, your concerns about kids contaminating other surfaces is founded. My DS hand an Ana reaction in both elementary and MS from accidental ingestion because if contaminated surfaces---at school. He's in HS now.


There am have been many, many 504 plans that include kids washing hands--even after lunch recess. You can do this!!

[Macabre]

I will add that neither of my son's reactions described above came from the classroom. In elem it was from an indoor hockey stick. In MS from a bathroom door near the lunch room.

[momma2boys]

When my ds was in elementary we had hand washing in his 504. As students left the cafeteria they stopped at the bathrooms. They had the teacher at one door and the aide at the other, each with soap they would squirt right in each child's hand as they walked in. That way you know they washed. It did take some time but too bad.

I can't remember if all his teachers did this, but his first grade teacher had all students was as they entered in the morning too. She had so much reduced illness in her and her students that she continued even after he moved up.

I'm sorry they are giving you such a hard time. I had someone in the special ed department that handle 504 plans who was really supportive. Hopefully you can find someone like that. Don't give up!

[hedgehog]

Hedgie that singles out students with FAs.

Actually the way it is done here merely shows which classrooms have someone with FA, not which individual students.

Although I must say, I would rather they gave a wipe to each student regardless of allergies.  They might get rid of a few germs too.

[Macabre]

Oh, thanks for clarifying.  I read that incorrectly (before coffee this morning---my excuse, lol). I thought it was just the kids with FAs who got wipes for their hands.

[ajasfolks2]

I must have missed the part about the principal calling the ped!!  Wowza is right!!  Though, I am wondering if in your paperwork somewhere for the "emergency care plan" you unwittingly signed something that gave the school staff "blanket permission" to contact the ped's office?  BE SURE to reread everything you signed!!  You can revoke (in writing -- cc to all staff and DOCTOR) "permission" if you need.

Ped's office, unless you gave them explicit permission to do so, was out of bounds in giving info and may have violated HIPAA as Mac stated above.

I'd be pretty peeved.

Any and ALL correspondence between school and physicians needs to go through YOU -- put it in writing!!  No phone calls, period!

[maeve]

Has the district 504 coordinator convened a meeting to determine eligibility? The school district has a certain period of time in which to respond and in which to convene an eligiblity meeting. I would look at the times beginning with your first email to the principal requesting a 504. You may have grounds to go to OCR for lack of due process. Unfortunately, when my request was literally waved off when DD was in kindergarten, I didn't know about the fact that they cannot refuse you out of hand and did not know the timeframes for response and how long you have to file a complaint with OCR.

My DD had hand washing in her 504 (and actually in place before the 504) and it was done by her teachers.

Just saw your last paragraph about your son possibly outgrowing his allergy. It's critical, then, that you get a 504 in place now. Do not in any way mention he might be outgrowing. Only deal with his current diagnosis.

Here's a webinar that had wonderful information about 504s.
http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/food-allergy-school-health-plans-504-vs-ihcp-video-and-resources

[daisy madness]

I just noticed that hand washing is not in DS's 504.  I thought it was.  I remember the nurse talking about it with me before school started.  I asked DS about it after reading this thread, and they apparently are not washing their hands after lunch.  He said they wash their hands after " blowing our noses and going poop."  He cracks me up!

I'll have to address this with the school.  They love me over there.....

[Macabre]

[Mfamom]

we had wipes at the door of the classroom and kids wiped hands upon entering in the morning (that was not my idea, put someone added it)
Additionally, they washed hands after snack
they washed hands after coming in from recess. 
The teachers moved the kids along and they were all happy to do it because they felt overall it would limit residue and germs too!