REALLY? 8th grade science

[Mfamom]

I'll preface with...this teacher was assigned Team leader of 504 plan since she has Celiac.  During the meeting I mentioned several times that managing celiac and managing a peanut allergy is not the same.  At one point I objected to her being the leader because they kept introducing her as "the expert" about food allergies. 

She told me there was a couple things they would do with simple ingredients such as flour (remember she has celiac and is okay with having flour in her classroom.  Why?  because celiac and food allergies are not the same.
So, here's her email.  I was miffed.  Partly because it now means more "work" for me and mostly because she told me beginning of year there was nothing except the flour project and no tasting.  And I like how she tells me the cocoa nibs are free of peanuts. 
I am willing to help a little to make a project "doable", but in this case, I've never seen safe white chocolate in the store.  I have no idea about cocoa nibs. 

Here's the email:
Friday of this week, we will begin an exploration of the chemistry of
chocolate related to solutions, suspensions, and emulsions.

The first activity is a tasting of the following chocolate products:

Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate premium baking chips
Ghiradelli classic white baking chocolate chips
Nestle milk chocolate morsels
ShopRite semi-sweet chocolate chips

The chocolates contain soy and milk products. None contain peanuts or
peanut oil, but the packages carry the warning that foods are manufactured
in a facility that makes peanut and tree nut products.

Students will be using the information from the tasting to develop
background information for experiments with melting point and solubility.
Later lessons will use cocoa butter, lecithin, and cocoa powder, but will
not involve tasting.

If you have concerns about the tasting brands, please let me know. I
wasn't able to find chocolate at ShopRite that didn't carry the
manufacturing site warning. If you have a chocolate brand you would be
willing to send in with DS for him to evaluate it would be helpful.

Over the break, I will be shopping at Whole Food for cocoa nibs. We may
taste those since they are the roasted fermented cocoa without sugar,
milk, or flavoring. Those come from Costa Rica and do not contain nuts of
any type.

[yellow]

What does your 504 say about using food for lessons?

[Mfamom]

totally my fault.  It used to say no food based cirriculum projects.  They gave me the old...we don't do that blah blah and I don't think it is on there. 
The stupid 504 is in a folder at my office.  It somehow got mixed in there.  I saw it the other day and didn't bring it home so i can't look until tomorrow.
I'm just irritated and irritated with myself for taking their word during the meeting.  dumb @ss move on my part.

it does say ds will be included in all school sponsored activites, projects so that should cover it, but I wish I had insisted that part about food based projects be included again.

[hezzier]

Since he can't participate tell her he should get an automatic A

[Carefulmom]

I`d be really annoyed.  Why do they need to taste food as part of science anyhow?  Dd`s class did not taste any food in 8th grade science. 

[Janelle205]

I know that my eight grade science teacher (who taught all our hs science classes as well as 7th & 8th grade science - small school) would be appalled.  We did occasionally do experiments involving food in the lab, but there was a very definitive no eating EVER rule in the science lab, for safety reasons.  It didn't matter what kind of experiment we were doing, even if all of the components were edible, there was no eating...

[Mfamom]

Funny you say that janelle because during 504 meeting the science teacher basically said theres strict no eating in the lab blah blah

[Janelle205]

My science teacher was hardcore.  But if you're teaching seven different classes a day over 6 grade levels, you kind of have to be hardcore.

[ajasfolks2]

This is a damned holiday foodie project disguised as science curriculum.

I call bs.

But you knew I would.   

[ajasfolks2]

Funny you say that janelle because during 504 meeting the science teacher basically said theres strict no eating in the lab blah blah

So the rules only apply during non-holiday season?

Will there be a Valentine's and Eastertime food experiment as well?

[Mfamom]

so, i replied to teacher that I thought in 504 meeting we agreed there is no food centered projects in science class and that none of the brands are safe etc. 

here's her reply:

The lab is new and inspired by an experience in Costa Rica with the Toyota
International Teacher Program. The tasting is to discover the melting
point of chocolate and flavor characteristics of chocolate.

If Hershey's semi-sweet and milk chocolate work, ds could use those
two for the observation. I can pick those up and substitute them during
ds class period.

No one is required to do the tasting. Students who prefer not to taste the
chocolate can collect observations by interview.

[my3guys]

ICK. Don't like her response. Why can't they all just record by obersvation?? If the experiment goes as planned with things he can't taste, then he doesn't have equal access to this classroom lesson does he? 

[Mfamom]

ICK. Don't like her response. Why can't they all just record by obersvation?? If the experiment goes as planned with things he can't taste, then he doesn't have equal access to this classroom lesson does he? 

I also didn't like her response and I didn't like her original email either.  I thought it was because I got it yesterday when I was pretty tense spending the day with dh family and dealing with all their dysfunction. 
DH says, she is making you aware, giving you the information.  She's offering to substitute ingredients. 
I say you weren't at the meeting.  You didn't hear her talk about her lab and classroom and the dismissal of any notion there would be food.

Especially chocolate.  High risk.  Difficult to find white chocolate that's safe. 

I shouldn't be negotiating / dealing with this at this point in the game.

[CMdeux]

Y.U.C.K.


No food rules in science labs aren't just for immediate safety-- there is a reason why we begin enforcing those rules about closed footwear, long pants, hair tied back, NO EATING OR DRINKING... at middle school.

It's because we want kids to develop HABITS that keep them safe when they are in college and beyond.

A lab is NOT for eating in.

And the reason that she "can't find" chocolate to use without warnings... SHeesh.  You'd think that would have been a hint, wouldn't you, that maybe this isn't something that she ought to be doing with a PA kid in the class.    But nooooooo...   

Make a note of is, INFORM her that your DS will be excused from class that day and that he will be earning an A for this "assignment" that she's chosen to deny him access to, and then bring it up next year at your 504 meeting.  In fact, I might well reconvene the team over the lack of that phrase-- explain (hardcore) that Sh** like THIS is why it was there to begin with.

[SweetandSour]

The lab sounds stupid anyway.

I hate to tell you this, but the food went on until college. We had to do reebops in bio lab. Missed that day, and told the teacher why. "But they aren't being eaten".  Who cares that the allergic kid is severely contact reactive.  Then we did a lab on the five senses. I stayed but didn not drink the mystory kool aid flavors, and did not do the i.d. the scent.

In chem.  lab, we had to examine a peanut shell in a microscope. Walked out that day with an explanation.