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The issue emerges as a growing number of children are diagnosed as suffering from peanut sensitivity
Charles E. Ramirez / The Detroit News
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Six-year-old Brandon Gagnon is severely allergic to peanuts, so much so that the slightest contact with them could trigger a life-threatening reaction.
“Just the smell can make him break out into hives,” said his mother, Tracy Gagnon, 32, of Macomb Township.
His condition has prompted a dispute between his parents and the Cheyenne Elementary School in Macomb Township over the level of care that already financially pressed schools should take to safeguard the health of students.
The issue emerges as a growing number of children are diagnosed as suffering from peanut allergies, while others suffer reactions to other nuts.
One expert, Dr. Pamela Georgeson, an allergist who operates the Kenwood Allergy and Asthma Center in Chesterfield Township, said the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology estimates that 5 percent of children suffer peanut allergies, and that the latest figures available, from 1997 to 2002, show that number has doubled.
The academy estimates that 3 percent of the American population, or 1.1 million people, suffer from some type of allergy to nuts.
Brandon is one of them, and the first-grader’s situation has so concerned his mother that she and another parent of an allergic child have taken to going to Cheyenne during lunch hours to make sure their children are kept far from peanuts.
She also buys wet wipes in bulk, and passes them out to other children to make sure they don’t have peanut residue on their hands as they leave the cafeteria.
If Gagnon had her way, Brandon’s school would buy the wipes and give them to students after they eat. It would also have a written food allergy health care plan and a nurse trained to deal with allergic reactions on staff.
Officials for Chippewa Valley Schools, which operates Cheyenne Elementary, say the district has adapted its schools and policies to accommodate students like Brandon and others who have special health care needs.
The quarrel between Tracy and Jeff Gagnon, Brandon’s father, and the Chippewa Valley Schools and Cheyenne Elementary started at the beginning of the school year.
Brandon’s mother approached Cheyenne’s principal before the semester started to request a table in the school’s lunchroom for kids with the allergy to eat without fear of being exposed to peanut products. The school consented and set up a special table in its lunchroom.
“The school has four lunch aides,” Gagnon said. “But it’s crazy in (the lunchroom) and one of them told me that there’s no way they could keep an eye on the ‘peanut-free’ table 100 percent of the time.”
Gagnon then volunteered to be a lunch aide so she could keep an eye on her son.
She said that the fact that her son eats at a special table, and sometimes has to sit apart from his classmates during special events where snacks are offered, have taken their toll on Brandon.
“It’s already been tough for him,” she said. “He used to be a happy, outgoing kid. Now, he’s introverted. He cries when he gets home almost every day.”
Despite the Gagnons’ best efforts, Brandon had two allergic reactions at school — once when a teacher used peanut butter for a science class experiment.
As a result, the Gagnons asked the school in January to implement a written procedure for responding to allergic reactions, hire a nurse trained to handle allergic reactions and develop a plan to accommodate Brandon’s food allergy needs under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and it ensures that children with disabilities have equal access to an education.
Diane Blain, a spokeswoman for Chippewa Valley Schools, said the district has “gone above and beyond” its duty to accommodate children with food allergies like Brandon in its schools.
“We take every child’s condition seriously,” she said. “The staff at Cheyenne Elementary School is dedicated to providing every student with a safe and comfortable learning environment — especially young children with food allergies.”
The district has a food allergy action plans at all of its schools to address the individual needs of students, including Brandon, she said.
It doesn’t have a nurse on-site at the school, but the district frequently consults with medical personnel — including allergists and cardiologists — when it develops food allergy plans for students, Blaine said.
“And if a nurse were necessary for a child, a nurse would be assigned,” she said.
In addition, Cheyenne has qualified personnel who monitor all students during lunch periods and all of them have been trained to respond to food allergy reactions, she said.
Furthermore, the district also adheres to all state and federal guideline for students with disabilities or suspected disabilities, she said.
“We’ve left no stone unturned,” she said.
However, the Gagnons say the district has been resisting its requests.
“It’s like they’re dragging their feet and hoping we’ll get frustrated and just leave,” said Jeff Gagnon. “What do they care, they’ve got plenty of kids in the district and overcrowded schools. If I take my son out of the district, it won’t make much difference to them.”
Most U.S. school districts follow a list of guidelines to accommodate students with food allergies. A majority of them have policies and procedures in place to accommodate students with food allergies.
More than half — nearly 57 percent — of all districts have food allergy preparedness plans, according to a recent survey by the School Nutrition Association.
The organization, which is headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization that represents more than 55,500 school food service professionals and companies.
Allergists don’t understand what’s causing the increase in the condition; it could be because of the foods themselves or the environment people live in, Georgeson said.
“It’s a very serious problem and it’s important that these children are diagnosed and treated appropriately,” she said.
Detroit News staff writer Christina Stolarz contributed to this report. You can reach Charles E. Ramirez at (586) 468-2905 or [email protected].