Home Ec

[maeve]

OK, I'm behind. The new semester started this week and DD has rotated to home ec. The home ec teacher was not prepared to discuss specifics at the start of year 504 meeting, so we agreed to schedule a meeting later. Well, I got busy at work, the holidays, etc. and realized just before the start of the semester that nobody had scheduled the meeting. We scheduled a meeting for last Wed. but school was cancelled for weather. We heard nothing that day but assumed that the meeting was cancelled. I think I heard from the 504C on late Thursday afternoon that he was trying to reach the teacher.  I said we could meet on Friday as long as it was before 10:30. I heard nothing until about noon, when the 504C asked if I could meet within the next hour. Um, no. I said I would send an email. I've finally just drafted it. Let me know what you think. I almost think we need to request that she not be required to take the class.
 
Background
·         DD has allergies to peanut, all tree nuts (for example, almond, pistachio, walnut, brazil nut, hazelnut, cashew, and pine nut), and to eggs.
·         She reacts on ingestion and on contact with all her allergens.
·         DD’s anaphylactic reaction is believed to have been caused by something cross-contaminated with peanut.
·         DD’s last egg reaction happened when she was in second grade. She attended after-school care at ________ School, which also operates a preschool during the school day. The preschool class had a baking lesson that included eggs. The teachers cleaned up after the lesson. However, unseen egg protein remained on surfaces in the classroom. DD touched something (she believes it was the door handle) and rubbed her eyes. Her reaction included swelling of the affected eye, hives around the eye, and redness/tearing of the eye. Her caregiver reported some lip swelling, but DD’s dad, who picked her up, did not see that symptom. She was given 3 teaspoons of Benadryl, and the reaction subsided.

Recipes
I’ve reviewed the recipes posted on Ms. Teacher’s site. The table below lists which will be OK for DD to participate in (but not eat) and which would not be appropriate for her to participate in.

     Recipe  Comment   Cinnamon Sugar Bow Knots  OK as long as the biscuits used don’t contain her allergens.   Homemade Pizza  OK   Cheesy Pasta Bake  OK   Super Chip Cookie  No (1 egg, chocolate chips)   Pancakes  No (1egg)   30 Minute Skillet Baked Ziti  OK   Breakfast Waffles  No (2 eggs)   Mini Fritattas  No (10 eggs)   Soft Sugar Drop Cookies  No (2 eggs)   Mini Cheesecakes  No (2 eggs)   Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins  No (2 eggs, chocolate chips)   Pizza Bubble Bread  OK as long as the biscuits used don’t contain her allergens   Breakfast Coffee Cake  No (1 egg)   Mini Breakfast Fritattas  No (10 eggs)

Questions/Concerns
·         DD mentioned this morning (1/29) that there is a module in the course that uses turkey hot dogs, but that ingredient is not listed in the recipes on the web site? Are the recipes used that are not listed?
·         DD mentioned that teachers use the FACS classroom to fry eggs. Is this done during class time? Is the area cleaned thoroughly afterward?
·         There is some concern about DD being in the classroom for the recipes involving 6 and 10 eggs. There is also some concern about her ability to participate in any recipe involving eggs.
·         DD will have anxiety being around her allergen. This can have an impact on her ability to focus and learn. We need to devise a way to deal with this.
·         DD has indicated that she feels being sent to the library to work on an assignment from a text book during a lesson involving her allergen is punishment. I believe it violates least restrictive environment.

Action Plan
The following procedures need to be implemented
·         DD cannot clean up after any lesson involving eggs.
·         DD can observe but not actively participate in lessons involving 1 to 2 eggs.
·         All students working on a lesson involving eggs must remain in the cooking area when working on the lesson.
·         All students must wash their hands with soap and water before leaving the cooking area to work at another station in the classroom.
·         All teachers who use the room to cook must ensure that they thoroughly clean up all egg and nut containing ingredients with soap and water.
·         DD can observe the lesson where Ms. Teacher makes meringue as long as she is seated to at the back and as long as no students handle the meringue.


***took out name of school

 

[Macabre]

If this is a required course, they either need to change the menus or allow her to take a different class.

That is a LOT of egg. Wow.

[CMdeux]

Yeah-- honestly, given the gap between the extant curriculum and the modifications that your DD needs-- uh, yeah-- I think that the better thing might be to sub her into a different class/module.

POWDERED forms of egg-- BIG problem.  Just something to consider as well.  (Like there wasn't enough already.)

I'd say that this comes quite close to fundamental nature questions, honestly-- it'd be okay for you (and for them) to substitute something else, as there are a LOT of modifications needed to the basic curriculum for her to safely participate.

Too short a time to make it happen adequately without a lot of resentment from the teacher, that'd be my guess.

[CMdeux]

Is your DD to actually consume any of this stuff?

I'd think "absolutely NOT" myself, given what else you've posted, but that might also need to be made clear if she stays in the class.

[maeve]

Yeah, it is a lot of egg.  Let's just say that I'm not confident in the teacher. I reflexively become suspicious of anyone who expresses confidence in dealing with these allergies when they don't deal with it 24/7.  Here's an email from the teacher that doesn't exactly allay my concerns.

Good morning,
I wanted to touch base with you before our meeting next week. I remember that we met at the beginning of the year as well. Please be assured that I have had other students with allergies and am aware of the precautions. The recipes on the website aren't always used and some of them are for the 8th grade classes. I have a list of all students' allergies. When there is something we are fixing that the student can't have or be around, they sit out and watch. Sometimes a student has to leave the room and do an alternate assignment. This is basically all I need to know. I will see you next week, but hope this will get things brought out in the open sooner. Please let me know if she is to sit out and watch or needs to leave the room. I will see you next week!
Mrs. FACS Teacher

[maeve]

Is your DD to actually consume any of this stuff?

I'd think "absolutely NOT" myself, given what else you've posted, but that might also need to be made clear if she stays in the class.

Oh she's not to consume anything made in the class regardless of whether it has egg in it or not. I don't trust that any of the kitchen tools would be adequately cleaned because the students clean up as part of the jobs their assigned in the lesson.

[CMdeux]

Wow.


Uhhhh-- several comments here.... I will quote (feel free to edit out if needed):

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Good morning,
I wanted to touch base with you before our meeting next week.

Well, a gold star for her for THAT much, at least.

I remember that we met at the beginning of the year as well. Please be assured that I have had other students with allergies and am aware of the precautions.

   Really?  "Allergies" or allergies?  Which "precautions" would those be, exactly?  Might be a smidge different for a student with a very high tolerance for ingestion of shellfish versus one with contact anaphylaxis Hx for egg traces.  Just saying.  Maybe understanding that "one management plan fits most" isn't exactly how kids with 504 plans are SUPPOSED to be treated would be a great start here, YK?  Better still, understanding that not all food allergies are precisely equal to one another in their particulars would also be good.

The recipes on the website aren't always used and some of them are for the 8th grade classes.

  So the website can't be used as a guide to what goes on in class.  Well, at least now you know.  Um-- so what this means, effectively is that SOME recipes aren't on the list at all, then?  Since things are substituted?  GREAAAT.  NOT.  What IS going to be happening in class, then?

I have a list of all students' allergies.

Again-- a list.  Of allergies.  Does this list also include details about reaction history and probable threshold doses?  No?  Well, then, it hardly tells you ALL that you need to know, then.  Does she also have their 504 plans?  Er-- or at least your DD's?

When there is something we are fixing that the student can't have or be around, they sit out and watch.

Well, see-- this won't be a problem then because that is why you have a 504 plan.  If they can't "be around" it's not clear how "watching" works, either.  Personally, some things my DD can watch from the safety of home on, say, YouTube.  Like making peanut brittle.   Whipping up an omelette or working with meringue powder.

Sometimes a student has to leave the room and do an alternate assignment.

Okay-- but she MUST understand that this is not inclusive, and is probably an illegal way to accommodate students with disabilities, right?  PLEASE tell me that she understands what is wrong with this.  PLEASE.

This is basically all I need to know.

Oh, it tells ME plenty, as well.  Tells ME that she doesn't have as much a clue as she (clearly) think that she does.     Only a very ignorant person would make that statement in a situation that involves FOOD.

I will see you next week, but hope this will get things brought out in the open sooner.

Well, gee whiz... it's not that there haven't been a few months.... the phone and e-mail run both directions.

Please let me know if she is to sit out and watch or needs to leave the room.

SERIOUSLY?? How on earth are you supposed to even KNOW that given the information in place given this missive??  Clearly, she also ignored your salvo re: your DD feeling that "alternate" assignments and seating are punitive. 

I will see you next week!
Mrs. FACS Teacher

I can see why this inspires very little confidence, Maeve.     She flatly ignored the very real risk in light of reaction history after a very similar type of exposure at another school setting.  Yikes.   

[maeve]

I just double-checked and this is a required course. DH had a good question about the sitting out/alternative assignment suggestion: how does this impact grading?
 
CM, I had all the same thoughts you did reading that email. I should note that this teacher attended the beginning of the year meeting and left behind her copy of DD's 504. Yep. She left it sitting on her chair. She was also unprepared to talk about anything more than generalities when we spoke with just her after the group meeting. She directed me to her web site. It gets better. This whole FACS program is a module-based system with various stations (sort of like cubes) in the room that was purchased from an educational company.  DD had FACS yesterday but I wasn't too concerned because it was the first class of the semester and that's usually a house-keeping day. So DD mentions that there's a module involving turkey hot dogs. None of the recipes on her site lists turkey hot dogs as an ingredient. So does this mean there are other lessons involving food for which I will not know the ingredients?

[CMdeux]

Well, and there is also the "equal educational benefit" to consider-- not clear what sort of "alternate" assignments are available.  Are they options for all students?  Or only for students with disabilities?

[Macabre]

Yeah, the part about sitting out--just wow.

So clearly never glanced at the 504.

[Mfamom]

I hate it when someone says I'm confident because there are other kids with allergies in the past and this year. 
For me, I know how differently my family handles allergies vs some others!  It is also dangerous to transfer "xx egg allergic kid was ok, therefore your dd should be fine too" mentality that comes with the territory.
I would be a bit worried with all that egg. 

[yelloww]

Maeve, we got out of it and it is required by the state. The allergist wrote a letter stating that. Under no circumstances should ds participate in home Ec class because due to anaphylaxis. It gave ds a medical exemption for his file and the state.

He still does sewing but not cooking. He has an independent study class for cooking. Basically he has en extra section of band for six weeks.

Ds is dairy egg and peanuts. It's too stressful and complicated to be a worthwhile experience for any of you. I took the stance of "I will have to teach the teacher how to cook for him so that she can teach him.  I don't have the time to do that and it could be lethal if the teacher mixed up part of my instructions, therefore I will just teach ds at home." I also explained he was going to need his own cooking station and that class sizes and other students scheduled would be impacted bc of him being in there.

I started it off and ended it with that there's absolutely no way he's taking this course from a health and safety pov. I then asked them if a note from the dr would work for the medical exemption.

I also talked to the band teacher who was fine with him going to extra band lessons /classes and made up an independent study syllabus for guidance (took all of 5min by email).

Good luck with that class! Ugh!

[twinturbo]

She's coloring so far outside the lines because she knows she's got fundamental nature on her side. Ignore me if I'm heading into territory I'm not welcome but an alternative might be the better course of action here if you're not of a mind that DD needs this particular home ec course from this one teacher, and yeah I know the part about requirement. That's for later. Now I would determine what is appropriate for DD (i.e., is this bs worth the effort? benefit is what exactly?) academically but in an ideal world this teacher gets hemmed in solidly on what 504 means. No vague, subjective garbage at her whim. Fundamental nature is not mutually exclusive of substantial adjustment, nor is substantial adjustment an overextension of obligation towards eliminating discrimination between benefit offered to unaffected peers.

[yelloww]

Oh and home Ec is a line item in the 504: student will not participate in the cooking portion of home Ec.

Right there in his official documents so the state can't give them crap. 

[maeve]

The thing is, we didn't get anything in the 504 about home ec at the review before school started because teacher was unprepared and I couldn't find the recipes online (on teacher's web site and not the home ec dept web site, so unless you knew teacher, you're SOL). The other info on the district's site about the class was utterly worthless syllabi.  So this partly my fault in dealing with this.

DD said the cooking is in a separate classroom from the sewing. DD's profile in Clarity showed about 20 FACS (home ec) assignments listed as overdue. They'd been added in the last week and are "overdue" because the teacher used first semester dates.  I'm curious if the assignments listed are what they'll do this semester and in that order. It looks like they do four cooking labs interspersed throughout the semester. One is the bow knots recipe, one is cupcakes, one is fritattas, and one is listed as pasta (which may or may not be possible). Unfortunately, it's not set up the way it was when I was in school, when you had cooking for 9 weeks and then sewing.