School Nurse Delayed Giving Student EpiPen After Severe Allergic Reaction

An Illinois school district is under fire after a school nurse purposely delayed giving a student her EpiPen, favoring other options first.

If you’re the parent of a child with severe allergies, you’ve taken more than necessary precautions to make sure your child knows what to do in the case of a reaction.

So when 15-year-old Lia Sommer accidentally ate peanuts in the cafeteria of John Hersey High School in Illinois last month, she knew what to do.

Lia has dealt with allergies her entire life and when she realized she had been exposed to the dangerous food, she went directly to the nurse’s office.

But this is where the school district failed to keep our children safe from harm:

In a letter written to the Township High School District 214 Board of Education, Lia’s mom, Lonnie Joy Sommer, states the following according to the Chicago Tribune:

The nurse on staff allegedly advised Lia to take an antihistamine, Benadryl. Lia refused, knowing from previous experience that her symptoms would be masked by the antihistamine, though the anaphylactic reaction would not be halted, and would continue to silently and dangerously escalate undetected.

Sommer additionally said she arrived at the Arlington Heights hospital before the ambulance and was “astonished to find that no school representative had accompanied Lia to the ER.”

It is ludicrous that a minor would be sent alone to a hospital during school hours with no personnel to represent her. I am horrified and saddened by the complete lack of common sense and compassion that predicated this decision.

Lia was exposed to peanuts when she ate a turkey sandwich with pesto from the cafeteria.

In response to the complaints, the district said they would review their policies when dealing with allergy cases.

“The district sincerely apologizes for our mistakes,” District 214 spokeswoman Jennifer Delgado said. “Student safety is always of the utmost importance, and we are working with the family to remedy the situation.”

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[Featured Image: ShutterStock/Chicago Tribune]

School Nurse Delayed Giving Student EpiPen After Severe Allergic Reaction is an article from: LifeDaily