John Hersey High School Nurse Properly Dealt With Student's Peanut Allergy: District 214

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Township High School District 214 officials say the nurse who is accused of delaying a high school student from using an EpiPen while she was suffering from a reaction to a peanut allergey last month handled the incident properly and followed district policy, the Arlington Heights Post reports.

Initially, district leaders apologized to John Hersey High School student Lia Sommer and her family after the 15-year-old accidentally bit into a turkey sandwich with pesto containing peanuts from the school's cafeteria Aug. 30. When Lia realized she was suffering from a severe anaphylactic reaction because of her peanut allergy, she went to the nurse's office for an injection of epinephrine from an EpiPen.

The nurse, however, instructed Lia to first take an antihistamine, Benadryl. The freshman finally was given an EpiPen shot after calling her mom, and an ambulance was called to take her to the hospital.

The district changed its response, however, after officials reviewed the incident last week and found nothing wrong with the nurse's actions, the report stated.

"District protocol states that in the absence of significant respiratory distress, the appropriate response was for the school nurse to contact the parent before administering the EpiPen, which requires a 911 call when given," District 214 spokeswoman Jennifer Delgado told the Post on Monday. "In this situation, the school nurse acted professionally and consistently with district protocol."

However, Lonnie Joy Sommer, Lia's mother, criticized the district over the incident at a recent school board meeting. She says the EpiPen treatment should have been administered immediately as it states on her daughter's health form that is on file at the school. District policy does allow — with the consent of the parents— for students with life-threatening allergies to carry their own EpiPens, the Post reports.

RELEASED: District 214 Apologizes for Mishandling Treatment of Hersey Student's Peanut Allergy

Lonnie Joy Sommer also said she was upset that Lia was not accompanied by an adult from the school to Northwest Community Hospital's emergency room.

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

Although officials are supporting the nurse's actions, the district is still paying for Lia's medical bills, the Post reports.

Because of the incident, the district is re-examining and tightening its food service department's procedures, the report stated. That includes improving efforts to alert students when potential allergens might be present in recipe substitutions and meal preparations, the report added.

Officials also continue to investigate why a school food service employee replaced pine nuts with peanuts in the pesto sauce used in the turkey sandwich Lia ate, the report states. That individual is still working in the district during the investigation, the report added.

"Our general protocol is to investigate and determine what happened, and then administer consequences if warranted," Delgado told the Post.

More via the Arlington Heights Post

photo via Township High School District 214

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