LI Girl Accused Of Doing Drugs Amid Severe Allergy Attack: Reports

DIX HILLS, NY — A nurse and administrators at Half Hollow Hills High School West accused a student of doing drugs when she was actually going into anaphylactic shock at her junior prom last week, her family told media outlets.

Arianna Varghese, 17, has severe tree nut and peanut allergies, NBC 4 NY reported. She was at her school for the dance on Friday when she ate a cookie, she and her father, Daniel, told NBC 4. Her throat tightened up, she asked if the treats had nuts in them, to which one administrator said yes, the news outlet reported.

The district knows Varghese is allergic to those nuts, as she has been in the district since fifth grade, her family said. A sixth-grade Varghese accidentally ate a granola bar, causing the school to administer an EpiPen, the outlet reported.

Varghese went to the nurse during her prom night, but the nurse did not recognize the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, she and her father said, according to FOX 5 NY. The nurse and other school officials instead accused her of using drugs, the family told the TV station.

One of the officials who asked her what drugs she was on was the principal, News 12 Long Island reported.

The school staff eventually gave Varghese Benadryl, which she vomited out and then called her father for help, according to news outlets.

Daniel Varghese, who lives down the street from the school, arrived with her EpiPen within minutes, according to NBC 4 NY. The nurse took the pen from the dad’s hand and administered it herself, according to the outlet.

A district spokesperson told FOX 5 the school nurse acted immediately and asked questions to determine what care was needed and started treating an allergic reaction right away, including giving Varghese the Benadryl and a non-patient-specific EpiPen and then calling her parents and first responders.

Daniel, a physician's assistant, said the nurse did not administer the EpiPen until he arrived 15 minutes later and did not call an ambulance until he asked, the family told media outlets.

Forty minutes elapsed between when Varghese ate the cookie and the EpiPen was administered, Daniel Varghese told media outlets.

Varghese told News 12 Long Island she never felt "so close to death" in her life.

Arianna plans to constantly carry an EpiPen from now on, and the Varghese family did not rule out a lawsuit, FOX 5 NY reported.

A school spokesperson told NBC 4 that the health and well-being of its students is a top priority, which is why a nurse was there for Friday's prom.