Cooking In School Class

[GF Jeannie Marie]

I have a 7th grader who has to take a Home ec class & they will start cooking next week. At first I thought I could just modify the recipes & my son could still cook, but I as I have thought about it more now I am worried about the cross-contamination that will occur with kids cooking, along with the airborne flour. My son also has horrible enviromental allergies & a wheat allergy along with gluten issues & we have been doing allergy shots for around 6 months hoping to help. Yesterday he went in for a shot & had an anaphylactic reaction & had to have an epi shot, a breathing treatment, and extra medication. It was real scarey to watch your son start to struggle to breath, that was his first reaction like that. So now I am really worried about his safety while even being in the same room as all the flour!

What have all you other parents done in this same situation of cooking in school? I want him to feel "normal", but I'm thinking he may need to go to the library & read while they cook & I will help him cook at home & take his finished project into his teacher.

My husband, 2 sons & myself all have issues with gluten & we all seem to be real sensitive-we don't even go out to eat!

Any thoughts would or suggestions would be appreciated!

[scarlett77]

Personally, I would talk to school administrators and see if there was an alternative instead of taking the cooking class. I'm sure that they would not have a problem because his allergies are so severe. One of my best friends is a bone cancer survivor and for much of her adolescent and adult life she was either on crutches, or had a brace and was unable to participate in any PE classes. Trust me when I say this is most likely not the first time a school has had to accommodate altering a student's classes due to a health issue.

Ask if he could be a student aide for that period or independent study in the library.

[Darn210]

Personally, I would talk to school administrators and see if there was an alternative instead of taking the cooking class.

Agreed!!! Get the doctor's office that witnessed the anaphylactic reaction involved if you have to. Offer to cook at home or do some sort of research project on food instead . . . a nice paper on the difference between gluten and gluten-free cooking and the modifications one has to make, perhaps. I, too, have got to believe that they have had to deal with this kind of issue before and I would not doubt that it will require some kind of note from the doc.

[dilettantesteph]

My son went to study hall during 7th grade "home and careers". At home we did the sewing project, the volunteer hours, and the cooking projects. He put the things into her mailbox and she graded him based on that. Her communication with us was terrible, she wouldn't answer e-mails, but he got through the process without getting sick. Not only is there airborne gluten everywhere, but even in the sewing classroom they have snacks and crumbs everywhere. There wasn't a safe spot for him and they didn't want to create one. I don't really think that it was fair that he didn't get any of the state required instruction, but at least they didn't make him sick.