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[ChainedMaster]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...to-let-asthmatic-kids-carry-puffers-1.2455861

Ontario schools should allow students with asthma to carry puffers with them in case of emergencies, says the mother of a 12-year-old boy who died when no one could get his inhaler in time because it was locked in the principal's office.

Ryan Gibbons died Oct. 9, 2012 when he suffered a severe asthma attack during recess at school in the village of Straffordville, in southwestern Ontario.

"So as he was going to the office to get his inhaler, he kind of was having a hard time and had to be carried into the office, and by the time he got there he had blacked out," she said. "To this day I really don't know how exactly the whole day unfolded for him."

"I received many a phone call stating Ryan had taken an inhaler to school and they found it in his bag and would like me to come pick it up because he wasn't even allowed to bring it home with him," she said. "There's supposed to be one in the office and that's the only one he can have. I didn't understand why."

Gibbons, 40, started a petition asking the government to force school boards to adopt standardized asthma management plans after her son's death.
School policy was to keep the inhalers under lock and key and staff repeatedly confiscated spare inhalers from Ryan, added Gibbons.

 

[GhostWriter24]

Unreal. Locked in the fucking principal's office? What is the good in that? Should have been on him a all times.

 

[Fiktion]

What was the rationale? I don't get it.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Re: Why it was supposed to be under lock and key. I'm sure it's a blanket rule about all prescription medicine with younger kids. It's not so much about what the kid who is supposed to have it will do, but about might happen to others if they got their hands on it. In this instance it's not a big deal, but if some kid thought a powerful medication was candy or something he could easily overdose.

 

[freenudemacusers]

I assume this is one of those 'zero tolerance' situations. gg principal.

 

[Valnen]

Someone should be charged with murder over this. The school is directly responsible for this death.

 

[FStop7]

Re: Why it was supposed to be under lock and key. I'm sure it's a blanket rule about all prescription medicine with younger kids. It's not so much about what the kid who is supposed to have it will do, but about might happen to others if they got their hands on it. In this instance it's not a big deal, but if some kid thought a powerful medication was candy or something he could easily overdose.

It's a sad example of common sense trodden over an inflexible adherence to The Rules. The stuff martinets are made of.

The thing is, by putting critical medications under lock and key, the principal assumes a great responsibility in that the medicines must be readily accessible. There is trust there that is literally a matter of life and death, and that trust was betrayed. There is culpability on the part of the principal and the school system and I hope they're made to pay for it.

 

[laidbackHERO]

The amount of incredibly stupid rules some schools adopt never seem to amaze me. They server absolutely no purpose and almost always lead to problems. What exactly are they protecting kids from?!

 

[slit]

Uh, yeah that's completely ridiculous. I wouldn't even let my child attend a school that wouldn't let him carry around his inhaler if he needed it.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

Insanity. Were these rules conceived by someone who had no idea what asthma was? Every time a student needs to use their inhaler they need to walk to the principle's office and have them retrieve it from a lockbox? Yeah, that's a great system to have if someone's having an attack.

 

[JDSN]

What in the fucking God? So no EpiPen or insulin shots included?

I used to get asthma attack just when I couldnt find my inhaler in my backpack.

 

[dorkimoe]

the amount of restrictions we are putting on children for things is insane

he is 12...good lord..this country man...

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

Re: Why it was supposed to be under lock and key. I'm sure it's a blanket rule about all prescription medicine with younger kids. It's not so much about what the kid who is supposed to have it will do, but about might happen to others if they got their hands on it. In this instance it's not a big deal, but if some kid thought a powerful medication was candy or something he could easily overdose.

Looks like it's time to add some nuance to the rulebook.

Are kids with life-threatening allergies allowed to carry their own epinephrine pens or do they have to run to the office for that too?

 

[Jokab]

Someone should be charged with murder over this. The school is directly responsible for this death.

It's closer to involuntary manslaughter in that case.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Wow, that's fucking insane.

 

[Cyan]

Forget having a second one, why did they lock his first one in the principal's office?

I had a friend with asthma when I was in school, he had his inhaler with him in his backpack at all times.

 

[slit]

What was the rationale? I don't get it.

Probably because you can get high off of them but that is no excuse in preventing someone from carrying something that can save their life.

 

[Joey Fox]

Someone should be charged with murder over this.

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

 

[FStop7]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Are you fucking kidding me?

 

[Damaniel]

Yay zero tolerance! Don't want those kids smuggling those marijuanas in their puffer thingies....

This is so, so stupid. Next thing you know, those with severe allergies won't be able to carry their epi-pens on them (assuming they even can!)

Medications required to survive should never be kept under lock and key by the school. Sure, if the school must, they can keep a list of which students carry which medications, but outright denying the ability to carry life-saving medication on your person (even as a student) should be criminal.

 

[Valnen]

It's closer to involuntary manslaughter in that case.

There was nothing involuntary about them locking something up that should have been on him at all times.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Looks like it's time to add some nuance to the rulebook.

Are kids with life-threatening allergies allowed to carry their own epinephrine pens or do they have to run to the office for that too?

When I had allergy medication in COLLEGE they wouldn't let me take it in the dorms. Granted it wasn't something like an epi pen, it was a straight up syringe, there is a bit more nuance there as they could have said it was solely for safe disposal.

I would hope most classrooms these days would have an emergency epi pen in the teachers desk with peanut allergies and their awareness on the rise.

 

[slit]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

I'd really like to know what you mean with this.

 

[Lulubop]

I don't ever leave the house without mine. Unreal.

 

[freenudemacusers]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Is natural selection *really* the term you wanted to use?

 

[Black Door]

Meds locked in the principal's office is commonplace, especially in schools where the surrounding area is kinda rough.

The entire staff forgetting about this or not knowing how to get into the office is pure stupidity, however

edit: "Natural selection?" Are you being fucking stupid on purpose?

 

[laidbackHERO]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Wtf are you talking about? It isn't a government policy. The school board isn't a government. She's petitioning the government to MAKE a policy so that schools don't each have different rules for how to handle it

 

[Ferrio]

Meds locked in the principal's office is commonplace, especially in schools where the surrounding area is kinda rough.

The entire staff forgetting about this or not knowing how to get into the office is pure stupidity, however

Yes.. but this is an inhaler. How on earth would you abuse an inhaler? Pain meds or something I could understand... but inhalers...

 

[LordAlu]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Wait, what?

 

[ShinNL]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

I don't have asthma but I think you suck for what you have stated.

 

[perfectchaos007]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Kids under 18 are required by law to attend school. Homeschooling and private school enrollment aren't an option for many due to costs, and simply transferring a student to another public school isn't always allowed due to districting. So it may not be as simple as you think to pull your kid out of school.

 

[Black Door]

Yes.. but this is an inhaler. How on earth would you abuse an inhaler?

Kids will huff anything, and they may claim he brought two inhalers to share with his buddies or something

 

[RedShift]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Really hoping you don't realise what saying that actually means.

A kid dying due to other people who aren't even genetically related to him is about as far from natural selection as possible.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

not enough facepalms.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Yes.. but this is an inhaler. How on earth would you abuse an inhaler? Pain meds or something I could understand... but inhalers...

Prescription meds are prescription meds. Should the rule have more nuance? Definitely.

 

[Wheeljack539]

I remember a similar request when I was in junior high/high school. Seeing this, I'm glad I said screw it and kept it in my pocket all the times.

Seeing that they still have rules like this is saddening as the entire point of an inhaler is to help us out when we have breathing problems.

 

[Omegasquash]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Sure it is.

 

[V_Arnold]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

No, this is not natural selection. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. This is murder at work. Or, to be more precise, murder at school.

 

[itsgreen]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Are you fucking mental?

 

[Fenderputty]

I've been asthmatic my whole life and have never been told I couldn't have my inhaler on me. My mother would be seeking heads if this happened to our family.

 

[JDSN]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

I really hope you dont know what that means. Ignorance, I can understand.

 

[Anion]

That's ridiculous. If you don't like government policy, try to get it changed and pull your kid out of school. Don't sue after the fact or expect someone doing their job to go down for murder.

This is just natural selection at work. I feel horrible for the dead kid, and not anyone else.

Wow. Your point is decent, but wtf is with this Natural selection shift. Really? Wtf?

 

[Grimm Fandango]

If the kid died from this, the puffer wouldn't have been enough. An ambulance should have been called immediately.

The school needs to change its policies regardless.

 

[studyguy]

I assumed prescription medicine was fine to carry on their person. Fuck if a kid is having an asthma attack, no one is going to stop him from using the inhaler. What an awful oversight on part of the school...

 

[Fenderputty]

No, this is not natural selection. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. This is murder at work. Or, to be more precise, murder at school.

Murder??? Negligence at best.

 

[commedieu]

This is just natural selection at work.

well

 

[Jokab]

There was nothing involuntary about them locking something up that should have been on him at all times.

While that may be true, there was never any intention to cause him harm. You can't charge murder on that premise.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Murder??? Negligence at best.

pretty sure the principal walked to school that day thinking hell yeah gonna take some kids meds away and watch him die

 

[jimi_dini]

School policy was to keep the inhalers under lock and key and staff repeatedly confiscated spare inhalers from Ryan, added Gibbons.

wtf
Are they insane? Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?

Someone should be charged with murder over this. The school is directly responsible for this death.

.

Whoever thought this crazy "school policy" up. Lock him/her up just like the inhalers. Then throw the key away. Done.

 

[Mesoian]

Murder??? Negligence at best.

Criminal Negligence, but yes. The school board will probably settle out of court and this will go away.