Oregon mom wonders why district wants daughter fed off campus
GRESHAM, Ore. – A mother is looking for answers after she's told she must take her 8-year-old daughter out of school and off school property to feed her every day.
"It seems very unfair. No one else has to take their kids out of school to feed them at lunch," said Beverly Hanset-Burch.
But her daughter, Bonnie, has special needs, and somewhere a decision was made that the school and staff could not support them anymore during lunch.
Bonnie was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital disorder. She needs a lot of assistance to get through daily life. She can't eat solid food and has been plunge fed since she was 2 years old.
"I had hoped that Bonnie would get stronger and be able to feed herself, but fighting against her abs muscles is just not working right now. She doesn't have the strength in her upper body," Beverly said.
Bonnie's in the third-grade at East Gresham Elementary and since kindergarten an aide has plunge fed Bonnie at lunch.
But suddenly policy changed. Beverly was notified Monday the school district's nurses would no longer be giving directives to aides to perform medical procedures and feeding Bonnie is considered a medical procedure.
"They say it's dangerous," Beverly said. "We've had no danger. It's been fine. Nothing has happened with Bonnie."
According to Beverly, Multnomah Education Services now requires Bonnie be fed off campus.
"I'm frustrated. I want my daughter to be in the cafeteria with other children eating with her typical peers like she has been (since) kindergarten, first, second and half of third-grade," Beverly said. "I feel like it's going to make other kids say, 'Where's Bonnie?' and make her freakish or something when she's a vibrant little girl who deserves a free and appropriate public education with her typical peers and less restrictive environment and needs supports in a place to help get that education."
Beverly said there were three people at the school trained and able to feed Bonnie and she just doesn’t understand why things had to change.
KATU News has calls into the school district and plans to follow up on this story Wednesday.
Parents are ultimately responsible for their children. I don't rely on school ,government, police, etc to take care of my children's basic needs. It is my responsibility to make sure they are fed, healthy, safe, emotionally stable, warm, bathed, educated. I was kind of shocked that someone else fed her child. I wouldn't leave my daughters medical care to an aide. Obviously this mom is tired and has been taking care of this child and it is a very big burden, but this is the risk you take when you have children. Why wouldn't the mom go to school each day and feed her daughter . This sounds like a good case for homeschooling and perhaps belonging to a special needs homeschooling group. because these are not her peers actually. Maybe she should look up the word peer. That would mean a group of kids who need to be plunge fed...PEER=.a person who is equal to another in abilities, qualifications, age, background, and social status. obviously she does not have the ABILITY TO EAT ON HER OWN THEREFORE this mom is just grasping at straws.
Sad for this kids condition but the school is absoutely correct. If the parents or guardian cannot come in and feed her then she needs Medically trained staff to do so. This "parent" refuses to accept that responsiblitiy and is pushing it on the school.Â
I have worked wiht kids like this for years. Nothing may have phappened yet but sure as the sun rises it will. And the first thing this "mom" will do is sue the school for everything they have.  SDo she is frocing her respnsibility onto the school and every tax payer knownig full well that something will happen and when it does she will be set for life.
I don't see how the school can do this. There ware laws relating to these kinds of issues and special needs kids. I certainly would look into the legal issues here.