Mom Sues Son's High School

[Greenday]

She's suing the school because she considers his allergy a disability and as such, a public school is required to make provisions for those with disabilities.

[Andara Bledin]

She's suing the school because she considers his allergy a disability and as such, a public school is required to make provisions for those with disabilities.

This. And there's a high probability that the case will go through, too, based one what I know of the situation.

One thing to note is that she's not pursuing a ban on everything scented: only those that are sprayed in the air. Roll-ons are fine. Solids are fine. Oils are fine. Droppers are fine. Only aerosols and misters are at issue.

^-.-^

[muses_nightmare]

Axe spray needs to go away. How anyone could think that crap smells good is a mystery.

I agree. My brother in law marinates himself in so many colognes and body sprays that if he gets in the car right after he showers and puts everything on I get headaches. I don't think a ban on these sort of products would be a bad idea, because while not everyone has an allergy, it can be distracting, I used to get headaches from the guys who would spray their lockers down with Axe before class, and I'm not allergic to the stuff, it's just really strong. Apparently teenage boys (and girls) don't know the meaning of the word shower...cologne and body spray are not a replacement for hygiene!

[Lace Neil Singer]

Adults too; the times I've served a customer and tried not to retch as the mixed odour of BO and cheap perfume assaulted my nose... X_x

I don't think a blanket ban is a good idea. Why make everyone else do without body spray just cuz someone has an allergy? I'm allergic to bee stings; I don't demand that every single public place is sprayed with bug killer before I go there. Andara Bledin's idea is the most workable one; or perhaps just ban kids from spraying in the halls. They can apply it before they leave home, or in the changing rooms after games; just not in the halls.

[MrsEclipse]

I still don't get why anyone would need to spray themselves with perfume, cologne, or deodorent between every class (except for after gym).

They don't need to. They're young, and they have no idea how perfume and such works yet because they lack experience. They figure, if they can't smell it anymore, no one else can so they need to re-apply, and then they vastly overestimate how much they need.


In any case, the big issue for me is that he doesn't really have a choice when it comes to high school. He can choose his college, or his job, or where he goes for enjoyment, but he doesn't get to do that for high school, so I'm a little more inclined to ask the school to work a little harder to find a reasonable accommodation. I think banning the sprays is a good idea, not because of one kid's allergy, but because I get the feeling that a lot of kids are bathing in the stuff between classes, and it's probably bothering a lot of other people without allergies. Just a hunch, though. But if that's not going to happen, there are still other things the school can be doing.

I'm very biased on the side of the students when it comes to school, though, based on personal experience. It's a long story.

[blas87]

There's no official ban at my work, but we've had several general talking-tos about respecting other people and not wearing too much body spray or cologne or perfume.

That'd be fine and dandy if that "respect" went both ways and a few coworkers actually started bathing properly and wearing deoderant and brushing their teeth or at least using mints or gum if they have a problem with bad breath.

[draco664]

She's suing the school because she considers his allergy a disability and as such, a public school is required to make provisions for those with disabilities.

Is an alergy legally considered a disability? If that's what she's basing her argument on, a ruling in her favour could well have wide ranging impacts across the board, from schools to offices to parks to transport. I can't see her wining with that argument.

[Aethian]

When I was in high school we had a ban on air sprayed deodorants in the hallways. If you used them in the locker room, fine. Used them before school, fine. Used them in the hallway? 1 hour detention and confiscation of the item. Second time caught? 2 hours detention and meeting with the parent(s). Third time caught? 1 week detention.

The reason with this? We had a student almost die because a group of someones decided to spray said person with a several number of the aerosol sprays. To fend off any type of litigation the school just outwardly banned them. The ban eventually made it's way to the middle school and then various elementary schools, where the forth and fifth graders have discovered scents.

As far as I know since the ban has been in place so long, only those new to the school district have gotten caught with it. But then it has been around for over 14 years now.