Teasing, Bullying, and Harassment
After one middle school student showed symptoms of anaphylaxis every day for two weeks, a teacher determined that the girl was being harassed by two students who were shoving peanuts in her face. School officials invited a police officer to the classroom to inform students that such behavior was considered assault, and would be processed through the juvenile courts. The harassment quickly stopped.
There have been reports of bullies who attempt to force a student to eat a reaction-inducing food, or throw food at a student, in order to cause an allergic reaction. Schools must treat all complaints of teasing, bullying, and harassment seriously, and address the offenders’ behavior in the same manner as any other dangerous or unacceptable behavior would be addressed.
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) clearly states that disability harassment (i.e., abusive jokes, crude name-calling, threats, physical assault, and bullying) cannot be tolerated. Where such conduct occurs, prompt and effective action should be taken.
Disability harassment, according to the DOE, can deny a student a free and appropriate public education and may also violate state and local criminal laws. As a fundamental stop, educational institutions must develop and disseminate an official policy statement prohibiting harassment based on disability and must establish grievance procedures that can be used to address the situation.
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