School bullies target kids with allergies

Children with allergies are either being tricked or forced into eating food they can’t tolerate by school bullies, a study has revealed.

Some children have been splashed with flavoured milk or had sandwiches spiked with peanut butter, or have been dared to eat a handful of nuts.

Kids are suffering from painful allergic reactions and are even being hospitalised because of the bullying trend, Australian researchers said this week.

Students with allergies – which affects one in every 12 children in Australia – are twice as likely to be targeted by bullies and may be considered easy targets because their allergy can isolate them.

‘Some of the things include things as scary as being forced to eat the food they’re allergic to, or people tricking them into eating food,’ Professor Andrew Fong from The University of New South Wales told 7News.

‘They can be separated from their peers at schools, and they may not be invited to parties.’

‘Kicked, teased, and bullying through social media as well,’ he said.

Some parents have turned to home schooling after their children were targeted, researchers said.

Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia President Maria Said told The Courier Mail the company is aware of this kind of bullying in Australia.

‘There is a lack of respect and understanding around allergies generally and, when it comes to children, there can be an element of jealousy – some don’t like the special attention focused on the food-allergic children,’ she said.

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18 Comments

- - mom94125 said
  - 06 Oct 2017
    2:41 pm
teach kids about the dangers of this so that they know full well the consequences of their actions. have more supervision during lunch times as well

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 06 Jul 2017
    9:56 pm
I actually only skimmed over this article, because quite honestly as a mother of a child who has allergies, ezcema and asthma I knew if I read it in detail it would make me too cross. It has occured that a child shoved an allergen containing item at my son and there have been other things outside of school where people have put my son in danger.

- - tessie said
  - 26 Jun 2017
    1:15 pm
This is beyond comprehension. I wonder if the parents know what their kids get up to at school. I’m thankful this never happened to my boys. I hope the culprits get severely dealt with. They could cause a death through their stupidity

- - ella12 said
  - 19 Jun 2017
    2:38 pm
This is just absolutely awful beyond words that these naughty kids can be so heartless. I hope they get into trouble – big time!

- - rovermum said
  - 19 Jun 2017
    8:56 am
This is such cruel and disgusting behaviour. It blows my mind that kids would even think to do something so mean. They need to be dobbed in EVERY SINGLE TIME.

- - jacqbeckett said
  - 18 Jun 2017
    4:08 pm
kids these days now have no respect and can be cruel. i would wish to look at them and say what if it happened to you, would u like to be teased too? my son didnt get teased for allergies but he was teased for being weird even a mother came to me and said your son is weird.
Just sad this is the society we are in now.

- - cherz said
  - 17 Jun 2017
    2:36 pm
The world is becoming a very dangerous place indeed. Tough stands need to be taken.

- - mom206279 said
  - 16 Jun 2017
    8:32 am
My god kids can be so cruel. If my son was doing that there would be very serious consequences.

- - Ellen said
  - 16 Jun 2017
    4:16 am
This is so wrong. What a dangerous way of bullying ! Do these bullies even know they play with lives ?? In general kids need to learn right from wrong in a clear and firm, yet loving and caring way.

- - mum4107 said
  - 16 Jun 2017
    12:09 am
Omg this is terrible. How horrifying.
Those bullies cause cause a death. Schools should be cracking down on them

- - mom101628 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    10:00 pm
I really don’t like this world that we are now living in. No respect for others no matter who they are. Friends don’t back one another up and police, ambulance officers, doctors and nurses being bettered – and it all begins in the school yard. It’s about time parents started to parent instead of cossetting their ‘angels’ that do no wrong.

- - mom160421 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    9:36 pm
I really do not understand why bullying is still happening despite all the anti-bullying education.

- - june11 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    9:28 pm
I know a boy who is asthmatic and one of the things he is allergic to is some pollens. He had somebody through dandelion flowers on him and within 4 minutes was gasping for air.

- - rachel1970 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    8:29 pm
Scary stuff. A friend of mine has a son with an peanut allergy. His supposed best friend thought it would be funny to give him a cookie with nuts in it-it resulted in a stay in hospital.

- - mom129294 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    7:30 pm
I have a child who is allergic to pollen and has to avoid stamens from flowers. Some kids thought it would be funny to chase her and throw flowers at her just to see what would happen. My problem then turned to the teachers and principal who tried to sweep it under the rug. I made my point loud and clear in front of the teachers and the kids involved and told them if it was to happen again they would be dealing with me. These were NOT small children who didn’t know any better

- - nealsq said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    1:24 pm
absolutely disgusting behavior! Parents complain about certain foods being banned from schools and this is why!

- - mom250893 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    1:03 pm
This happened to my son 15 yrs ago when nut allergies were not as heard of … he was chased around the playground by a child with a peanut butter sandwich….the child was going to rub it in his face…lucly my son knew to go to a teacher immediately as i has taught him to do that if that where to ever happen to him…. worse of all was when i enrolled him into school i warned the principal how serious his allergies where and that even the smell could make him sick or go into anaphylaxis…but no…i was being dramatic as the principal put it …as that just wouldnt happen!! Well that next year it did and i blasted the principal… dramatic hey !!! Even sadder was that the parents of the other child didnt care less and refused to not pack peanut butter sandwhiches….. grrrr

- - mom90758 said
  - 15 Jun 2017
    12:02 pm
Horrendous! Really lack of respect towards these kids! Not acceptable. These “tricks” could have terrible consequences!!!