A mother in Louisiana is furious after her 6-year-old daughter was forced to clean up her own mess at school following an allergic reaction to milk. The incident took place at Rollins Place Elementary School, where Jamisha Augustine’s daughter, who has a dairy allergy, mistakenly drank milk during breakfast and became sick almost immediately.
At the beginning of the school year, Augustine had filled out forms and submitted doctor’s notes informing the school about her daughter’s allergy. Despite this, her daughter was given milk and soon needed to use the restroom multiple times. However, her teacher eventually refused to let her go, leading to a distressing situation.
Denied Bathroom Breaks and Humiliating Punishment
Augustine explained that after multiple trips to the bathroom, the teacher stopped allowing her daughter to leave the classroom. As a result, the child had an accident. When she was sent to the school office, the principal scolded her, saying she was “too big” to be having accidents. Instead of receiving care and understanding, the young girl was forced to clean up the mess herself.
The principal justified this action by saying the child needed to be “disciplined” for the accident. Augustine was outraged by this response. “I asked why my child had to clean it up when they have janitors. They told me they do have janitors, but they wanted to teach her a lesson,” she said. “But how can you punish a child for having an accident?”
School Administration Responds
After the incident, Zachary Community Schools Superintendent Ben Necaise acknowledged that the actions of the principal and teacher were wrong. He stated that the school staff had been “retrained” to prevent such incidents in the future.
“You learn from mistakes,” Necaise said. “You take ownership, accept them, and try to do what’s right for the child and the parent. In hindsight, they realized that was not an appropriate step.”
He also assured that the school follows strict guidelines for students with allergies and dietary restrictions. “We have many students with allergies, and our cafeteria staff is trained to follow dietary restrictions carefully,” he added.
Mother Demands Action
Despite receiving a written apology from the school administration, Augustine remains upset. She described the situation as “irresponsible, hazardous, disgraceful, and really pathetic.” She believes the school should have handled the situation differently.
“You should send in a janitor with the proper equipment,” she said. “But making a 6-year-old clean up without gloves? That’s unacceptable. This should never have happened in any school.”
