If you are in DCUM area it's incredibly bad weed pollen now. My eyes are red and swollen and there are no animals around.

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Your DC probably has allergies to it. Mention it to the principal. They aren’t using the guinea pig for learning anyway.

There's also a chance she is allergic to whatever bedding they are using in its cage. I am extremely allergic to cedar so can't be near animals w/ cedar shavings/bedding in their enclosures, but I'm not actually allergic to the animal. You should see if this is the case, and if so, suggest a different bedding. There are paper based ones, other shavings, etc.

pets should not be in schools

I'm allergic to pets and would have to have to spend all day long in a room with one

in a classroom with a couple dozen kids, someone's bound to be allergic. probably multiple kids

No. Mine would either bake to death (a/c is always breaking) or freeze (ditto with the heat). There is nothing in between.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG, people like you are the reason that we don't have good things in school anymore. Go ahead and complain and get class pets banned instead of just giving your kid some Zyrtec because you think her cold is allergies.

No kid should have to be doped up on Zyrtec every day. Do you know tired that makes you feel? Animals have no place in schools.

Please be a troll.

Um, no. My child actually takes Zyrtec every day because she has real allergies and not fake class pet allergies. She functions just fine. A lot of children take daily allergy medicines. We are not all weirdo granola anti-vaxx mommies like you.

Ha, anti vax is the last way to describe me. I think the covid vaccine should be mandatory. I also have severe animal allergies and have spent days being doped up on Zyrtec and feeling like a zombie. I do not function just fine, but it's a choice between zombie and having my throat on fire. Neither are acceptable for learning.

No animals in schools. The health needs of children come first.

Perhaps you should have tried a different medication. I can't take Claritin because it makes me feel very woozy, but Zyrtec just makes my allergies better. A good doctor would have helped you figure this out. You should see an allergist.

The teacher can remove the pet. She brings it in each Monday. She never uses it for teaching anything. It just exists in the back of the class. The room does have a stench. We had this last year. It was a sneezing 🤧 problem for some but no one spoke up.

I had fish in my classroom and so did a lot of us. Usually, they did not last all year, though.

I’m shocked people commenting negatively towards OP. Schools are no place for animals. Definitely less likely for pet hair on clothing to be more allergenic than an actual pet in a classroom.

I’m surprised FCPS doesn’t have a policy on this. Or at look east guidance for having turtles, lizards, or fish that is less likely to trigger an allergy.

But no big deal, if this kid is allergic she can ask to be moved to another class. No need to put down the OP.

I don't know about the allergy issue--but I do know my DH reacts to some cats, but not all.

Years ago, I taught in a school where one of the teachers had a rabbit. The rabbit hopped free in the room, and they kept a gate on the door.
I just flat did not like the idea because of the need to constantly "pick up" after the rabbit. I like animals, but I kind of felt like this was over the top.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is not sneezing and doesn’t have a cold. Her eyes are red and swollen.

Oh sweetie, it's far more likely that one of her tablemates has a cat or dog whose fur is on their clothing than your child is allergic to the class pet on the other side of the room that she doesn't even come into contact with.

That's not not necessarily true. I'm violently allergic to guinea pigs and rabbits. As a school based technology specialist, I've walked into classrooms with a guinea pig in a cage maybe 25 feet away and immediately started to have an asthma attack. With poor air circulation, even a very distant class pet could cause major allergic problems for a kid.

I totally agree that, in general, class pets can be very beneficial to student morale and enthusiasm and can be great for developing responsibility and learning about pet care, but they can be really detrimental to staff and students with severe allergies.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we have 10-12 mice. But they only come out when no one is around and they poop everywhere. I told Dr Reid about our pet but she hasn’t come by to meet them yet.

Love you fellow teacher! We have those too, but they poop in colors because they eat playdough crumbs.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we have 10-12 mice. But they only come out when no one is around and they poop everywhere. I told Dr Reid about our pet but she hasn’t come by to meet them yet.

You won the internet today. Hilarious.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, I despise people like OP. Go have your kid allergy tested before you complain about a fake allergy you made up in your own anxious head.

+1 considering OP doesn’t even know what the class pet is…it would be funny if it were actually a fish.

While it is possible your child is allergic to the class rodent, it is far more likely that she is allergic to one or more of the following:

1. Animal hair on a classmate's clothes
2. Mold in the building
3. Mildew in the building

Ugh, I despise people like OP. Go have your kid allergy tested before you complain about a fake allergy you made up in your own anxious head.