Following the Knesset Education Committee's discussion on the issue of caring for children with severe allergies, MK Kati Shitrit (Likud), who initiated the session, stated that the state authorities are lucky that so far there has been no tragedy which had ended with loss of life.
"It's a miracle that a disaster has not happened and children with allergies have not died from allergic attacks in school. We cannot rely on miracles. The issue is deathly serious. I hear only patchwork solutions that do not deal with the overall picture. To my dismay, , the welfare, education and health ministries are trying to put the protection of the children on the teaching staff," Shitrit told Arutz Sheva.
"There is no one to look after the welfare of the children in school, and we just expect the teachers to do it. If G-d forbid, something happens, there is no law to protect the teaching staff. The one who will pay for the mistake is the teacher who in the classroom at the time."
According to her, the solution to the issue does not lie with school staffs. " You cannot expect teachers who are in charge of a class of 35-40 children to take care of children with allergies. Do you want to let a 4th grader inject himself in the middle of an attack? A child in elementary school cannot inject himself with an Epipen. It's not normal."
"What will these teachers do if they have a child suffer a seizure in the classroom? Will they suddenly become doctors? They want them to be pedagogues, they want them to be gatekeepers, and now they want them to be doctors there too? "she wondered.
According to Shitrit, "The teachers are dealing with a lot of pressure, and the solution is not to be found among the teachers. We have to find a solution with professionals who will be trained to deal with such situations."