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An elementary school teacher in British Columbia has been suspended for giving a hazelnut chocolate to a student with a nut allergy.
Nancy Le’ann Babulal was aware the Grade 2 student was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, according to a report published by the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
The student’s condition was on file, the report says, and there was an EpiPen for the student in the school’s medical room.
The Commissioner said Babulal put the student’s “health and safety at risk,” and reprimanded her.
School District 57, which is in Prince George, suspended her without pay for two days.
According to the report, the incident occurred at the beginning of Advent in 2021.
Babulal would usually buy a Lego calendar containing toys for the children, but because none was available she bought one with chocolate instead.
“Babulal brought this advent calendar to school without first checking to see if the chocolate contained nuts,” the report says. “The chocolates in the advent calendar did contain nuts, a fact which was included on the packaging.”
On Dec. 2, Balulal invited three kids – including the child with a nut allergy – to take a chocolate from the calendar.
She told the student not to eat the chocolate until she had checked if it contained nuts.
The report says it contained “hazelnut cream filling.”
“As it was the end of the day, students were lined up to leave the classroom,” it adds. “Babulal was occupied with students near the back of the line and [the student] was at the very front of the line.
“Babulal did not notice [the student] leaving the classroom with their grandmother. Once she realized that [the student] had left the classroom, Babulal went in search of [the student] and the grandmother but did not find them.”
The teacher then called the student’s mother and told her the student had left with a chocolate.
The report says the child did not consume the chocolate.
It also notes Babulal did not inform the school’s principal about the incident.
She was disciplined and suspended by the school in the following days.
The Commissioner then considered the case, arriving at its conclusion that Babulal should be reprimanded in late January of this year.
