As the school bus rolled to a stop outside her Lake County home, Beth Jones adjusted the bright yellow document protruding from the pouch of her daughter's wheelchair, making sure it was clearly visible. Posted on 12/10/2007 10:11:05 AM PST by Sopater
As the school bus rolled to a stop outside her Lake County home, Beth Jones adjusted the bright yellow document protruding from the pouch of her daughter's wheelchair, making sure it was clearly visible.
In bold letters it warned, "Do Not Resuscitate."
The DNR order goes everywhere with Katie, including her 2nd-grade classroom at Laremont School in Gages Lake. The school is part of the Special Education District of Lake County, where an emotional two-year discussion ended this summer when officials agreed to honor such directives.
Now, district officials find themselves in the unusual position of having planned the steps its staff will, or won't, take to permit a child to die on school grounds. Although DNR orders are common in hospitals and nursing homes, such life-and-death drama rarely plays out in schools, where officials realize how sensitive and traumatic the situation could be for nurses, teachers and students.
Katie's brain was deprived of oxygen before birth. She can't walk, talk or do anything for herself. She is fed through a tube in her stomach and has an increased susceptibility to infection. Violent choking and coughing spasms have signaled a turn for the worse in her condition.
A Do Not Resuscitate order is a doctor's directive, issued with the consent of the family, that cardiopulmonary resuscitation will not be used if the patient suffers from heart or breathing problems. It can also prohibit using such devices as a defibrillator or an intubation tube. 
The new DNR policy puts Katie's school district at the forefront of a growing national debate about severely disabled and chronically ill children whose lives have been extended by medical advances -- and whose parents must face heart-wrenching decisions about the future.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
But then, I don't know this specific child and her situation. She may have a higher IQ than I suspect and be reading simple books.
It is immaterial whether you or I or Santa Claus THINKS the schools should provide this service. IT IS THE LAW, and until the law is changed by your congressman and mine, then it will continue to happen. Contact your congress critter and ask their stand on reauthorization of IDEA and voice your opinion. It's your right as a citizen, just as it is this child's right to go to school
The school nurses will position the child to open her airway, suction her, and give her oxygen - it says so in the article. What they will not do is CPR and defibrillation.
A DNR does not mean “no treatment.” I took a woman into the hospital Saturday after she had a seizure, and made sure her DNR came with her, honoring the wishes she had previously expressed. EMS treated her; the paramedics treated her, and the doctors and nurses treated her. The one thing that wasn’t going to be done was CPR and defib. She started coming around in the ambulance.
I stated my point about God.
That’s the bottom line. Trying to help, no matter what you think of the “help”, is good and not against God. The intention is only to help sustain life, not to harm it in any way.
If God wants to take them, He will, no matter the knowledge and technology put in.
I agree. I didn’t see that initially, but after softballmominva said it, I realized she was correct.
What AWFUL PARENTS!!
But when are you stepping in the way of God?
He makes them stop breathing,
you make them breath...
He makes their heart stop, you make it beat again.
All the while, making them suffer longer.
That is the way I view it....
Like we know better than he does.....
Sometimes, he wants them and we need to let him have them.
You should instead ask yourself this: Is it moral to keep someone alive at all costs? Surely, even you realize that death is inevitable and at some point, fighting it becomes foolish and often cruel.
Which of these is she capable of doing? She can't hold a book to read, she can't hold a pencil to practice mathematical skills.
That may include and will include things such as holding pencils, proper sitting for writing, letter/color/number recognition. Think of the things a 3 year old knows and that may be right around the area.
Sounds like occupational therapy, not something a public school should be doing. Based on the description of her disability, she can't hold a pencil, sit up to write, or communicate that she recognizes colors or numbers.(3 year olds don't go to public school, by the way.)
IT IS THE LAW
Yes, and laws can be changed. This is one that should be.
I have to wonder about the 'love' of a mother whose child is in imminent danger of dying who sends her off to school rather than spending the time she has left with her.
Seems like a waste of tax education dollars to have this poor child in a public school. I have friends who work in special ed classes with some pretty low functioning children (they’ll spend the year teaching a child who’ll never live on his own to feed himself and try to learn to respond to social situations). But the ones who will never speak or interact do not belong in school. This child doesn’t seem to have much chance for any decent quality of life.
Just seems like the tax payers school dollars could be better spent. Why isn’t this child in a non-school related institution during the day? An institution more equipped to handle this situation? That’s an awful burden on special ed teachers and classroom aides, as well as a school nurse.
I can’t imagine how difficult this situation is for a family, especially if there are other young children in the home. I give the parents a lot of credit for keeping this child at home as much as they have. But I don’t think school is the appropriate place for her during the day.
That's a very brave admission. God bless you.
{{HUGS}}
You’re an amazing person.
If the IEP requires it, the school must do it.
I’m sorry, but these children being forced into public schools is a shining example of liberalism. It was liberal politicians during the 40 years of Democrat rule that got this kind of nonsense passed. Conservatives should wince at anything that so goes against common sense.
For starters, a non-school related institution would cost tens of thousands more. Secondly, she must be educated as close to home as possible. Thirdly, her parents want her here and the school district agrees it is appropriate.
You speak the truth. That is why I am ashamed to say that Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II all reauthorized the IDEA during their terms.
Perhaps death isn’t imminent and hospice care isn’t appropriate either?
It was horrible watching my mother-in-law deteriorate for years then languish on a respirator and feeding tube for months. She was over 80, but had a strong heart that kept her body going long after it should have given out. I can’t imagine watching my child die in a long, drawn out drama of unresponsiveness and episodes of medical crises. It nearly killed my husband, something she never would have wanted.
After what she went through my parents and I have all made our wishes for no heroic measures, including prolonged feeding tubes and certainly ventilators. I now firmly believe that we should allow doctor assisted suicide for end-stage illness. Interestingly enough my husband does not agree, and for that reason I have my parents then my children listed on my medical proxy.
As I said, He will take them no matter what if He wants.
“I don’t view physical therapy as something the public schools should be doing.”
Maybe not but the fact is that some schools have the facilities to do so and do it everyday, whether you agree with it philisophically or not
“No. But expecting a child who is this handicapped AND so close to death as to require a DNR tag on her chair to be sent to school each day is out of line.”
Agreed at this point i would want to be with my child.
I am sorry to hear about your brother’s accident. It must have been very hard for your family.
The particular classes i was referring to was exclusively for the brain damaged children. they were not exposed to other children (these were really bad cases)
as for a public schools’ role, perhaps they should not do this kind of thing but the fact is that some schools have the facilities to do so and do it everyday, whether you agree with it philisophically or not.
So we can make their heart beat over and over and over and over?
And keep them on a vent for months?
I don’t agree there....seems like defiance to me.
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