District 214 apologizes to student after allergic reaction to cafeteria food

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 is apologizing to an Arlington Heights family and offering to pay one student's medical bills after a substitution in the cafeteria caused an allergic reaction that sent her to the emergency room.

Lia Sommer, a freshman at John Hersey High School with a severe peanut allergy, had a reaction after eating a turkey sandwich with pesto that she bought in the school's cafeteria during the first week of school. The pesto, usually made with pine nuts, had been made with peanuts that day instead and students were not aware, says her mother, Lonnie Joy Sommer.

“After one bite of the sandwich she instantly knew there had been peanut contamination,” Lonnie wrote in a letter to the district and school board.

Lia went to the nurse's office where she was advised to take an antihistamine and call her mother, although she said her daughter's medical plan on file states to quickly give her an injection from her EpiPen and call 911. Lia administered her own epinephrine shot and was then taken by ambulance to Northwest Community Hospital.

When her mother met the ambulance there, she was angry to find that no one from the school had ridden with her then 14-year-old daughter.

“It is ludicrous that a minor would be sent alone to a hospital during school hours with no personnel to represent her,” Lonnie wrote. “I am horrified and saddened by the complete lack of common sense and compassion that predicated this decision.”

Sommer said she was further upset that no one from Hersey immediately contacted her to check on Lia or apologize for the way the case was handled.

After Sommer and her husband read their letter aloud to the school board Thursday, the district changed its tune.

“We sincerely apologize for our mistakes and we are reviewing each of our policies and procedures that touch on allergies, food and medical treatment,” said District 214 spokeswoman Jen Delgado. “If changes or training are determined necessary, they will be enacted right away.”

Delgado said the district will be paying Lia's medical bills from the allergy attack.

Sommer said that thanks to Lia's ability to advocate for herself, she is doing fine and a worst-case scenario was avoided.

“For those of us with children who have severe allergies, safety is a matter of life and death,” Sommer said. “We are relying on our schools to instill and follow protocols to keep them safe.”

Sommer said she is not asking for a “nut-free” school, just for a safe environment. District officials said they agree and are working to make sure this doesn't happen again.

“Student safety is always of the utmost importance and we are working with the family to remedy the situation,” Delgado said.