Family Says Outdoor School Project Turned Into Health Nightmare
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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - The mother of a Plano student is accusing a school of putting her child's health in danger. The family says a natural science project turned into a nightmare.
Students have done a lot of work to turn a creek bed behind Legacy Preparatory Charter Academy into a walkable nature preserve. But mother Kate Shuckhart says her daughter went through unnecessary pain and suffering from severe exposure to poison ivy.
By the time Charlotte Kelsey's face broke out, the 8th grader was already in agony. "It was really itchy," she said. "It felt like your face can't breathe."
Charlotte's slowly recovering and back in her dance class. She ran into the poisonous flowering plants while taking part in the assignment to transform the area behind Legacy Prep.
"There was poison ivy all through it," Charlotte recalled.
The superintendent says Charlotte didn't wear the protective gloves that students were told to use and got a severe rash as a result. The explanation didn't sit well with Kate Shuckhart. "I think it's absolutely absurd," she said. "They have a responsibility to take care of our children.
Shuckhart became even more upset after the charter school refused to pay for her daughter's medical treatment. "It's wrong. They are the reasons why my daughters is afflicted."
Officials at the school apologized that Charlotte didn't wear glove and said, "…that is nature, nature at work." But Charlotte and her mom say there's nothing natural about students spending class time pulling up poison ivy. "It's ridiculous that they are still sending kids out there."
The academy's superintendent says any student working outside will now have to have their parent's permission to do so. They also say they don't see anything wrong with completing
The nature preserve project, despite what happened.
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