Mom Ends Up In 'Confrontation' With Her Daughter's 5th-Grade Teacher After She's Forbidden From Using Chapstick In Class
She felt her daughter's teacher was making a big deal about something so small.
Studio Romantic / Shutterstock A mom has admitted to being frustrated with her daughter's elementary school teacher after being told about a rule she feels is a bit absurd.
In a TikTok video, Jamie Keck shared that she and her daughter's teacher got into a tiff after being told that her daughter was not allowed to moisturize her lips during class.
She confronted her daughter's 5th-grade teacher after she was forbidden from using chapstick.
In Keck's video, she explained that she had picked up her daughter from school one day and when she got into the car, she noticed that her daughter's lips were extremely red, as if she'd been licking them raw. Confused, Keck pointed out that her daughter had chapstick in her bag to use throughout the day.
"Her teacher tells her that she is not allowed to have or use chapstick in the classroom" Keck learned. She ended up messaging her daughter's teacher, and was polite in the beginning, reiterating that her daughter, Paisley, had gotten into the car and informed her that she wasn't allowed to use chapstick.
"This is an issue for her because her lips have always chapped easily and it has led to an infection previously," Keck wrote in the message to her daughter's teacher.
In response, the teacher sent back information from the parents' handbook, which didn't say anything about chapstick, but detailed, instead, that medicine was not allowed to be administered to a child.
"All medicine must be in the original container with the prescription label adhered. Medication cannot be sent to and from the school by the child," the teacher replied.
She claimed that all requests for medication must be signed by a doctor and kept on file in the office. Keck pointed out that if her daughter had to go to the nurse's office each time she needed to use chapstick, it would take away from her learning.
Every teacher before this one had allowed her to use chapstick in the class.
When Keck brought this up to her daughter's fifth-grade teacher and how using chapstick had never been an issue before, the teacher simply said that it was included in the parents' handbook and claimed that she didn't "have the power to change the policy."
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"You're telling me my child will be removed from school for carrying chapstick in her backpack?" Keck questioned incredulously. "If that's the case, then suspend her."
She pointed out that hand sanitizer is FDA-regulated and used in classrooms as well as over-the-counter medication. Keck combed through the parents' handbook and didn't find anything that explicitly said chapstick wasn't allowed for children to use.
"So, baby girl will be taking her chapstick to school tomorrow. If I'm crazy, if I'm extreme, or I sound way off, tell me 'cause I'm usually not one of those moms."
In the comments section, people agreed that Keck wasn't overreacting and that it was a ridiculous rule her daughter's teacher was trying to impose.
"Get her a doctor's note that states explicitly that the chapstick has to be kept on her at all times. I ONLY suggest it because it’ll annoy them," one TikTok user suggested, while another user added, "Crazy. School nurse here and I keep chapstick in bulk to hand out to my kiddos especially this time of year. Kuddos momma for handling this so well."
If there was another reason for prohibiting the chapstick in class, the teacher should have explained it.
It's understandable that a teacher would be against a child using chapstick in the classroom if it caused a distraction or created a ripple effect in other students doing the same, but she should have expressed that to Keck when they interacted.
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In this instance, Keck had personally tried to speak with her daughter's teacher and explain that the chapstick was a necessity for health reasons, and the teacher didn't have a valid excuse.
Just to make sure that her daughter isn't penalized at school, Keck should send her with a note the next time, or, as many other people suggested, have a doctor write a note. And if that still doesn't work, Keck should take it up with the principal.
Despite Keck's frustration toward her daughter's teacher, they must find a balance between discipline and the well-being of her daughter in class.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.