Putting Others First

Twila Zirakzadah Risked Losing Her Job to Help an Ill Student  

By Dave Arnold

Twila Zirakzadah isn't supposed to eat Hershey bars. She has an allergic reaction to chocolate that can cause a sudden, severe and potentially fatal drop in blood pressure, itching, swelling, and difficulty in breathing.

If she consumed something disagreeable with her system, she would go into anaphylactic shock. Twila is a kindergarten paraeducator in Louisville, Colorado. Since she helps kindergarteners with their lunch each day, she must carry an EpiPen (for emergency injections) in case of unexpected contact with chocolate.

On one particular day, Twila's dreaded allergic reaction happened at school. But it wasn't she who went into shock. It was one of her beloved students.

My Children

I met Twila at the recent NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) Conference in Nashville. Twila was quick to tell me that after nine years of employment, she considers the 800 students at the school "my children."

When the school began bringing in vendor food service for middle school students to buy lunch in the a la carte line, Twila fought against this form of privatized food service.

Twila is one of more than 300 members strong who comprise the Boulder Valley Paraprofessionals Association. They didn't know at the time that the vendor's products would have an adverse affect on a student's health.

One of the vendors was Chick Fil A. Being an outside vendor, the company is not required to list how they cook their products. Apparently, Chick Fil A uses peanut oil to prepare some of their products.

Putting the Student First

As Twila was helping the kindergarteners with lunch, she noticed a sixth-grade girl holding her throat and wheezing. As Twila approached,  the girl's face turned red, and the areas around her fingernails turned blue.

Twila quickly recognized the symptoms of an anaphylactic allergic reaction. Not having time to wait for emergency personnel, Twila told me she grabbed her EpiPen and gave the girl an injection while instructing other students to call for help. Two other students also had negative reactions to their lunch, but not nearly as severe.

It is rare for a school employee other than a nurse to administer an injection, but considering the severity of this girl's allergic reaction, Twila knew from experience that she had to act fast. She may have saved the girl's life.

Know Your Liability

Yes, Twila could have called for an emergency technician and put the responsibility in someone else's hands. Yes, she could have lost her job and been sued had things gone wrong. But she  quickly assessed the problem and knew her EpiPen was the best chance for the girl's survival.

Twila put a student's welfare ahead of her own. This makes her an ESP hero in my book.

Every school employee should check their state liability laws regarding emergency aide for a student. In Illinois, members of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) lobbied for legislation so that a teacher becomes the acting parent or guardian of the student in a life-threatening medical emergency.

Therefore, that teacher is not held liable for acting in the best interest of a student's welfare. Every state is likely to have different laws regarding school employee liabilities. School employees need to be aware of those laws in case of an emergency. At the least, NEA members have liability insurance coverage in the amount of $1 million.

Who's a Hero?

We often think of a hero as someone who has risked or sacrificed their life to rescue another. Sometimes a hero is the right person in the right place at the right time, and who makes the right decision. Just like Twila.

This is the second in a three-part series featuring ESP heroes. The other two are titled, "Bravery Unrewarded" and "A Deafening Silence." 

More Dave's columns.

(Dave Arnold, a member of the Illinois Education Association, is head custodian at Brownstown Elementary School in Southern Illinois. He can be contacted at dparnold@csuol.com.)

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NEA or its affiliates.