link When 11-year-old Grace Karaffa was told she couldn't use
ChapStick at her Virginia elementary school, the girl -- who'd been prohibited
from using it for years to treat her dry, bleeding lips -- decided she'd had
enough.
The fifth-grader at Stuarts Draft Elementary School created
a petition and presented her case before the August County school board last
week, arguing that a ban on the mo
st commonly used remedy to treat chapped lips
was "inappropriate," her father told FoxNews.com.
"Grace was told in the second grade she couldn't use
ChapStick, but we didn't look into why," David Karaffa said. "When
Grace asked if she could use ChapStick while out in the cold last year, she was
told again, 'No, you're not allowed.'"
Her lips then started to bleed in class, according to her
father, but the girl was still refused ChapStick by a teacher who said it was
against school policy. Grace was forced to go into the bathroom and wet her
lips to relieve the cracking and bleeding, Karaffa said.
"They told her at the time that some kids might be
allergic to ChapStick," he said.
When Grace started the fifth-grade last month, she decided
she'd approach the matter in a way most 11-year-olds would not -- delivering a
carefully outlined speech before the school board in support of overturning the
ban.
"She said, 'Dad, I want to get rid of this ChapStick
ban thing.' I said, 'Okay, you have to speak to your teacher and the principal,
who both advised she write a letter to the Augusta County school board,"
he said.
Following her speech, Grace was cross-examined, her father
said -- with one board member asking the girl if using ChapStick at school
might be seen as a distraction.
"She said, 'I think it would be more distracting to
have bleeding lips while I'm doing my work,'" her father said. "That
ended that line of questioning."
Grace also started a petition drive on notebook paper, which
was signed by fellow classmates, including her Girl Scout troop. It has more
than 300 signatures to date.
Assistant Superintendent George Earhart did not immediately
return a phone call seeking comment.
In a statement to The News Leader newspaper, Earhart claims
the ban has been in place since a disease outbreak persuaded county school
officials to seek counsel from the local health department and doctors.
"Our policy is not to be so restrictive. It is really a
protection for the students," he told the newspaper, suggesting that a
misplaced tube of lip balm could be picked up by a pre-kindergarten student and
shared with other classmates.
Earhart has said
ChapStick is considered an over-the-counter drug, but Karaffa, a registered
nurse, refutes that.
"I don't believe there is anything inside a generic
ChapStick that would be classified as a drug," he said. "We would
like the exception to be made so that kids in school can carry ChapStick."
Grace's proposal is under review as she waits to hear from
school board officials, Karaffa said.
In the meantime, she plans to send each member a letter,
thanking them for their consideration, and including in it a tube of ChapStick.
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