Blood Is Spilt Over School's Chapstick Ban

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.