A husband and wife on Thursday sued a private Brentwood school, alleging the Christian Science beliefs of the hierarchy favoring faith healing over medical intervention forced them to withdraw their daughter from classes because of her peanut allergy at considerable expense.
Kelly Van Halen and Baron Rogers filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the Foundation Inc., alleging breach-of-contract, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
They are asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A representative of Berkeley Hall School did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
According to the complaint, the couple enrolled their daughter, Stella Rogers, in the Berkeley Hall pre-school in 2007, two years before she had her first allergic reaction to nuts. The allergies can cause potentially life-threatening shocks to sufferers.
The couple did not know at the time that the school was operated by Christian Scientists, the suit states.
After learning of the girl's allergy, the couple checked with the school administration about procedures in place to protect children like their daughter, the suit states. However, they were denied an immediate meeting until after several winter feasts and holiday celebrations were completed, according to the suit.
The couple later met with their daughter's teacher and the director of the early child development center, the suit states. They asked that a ban be placed on bringing nuts into the center and that a portable dose of adrenaline be present kept in case of an allergic reaction by their child or other students at the school, the suit states.
However, both requests were rejected and the two were told that their daughter's allergy had no physical cause and was "merely in her head and she would grow out of it,'' according to the suit.
"Stella's teacher would even later permit a child to bring nuts into class for show and tell,'' the suit states. Although the school ultimately adopted a ban on nut products — prompting the couple to spend $13,000 in tuition — the measure was not enforced, at least one student seated behind Stella was allowed to eat nuts and school staff members were also seen consuming nut products, the suit states.
The couple withdrew their daughter from classes and asked for a refund, but were refused, the suit states. They later hired private tutors that cost more than $25,000, according to the complaint.
Watch the attached YouTube video produced by Berkeley Hall School in 2011 to celebrate its centenial.
My daughter was in the Early Childhood Department with the allergic child. A ban on nuts was put in place for the entire department and was strictly enforced. Many of the parents found the ban inconvenient and overbearing, but the administration was adamant that it must be adhered to. The child’s teacher had on hand and was trained to give adrenaline to the child in case of an allergic reaction.
All members of the faculty and administration at Berkeley Hall are Christian Scientists, but Berkeley Hall is a secular school, not a religious one. As a previous poster mentioned, it is difficult to believe that the family who is suing did not know that the school was run by Christian Scientists as it is easy to find that information on the school’s website and no secret is made of it.
There are several parts of this lawsuit that don’t ring true: 1. Christian Scientists don’t believe in “faith healing, but in a scientific approach to prayer. I have seen physical healings and family and business problems resolved through Christian Science prayer. 2. Christian Scientists don’t proselytize or sit in judgment of other people. It goes against their credo. A Christian Scientist saying to the family “their daughter's allergy had no physical cause and was ‘merely in her head and she would grow out of it,’'' just doesn’t ring true at all. 3. Christian Scientists aspire to heal with prayer but rigid avoidance of medical care is a myth. There are no “rules” in Christian Science prohibiting a member of the church from seeking medical care.
I’m not trying to be an apologist for Berkeley Hall or Christian Science. I just happen to know the school and a little about the philosophy/religion…and this article and lawsuit don’t reflect my experiences or observations at all.