Teen with allergy targeted at school

Three teenage girls are facing criminal charges after knowingly exposing a classmate with a severe pineapple allergy to the fruit.

A 14-year-old is accused of rubbing pineapple on her own hand and then high-fiving the girl with the allergy during a lunch period at Butler Intermediate High School in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Dec.13. The victim, also 14, was transported to a hospital, where she was treated and released, the Associated Press reported.

The girl’s allergy was well known, police said, and pineapple is typically not served during that lunch period, according to the AP.

The 14-year-old suspect is being charged in juvenile court with felony aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy, among other offenses. Butler County prosecutors suggested aggravated assault charges, saying the girls knew about the allergy. The two other girls, who are 13 and 14, are charged with criminal conspiracy, among other offenses.

Dr. Allison Freeman, an allergist-immunologist with Allegheny Health Network, said that it’s becoming more common for bullies to use food allergies against victims.

“It’s definitely something schools need to be talking about,” she said. “It’s no joke, and putting a little bit of peanut butter on the keyboard to hurt somebody is a potentially deadly thing.”