Virginia School Bans Chapstick

A school board in Virginia got an earful from one of its students last week over its ban on lip balm.

Last winter, Grace Karaffa, a student in Augusta County, was told by her teachers she was not allowed to bring lip balm to school or to wear it while in the building because of concerns some students might be allergic.

“I was told I couldn’t use it. Then later that day they (lips) started to bleed, so I asked for Chapstick again and I was told that it was against the school policy for elementary kids to have Chapstick,” Grace, 11, told school board officials at a meeting on Monday,according to the Lynchburg News and Advance newspaper.

Grace has gathered more than 230 signatures on a petition that challenges the school’s ban on lip products. She presented the petition to the school board and called the ban “inappropriate.”

Fox News reported that a member of the school board told Grace that the use of Chapstick in school could be a distraction for students. Grace responded by pointing out that a student with bleeding lips probably is a worse distraction.

In a statement provided to Fox News, the Augusta County Schools superintendent’s office said the Chapstick rule was based on input from local health experts who feared students sharing lip balm could may have contributed to an infectious disease outbreak.

Originally appeared on Watchdog.org.