Peanut Free School

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YellowKite

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Ok - so a coworker informed me today that her child can not bring a peanut butter sandwich, a Snickers bar or any peanut food as a snack or lunch item because they are trying to make the school "peanut free."

Isn't that ridiculous? Her child is not allergic, and no child in his class is allergic to peanuts but there may be a child in the school of about 800, that is allergic so he can't bring peanut foods.

Her child is a very picky eater and peanut butter is one of the foods he will eat, so now that has been eliminated as a choice.

I asked what would they do if he brought peanut butter anyway? She doesn't know, but imagines it would be a note or maybe some other action. Can you imagine your kid getting in trouble for bringing a peanut butter sandwich?

I hope they don't start saying they can't have hamburger because one of the kids may be muslim. Or pork if they have any Jewish kids.

Jeez. :rolleyes:
 
This is not an easy issue. The peanut allergy is very dangerous to the individual exposed to the slightest trace of peanuts.

How did schools handle this for the last 10, 50, 200 years? Is there a significant increase in peanut allergies? Or are schools fearful of lawsuits for failure to protect?
 
Well apart from the Haraam / Kosher issues in the above post (Pork is relevent in both cases, Hindus might take exception to a beef provision) it does seem about right. What an utter twerp of a child would go out and eat a peanut butter sandwich if they knew that they had alergies (and we are not talking about mystery cake from the cafeteria here, I presume its individual packed lunches).
 
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nbcrusader said:
This is not an easy issue. The peanut allergy is very dangerous to the individual exposed to the slightest trace of peanuts.

I have to think that the parent of the child who is allergic needs to address the contigency of any exposure with the teachers and school. Not by making it the problem for every parent in the school.
 
YellowKite said:


I have to think that the parent of the child who is allergic needs to address the contigency of any exposure with the teachers and school. Not by making it the problem for every parent in the school.

exactly....
 
NBCrusader is correct. This is not a normal allergy and it is very dangerous for those who have it to be exposed to any form of peanut oil.
 
YellowKite said:


I have to think that the parent of the child who is allergic needs to address the contigency of any exposure with the teachers and school. Not by making it the problem for every parent in the school.

If the school enacted these measures absent an inquiry or request by a parent, they do seem draconian.
 
A Muslim who unknowingly eats pork won't actually die, they might feel a bit guilty but I'm sure they can get over it. Exposure to peanut oil can kill if not treated immediately for those have have this condition. I have a close relative who has this allergy.
 
My bf's friend is deathly allergic to peanut anything. One time he ate something (without knowing) with just a minimal amount of peanut oil in it. His face started to swell and he had to be rushed to emergency. He could have actually died if he didnt get it taken care of right away :yikes:
 
YellowKite said:
I have to think that the parent of the child who is allergic needs to address the contigency of any exposure with the teachers and school. Not by making it the problem for every parent in the school.
Not that simple. Aflatoxin, a mold which grown on peanuts and which in fact is usually the cause of "peanut" allergies, is far and away the leading cause of fatal allergic reactions, and the child doens't have to ingest peanuts to set a devastating reaction in motion. Just being near another child eating peanut butter granola bars can do it. It happened once back when I was in school, and it's happened once at my son's school too.

Not the most common allergy for sure, and its severity generally reduces sharply with age, but you only have to have a child die from hives in their throat in your cafeteria once to be convinced of the worth of considering such measures. There's some steakhouse chain that has crushed peanut shells scattered about the floor as their trademark--that always amazes me. Something Roadhouse or another--I went there with some friends once for lunch, and they didn't even have a warning sign on their door.

Religious prohibitions have nothing to do with it and make a poor analogy. I've never heard of a US school banning pork or beef anyway, though I suppose it wouldn't surprise me if a few in areas with high concentrations of Muslim, Jewish or Hindu students do. We keep kosher which means our kids have to eat a packed lunch.
 
The real question we should all be asking is WHERE DID THIS PEANUT ALLERGY COME FROM????
When I was a kid growing up in school in the 60's and the 70's THERE WAS NO SUCH THING...at least in the schools I attended. No one had a peanut allergy!!! So where did this "allergy" come from is the real question. Don't just assume that's it's always been here with us. Another very interesting one is asthma - nowadays it seems every school has several kids suffering from asthma - well, again from kindergarten to grade 10 NO ONE in any of my classes had asthma (and this is in a era where everyone was fully exposed to second hand smoke!!!). What happened???
 
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Thing about it is, it may be a case of a /very/ severe allergy, if the school is doing this. What's all the details, here? Let's not villify the school for trying to protect this kid without isolating him in a bubble.
Personally, I'd rather not pack lunches with peanut-based stuff than risk this one kid getting deathly ill.
 
But you're not going to be able to shield this kid from peanut products just by banning them from the school. Why not have a peanut butter lunchroom and a non peanut butter lunchroom :D
 
Banning peanut butter/products was standard practice at my daughter's elementary school for several of the years that she attended. She was a picky eater, with peanut butter being one of the few things she would eat, and to be perfectly honest, the ban did annoy me at times - mainly early in the mornings while packing her lunch when I was struggling, trying to figure out what to feed her.

But honestly - when you weigh the inconvenience against the potential of the death of another child - wow. No contest. Imagine the fear that the parents of a child with peanut allergies must experience. They can either cloister the kid, or be scared shitless that the child is going to die due to contact with a minute amount of peanut product, every time the kid steps outside the door.

In light of that, the inconveniences to other parents shouldn't even be an issue.
 
MsGiggles said:
But you're not going to be able to shield this kid from peanut products just by banning them from the school. Why not have a peanut butter lunchroom and a non peanut butter lunchroom :D

Segregating the one or two children with allergies during lunch time will have a negative social impact and not necessarily protect the children from exposure to peanuts (dust from the nuts can be deadly).

A fair question remains: how has this been handled over the years?
 
YellowKite said:
Ok - so a coworker informed me today that her child can not bring a peanut butter sandwich, a Snickers bar or any peanut food as a snack or lunch item because they are trying to make the school "peanut free."

Isn't that ridiculous? Her child is not allergic, and no child in his class is allergic to peanuts but there may be a child in the school of about 800, that is allergic so he can't bring peanut foods.

Her child is a very picky eater and peanut butter is one of the foods he will eat, so now that has been eliminated as a choice.

I asked what would they do if he brought peanut butter anyway? She doesn't know, but imagines it would be a note or maybe some other action. Can you imagine your kid getting in trouble for bringing a peanut butter sandwich?


Well, unfortunately one kid insisting on eating a peanut butter sandwich could mean life or death for another.

People w/ peanut allergies don't need to eat, or even touch a peanut to have a severe reaction.

One of the girls I nannied for had the same policy for her kindergarten - no peanut ANYTHING and the kids were not allowed to bring snacks to share on their birthday.

Sorry, but little kids should not be "picky eaters". Peanut butter sandwiches and Snickers bars aren't really healthy anyway. Kids will eat what their parents give them, tough.

Do you really think a child's right to eat a Snickers bar supercedes the right of another child to enjoy an education without fearing a fatal reaction?
 
Re: Re: Peanut Free School

LivLuvAndBootlegMusic said:

Do you really think a child's right to eat a Snickers bar supercedes the right of another child to enjoy an education without fearing a fatal reaction?

:up: It's a great opportunity to teach your child empathy for others.
 
nbcrusader said:


Segregating the one or two children with allergies during lunch time will have a negative social impact and not necessarily protect the children from exposure to peanuts (dust from the nuts can be deadly).

Exactly. Say peanut butter eating kid from lunch room A doesn't thoroughly wash his hands with soap for 30 seconds after eating his sandwich and then shares a toy or a workbook with peanut allergic kid from lunch room B.....this is a potentially fatal situation.

The problem is this isn't about what parents think, or what is convenient. Kids don't have enough sense or maturity to understand the significance of one of their peers having a peanut allergy. Kids can't really be expected to remember to keep anything with peanuts (or peanut oil, which is in a LOT more than just peanut butter and candy bars) to stay in seperate rooms, or properly wash after touching these foods.
 
Why do you think most airlines have banned peanuts as snacks? Because aerosol can be deadly. Anaphylaxis kills - we're not talking about minor inconveniences here, people.

I would be interested in seeing how many epi injections the school keeps around.
 
Re: Re: Re: Peanut Free School

nbcrusader said:

As much as I agree with you, future experience may temper this position a bit. :wink:

Heh, I nannied for 4 kids full time and they ate what I made or they didn't eat. :evil: Same thing with my other four - I'd come over and one or two would still be sitting at the table 3 hrs after dinner. They ate what mom made or they had to sit there all night, leaving the table meant they forfeited their bedtime snack.
 
There was that girl recently who died from kissing a boy who had eaten peanuts.

I think it has to be an issue in school, just as it would be for a child with diabetes or any other serious health issue. Kids can eat whatever they want at home anyway.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Peanut Free School

^ Well, it would still drastically reduce the likelihood of it happening. That seems good enough to me.

LivLuvAndBootlegMusic said:
Heh, I nannied for 4 kids full time and they ate what I made or they didn't eat. :evil: Same thing with my other four - I'd come over and one or two would still be sitting at the table 3 hrs after dinner. They ate what mom made or they had to sit there all night, leaving the table meant they forfeited their bedtime snack.
Good for you. We're going through this brawl with our 3 year old right now--she's more strong willed than her brothers put together.
 
It is a tricky question when dealing with young kids and the problem isn't just peanut butter but peanut products. It is almost impossible to find granola bars that guarantee themselves to be peanut and nut free.

At our school the allergy issue is dealt with on a class to class basis. This is the first year in which all of my kids are in classes that allow nut products like peanut butter.

I don't know if I would support a school wide ban on legal products such as peanuts and fish. Every child/student I know with allergies keep epi pens in their desks and/or backpacks and those with severe allergies carry them with them at all the times!!!

Don't get me wrong. When my daughters were in classes with allergy sensitive students I was dilligent about not sending nut products to school. But from talking to these kid's Moms and Dads I know that they have it drilled into them not to eat food that is not ok'd by them.
 
anitram said:
Why do you think most airlines have banned peanuts as snacks? Because aerosol can be deadly. Anaphylaxis kills - we're not talking about minor inconveniences here, people.

I was thinking a couple of weeks ago on my last Southwest Airlines flight how stupid it is that they still hand out peanuts.

And it's also interesting that people do seem to have more allergies today. I have so many friends with environmental illness/chemical sensitivities and I've read that this will be the illness of this millennium. I wouldn't be surprised to see fragrance-free flights, theatres, etc., in our lifetime.
 
anitram said:
Why do you think most airlines have banned peanuts as snacks? Because aerosol can be deadly. Anaphylaxis kills - we're not talking about minor inconveniences here, people.

I would be interested in seeing how many epi injections the school keeps around.
i taught in a peanut-free school for a year. yes, it was inconvenient for parents and children and staff but, as previously mentioned, it wasn't THAT big of a deal compared to the life of a child.

to answer anitram's question:

at the beginning of the school year we would request from the parents of the children (we had children with severe allergies to seafood and bee stings, as well as peanuts) that they bring 3 epi-pens to school. one was kept in the staff room, located at the front of the building. another was kept in an always-accessible room near the back of the building, and the last was kept in the child's classroom. there are a lot of factors that are beyond our control, but the school has to show that it's doing its due diligence and taking the necessary precautions.

we always gave reminders that no one was to bring items with nuts, even though the child was not in our class. extra reminders given on days when snacks were brought for class parties. interestingly enough, the children were quite accomodating and conscientious, it was the parents who were annoyed.

and as an aside: you would think that saying the word 'nuts' to a group of 6th graders so many times would lose its comedic impact after a while. but that's simply not the case.
 
Well, there have been a lot of comments here and many of them are out of misinformation and misunderstanding. I am currently the person who will be under fire in my school if something should happen to one of the peanut allergy children.

I can say this. There has been an increase in the number of children allergic to peanut butter over my ten years of teaching. It was not a concern ten years ago in the schools. There are more and more children being identified with the allergy.

There are different levels of concern with each one of the children who have the allergy. There are some students who will react by ingesting the peanut butter. There are some students who will react by contact with the skin. There are some students who can have a reaction because of the fumes.

To top it all off there are different levels of reaction to the peanut butter. There are students who can die from exposure.

We are all trained every year as a staff in the use of EPI Pens. There are EPI Pens within 30 feet of me in the cafeteria that we are ready to use should it be necessary. We obviously have them stationed in the nurses office, and we have a medical bag in the main office with them if necessary.

We have not gone to the extreme of banning peanut butter yet in our school system. I think it rediculous to assume that a school would ban meat products because of religious reasons. Sorry, there are multiple choices in any cafeteria available for people who do not want to eat the main meal. It also seams silly to me that people would equate religious beliefs to life or death.

Keep in mind students do not have to ingest it to be hurt by it.

I would also question if there was an incident in the school that prompted such a policy. Many times, do to curiousity, or malice, students like to see what happens to a child allergic to peanut allergies when they are exposed. Do to certain reasons I will not go into this further, but I will say it happens.

Every lunch, we disinfect the table that our allergy children eat at before the next allergy people come in.

Depending on the level of allergy, incidents that may have heppened, I can completely understand why a school may have to make such a policy. Maybe a child moved into the school with a SEVERE allergy. Who knows...

I do know this...the kids with the allergies sometimes feel ostracized if they are not able to sit in the same areas as their friends. There is an emotional component that they have to deal with. I do everything I can to make them feel like they are a part of the community.
 
joyfulgirl said:


I was thinking a couple of weeks ago on my last Southwest Airlines flight how stupid it is that they still hand out peanuts.

And it's also interesting that people do seem to have more allergies today. I have so many friends with environmental illness/chemical sensitivities and I've read that this will be the illness of this millennium. I wouldn't be surprised to see fragrance-free flights, theatres, etc., in our lifetime.



agreed. i fly SW nearly all the time (cheap flights out of BWI!), and they always have peanuts. one time, i was with some friends and one of my best friend's girlfriend (who nobody likes much) nearly threw a fit because there were peanuts on the flight, and she has one of these peanut death allergies. my friend has had to give up eating Thai food for her because they use so much peanut oil.

they're married now, and we still don't like her. but not because of the peanuts.

i am also curious as to the increase in allergies. i don't remember too many kids with these kinds of severe reactions in elementary school -- there was one kid who had it for bees, and if one entered the classroom, he had to leave until the bee was either smooshed or shooshed out the window.

i am very allergic to certain kinds of shellfish -- lobster, crab, scallops -- but it's not life threatening, i just projectile vomit for a few hours. i also inherited that from my grandmother.

just thought i'd share.
 
clarityat3am said:
What difference would a ban make if the kids brought peanut residue to school on their hands or elsewhere from home?

The teacher could have all the kids thoroughly wash their hands at the beginning of the school day. I don't know much about the science behind it, but it that takes care of the oil/residue, I don't think it would be unreasonable.
 
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