Peanut ban in school?

[Paladin]

Some of the problem here is that peanuts are in far more products then people realize.

This is 100% absolutely correct. There are MANY food products that do not contain peanuts but are made using machines that have come in contact with them. Are we to ban all of these foods as well?

 

[Annie]

I am diabetic and peanut butter is one of my mainstays. it is one thing I can eat that won't raise my sugar and I eat a little every day. I am sure there are diabetic children who eat peanut butter too. They are already very limited in what they can eat. Much of the things other children snack on is forbidden to them. Is it fair to take the peanut butter too. I will be very unhappy if they try to ban peanut butter completely.

 

[IrishMist]

I am diabetic and peanut butter is one of my mainstays. it is one thing I can eat that won't raise my sugar and I eat a little every day. I am sure there are diabetic children who eat peanut butter too. They are already very limited in what they can eat. Much of the things other children snack on is forbidden to them. Is it fair to take the peanut butter too. I will be very unhappy if they try to ban peanut butter completely.

I didn't even think of diabetics, I was thinking about vegetarians, though. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, and from what little I understand about a vegetarian diet, getting enough protein is the difficult part.

 

[Amraann]

This is 100% absolutely correct. There are MANY food products that do not contain peanuts but are made using machines that have come in contact with them. Are we to ban all of these foods as well?

There are also foods that contain small amounts of peanut oil that no one would even think of!
On a larger scale all the food in the cafeteria would have to be evaluated and potentially cause the prices of lunches to go up.

In the real world people and situations do not always (nor can they) accomodate every single person.
That is just life. Not everybody can do everything. Its not the rest of the world being unsympathetic, its just not possible.
Each child has their very own special and unique gifts and areas of concern. IMO a good parent wants to raise a self suffient human being.
I certainly do not want mine thinking the rest of the world is charged with keeping them safe 24/7 as pretty of a perfect world picture that is...
Its not reality .. People must learn to be pro-active in their own lives choices. Personal responsibility!
My friend has a son who is deathly alllergic to peanuts... Yet she always kept Peanut butter in the house for her other children ...
She simply taught Dustin very early on that this was something he could not have. Even at age 4 he would tell you "no I can't have peanuts/ peanut butter"
IMO many of the parents fighting for this are doing so because they spent years "protecting" their children rather then teaching them and now they expect the schools to continue on with that.

As for the ADA aspect IMO this would be like me expecting for my own son that the ENTIRE school to not ever play music, or say a word that upsets him, or laugh and have fun when he is getting worked up.....
Yes those things do infact harm him as then he has a meltdown and harms himself.
He could potentially do serious harm.....
Its simply not a plausable solution.

 

[angelmom]

I cannot believe how many people think a PB& J is an essential element of childhood. We are talking life and death here. Some of you think nothing of a one-strike law against anyone who exhibits the slightest tendency towards pedophilia to save a child's life, but banning peanut products from school to do the same thing is OVER THE TOP!!! Are you kidding??? This is not comparable to other allergies. I don't know of any other allergies that are this sensitive, dangerous, or common and rapidly growing.

The school I worked at didn't have a no peanut policy b/c we didn't have a lunchroom (preschool) but we did have 2 peanut free classrooms due to students with peanut allergies. Those rooms had signs on the doors stating that this was a "no nuts zone" (I shouldn't have been allowed to teach in there! :blushing: ) and we were very careful. I considered it a huge success when we got to the end of the year and joyfully handed the unused epi-pen back to the mother.

It required some extra thought, but wasn't the end of the world. The mom had a great list that she made, I'm sure with help from her allergist, with a very long and comprehensive list of specific foods that were good choices for snacks and a list of things that were banned. Common snack items with brand names. It made it so easy for parents to take the list to the grocery store and just choose things for snacks and lunches. Of course, when we did stuff through the school, we chose off the list as well.

My daughter's kindergarten class this year also has a child with a nut allergy. It has been no big deal at all. They haven't banned nuts from the whole school, but just their class. Apparently his allergy isn't as severe as some. If it were, though, I would do it without complaint.

A child has the right to an education in as mainstream an environment as possible. It is illegal and morally wrong to tell them to homeschool him just because of an allergy, just as it would be to tell them to homeschool a child with a disability just b/c it's too much trouble. Can you imagine telling parents of an autistic child or a child with cerebral palsy, "Oh, sorry, we can't deal with that. You should just homeschool him." If the school did that you would be crucifying them here.

I'm really disappointed to read some of these comments. They surprise me.

 

[Adrienne]

"IMO many of the parents fighting for this are doing so because they spent years "protecting" their children rather then teaching them and now they expect the schools to continue on with that. " ETA (Comment Quoted from Amaaran)

I disagree with your opinion. Here we go again, blame it all on bad parenting, right? Some of these kids could not have a jar of PB in the house, because their reaction is so severe. When my daughters class had the ban, we could not bring any store bought snacks unless they were marked peanut free. The only exception was when there was an outdoor picnic, because the child would not be enclosed with the PB smell.
I still do not see the debate here...

 

[Adrienne]

"It required some extra thought, but wasn't the end of the world. The mom had a great list that she made, I'm sure with help from her allergist, with a very long and comprehensive list of specific foods that were good choices for snacks and a list of things that were banned. Common snack items with brand names. It made it so easy for parents to take the list to the grocery store and just choose things for snacks and lunches. Of course, when we did stuff through the school, we chose off the list as well.

My daughter's kindergarten class this year also has a child with a nut allergy. It has been no big deal at all. They haven't banned nuts from the whole school, but just their class. Apparently his allergy isn't as severe as some. If it were, though, I would do it without complaint. " Quoted from angelmom



This was my experience as well. I guess I always try to put myself in the other parents shoes. If it was my child who had the alergy, I would hope that the other parents would understand. The mom at my preschool put a lot of work into coming up with a list of alternative snacks for kids that would be safe, & I really felt she was taking all the kids into consideration by doing that. The least I could do was help her protect the health & safety of her daughter by making the effort to avoid something that could cause a reaction.

As for legislating a ban, I think THAT is over the top. surely we can police ourselves a bit as a society & use a little common courtesy towards our kids classmates.

 

[Amraann]

"but we did have 2 peanut free classrooms due to students with peanut allergies. Those rooms had signs on the doors stating that this was a "no nuts zone"
"My daughter's kindergarten class this year also has a child with a nut allergy. It has been no big deal at all. They haven't banned nuts from the whole school, but just their class. "

~I see nothing wrong with that. But the entire school??
I think Annie pointed out above that many diabetic children need peanut butter during the day.... What about them??


"Here we go again, blame it all on bad parenting, right?"

Ultimately it is the parents responsibility to teach their children those things that will endanger them.
So the child is soo allergic they could not have a jar of PB in the house..
Fine, so the school should designate a mainstream class and include those with Peanut allergies in that one..
Why the entire school?
My debate is that there are other children who actually may NEED PB.
Its not as if there is no cure.. These children have Epi-Pens.
Let me give you another example..
I don't recall the name of the desease but it is the one where children cannot be out in sunlight and even certain interior light can kill them.
The specific case I know of the family has two little girls..
They do go to a public school but the entire school is not dark nor using special lights.
They have accomodated to the extent appropriate without blacking out the entire school.
That is not only an appropriate action for these two children but also appropriate for the other students.
Do these girls somehow feel different?? I am sure they do but that is just how it is.
Much of this debate is not only about safety of these allergic children but also about not making them feel different..
Sorry, they are and that should be something their parents learn to address.

 

[Adrienne]

Fine, so the school should designate a mainstream class and include those with Peanut allergies in that one..
Why the entire school?

I agree with you here, I think a total ban is over the top - I think most parents with kids who have peanut allergies, especially severe ones do educate their children on what to avoid. I just get my hackles up when I hear someone blame the parents, becaus it happens too much, imo. There are bad parents, but I believe within my core that most of us who are parents work damn hard to raise our kids right, & it is so fricken easy for everyone to point fingers & blame parents for every problem under the sun.

 

[calus_3]

I cannot believe the ignorance of some of these opinions.

While no one wants their kids to feel different, this isn't about parenting styles, self-esteem, etc. What about "if my kid breathes peanuts, touches peanuts, or eats peanuts, they could die" is deemed to be an affront to your child being able to eat peanut butter? This isn't about wanting to push my anti-peanut policies on you, it is about protecting my child from death. Sheesh.

If someone told me that their kids was allergic to ham, I wouldn't send my kid to school with a ham sandwich out of respect for that child and not wanting to have them harmed. Now if they said they were muslims and were offended by my kid eating a ham sandwich, then they can go to hell as far as I am concerned.

Cal

 

[Annie]

If we start banning everything that someone somewhere is allergic to or could be harmed by, there won't be much left.

 

[Love_Mama]

True, but doesn't that go both ways? Don't kids without allergies deserve to have a normal life as well, including bringing peanut butter snacks to schools? Why disrupt the majority of children to accomodate 1 or a few?

Paladin. I agree with what they're doing at this school. I understand how you feel.........cause a whole lot of kids love peanut sandwiches.....but on the other hand is this keeps 1 kid alive, then maybe this ban will save him or her! Oh, I'm so glad I don't have a child with this allergy.

xxxxooooooooooo
mama:blowkiss: :blowkiss: :blowkiss:

 

[calus_3]

If we start banning everything that someone somewhere is allergic to or could be harmed by, there won't be much left.

That is about as ignorant of a statement as I have heard.

Most allergies produce nothing more than a rash or hives and except in extreme cases aren't deadly. These people can be around their allergy with no problems.

People with peanut allergies can, will, and have died just from being in the area with peanuts. Suppose a kid comes in to early lunch period and sits their peanut butter sandwich down on the lunchroom table and then eats it and leaves. Allergic kid comes in and sits his/her ham sandwich down and gets a tad of the traces of peanut butter on their sandwich. They are dead within minutes and probably wouldn't know what happened to be able to tell someone to get help.

I imagine that many of you would vote to ban guns because a minor portion of the guns end up in the hands of criminals or are part of an accidental shooting. No problem taking the guns from the vast majority that own them and use them as intended to prevent a few from abusing them. Nice consistency folks.

Cal

 

[eve]

I cannot believe the ignorance of some of these opinions.

While no one wants their kids to feel different, this isn't about parenting styles, self-esteem, etc. What about "if my kid breathes peanuts, touches peanuts, or eats peanuts, they could die" is deemed to be an affront to your child being able to eat peanut butter? This isn't about wanting to push my anti-peanut policies on you, it is about protecting my child from death. Sheesh.

If someone told me that their kids was allergic to ham, I wouldn't send my kid to school with a ham sandwich out of respect for that child and not wanting to have them harmed. Now if they said they were muslims and were offended by my kid eating a ham sandwich, then they can go to hell as far as I am concerned.

Cal

I really don't think most people are placing more importance on a "p b & j" than a child's life. To me, the crux of the issue that there is no way to ensure the safety of children with such a severe allergy. We can ban all we want, something will slip through. I am a teacher, trust me. No number of precautions will be enough. Yes, I think schools should do what they can but I also firmly blieve it is still primarily up to the parents and eventually the child himself to deal with his allergy. Eventually these children will be "out there" where peanuts aren't banned. Kids will have peanut breath, peanut butter smeared shirts, etc. even with a ban. That's my problem with this whole subject.

I can relate to all this because my stepson has a severe immune disorder (boy in the bubble) and just about anything can be life-threatening. Germs, molds, fungi, insects, reptiles, you name it. He never received any accomodations at school. Yes, he has nearly lost his life numerous times. It is very hard. But we had to let go and allow him to navigate in a world that doesn't take his condition into account. That was how we ensured his safety - he had to know what to do, we won't always be there.

Eve

 

[calus_3]

I really don't think most people are placing more importance on a "p b & j" than a child's life. To me, the crux of the issue that there is no way to ensure the safety of children with such a severe allergy. We can ban all we want, something will slip through. I am a teacher, trust me. No number of precautions will be enough. Yes, I think schools should do what they can but I also firmly blieve it is still primarily up to the parents and eventually the child himself to deal with his allergy. Eventually these children will be "out there" where peanuts aren't banned. Kids will have peanut breath, peanut butter smeared shirts, etc. even with a ban. That's my problem with this whole subject.

I can relate to all this because my stepson has a severe immune disorder (boy in the bubble) and just about anything can be life-threatening. Germs, molds, fungi, insects, reptiles, you name it. He never received any accomodations at school. Yes, he has nearly lost his life numerous times. It is very hard. But we had to let go and allow him to navigate in a world that doesn't take his condition into account. That was how we ensured his safety - he had to know what to do, we won't always be there.

Eve

I beg to differ, actually...no really . Several people have made the statement, "Why take it away from everyone because of the allergy of a few". I guess in their mind, screw those allergy kids, mine doesn't have it so why bother.

You are right about the education, my son is hyper sensitive to it. He knows what he can and cannot eat and fortunately isn't (as of now) airborn allergic. However, that might start some day. Kids have to go to school....they don't have a choice. Yes, they have to be out there but they know that they probably can't go into certain areas and places, but they have that choice. They have to go to school.

Where has the common courteousy and compassion gone? I know, who am I to ask THAT?

If my kid's teacher told me that his favorite food in the world....chicken nuggets....could kill another kid at school, he would do without them.

p.s. sorry about your step-son's condition.....

Cal

 

[hipmamajen]

I have a slightly different view on this. My youngest (he's 5 now) is allergic to peanuts. We found out around his first birthday, when a babysitter gave him a PB&J and he had an anaphylactic reaction. It was his first exposure to peanut butter, so we'd had no warning that he would have any problems with it.

We've been homeschooling for many years, but not because of his allergies. In some ways homeschooling makes it easier to limit his exposure, and some ways it's more difficult.

Since we don't have a building that we own or control to meet in, my homeschool group meets at local parks and businesses to get some socialization, or for field trips. So, instead of dealing with other students in a classroom where there may be rules in place to protect peanut allergy kids, it's a big free for all. Since these are public places, there's no expectation that people will refrain from bringing and serving peanut products, which may then end up spread all over the tables, swings, bathroom door handles, etc. It can be a real problem for some of these kids.

Fortunately, my son does not react to peanuts in an airborne form, so the issue is not a menacing for us as it could be. For a while now he's been aware of his allergy and is very sure to check stuff out with us before he eats it.

But, we've had children in our homeschool group who have food allergies that are THAT sensitive. They have to really limit which places they can go, and how much time they can spend with other kids.

I don't really have any answers for the larger question of peanut bans in schools, I just wanted to jump in and say that homeschooling is not necessarily an easy or effective solution. By homeschooling you are (hopefully) not avoiding all other kids, and some of the interactions are even more likely to cause reactions than they would be in a school with a well-managed no-peanut policy.

 

[eve]

I beg to differ, actually...no really . Several people have made the statement, "Why take it away from everyone because of the allergy of a few". I guess in their mind, screw those allergy kids, mine doesn't have it so why bother.

You are right about the education, my son is hyper sensitive to it. He knows what he can and cannot eat and fortunately isn't (as of now) airborn allergic. However, that might start some day. Kids have to go to school....they don't have a choice. Yes, they have to be out there but they know that they probably can't go into certain areas and places, but they have that choice. They have to go to school.

Where has the common courteousy and compassion gone? I know, who am I to ask THAT?

If my kid's teacher told me that his favorite food in the world....chicken nuggets....could kill another kid at school, he would do without them.

p.s. sorry about your step-son's condition.....

Cal

But Cal, that isn't what I mean at all. I would do anything I could, and have, as a teacher, and a mom, to protect allergic kids. It's not just peanuts, either, there are other allergens. Bees get in my classroom, for example. That is life-threatening to many, one of my students, in fact. It's just that we can't expect a ban will make our kids' environment risk-free. It won't. It just won't. I used to hope for "risk-free" for my stepson. It has been more empowering and valuable for us to forget about asking for accomodations.

I do NOT mean we shouldn't do anything. But a ban will only create a false sense of security, imo. Unless we outlaw peanuts altogther and that wouldn't even work, there would be a black market (I can just see it - peanut butter dealers on every street corner, near the schools).

Eve

 

[Paladin]

I do NOT mean we shouldn't do anything. But a ban will only create a false sense of security, imo. Unless we outlaw peanuts altogther and that wouldn't even work, there would be a black market (I can just see it - peanut butter dealers on every street corner, near the schools).

LOL...thanks for the laugh.

 

[calus_3]

But Cal, that isn't what I mean at all. I would do anything I could, and have, as a teacher, and a mom, to protect allergic kids. It's not just peanuts, either, there are other allergens. Bees get in my classroom, for example. That is life-threatening to many, one of my students, in fact. It's just that we can't expect a ban will make our kids' environment risk-free. It won't. It just won't. I used to hope for "risk-free" for my stepson. It has been more empowering and valuable for us to forget about asking for accomodations.

I do NOT mean we shouldn't do anything. But a ban will only create a false sense of security, imo. Unless we outlaw peanuts altogther and that wouldn't even work, there would be a black market (I can just see it - peanut butter dealers on every street corner, near the schools).

Eve

Well, I wasn't necessarily talking about you with the screw the kids comment....I am sure you have your own reasons for wanting to say screw the kids (being a teacher)

As a parent of a nutter, there is no sense of false security. Our son is majorly paranoid about it, almost too paranoid. He is keenly aware of what has peanuts and what doesn't. We have to be careful eating cookies like at subway because the CC cookies could have come in contact with peanuts. Machinery cross pollution is a threat. Something as simple as going to get an ice cream is dangerous if they don't wash the scoopers between scoops.

You can't fail to act when a real and definable threat to a child's life exists in a particular known environment....such as on a plane or in a school. Kids can avoid known dangers but cannot avoid school.

No one will die if the school bans peanut butter but several could die if it isn't banned.

Cal

 

[eve]

Well, I wasn't necessarily talking about you with the screw the kids comment....I am sure you have your own reasons for wanting to say screw the kids (being a teacher)

As a parent of a nutter, there is no sense of false security. Our son is majorly paranoid about it, almost too paranoid. He is keenly aware of what has peanuts and what doesn't. We have to be careful eating cookies like at subway because the CC cookies could have come in contact with peanuts. Machinery cross pollution is a threat. Something as simple as going to get an ice cream is dangerous if they don't wash the scoopers between scoops.

You can't fail to act when a real and definable threat to a child's life exists in a particular known environment....such as on a plane or in a school. Kids can avoid known dangers but cannot avoid school.

No one will die if the school bans peanut butter but several could die if it isn't banned.

Cal

...and several could die if it is.

Eve