Peanut ban in school?

[Julessleuther]

They ban guns and drugs, why not peanut butter if it that deadly to some of the students. In the elementary school my nephews go to they are not the only ones. There are about 4 or 5 with allergies that sit aside from the other kids at lunch. Fortunately for my sister she is the school cook and can watch what they eat at lunch. At the preschool my son went to they banned sweets for snacks because one of the boys had just become a diabetic. We went out of our way to show this boy he could lead a normal life and be accepted by other children and that diabetes didn't have to make him different. It really wasn't that big of a deal and healthier for our kids too. Besides, most of the children that cannot afford anything but peanut butter for sandwiches also qualify for free lunches at most schools. Maybe that's their alternative.

I am sorry, but guns and drugs are NOT the same thing as peanut butter. You cannot legitimately compare the two!!! Peanut butter in its natural form (without all the added sugars of many brands) is actually a very healthy protein fat for people to eat! I think our country is going too far with so many "banned" things. Why should the majority cater to the minority? How is that democracy? It is the responsibility of those with illnesses to learn to live with those illnesses. Why punish the rest of us? I truly think that banning legitimate products from a school infringes on peoples rights TOO much!

So those who want to ban peanut butter, lets take it a step further. If an adult has an allergy, do you ban the products from a public work place? Ridiculous. You learn to take care of yourself! It is all about responsibility. My father is DEATHLY allergic to walnuts. From a very young age he was taught not to eat baked goods etc that might have the slightest bit of walnut or walnut oil in it. In his entire life (66 yrs) he has only had one instance of walnuts being in a product that he was unaware of, and wound up in the hospital. (An aunt made a Polish bread with walnut oil, forgetting his allergy). He of course recovered, and made sure to let everyone know that he cannot have walnuts. We still eat the Polish bread, but wash our hands before hugging Dad!

 

[fundiva]

I am sorry, but guns and drugs are NOT the same thing as peanut butter. You cannot legitimately compare the two!!! Peanut butter in its natural form (without all the added sugars of many brands) is actually a very healthy protein fat for people to eat! I think our country is going too far with so many "banned" things. Why should the majority cater to the minority? How is that democracy? It is the responsibility of those with illnesses to learn to live with those illnesses. Why punish the rest of us? I truly think that banning legitimate products from a school infringes on peoples rights TOO much!

So those who want to ban peanut butter, lets take it a step further. If an adult has an allergy, do you ban the products from a public work place? Ridiculous. You learn to take care of yourself! It is all about responsibility. My father is DEATHLY allergic to walnuts. From a very young age he was taught not to eat baked goods etc that might have the slightest bit of walnut or walnut oil in it. In his entire life (66 yrs) he has only had one instance of walnuts being in a product that he was unaware of, and wound up in the hospital. (An aunt made a Polish bread with walnut oil, forgetting his allergy). He of course recovered, and made sure to let everyone know that he cannot have walnuts. We still eat the Polish bread, but wash our hands before hugging Dad!

Not everyone, of course, recovers. This isn't a mild allergy. This allergy can KILL them. It isn't just stuff with nuts in it; it's everything that has been manufactured in a facility that has nuts there. Can you imagine how much stuff that covers in this day and age? And, taking it a step further as you say, they have banned smoking by adults (which is legal) in most public places because of the possibility of health issues from second hand smoke. As for responsibility, it is the school's responsibility to take care of the kids and keep them safe even if they have an allergy. If something happens to the child there is liability on the school's part. That's probably why the schools are banning peanuts, not because of the majority catering to the minority. I'm sure there's an insurance issue involved with it.

 

[Rachael]

I am sympathetic to people whose children have peanut allergies. My nephew has a tree nut allergy (not airborne). But, if my child had an airborne peanut allergy I would not send him/her to school I would homeschool.

 

[Julessleuther]

Why should these children be isolated and made to feel like social outcast? I think attitudes like this is what makes our children so unsympathetic to others. Kids today think their wants should come before everyone elses needs. If kids MUST have peanut butter, why shoudn't they be the ones isolated? Send them to a class by themselves to eat.

How ridiculous! You would be sending the majority of the school to a room to eat??? That is the problem with the our country today. A few outspoken minority think that they can dictate over the majority! You are actually sending the message to those with peanut allergies the wrong message. Isolating kids is not teaching them about responsibility in this world! Babying someone because they are different is wrong. I am certainly not saying we should ignore the problem of peanut allergies, but to punish an entire school over a few kids is wrong too. That is not how the real world works. You don't ban things from a work place. You do not ban things from public places? So why do it at all? So, if I follow your line of thinking, does that mean that we should ban all people from Target or Toys R Us because they had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch? I am sure people with peanut allergies frequent these places as well! Where do you draw the line?

 

[Nova]

I think that most people don't know the severity of these allergies. They were almost non-existent when I went to school. It isn't just an allergy that you get a little rash from, this is serious stuff...

My grandson's school (Chelmsford, MA) has a total ban on food with peanuts. At first, I was just as indignant as some posters here.

But my daughter (a special ed teacher) explained how sensitive some kids are and how it simply isn't possible to police the behavior of elementary school kids sufficiently to eliminate the threat.

Allergies to nuts do seem to be especially severe and most kids grow out of the worst reactions eventually.

In the meantime, I think kids can go without peanut butter at school.

 

[Kymistry35]

How ridiculous! You would be sending the majority of the school to a room to eat??? That is the problem with the our country today. A few outspoken minority think that they can dictate over the majority! You are actually sending the message to those with peanut allergies the wrong message. Isolating kids is not teaching them about responsibility in this world! Babying someone because they are different is wrong. I am certainly not saying we should ignore the problem of peanut allergies, but to punish an entire school over a few kids is wrong too. That is not how the real world works. You don't ban things from a work place. You do not ban things from public places? So why do it at all? So, if I follow your line of thinking, does that mean that we should ban all people from Target or Toys R Us because they had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch? I am sure people with peanut allergies frequent these places as well! Where do you draw the line?

I highly doubt the majority of the school is eating peanut butter everyday. And there are plenty of work places and public places that ban things. Smoking, drinking, in my office they ask that people not where heavy perfumes because we are in close quarters and there are us that are sensitive to it and it makes people sick.

 

[Nova]

How ridiculous! You would be sending the majority of the school to a room to eat???

As I understand it, that wouldn't solve the problem even if it were possible and otherwise acceptable. The problem is that NO one can keep small children from touching one another and, in most cases, it is the touching that spreads the peanut oil.

I agree with the poster above that if my child had an airborne allergy, I'd probably home school. Too risky otherwise.

 

[Floh]

It would appear, this peanut allergy is so dangerous, it's hardly possible to guarantee sufferers couldn't come into contact with some peanut product or other in the world today. what can be done?

one cannot liken it to cigaretts or alcohol, IMO.

something is going on in this world that allergies can down people in this way. it's happening too much, too often. so that's a major point to be addressed: what's happened that people are being debilitated (and made dead in severe cases) by something like peanuts?

next point is, i don't believe we can go round banning things. apart from cigarettes - i'm a smoker - and alcohol - i'm all for that, as a matter of fact. i'd like to see alcoholic drinks wiped from the face of the earth and not because i'm allergic to them or just don't like them. i simply don't like the effect on society. no. not allergic. just addictive.

who would like to see something else banned and what, may i ask? :bang:

 

[Julessleuther]

It would appear, this peanut allergy is so dangerous, it's hardly possible to guarantee sufferers couldn't come into contact with some peanut product or other in the world today. what can be done?

one cannot liken it to cigaretts or alcohol, IMO.

something is going on in this world that allergies can down people in this way. it's happening too much, too often. so that's a major point to be addressed: what's happened that people are being debilitated (and made dead in severe cases) by something like peanuts?

next point is, i don't believe we can go round banning things. apart from cigarettes - i'm a smoker - and alcohol - i'm all for that, as a matter of fact. i'd like to see alcoholic drinks wiped from the face of the earth and not because i'm allergic to them or just don't like them. i simply don't like the effect on society. no. not allergic. just addictive.

who would like to see something else banned and what, may i ask? :bang:

I agree-I do think that researchers should try to determine why there are more peanut allergies than there were years ago. Maybe it is some type of preservative in the products? Maybe it is because of the way the peanuts are harvested, or what is used to grow them? When I was in school, I do not recall one person who had a peanut allergy. It is defintely a serious concern, but I do not think banning is a solution. It is not just peanut butter sandwiches that would be affected, but also granola bars, most cookies (which have peanut oil in them), breads and grains, snack foods etc. I am all for healthier eating solutions for our kids, but I do not think a public school or even the government has a right to ban a legalized product. I cannot stand cigarette smoke, but do feel that the communities that are banning public smoking (Santa Monica etc) are infringing on the rights of all. The government has no business telling people what they can and cannot consume.

 

[Taximom]

My nephew has the peanut allergy and his school worked with him to help him avoid a reaction. He has to carry an epi-pen around in case. The other kids don't mind, but HE feels like the outcast. I feel sorry for him.

I remember hearing a few years ago that the longer you keep peanuts away from your baby (like the 1st 3 years or so) the less likely the child will develop an allergic reaction.

 

[Nova]

My nephew has the peanut allergy and his school worked with him to help him avoid a reaction. He has to carry an epi-pen around in case. The other kids don't mind, but HE feels like the outcast. I feel sorry for him.

I remember hearing a few years ago that the longer you keep peanuts away from your baby (like the 1st 3 years or so) the less likely the child will develop an allergic reaction.

I believe that's the current thinking. I know my daughter keeps all nuts away from the kids until they are 4.

And I'm sure researchers are trying to pin down the cause of the allergies, but in the meantime, something has to be done for the victims.

 

[Mabel]

There was a thread started about this same subject a year or so ago. It got quite heated.

 

[eve]

We can ban anything and it still won't guarantee that these allergic reactions won't happen in school. Peanuts are common. It seems they're all over the place! As a teacher, this drives me nuts! (Oops! No pun intended!) How can we foresee every substance that could cause a reaction? So, say we ban it. Next it will be something else. I have heard a lot of talk about banning perfume and lotions and anything with any scent whatsoever. Good grief! I feel for these kids but the fact is their "normal" doesn't include peanuts and so somehow, they have to learn to protect themselves, no matter what. I think schools should help, but total banning and liability for teachers is just too much. At our school we have kids without lunches many days of the week. Yes, they are on the free and reduced program but even then, sometimes parents don't fill out the paperwork or whatever. Guess what we make them? You got it. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's cheap enough for our school to always have on hand without refrigeration and it's nutritious. We've had some kids who are allergic and we've learned the procedures. Honestly, if they are allergic and forget lunch, if we don't chip in out of our own pocket and leave the building to get them something, they don't eat. I have done that many times. I will not do it any longer, however, in light of recet attitudes and events. How do I know what I get them doesn't have trace amounts of peanuts? Then I will be sued, or my district will, or worse - I could even be charged with a crime!

Eve

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

My son has a severe peanut allergy. It is very dangerous, he has come close to dying twice because children have had nuts at daycare and he has TOUCHED them. It will NOT kill your child not to have peanuts but it WILL kill mine to have them. I understand, where do we draw the line? But peanut allergy precentages are growing rapidly! How would you feel if it were your child? You can't fault a parent for trying.

*edited to add* YOu say a child must learn to watch out for peanuts, you think a 2 or 3 year old can do that?

 

[mrsjonnob]

I have no problem not bringing peanut butter/peanuts, etc to school to protect a peanut allergic child.

I knew a girl in high school was almost died when a kid who had just eaten a peanut butter sandwhich SNEEZED on her on accident.

We are talking about something that could potentially KILL A CHILD. Is it that important for a kid to eat a PB&J??

 

[JanetElaine]

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?

Peanuts can kill some kids. To the severely allergic, peanuts are like someone aiming a cocked and loaded gun, finger on the trigger, right at them. That's the difference. A lot of people don't realize how bad a peanut allergy can be.

That said, there is a severely peanut-allergic child in our daughter's class. He has a seperate table in the lunch room, and they have a rotating schedule of classmates who sit with him. His mom checks their lunches when they sit with him, to make sure nothing earth-nut goes near him (the kids/parents can sign them up to sit with him, which every year almost everyone does, and they know about the checking). His peanut allergy is pretty bad, but other than this, they do not need any accomodation from the school/students/parents for him to be able to function normal in school.

Based on my own experiences with this, I think a peanut ban is a bit over the top. Just your everyday, run-off-the-mill consideration for others should go a long way in these cases.
And I have noticed that especially in areas where this 'normal' consideration for others is lacking, there is call for 'bans' and 'law changes' and whatnot. When people treat eachother with respect, bans of this kind are not necessary.
All IMO, of course.

 

[Rachael]

I have no problem not bringing peanut butter/peanuts, etc to school to protect a peanut allergic child.

I knew a girl in high school was almost died when a kid who had just eaten a peanut butter sandwhich SNEEZED on her on accident.

We are talking about something that could potentially KILL A CHILD. Is it that important for a kid to eat a PB&J??

The problem goes beyond eating peanut butter for lunch. What if a child has peanut butter for breakfast and touches the child with the peanut allergy, or sneezes on them, or touches a water fountain, or just smells of peanut butter? If a child has an airborne peanut allergy they can be harmed by any of those things. You can't expect every parent not to ever give their child peanut butter just because someone is allergic. You can't be sure that if a child eats peanut butter for breakfast they are going to wash their hands and change their clothes (I have heard of schools asking parents to do this). I would not take the risk if my child were that highly allergic to peanuts. I do know many children with peanut allergies, but none are airborne allergies.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I have no problem not bringing peanut butter/peanuts, etc to school to protect a peanut allergic child.

I knew a girl in high school was almost died when a kid who had just eaten a peanut butter sandwhich SNEEZED on her on accident.

We are talking about something that could potentially KILL A CHILD. Is it that important for a kid to eat a PB&J??

I think the parents of a kid who could die from a sneeze should consider homeschooling.

 

[Rachael]

I think the parents of a kid who could die from a sneeze should consider homeschooling.

I personally agree. I would not take the chance with my child.

 

[Kymistry35]

I personally agree. I would not take the chance with my child.

Not everyone has the resources or time to homeschool.