Peanut-Free Schools: The Debate Goes On

"Is it really too much of an effort to send your kid a peanut-free lunch box?"

You know what? It's really, really not. My elementry-age children have never attended schools that were peanut-free, but I'd accommdate the request in a heartbeat, even though PB & honey sandwiches are one of my kindergartener's primary sources of protein.

Why? Because I don't have food-allergic children but I know the terror of caring for a child who experiences severe asthma flares.

I can't understand the parents who fight this--maybe they are unsympathetic to the dangers of anaphylaxis b/c they're lucky enough to have children who've never experienced critical health.

Thank you for this article.

Unfortunately these allergies are on the rise and food allergies not only affect more kids than most of our deadliest diseases and learning disabilities but there is no funding to take care or watch over these kids who can die from a food that many of their friends eat. There is no Shadow, Special Ed Teacher or even Nurse that can watch over your child in our school system. Most of the time your child eats lunch in the elementary school setting with 250+ others and has only 2-3 adults (maybe) on the playground. These people are usually ill equipped to pay individual attention to the 1 child or handful of kids with deadly allergies. A big "thank you" to the parents, caregivers and administration that understands the seriousness of this situation. Anaphylactic allergies can be a potentially fatal disability. If the same parents that are fighting to keep peanut butter in their kids lunch boxes actually were at their child's school for a whole week and witnessed the unpredictability of kids and situations they would be shocked that the kids with allergies were even still breathing. I am heavily involved at my daughter's school but I have to rely on her- at age 8. to be the only person I can trust to be aware and protect herself. This can happen to anyones kid. A friends daughter just got diagnosed with a peanut allergy after landing in the Hospital. She is 10 and has been eating PB & J sandwiches for years. We should all be concerned that these allergies are on the rise. IMagine how traumatic it would be for a whole class or school to witness a child go into anaphylactic shock and possibly not survive. The guilt would be devastating for the child that unknowingly inflicted that reaction by a simple game of dodge ball after they ate a PB & J sandwich and didn't wash their hands.

We are hopeful for a cure or vaccine in the future so everyone can relax a bit.

I have a 4yr old with a severe peanut allergy. I live in NY and am trying to see what if anything can be done to pass a law for our public schoold to become peanut free. If anyone knows where or who I should go to that would be very helpful. Thank you

J

My daughter is 2 and has a peanut allergy. We found this out from her Childcare. They were allowing peanuts and peanut butter products in their 1-2 year old classroom, my daughter got a hold of a peanut "by accident." I had no idea at that point that they had been allowing peanut products in that classroom and quickly educated them that children were not supposed to have these products until they were atleast 2 years old. They quickly made that room "peanut free." Now my daughter is in a classroom that is not peanut free. They want to sit her with different students each day, who do not have peanut butter products in their lunchbox, but they remind me, "there may be remnants left in there." There is another little boy the same age with a peanut allergy also. They placed him in the other classroom. When I asked why they weren't grouped together, the administrator told me, " it takes so much work and planning to do these things, sometimes it just isn't possible." My daugher has been kept home from this school for a week now. I have a meeting with the administrator again this week to see if this can all be resolved. I might also mention that this is a Lutheran Private School. I would never have thought they would make this so difficult. We started our last meeting together with the administrator praying for the bugs........

Like many of the other parents who have posted comments, my daughter also has a severe peanut allergy. Unfortunately, for many of us, the story is the same...we found out about her life-threatening allergy the hard way. After visiting a friend who had peanut butter filled pretzels, we found ourselves making an emergency 911 call while holding a child completely covered in hives, gasping for air. Thank goodness to the fast response of trained professionals, our daughter recovered very well from this incidence. This event happened 3 and a half years ago, and our lives have not been the same since. Since then, I have been seeking medical and alternative sources for building her immune system against future exposure. We have been told from well trained professionals to avoid peanuts and tree nuts and read labels for products that are cross contaminated with peanuts. So here I am...tomorrow my daughter turns 5 and is registered to start school in the fall. Unfortunately all of the schools I have been looking into have a "peanut free table," but are not a peanut free school. I am having a difficult time accepting the "table" as a resolution to both the safety and social development with my child. In my opinion, social development and confidence is just as important to their education as math and science. I do not feel that the schools are doing enough to address this life threatening situation by placing children in the corner of the room at a separate table. How do you explain to a 5 year old, that she cannot sit with her friends because of the food choices being served in the cafeteria? How do you explain to her that she is not being punished for having an allergy she cannot control? If there are any parents who have children in this situation, I would love to hear your response and how you are handling this. For the parents that clearly don't understand the importance of this allergy...I challenge you to visit a pediatric emergency room or a childrens hospital when they receive an anaphylactic emergency. I would have to believe that the peanut butter sandwich you are fighting so hard to keep, just may not seem so important!

I am so glad there are parents out there in the same situation. I have a 5 and 3 year old with peanut allergies. We too found out the hard way with my oldest. After one bite we were calling an ambulance while his lips turned inside out and he dug at his neck screaming at the age of 2 because his throat was closing off. I do not understand how any mother could willingly and knowingly want to cause another child to stop breathing and die. All over her child to eat peanut butter??!!??? Could she sit and watch my child scream and struggle to breath without blinking an eye. By fighting to send the peanut butter to school she/he might as well send a loaded gun. Since when did people become so self centered and lack compassion for a child? Since when did food take precidence over an education? Im keeping my son out one more year until he's six with a hope and prayer that something will change.

I, too, am the parent of a child with a severe peanut allergy. My daughter, however, is also allergic to milk, eggs, and cashews. I have to say that the rat poison analogy above is ridiculous!

My daughter spent 5 years in classrooms where other kids could eat peanuts. At no time has a peanut, egg, cashew, or drop of milk ever forced its way into my daughter's mouth. She knows quite well not to eat anyone else's food, as does any child who has experienced an anaphylactic reaction. No one has ever touched her with peanuts, and she has never had an allergic reaction at school.

Why would peanut allergies merit special concern? Should I be insisting that my daughter be in a milk/egg/cashew-free room? She can't go through life like that.

This year, due to the request of another parent, her room will be peanut-free, and no home-baked goods will be allowed. This actually is going to make it much more difficult for me to feed my daughter, since she won't be able to bring in home-made egg/milk/peanut/cashew-free treats that I make for her!

I understand being vigilant in watching the food our children are near, but the peanut-free classroom is over the top.

Sorry, but I just had to vent!

My peanut allergy son is attending a new school. The staff and most parents have been fabulous. The school is nut free now. However there is one parent who is stirring the policy up. I urge anyone who is against a nut free school to google "Life, Liberty & Peanut Butter?". For parents with peanut allergies in their children I am sure anyone of us could have written this article. It is a fabulous tool to hand to people with doubts.

My children have life threatening Bee Sting allergies. I have to deal with it without forcing the world to go 'Bee Free'. Bees are everywhere, on the playground, even creeping their way into school. I feel the science and evidence is not strong enough to make entire schools nut free. Create nut free zones, do not allow group snacks to contain nuts. The hysteria is out of control.

You can't expect the world to conform you and your allergy. If you make it a peanut free school then you better make it a diary free and wheat free and whatever else because you can't say one and not do the others. NUTS ARE EVERYWHERE. Teach your children to stay away from them. You all just want to ruin other people just because of you and your kid. Someone said to me once....."my child gets a headache from sitting next to someone with a peanut". GIVE ME A BREAK. You've got her paranoyed.

This is for Michelle...I too have a child with a severve peanut allergy...was not going to accept a peanut free table as well...Look up 504 plan...section for children with severe allergies...they can have a sevice plan that can force school to become peanut free...federal law...your child would fall under "OHI...Other Health Impaired" Contact your districts special ed coordinator...have doc. from your allergist and ped. Just went through this same ordeal with my 5 year olds school....school needs to comply with this federal law because each child "Deserves a fair and appropriate education..." Just educate yourself...you have the laws on your side. Good luck...I hope this helped

Loved your post. My son is allergic to all nuts - and yes, some of our closest friends have to be told repeatedly about his problem. His school asked us parents our wishes. We requested that he be allowed to move away from any child eating nuts, but we didn't want him exiled and singled out. The important thing was educating or son and his friends about the dangers. Amazingly, we found the kids are more sensitive to his allergies than their parents are! His school is very careful, and they aren't allowed to share food. While we'd like him to be in a peanut-free situation, that simply isn't possible nor is it realistic. The real world contains nuts - and he will not live in a bubble.

Thank you to Beth about 504 Plan. That federal law applies to public schools. I am not sure if private schools have to follow that federal law. Does anyone know? Does anyone have a child in a private school and has been able to establish a food allergy policy there? If so, how did you go about it? My second grader goes to a Christian School (any after last week I use that term loosely) and the sheer lack of concern for a child's welfare is extremely disheartening. I sent him to a private school thinking it would be a safer environment for him and the parents' would be supportive. Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!!!!!! I am a RD (Registered Dietitian) and this is my passion. Please offer any experiences you have had in a private elementry school setting. Thank you.

I too live in NY and is looking to ban peanuts in schools at best but would be happy if it was banned in classrooms. We spoke to the teacher in front of other parents and not 5 weeks later a class mother gave my 4 y/o a chocolate covered oreo cookie and later I found a bag of peanut butter M&M's in her book bag . We dodged 2 bullets in 1 day and I gave the school and parents a fair shot ...they FAILED and Im not getting reasonable help from the school Admins ...