Among Friends

[foundinlv]

Anaphylaxis and Anaphylaxis Shock is horrible and if you've never seen a child go through it, consider yourself lucky as you're in for a big awakening.  I came from a family that always had peanut butter and jelly at the ready for easy and delicious sandwiches but they definitely need to be banned from all the schools even if it just saves 1 life, it's worth it.  

[GingerPeach]

Someone allergic to peanuts MAY or MAY NOT be allergic to tree nuts (almonds, etc.)

If the allergic child is not allergic to almond butter, that is a tasty option.  (As an adult, I think it's superior, but that's not the issue here, obviously.)

Some doctors are also encouraging more exposure to peanuts earlier in life to help reduce allergic reactions.  

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/local-docs-join-push-to-expose-kids-early-to-peanuts...

[CrazyDaisy]

---

@wildcat fan wrote:

---

@NoelSeven wrote:

---

@wildcat fan wrote:

---

---

No one's saying peanut allergy kids shouldn't go to school.  It's possible for them to coexist with peanut lovers without outlawing peanuts for the entire school.  Putting a nut allergy kid at a different table is no different than putting a special needs student in a different type of classroom.  

Do parents of kids with bee allergies expect all students to stay inside with no outdoor activities planned so that their kids don't feel left out?  

**************************

Really?  How?  What do you know that doctors don't?

---

---

I'm going by more than fifteen years of experience in schools that are not peanut free.  There were students with peanut allergies in those schools who managed to coexist with those who eat nuts and peanutbutter in the cafeteria.  Obviously, it's not a major issue here since there have been no discussions to change policies and procedures even though we continue to enroll students with nut allergies.  Again, I don't believe everyone should go without simply to address a few with special needs. 

---

Banning peanuts from a school is a legal decision not one of consideration.

[CrazyDaisy]

---

@GingerPeach wrote:

Someone allergic to peanuts MAY or MAY NOT be allergic to tree nuts (almonds, etc.)

If the allergic child is not allergic to almond butter, that is a tasty option.  (As an adult, I think it's superior, but that's not the issue here, obviously.)

Some doctors are also encouraging more exposure to peanuts earlier in life to help reduce allergic reactions.  

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/local-docs-join-push-to-expose-kids-early-to-peanuts...

---

But then the parents  of children with tree nut allergies will be upset.

[debic]

---

@sidsmom wrote:

---

@dex wrote:

I think that if people have problems that they are the ones who should find a way to make their life work.I have allergies too but I don't expect anyone to change their life for me.I find ways to cope just like everyone else that I knew growing up.I realize that the peanut allergy can be deadly but if that were the case for my child then I would find a solution and not trust that others would take care of it..how can you trust children to understand the health problems of others when they don't really understand life and death yet.What about out in public where many people are snacking on the run and grocery stores that sell nuts...should peanuts be banned in this country?

---

ITA.   If the child was born, say, T1 Diabetic, there would be provisions the parent would take...and the child would learn at a very young age...to live their life to LIVE.  

---

I don't know the answer but segregating a child for being 'different' is not a good thing.  I know my daughter was diabetic and had to leave the room to eat her 10:00 snack in grade school as not to disrupt the class.   That was a joke as it still disrupted the class and called unwanted attention to her when  she could eat it without most people even noticing.  

[Nataliesgramma]

I am OK with it up until JR High....by then I think the kids would know to stay away from the nuts and what to do if they are having a reaction.

I think Preschool, Kindergarten and grade school needs to watch out for the kids and protect them. If a child went into anaphylatic shock it would not only  be very tramatic for the child but for the other kids watching it.

I know it was tramatic for me when Natalie did.

[CrazyDaisy]

---

@debc wrote:

---

@sidsmom wrote:

---

@dex wrote:

I think that if people have problems that they are the ones who should find a way to make their life work.I have allergies too but I don't expect anyone to change their life for me.I find ways to cope just like everyone else that I knew growing up.I realize that the peanut allergy can be deadly but if that were the case for my child then I would find a solution and not trust that others would take care of it..how can you trust children to understand the health problems of others when they don't really understand life and death yet.What about out in public where many people are snacking on the run and grocery stores that sell nuts...should peanuts be banned in this country?

---

ITA.   If the child was born, say, T1 Diabetic, there would be provisions the parent would take...and the child would learn at a very young age...to live their life to LIVE.  

---

I don't know the answer but segregating a child for being 'different' is not a good thing.  I know my daughter was diabetic and had to leave the room to eat her 10:00 snack in grade school as not to disrupt the class.   That was a joke as it still disrupted the class and called unwanted attention to her when  she could eat it without most people even noticing.  

---

There is a difference between segregating a child for being "different" and keeping them safe.

In your daughters case it was as much a legal issue as a medical one.  I am sure she had to eat in front of an adult so the school could say they fulfilled their responsibility of making sure she ate it at the designated time.  Once again a legal decision, not one of consideration.

[Mj12]

---

@wildcat fan wrote:

---

@NoelSeven wrote:

---

@dex wrote:

I think that if people have problems that they are the ones who should find a way to make their life work.I have allergies too but I don't expect anyone to change their life for me.I find ways to cope just like everyone else that I knew growing up.I realize that the peanut allergy can be deadly but if that were the case for my child then I would find a solution and not trust that others would take care of it..how can you trust children to understand the health problems of others when they don't really understand life and death yet.What about out in public where many people are snacking on the run and grocery stores that sell nuts...should peanuts be banned in this country?

*******************************

Like what?  Especially since science hasn't found one yet.

All children have the right to go to school in this country, and that includes disabled children.  Disabled for any reason.

---

---

No one's saying peanut allergy kids shouldn't go to school.  It's possible for them to coexist with peanut lovers without outlawing peanuts for the entire school.  Putting a nut allergy kid at a different table is no different than putting a special needs student in a different type of classroom.  

---

Think of a kid eating a peanut butter sandwich, wipes his hand across his mouth, then touches doorknobs, desks, faucets, etc.  I wish TPTB outlawed peanuts in school when I was growing up. 

[kdgn]

MJ wrote: Think of a kid eating a peanut butter sandwich, wipes his hand across his mouth, then touches doorknobs, desks, faucets, etc. 

That's the problem: cross contamination.

I had a student in class with a fatal peanut allergy. He started school at age 6 so that he would have an extra year of maturity to deal with this allergy. The entire school went peanut free. The food services manager was over-the-top cooperative and nothing for the entire district was purchased that contained peanuts/peanut products.

There were peanut-free signs all over the school. I had two epi-pens and others were located in various spots on campus: the cafeteria, the library, the computer lab, the office. I also carried a walkie talkie the entire year. My classroom was cleaned nightly with all surfaces wiped down with a bleach solution. On the off chance that someone had peanut butter the playground supervisors had the bleach solution available.

Yes, it was a small school but every single adult was diligent. The bus driver assigned him a permanent spot on the bus. That seat was wiped down long before he entered the bus. There was an epi pen on the bus. The child also had his own epi-pen carried in a pouch around his waist.

There were no incidents at all in elementary school. None in high school. He played sports-baseball, football. He graduated from high school in June and is now off to college.

There are peanut products everywhere-in makeup, body lotions, spaghetti sauce--they are listed under another name. I didn't wear my particular brand of lipstick for a solid year. If I wanted a PBJ sandwich, I ate it on Friday at home so that the oils would be gone from my fingers on Monday morning. It can take that long, with hand washing, for them to leave the skin and under the nails.

As a side benefit, the kids in my classroom learned a lot about what it means to be responsible towards others. Not one complaint from a 5 year old--

[kdgn]

The Canadians have the right idea too. They have peanut free food manufacturing plants and some of those products end up in the schools. They are labeled "school safe" or something like that.

There are chocolate and other candies in Canada are made in peanut free manufacturing plants. The grandmother of another student of mine went to Canada for a vacation and came home with a grocery bag filled with "safe" candy for my student.

It was the first time he had chocolate. I kept some in my classroom for his treats and the rest were in his home.