I think I have to agree with the teachers that are seraching the lunch boxes.
The pre-school my daughter went to had a no nut policy because on of the students were allergic to peanuts. The student teacher forgot and had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Three minutes after giving the child a hug, the child was no longer breathing. Luckily after being life flighted to a childrens hospital the four year old was saved.
Some parents think that having to give thier children something other than peanut butter is a hassle. Some see it as the only way to keep their children alive.
Good point, and I can see that. The part that I have problems with is the fact that they're taking food away from the kids, and throwing it away.
I didn't see ANYWHERE where it said if it gave them something else to eat. I don't know about you, but if a teacher took away my kid's lunch and didn't give them anything else, I'd be more than a little ripped. :)
here is my controversial answer...big meanie that I am.
I would and have (in my kids school) fought this policy. If a child is THAT allergic that it interfears with my right to feed my child what I want to feed my child, then the child with the allergy should not be in a public setting.
This is not a case of we just cant give the other kids the food. THis is so serious that as you said they cant even be around it after the fact...
What are these people going to do in the real world?
Going to start banning my lunch at work? I dont think so.
I will agree with spock on this one in this case that the needs of the many outwiegh the needs of the few.
Well. On the one hand I totally understand deathly allergies (I carry an epi-pen due to two nearly fatal anaphylactic reactions, though unfortunately we don't know what caused them), and I also understand that unfortunately, a lot of parents whose children DON'T have food allergies just plain don't understand just how severa another child's food allergy can be. I've heard of people who completely scoff and plain don't believe that food allergies can be "that bad." *rolls her eyes* Their disbelief often gets other people's children hurt, if not killed.
On the other hand, I don't believe that schools should punish children who AREN'T allergic to things like nuts by completely banning them from individual lunches. I can understand if we're talking about situations where parents provide snacks for an entire classroom or something. Lunches are different, I think. Personally, I LOVE me some pb&j, and if my school had forbidden me from them in elementary I would have been pretty darned cranky.
Not that I have a solution to offer. Just chiming in that I see both points of view.
I understand as well. I carry an Epi-Pen too, because I go into anaphalatic shock if touched with latex gloves. And my roommate was deathly allergic to tree nuts.
HOWEVER, she never banned peanut butter from the house. I was still allowed to eat it - I just couldn't breath on her, and I had to wash my own dishes. I just think they're going a bit far, and as I said above, it says nothing about whether or not they're replacing the lunches.
As the roommate in question, I have to clarify this just a bit.
We couldn't have gotten away with doing that when I was six. I got less sensitive as I got older. When I was six or seven I could and did have serious reactions to peanut by handling objects which had been handled by other children who had been eating peanuts. I would have had fewer reactions, and missed less school, if they'd had a policy like this when I was in the first 3 or 4 grades.
We were also able to get away with it because you were a reasonably trustworthy person, and I felt I could count on you to take it seriously, and go wash your hands immediately afterwards before you handled half the objects in the house. I don't think most six year olds are that reliable.
Frankly, while their implementation may lack some finesse, I have to applaud the effort in principle.
It's also worth noting, that while I could and did have significant reactions merely from skin contact with the oils, they were not full blown anaphylactic shock. They were almost always treatable with application of lots of Benadryl. I only ended up in the hospital once that I know of. If I thought I might have an actual anaphylactic shock reaction, I would have banned it from the house.
True. And like I said, my big concern was that they were throwing out the kids' lunches and not replacing them.
I do see your point about the growing older and less sensitive, and I agree that most 6-year-olds love to "share" - but if this is older kids, I'm going to have to hope that they're smart enough not to share with someone who's that allergic.
I'm afraid that you missed much of the point I was trying to make. The problem isn't other children sharing food. That's reasonably easy to control. The problem for really sensitive small children is that THEY DON'T NEED TO EAT IT. All they need to do is get some on their SKIN. As in from putting their hand on a table that some other child who has been eating peanuts put their hand on, maybe hours ago.
There are a lot of adults I wouldn't trust to be careful enough by that standard, never mind kids. After all, want to bet that the teachers didn't really have time to explain the reasons or the risks for the ban? And we won't even get into the people out there who don't believe anyone is *really* that allergic.
but again, go back to my argument of separate classrooms. If you have 8th graders and 2nd graders who eat in DIFFERENT rooms, and your allergic child is in the 2nd grade, with no crossover, why shouldn't the 8th graders be allowed to have the peanut butter? In my grade school, the 8th graders NEVER SAW the younger kids - we were in separate buildings.
This is all just my opinion, of course. That and $3.50 will buy me a decent cup of coffee. ;)
I hate rules like this, but if it hadn't been for an alert bus driver, one of the best track athletes in southeastern Connecticut would have died after a "victory brownie" after a track meet. The driver got him to the hospital just in time.
I have a friend in Carolingia whose sons have serious allergies, and I know she's been through a lot on this issue.
I had this happen ONCE and ONly ONCE to my child when the did not inform of us this, and they took her lunch and did not supply her with something else.
After that the school had it in big huge public record that my child was not allowed to be in any groups with the peanut allergy kids.
My son's preschool teacher didn't understand how serious his walnut allergies were either. For one party they ended up mixing a slice of pumpkin bread with nuts and one slice without. They didn't know that my son gets reactions just from the residue of the walnuts. Needless to say I refused to bring my son to holiday parties. But now that he's in first grade I worry about this happening again. At least the school and district office know.
It's very scary to see your child have a reaction--even if he doesn't eat the food. When I was a teacher-before I had my own kids-I couldn't understand why people got so upset about having nuts in the room. Now, I do.
Wow, that is scary. As I said, I understand why they're doing it. I just think they're going a bit far, and like I said above, it doesn't sound to me like they're replacing the food.
It also doesn't say this, but I got the impression they were doing this to the whole school. I understand that you need to watch the younger kids, but I would think that an 8th grader (and my school was k-8) would know better than to share a peanut butter sandwich with someone who is allergic. And all kids who are allergic should be taught to say, "No, I can't have that."
For shared snacks - yes, absolutely, ban the allergic substances. For my own lunch - I'm sorry, I think that's a little much.
As for the 8th graders, just sitting in the same room as someone eating peanuts can kill someone that is allergic. The little boy I spoke of, he just smelled it.
I was, but I went to public school. Our school was small, though (about 300 kids total, in k-8) and we just ate in our rooms. No central lunch room. We got our hot lunch in the hallway, and brought it back to our desk.
Yeah, allergies that severe are not fun. I've actually had people "jokingly" try and touch me with gloves, and I've been very upset, because hello, I LIKE breathing, thank you very much.
And yeah, if they're supplying other food, then yes, I'm okay with that. I'd just hate to have some poor kid whose parent had a brain fart (or who wasn't the one to normally pack the lunch) go without because they accidentally brought something like that to school that day.
Well I would be one of those tard parents becasue I would not stop sending products my child ate becasue of allergies. In fact I had this issue with my kid and the school, and they had to make sure that the peanut kid was ina different group. Considering for a while that is all my one would eat...Not everyone likes bologna and lunchmeat. and if you have had kids you understand the waste of time and money getting them to eat something they wont?
IF A child is THAT allergic they do not belong in a public setting. they should be tutored at home.
I can see not sharing food and having brought in snacks to share anymore...but forcing me and mine to give up MY food? As I said.. what are they going to do in the real world? I am waiting for the day they try this in a workplace. Considering one of my main staples is peanut butter or almond butter.
I am sorry but as much as it is a button for those with allergies.. it is my button for the antiallergy. There comes a time when enough is enough.
Ah I do know what you are saying. I have a daughter that has gone from eating everything to eating nothing unless it has read stripes on it. (slight exageration, but you get the idea)
Most adults do not have this severe of an allergy to nuts. Usually by highschool the child in question has 'grown' out of the deadly phase of this as of yet not reallyl understood deadly allergy.
They are even devloping a peanut that does not have the oils that cause the allergy, but they caution that it could be years before they can market it, if at all.
I just cannot agree with you about keeping said child locked away from everyone else. And yes that is what you are proposing by saying they should not be allowed in public school. You are punishing that child because of something he cannot control.
If I were faced with this problem, and my child took her lunch, then I would treat this as a lesson for her in compassion and compromise. I would not say PHHHT on another child because mine is picky.
However, I do not want to get into an LJ war on Val's LJ so I shall leave it at this.
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From:
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The pre-school my daughter went to had a no nut policy because on of the students were allergic to peanuts. The student teacher forgot and had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Three minutes after giving the child a hug, the child was no longer breathing. Luckily after being life flighted to a childrens hospital the four year old was saved.
Some parents think that having to give thier children something other than peanut butter is a hassle. Some see it as the only way to keep their children alive.
I have given my .02 and will raise you .01 :D
From:
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I didn't see ANYWHERE where it said if it gave them something else to eat. I don't know about you, but if a teacher took away my kid's lunch and didn't give them anything else, I'd be more than a little ripped. :)
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I'm just curious as to if they are.
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I would and have (in my kids school) fought this policy. If a child is THAT allergic that it interfears with my right to feed my child what I want to feed my child, then the child with the allergy should not be in a public setting.
This is not a case of we just cant give the other kids the food. THis is so serious that as you said they cant even be around it after the fact...
What are these people going to do in the real world?
Going to start banning my lunch at work? I dont think so.
I will agree with spock on this one in this case that the needs of the many outwiegh the needs of the few.
From:
no subject
On the other hand, I don't believe that schools should punish children who AREN'T allergic to things like nuts by completely banning them from individual lunches. I can understand if we're talking about situations where parents provide snacks for an entire classroom or something. Lunches are different, I think. Personally, I LOVE me some pb&j, and if my school had forbidden me from them in elementary I would have been pretty darned cranky.
Not that I have a solution to offer. Just chiming in that I see both points of view.
From:
no subject
HOWEVER, she never banned peanut butter from the house. I was still allowed to eat it - I just couldn't breath on her, and I had to wash my own dishes. I just think they're going a bit far, and as I said above, it says nothing about whether or not they're replacing the lunches.
From:
no subject
bit.
We couldn't have gotten away with doing that when I was six.
I got less sensitive as I got older. When I was six or seven
I could and did have serious reactions to peanut by handling
objects which had been handled by other children who had
been eating peanuts. I would have had fewer reactions, and
missed less school, if they'd had a policy like this when I
was in the first 3 or 4 grades.
We were also able to get away with it because you were a
reasonably trustworthy person, and I felt I could count
on you to take it seriously, and go wash your hands
immediately afterwards before you handled half the objects
in the house. I don't think most six year olds are that
reliable.
Frankly, while their implementation may lack some finesse,
I have to applaud the effort in principle.
It's also worth noting, that while I could and did have
significant reactions merely from skin contact with the
oils, they were not full blown anaphylactic shock. They
were almost always treatable with application of lots of
Benadryl. I only ended up in the hospital once that I
know of. If I thought I might have an actual anaphylactic
shock reaction, I would have banned it from the house.
From:
no subject
I do see your point about the growing older and less sensitive, and I agree that most 6-year-olds love to "share" - but if this is older kids, I'm going to have to hope that they're smart enough not to share with someone who's that allergic.
From:
no subject
trying to make. The problem isn't other children
sharing food. That's reasonably easy to control.
The problem for really sensitive small children is
that THEY DON'T NEED TO EAT IT. All they need to do
is get some on their SKIN. As in from putting their
hand on a table that some other child who has been
eating peanuts put their hand on, maybe hours ago.
There are a lot of adults I wouldn't trust to be
careful enough by that standard, never mind kids.
After all, want to bet that the teachers didn't
really have time to explain the reasons or the
risks for the ban? And we won't even get into the
people out there who don't believe anyone is
*really* that allergic.
From:
no subject
This is all just my opinion, of course. That and $3.50 will buy me a decent cup of coffee. ;)
From:
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I have a friend in Carolingia whose sons have serious allergies, and I know she's been through a lot on this issue.
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I read too fast.
I am sure the schools are dealing with that. They usually have procedures in place.
From:
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I had this happen ONCE and ONly ONCE to my child when the did not inform of us this, and they took her lunch and did not supply her with something else.
After that the school had it in big huge public record that my child was not allowed to be in any groups with the peanut allergy kids.
From:
no subject
It's very scary to see your child have a reaction--even if he doesn't eat the food. When I was a teacher-before I had my own kids-I couldn't understand why people got so upset about having nuts in the room. Now, I do.
From:
no subject
It also doesn't say this, but I got the impression they were doing this to the whole school. I understand that you need to watch the younger kids, but I would think that an 8th grader (and my school was k-8) would know better than to share a peanut butter sandwich with someone who is allergic. And all kids who are allergic should be taught to say, "No, I can't have that."
For shared snacks - yes, absolutely, ban the allergic substances. For my own lunch - I'm sorry, I think that's a little much.
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But I see the point.
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And yeah, if they're supplying other food, then yes, I'm okay with that. I'd just hate to have some poor kid whose parent had a brain fart (or who wasn't the one to normally pack the lunch) go without because they accidentally brought something like that to school that day.
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Both kids suffer.
From:
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IF A child is THAT allergic they do not belong in a public setting. they should be tutored at home.
I can see not sharing food and having brought in snacks to share anymore...but forcing me and mine to give up MY food? As I said.. what are they going to do in the real world? I am waiting for the day they try this in a workplace. Considering one of my main staples is peanut butter or almond butter.
I am sorry but as much as it is a button for those with allergies.. it is my button for the antiallergy. There comes a time when enough is enough.
From:
no subject
Most adults do not have this severe of an allergy to nuts. Usually by highschool the child in question has 'grown' out of the deadly phase of this as of yet not reallyl understood deadly allergy.
They are even devloping a peanut that does not have the oils that cause the allergy, but they caution that it could be years before they can market it, if at all.
I just cannot agree with you about keeping said child locked away from everyone else. And yes that is what you are proposing by saying they should not be allowed in public school. You are punishing that child because of something he cannot control.
If I were faced with this problem, and my child took her lunch, then I would treat this as a lesson for her in compassion and compromise. I would not say PHHHT on another child because mine is picky.
However, I do not want to get into an LJ war on Val's LJ so I shall leave it at this.