 September 28th, 2010
11:00 AM ET
We pay an awful lot of attention to what our commenters have to say, and so we took note of an argument that cracked wide open yesterday amongst the readers of our piece on packing healthy kid lunches.
We're eager to hear what you have to say, especially in light of CNN Health's report on food-allergic kids suffering bullying in schools. Say some smart, insightful stuff, and we just might feature your comments in an upcoming post. Editor's note: all week, CNN Newsroom, Rick's List and Eatocracy are teaming up to take a look the effects our dining choices have on our minds, bodies and wallets. Tune into CNN Newsroom daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET for on-air coverage and join in the discussion here on Eatocracy. ALL COVERAGE |
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I ought to say, youve got one with the best blogs Ive noticed in a long time. What I wouldnt give to have the ability to generate a blog thats as interesting as this. I guess Ill just have to keep reading yours and hope that one day I can write on a subject with as significantly information as youve got on this 1!
Regardless of which side of the issue you come down on, you *must* read the article entitled "Why your child can't bring peanut butter to school (and what you can do about it)": http://snacksafely.com/2011/11/why-your-child-cant-bring-peanut-butter-to-school/
First lets look at the outcomes of financial stress that the schools will be put in, if some one dies from eating peanut
based products at the school. I hate paying taxes but our free Country forces us to. Know lets consider a law suit
against the school for endangering some ones child and or the death of the child. Your taxes will receive a hefty hike and no one is going to come out ahead. Also do we segregate children of different race, gender, religion and or family preference. I know some ignorant people still do segregate but lets get real we are in 2011. The laws state that segregation is unethical and morally wrong, so who are you to say all children with allergies should be segregated. Would it be OK for me to say because your child has freckles they have to ride a separate bus, eat at a different table, or be victim to genocide to meet my needs. That would be ridiculous wouldn't it. Lets also look at the ADA Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 which insures that no person can be discriminated against based on illness or disability.
Geez! These parents are 'egocentric'. Can't you americans spare a life just for once and stop the 'me' talk?
This is not about 'parenting' skills people! Get a grip, I mean you all need a pep talk on 'understanding' and 'compassion'.
Where is the sense of 'community' here? If it's a life-and-death situation, then give way! To have another day of life is way important than a 'peanutbutter fantasy' of a child!
These parents are sending the wrong message to their kids!
This week my 12 year old (whom is peanut allergic) was bullied in the lunchroom. The kid smeared peanut butter on
his face and clothes. Needless to say, not only was it extremely scary but a very close call. Luckily he got the Epi-Pen
in time and the ambulance came quickly. We spent 2 days in the hospital. We can press assault charges if we want. But,
we are letting the school handle it for now.
So, for you negative (nay-sayers) on this site. SCREW YOU, My kid almost died this week.
Unless you can keep your unruly bullies under control. There should be no Peanut Butter in the lunchroom.
As a PA Mom I beg you PLEASE press charges we have to send a message to everyone that this is attempted MURDER! I am pleading with you to do so, us other PA parents will stand behind you 110%. Don't let this kids get away with torturing your son.
There was a student in my elementary school who was deathly allergic to peanuts. There was one instance where he caught a wiff of peanut butter and was sent to the ER. My school did accommodate his needs by allowing whatever grade he was in the first round of lunch. Also, there was a two table boundary set up for those who did bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like me. So I either sat in the middle or at the other end of the table from him. It is what it is, young students go with the flow.
First:
To the guy who posted a link trying to assert that people can be allergic to water, please read the contents before posting links, so you don't look too ignorant.....
"While the exact cause of this condition is uncertain, some investigators suggest it is a result of extreme skin sensitivity (but not allergy) to an added ingredient (chlorine, fluoride, others) or mineral present in the water."
Nobody is allergic to water, we ARE mostly water.. Some people, however, are allergic to chemicals that can be found in municipal water supplies.
Second:
I know people who have terrible reactions to sunlight. Perhaps it is time to ban the sun. Who cares that the sun gives warmth and life to billions. It makes a few people sick.
We need to build an opaque sphere around the Earth so those unfortunate few with sensitivity to sunlight are not inconvenienced with such things as sunblock, parasols, and staying out of the sun.
Ultimately while a peanut ban may be wonderful for those who suffer from a peanut allergy, it only solves one of the problems of food allergies. In the USA we recognize 8 top deadly allergens; peanut, tree nut, soy, shell fish, fish, egg, wheat and dairy. The children who suffer from life threatening allergies to the other 8 allergens will not benefit from the ban. There should be a comprehensive policy on managing the allergens per child's needs. It's not easy but it's now life as we know it. Individuals with food allergies has tripled since 1997 and the numbers are only going to rise. It's time we look at it seriously and start managing this epidemic.
I'm a teacher in a small private school with three children who have anaphylactic reactions to peanuts. This means that if they ingest even traces of peanuts, their throats will close up and they will go into respiratory distress and potentially die. The parents of these children know that the world at large is not nut-free, and it's unreasonable to try and put these children in a bubble. They (and we) are giving them the skills to manage their own allergies so they can be responsible adults. This does not mean a nut-free school, nor does it mean a nut-free table, because those things are virtually impossible and they set these kids apart from their peers in a way that's unhealthy. What is does mean is that these girls make sure that they wash their hands with soap and water before and after they eat. When there are parties that involve food, they bring their own. We keep the peanut butter in the back of dining hall so that there's little to no chance of cross-contamination. And most importantly, these girls keep an Epi-pen on them at all times, just in case.
I recently took two of these girls on a two day retreat with a sleepover. I carried an extra Epi-pen in the pocket of my pants, as did one other teacher. The chances of a reaction are not particularly high, but they do happen, and the shot of epinephrin will save their lives. Children with severe food allergies need the skills to get along in the world, and keeping them in a nut-free bubble as children deprives them of the chance to develop those skills. It also gives other children the opportunity to develop a sense of compassion and empathy, and to learn how to deal with crisis situations. Everybody wins and no one has to be a selfish douchebag about it.
I think a combination is in order. School should stop serving it, however a nut free lunch table should be designated for the kids with allergies, and any friends that want to sit with them have to accommodate. If the severity is the child cannot be in the same room, then perhaps a separate lunch room or lunch time then. Its not right to tell a parent or child they cannot eat something because of someone else, rather look for a solution that will be pleasant to all.
This poll is so biased. I would never say "tough luck" to anyone. However I believe strongly that peanuts should be allowed in schools. It's the bullying that needs work. You might compare this issue to gun control. We have a right to own them, but no way do we have a right to mis-use them. I believe that we all have equal rights to buy and eat the foods we want. We do have laws that guarantee those freedoms, thank goodness. But we also have laws that punish bullying, thank goodness. You might also compare this issue to contraception in schools. We can provide education, condoms and even demand abstinence, but we can't keep girls and boys from having sex, even with laws in place. The peanut allergy issue is so emotional, I believe, because people don't like to admit to the truth: The truth being: 1. It's not fair to limit what others eat, and 2. Kids will continue to bully. I don't have a solution, only the belief that we can't take away freedoms, and that we need new solutions to enforce bullying laws.
Kate – your comparison to gun control is dead on. Guns are a leathel weapon and therefore need to be handled with care and controlled by laws. As a society we have decided children are not capable of carrying loaded weapons into a school building, ever, even if they are trained to used the gun properly. But we allow every child to carry peanut butter with them to school, without any training about the leathel properties of peanuts – why is this acceptable?
Home-school everyone. Schools are just disease reservoirs that make the entire community sick. (They are also the preferred hunting ground for bullies and predators.) If all the kids were home-schooled, they would also be safer. Isn't safety the most important thing?
My son has a peanut allergy and it is not too severe. But I think if schools take away PB&J they should add something else to take its place, ie.) sunflower butter/almond butter...etc. I also think that it is not really fair to other children that do not have allergies, they get the shaft. But for some parents to say who cares about your child so that my child can have PB..SHAME ON YOU...that is wrong, that is like saying I will sit by and watch someone suffocate a child and do nothing about it. If it was your child you would want something done. Whether it be a separate table for the ALLERGY kids..like they are lepers. It is such a terrible thing allergies and that it has so many people in uproars its crazy that we all can't get along.
First off, for all the people with lame excuses as of why children with peanut allergies should be treated like "rusty" from the mask, should be extremely and completely ashamed and embarrased of themselves. As a teacher of students with special needs, it is appauling that someone refers to students with peanut allergies needing to "ride the small bus" and having to "go in seperate classes". Having a food allergy does not impede their education, therefore they should not be put into a self contained classroom, in lamens terms, I think its a bit much to bring back segregation dont you? As for the people and I hope not parents of actual children who said that "normal" children should chase around with open faced sandwiches to those who could die from encounters with this very product, are basically teaching their children how to become bullies and murderers, congratulations and job well done, did I mention I pray to God that my child does not attend your child's school (and he doesn't even have a peanut allergy). To those people who used the excuse that without peanut oil, "OMG" our earth will suffer, what will we ever do. We are talking about banning it in schools, and secondly, join a environmental club, I dont think your car that runs on peanut oil is the only source of saving this world! The truth is whatever disability, ailment, or allergy a person has, isnt it just, oh I dont know humane, respectful and down right important to ensure the safety of those around you. If someone has a peanut allergy keep it away, if someone cannot inhale smoke because their lungs will contract, smoke somewhere else, if someone cannot be around bees, dont take them near a hive. Whatever the case may be, having your child avoid peanuts during school hours is so much of a sacrifice or burden that its simply out of the question to have them wait until they get home. You can't afford anything else you say, then you definately qualify for free lunch, and if not then I think that is a much bigger issue to focus on with your local schools than if you can send in peanut butter sandwiches. Heres a thought, have a heart and maybe use this as a life lesson to your children. That we sometimes need to make sacrifices for the better of the whole. I read so many comments that said what about the others when "50% of the allergies in school are peanuts", even those who have children with milk allergies complain. Why even chance, having one death and keeping peanut butter in school, then not allowing your child to have peanut butter throughout the school day and have no related deaths at all.
Wow people. Just...wow.
I understand the want for it to be permitted – many families are using government assistance – like WIC and foodstamps and PB is a STAPLE for these households. If you have never had to be in this situation – consider yourself lucky! I have known many families that ate only peanut butter and bread for days on end because ends meat was not met.
I understand that allergies are a big deal – but are the schools not responisble to ensure a child with sun allergies have a safe environment to learn (with proper tinted windows and such?). Do you feel that people with handicaps need to park at the open spots out by the main street?
Even just having a special room for sensative kids would be better than ignoring the problem.
I feel sorry for the students that have the peanut allergies. However, what about the other students? Suppose you have children who are picky eaters and only eat peanut butter? I like the suggestion to have separate rooms for children with allergies. Peanut butter is a major staple for me. I would be very upset if I could not take a peanut butter sandwich with me to work.
Take some time in the morning to swab each child to scan for allergens, then make sure to check each item in their lunch to make sure no one is trying to smuggle an allergen into the school. We do not have a problem with our education system as it is so take more time away from the learning process to make the U.S. even dumber compared to the rest of the world.
Also you set yourself up for lawsuit after lawsuit if you do anything that even remotely tells others you are making the school allergen free. If someone accidentally takes a product made in a facility that processes peanuts, the item may not have peanuts listed as an ingredient, and someone has a reaction some parent with a lawyer looking to make a few bucks will have the school administration, the school board, the superintendent and whomever else they can find to sue in court taking away money the schools already do not have enough of.
When I was in school we had "Peanut Free classrooms". This seemed to work well, and anyone with an allergy and their friends could eat lunch in those rooms.
Why change schools for ONE allergy ... change it for all ...
I think making those kids have their own lunch period would be fine.
In our school the retarded kids had their own , put the allergy kids w/ them.
Wow, you sound really educated. Harvard, right? I thought so....
OH I just realized with all the nut allergies cropping up what are we going to do about Bio Fuel? some of it is made from recycled Peanut oil. I hope my car does not kill a child!. Maybe we should ban Bio Fuel made from Peanuts to make sure nothing like this happens. Or we could make separate roads so those allergians could drive safely. Is there Gluten in bio fuel?
I just thought a little more about it, we need to ban Bio Fuels all together. If you build the separate roads for people with the allergies they would most likely be parallel to each other, as people will need to go to the same places, and if the wind is blowing the wrong direction the fumes may travel into the allergy free road. So we must pull together as a people and make sure we ban bio fuels to protect our population from harm.
Here is what needs to be done. Have the Obama administration fork out about a million dollars per school to allow each school to rebuild the cafeteria to have many rooms with clean air filtration. Have one room for peanut allergies, one for gluten allergies and at least 4 or 5 more for other food allergies. Have the kids that have these allergies eat in their respective rooms. Also you would need to make sure that the classrooms were segregated as well just in case some kids from the non-allergy cafeteria rooms would have some residue on themselves. Unless you enact some form of clean room standards to prevent the non allergy kids from leaving their cafeteria rooms without being, well, clean. They would also need to brush their teeth to make sure there is no allergens on their breath as some seem to be allergic to "fumes" from some of these things. If they were "clean" then you could recombine the classrooms. OR maybe better yet let the parents take care of their kids and quit expecting the government to legislate in place of good parenting skills and teaching respect to each of our kids so that they are aware of a friend who may need some special consideration. Also do not expect our teachers to be medical professionals with the abilities of a EMT to be able to take care of a child who has a reaction unless the teacher is willing to take on the training and responsibilities that the parents offer to provide, at their own expense.
The source of the issue isn't the amazing amount of two sided arguments (i.e. "I'll eat what I want, where I want" and "My child could die you heartless jerk!"). People are arguing about if everyone should bend over backwards in for a minority, or if the minority should tend to their own unique needs. And, in a true "internet argument" fashion, it's broken down into "You don't know how it is!", "I'll do what I want!", or my personal favorite, "I've never seen that happen, so it's not true!". All utterly useless commentary from people who want others to bend for them or are too lazy to step out of their little world to see things from another perspective.
The raw truth of the matter is that it is impossible to ask the overwhelming majority of people to bend over backwards because the vapors from a grilled PB sandwich (delicious, btw) might waft in a window somewhere. If someone asks, "hey, I'm crazy allergic, could you give me a heads up before you make those delicious sandwiches so I can close my window?" Awesome, it's not even a tiny issue and a completely reasonable request. A preemptive walk-around to neighbors would probably be even better. Alternatively, a person with extreme allergies has to realize the world shouldn't have to bend into a knot where ever they go. It sucks, it truly does, to get stuck with such a situation, but you can't get mad at someone for having something you're allergic to. Take precautions if you must. Photosensitive (those adversely affected by sunlight, some even to a life threatening degree) people don't ask for a massive sunshade to be built, they wear a light coat, use SPF bazzillion, or carry an umbrella and shades.
In schools, sure, there should be some kind of exception. I don't see why not. Decent peanut oils don't actually carry the protein that triggers a reaction, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue to buy good oil (because, you know, all that fatty fried food in schools). Making special exceptions cost schools money though, and money isn't exactly flowing right now. At the moment, the practical solution would be to set aside a special table. Easy, costs nothing, and solves the issue for the most part. Those affected by fumes (I never even heard of this before now, it would strike me that the parts per million (ppm) count would have to be high) might have to make special plans for lunch. You have to worry about aerosolized peanut particles. PARTICLES. At some point, I think parents just need to recognize that their child has unique needs, and something unique has to be done instead of hefting it on everyone elses shoulders by refusing to deal with the situation.
Realized I wasn't entirely clear on one point. Concerning the table option. Socially, it does tend to separate children. And as many of us know, the social aspect of school is important in many ways (not to be a social butterfly, but to gain social experience). Those with the allergy should have the resources available to identify possibly dangerous situations related to their allergy (ex. peanut products are likely in all foods because they are in the pseudo-burgers we serve on Tuesday. We suggest a sack lunch, and should always carry their epi-pen). Things like this should be (hopefully) common sense. Assuming the reaction only occurs via touch, and isn't too bad, they can mix and mingle plenty, especially if their friends (those school children sit by) are aware and take care. Those with greater risk need to be separated if their parents demand some non-existent isolation bubble of utter safety. As a rule, you have to assume kids wipe their hands on things after eating. Those things might be napkins, or they might be clothes or door handles. How do you prevent that? You can't. You can't tell parents in the entire city or X, Y, and Z city zones that they can't use a staple of cheap school cold lunches anymore. The real truth of the situation is that it sucks. It really really sucks and there are going to have to be some special steps taken to ensure safety. Expecting 1984758 parents to remember not to make a PB&J so you can pretend the situation doesn't suck is ridiculous.
The subject of bullying is silly. This isn't new, this isn't special at all. How can anyone be surprised at the increase in allergic based bullying? Information on what it is and what it does is -everywhere-, and most people are smart enough to figure out how to see this problem in other people. The urge to bully doesn't arise from some twisted bullying type obsession, it's because bullies have found another hole in someone's defense to mess with them over. This particular brand of bullying doesn't need to be addressed any more or less than any other kind except in the respect that the consequences aren't a bruised ego/social complex, but physical damage. It's equivalent to attacking someone else and should be dealt with on the same level, but not made special (less you just make the issue worse).
Maybe parents need to spend more time figuring out how to raise their kids to have a sense of respect for your average person instead of neglecting or abusing them to the point where they need the attention/have some power complex/etc instead of expecting public institutions to do it for them (or do it but not do it, with all these "you can't tell me how to raise my kid" whining).
I swear, the best thing I ever heard was of a method used by some small communities. If a kid gets out of hand and nothing is being done about it, the parent is the one held responsible by the entire community (In the ethnographic example, the parent was tied to a post for the duration of the event. Obviously we can have other ways of accomplishing the same thing). The kid is then set down by a group of people and the group took measures to keep the kid settled down (i.e. surrounded him/her with people who don't let them get away with stuff).
Well, what we have here is a failure to communicate. Peanut allergies are more prevalent in today's society. Per FAAN, are responsible annually for aprox 92% of all anaphylactic deaths in the US. The number of kids with these allergies have doubled in recent years. The issue with peanut allergies is not going away.
If someone wants to have the attitude of "keep your sorry ass home", I feel sorry for you. Apparently your parents did not love you enough to teach you empathy or compassion for others.
If you knowingly expose someone to their allergen, (ie bullies in school) then you will be punished by the laws of your state. I'd press charges if someone endangered my child's life. Just as you would (Magnus) if someone sprinkled rat poison on your kids lunch.
Everyone needs to respect each other and find a balance. Luckily the law (American with Disabilities Act of 1973) protects kids with food allergies.
Tough luck kid, keep your sorry ass home if you have allergies. I ll eat my PB whenever and whereever I want!
dude, you have no idea what you're talking about – maybe one of your kids will die from something unusual, and then you'll be more understanding
do you understand that kids have died from breathing peanut fumes? if you willfully did anything to hurt my kid, I'd kick your ass
take two: "doesn't mean your body doesn't reject it"
One other point – one of the primary causes of arthritis is food sensitivities causing inflammation – should everyone with arthritis be killed off too?
Amazing how much ignorance there is about food allergies and sensitivities. Lots of people have sensitivities to foods they don't even know about including dairy, wheat, nuts, legumes, etc. These idiots that make comments implying that it'd be better if kids who are allergic to nuts died (aside from being the people that actually are the ones that need to be weeded out of the population for their incredibly hateful way of thinking), may not realize that they'll die an early death themselves from Alzheimer's, or cancer or diabetes because they kept eating things that they shouldn't have eaten. Just because you don't go into anaphylactic shock when you eat something doesn't mean your body rejects it. Get a clue!!!
Natural selection? I'd love to break give Joe a broken nose. I wish I could meet him in person. I'd happily do so.
Schools shouldn't ban peanut products for one very good reason:
Kids with peanut allergies need to be sent out into the world with the knowledge that sharing someone else's food can be as deadly as other kids view crossing the street without looking. The fact is that these kids will face peanuts in places outside of school, and they need to be taught from the start that it's their responsibility to make sure they're okay.
Peanuts aren't the only deadly food allergy. All kids with bad allergies need to be armed with the knowledge and discipline to avoid things that can be unhealthy. By not forcing them to learn that at school, where there ARE adults and a nurse nearby, you're putting them at greater risk when they go to their friend's houses.
Saying 'no' to a deadly allergy is a choice that has to be made constantly. Children with deadly allergies have to learn to take charge of what goes into their body.
It's ridiculous to judge someone's parenting ability based on the food preferences of their kids! My sister-in-law is a great parent of two kids – one ate everything, one ate only cereal and peanut butter when he was little. How did she go wrong? A wide variety of nutritious food was served in their home. When push came to shove, and mom insisted he eat something he didn't like, he just wouldn't eat it, and once told a counselor his parents were starving him. He was skinny but healthy according to his doctor. As he got older, he eventually started eating more foods.
Everyone, including kids, is entitled to their food preferences and dislikes, and it's no one else's place to express an opinion on them. It isn't a moral issue, it isn't willful bad behavior, and it isn't a parenting problem. How would you feel if someone tried to force you to eat a food you particularly dislike?
Having said this, I think most people would choose not to eat something in front of someone it would hurt, if asked.
To TwM – How sad that the main staple of your children’s diet is peanut butter. Wow – what a mom you are! You put a sandwich over a child’s welfare. You are pathetic. Being allergic, my child has learned justice, tolerance and concern for others…so did the 20 children in his class over the eight years he spent with them in school. They were able to eat peanut butter, but then were tolerant and kind enough to wash their hands and rinse out their mouths and wash off the tables and desks at the school so they wouldn’t get him sick. So glad your children weren’t in that class. With parents like you…we know what they’ll grow up to be…sadly just like your pathetic self.
So I get the feeling there are the people who care and those who would probably rub the peanuts in the kids faces themselves. As someone with food allergies here's the deal: we don't want you to change the diet- but if you know I'm allergic to something so severely that breathing it could kill me don't sit down beside me and start eating it. I WILL punch you in the face. Besides that- grow up adults and think about the possibility your kid could develop the allergy next. Then u'll see how bitter your words are.
As a kid without resources…peanut butter on a spoon was my main meal, sometimes only meal.
Fortunately, I still like pb on bread with a bit of jam, jelly, or honey and occasionally in yogurt, all right in everything.
I happen to have many allergies; one I do not suffer from is peanut butter.
However, being mindful of other people’s possible concerns I never leave home having consumed the slightest amount of pb since years ago I heard in a report (honestly, I do not recall what program) that some people’s reaction can be significant by even a simple breath/scent across the table from another. I do not want to be responsible for harming anyone.
I request that other’s limit or eliminate scents, particularly no smoking around me.
I am even at the point of wearing a dust mask out, however embarrassing, yet it helps a little and I wear a personal ionic air cleaner that also minimizes exposure to some allergens …
It is that or I end up being a recluse, which I rather not but allergies are not something to “sneeze at…watery eyes, tingling lips, tongue swelling, etc.” include for me my throat closes, I have endured shots (once a series of 3) to help ease my symptoms just because “you stranger” chose to bathe in cologne. I haven’t worked since 1992 thankful I have a perfect husband who supports me financially, emotionally and he stands by me when there is nothing to do but wait and hope that what I am ingesting or exposed to that I am ok –Russian Roulette allergy style. Not fun…!
Let me stop now before I get onto the subject of resurfacing the road, anyone have air to breathe...?
Regarding peanut butter in school...there needs to be alternatives- the children can enjoy the yummy pb at home and try other foods at school that are less of an issue for all.
Furthermore, I understand that other nut butters though more costly tend to have little to no effect on some people who are allergic to peanut butter perhaps something to consider.
First, re: the Darwin argument: the vast majority of allergies are not genetic – humans start producing their own immune system after between 6 months and 2 years after being born. Allergies are a hyperactive immune response that is based on the developmental environment at this age. Natural selection wouldn't act on allergies because they, by and large, didn't exist until people started living in clean environments (ie not on farms, not in the wilderness, etc.)
Second, re: the EpiPen argument: EpiPens work approximately 20% of the time. For a man of my size (6'3", 180 lbs), an adult dose will wear off between 6 to 8 minutes after injection, if it works at all. EpiPens don't "solve" or "cure" severe allergic reactions;; they simply may provide a buffer period before an ambulance arrives to administer IV steroids.
Third, re: the accommodation argument: we live in America, which means that we have many freedoms, but not unlimited freedoms. Claiming that accommodating other people is an infraction on your rights is actually un-democratic because it invokes a tyranny of the majority. By those standards, standards where policy can"t advocate for the minority voice, women still wouldn't be allowed to vote, minorities would still be segregated, and wheelchair accessible wouldn't exist.
Schools should accommodate on a case-by-case basis. If there is a severe allergy (peanuts get the most attention because life threatening peanut allergies are by far the most common, but the argument would apply to any type), the school should decide whether or not it's dangerous to have the allergen in the school for that particular student. If yes, it should be treated accordingly. Some allergens are easier than others to get rid of, but every effort should be made whether that means having a designated allergen-free area or removing the allergen entirely if its presence in the school poses a risk.
I agree. To add to you accommodation paragraph... anyone with a disability can ask for a Section 504
plan. Which means the school administration and the parents create a heath care plan and agree to how
the disability will be handled (on a case by case basis). It is a team effort to manage, but every child is
entitled to a safe learning environment -by law. Those that disagree can try and change that but the
Americans with Disability Act has been around since 1973.
My daughter isn't allergic to peanuts but actually milk. I am not a radical over the top kinda guy but I want my kids to have a good education and be allowed to do all the same things as others. To explain the level to which my daughter will react is if she comes into contact with the liquid its turns to a chemical burn, and then leads to Anaphylaxis which means a trip to the ER. If she ingests it she will have these reactions and runs a very very high risk of dying. I love my daughter as everyone loves their kids, I don't want to loose her because someone can't understand a medical condition that she has no control over. The family is careful with food and where we go and we don't push a agenda on people of you can't do this, but be respectful of people who has a disability. I understand new directions need to be made in this area, are we asking for the world no, do we pay the same taxes and support the same school functions and support the community you bet. No one thinks well she had a reaction and died is as bad as a kid who throws acid or gas ona kid and lights it..... If a kid walks up throws milk on my daughter its the same act, and after these exact actions were taken everyone was up in arms. Look no one knows the stress of this unless you live it. I jsut want a safe place for a kid to be a kid. Everyone wants that its what every parent wants. just ours takes a little extra effort... Not asking the world just asking for some level headed understanding. And this message and plea go for all food allergies.
Oh and before someone thinks up the idea I am talking changing the entire menu to be this way I am not, I will cover all the food costs that's my responsibility not another families. I see the idea of banning some products but I am asking for simply let us protect our kids before something bad happens.
I have a 3 year old brother with peanut allergies who is going to preschool this year, and just the other day a inconsiderate parent decides to bring peanut butter granola bars as a class treat! After many fliers were sent home with the kids stating the there was an allergy to peanuts so to avoid bringing items with nuts! The worst part about the whole thing is the schools making a major problem out of it! they are saying the wrong forms were filled out and that my mothers word and handing over the epi pen are not enough!! Now i do not think it is enough for a school to decide to just play the game at a lunch period to lunch period basis! If there is one peanut allergy in the school then peanut products should be taken out of the school and band(same goes for any other major food allergy)! And just because a child has this or any other food allergy that does NOT make the child "weak"! The "Weakling" is the one who is not willing to "accommodate" to help there fellow humans!!!
why are some of you idiots so angry. Getting rid of peanut products gets rid of liability to the school if someone has a bad reaction or even a fatality. idiots, grow up and act like adults.
A ban on peanut butter will not solve the problem of children with food allergies being exposed to allergens at school, and might only be a false sense of security for parents of children with severe food allergies. First, as many have commented here, there are many other food products that contain peanuts that could be brought to school which could cause a potential reaction. Second, I doubt that all parents and students would fully comply, especially given the mentality of many who have commented here. Third, it would be unfair for students severely allergic to other foods to ban only peanut butter. My daughter for example is also severely allergic to tree nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and dairy, so all those kids bringing peanut alternative nut and seed butters could still be putting other children at risk. So what might work? How about an empty classroom for the allergic kids to have lunch in, on a voluntary basis, while monitored by an adult? On a voluntary basis meaning the parent of an allergic kid should determine that their child should be required to eat there. In the separate room, the foods that all of the allergic children in the group are severely allergic to would be banned from those students' lunches in order to be fair to other food allergy sufferers. This way only the allergic group would be burdened with preparing allergy friendly lunches for their kids. This would allow the kids to eat in peace, without the visual stigma of sitting at an “allergy table,” although kids in school will know who the allergic ones are anyway...
I personally don't think that other people should be burdened by my child's allergy. If for example my daughter goes to a birthday party, I send her with her own cupcake and don't ask the party host to make a gluten free, soy free , dairy free, nut free, seed free cake for all the kids to accommodate my daughter. I therefore can't expect other parents to send their kids to school with only beans, rice, meat, veggies, and fruit to accommodate my daughter, but hopefully a solution that can fairly accommodate all, within reason, can be found.
I agree with the birthday comments completely. Our son has a severe allergy to a milk protein (casein), has an epi-pen etc. What we do is what you do, provide our child with alternatives when he goes to parties. We don't expect other parents to accommodate us.
And I agree, I'm not sure why the peanut allergy children get special consideration here...yes, yes I know about the airborne possibility, but even the most outrageous claim on here says only 50% of allergy related deaths are to peanuts, what about the other 50% of the kids, they don't matter?
The classroom idea is a very good Idea and yes the kids know who is in that room right away, there isn't going to be a fool proof plan for this you are right there. If someone wants to harm another kid with using food as a lets say weapon and thinks its a joke its going to happen, or if they simply some in contact with it. You cant stick them in a bubble their whole life the best you can do is be vigilant and pray you beat the odds.
my youngest son has food allergies. He started at about 6 months old & had a laundry list of allergies. I am thankful that he has outgrown most of these. He still has some, but at 4 years old he knows what he can and cannot eat. I choose to homeschool him. I understand food allergies, but if your child is in mortal danger why do you send him to public school. I'm sure all the usual arguments apply i.e. both parents work, not enough $$, etc, but seriously isn't your child's welfare more important that the big house or extra stuff. Stay home and keep your child safe yourself. Many school districts will give you their books for free each school year.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/636455.html
In one study, Perry and colleagues at Duke University placed 15 peanut-allergic children on a slow, but escalating oral dosage program, during which they consumed limited amounts of peanut food. Another eight peanut-allergic children were placed on a placebo regimen.
Among the children exposed to these carefully rising doses of peanut, negative reactions were mild to moderate, requiring medicinal intervention only a handful of times, the authors noted.
At the program's conclusion, a "food challenge" was conducted. The challenge revealed that while the placebo group could only safely tolerate 315 milligrams of peanut consumption, the 15 children who participated in the immunotherapy program could tolerate up to 5,000 milligrams of peanuts – an amount equal to about 15 peanuts.
Having concluded that the dosage program afforded some measure of short-term "clinical desensitization" to peanuts, the research team then explored the program's potential for inducing long-term protection in a second trial.
Eight of the children who had participated in the oral dosing program for anywhere between 32 and 61 months were then subject to an oral peanut challenge four weeks after being taken off the dosing program.
All of the children – at an average age of about four and a half years of age – demonstrated lasting immunological changes that translated into a newly developed "clinical tolerance" to peanuts, the researchers said. And although the children continue to be tracked for complications, peanuts are now a part of their standard diet
I KNOW, YOU IDIOT, YOU DOLT! DON'T YOU THINK THAT PARENTS OF PEANUT-ALLERGIC KIDS WOULD DOOOOO THIS IN A SECOND IF IT WERE AVAILABLE!?!?!?!? IT IS NOT AVAILABLE, IT IS EXPERIMENTAL!!!
But hey, thanks for giving us hope, Hun. Night.
I have an peanut allergic child. I hear your "side" quite often. We take our child to the Mayo Clinic each year to be tested
on his food allergies and his Dr. is notably the best at Mayo. Your article does not mention that people have died in this study (small dosage/therapy). It is not approved by the FDA and is considered experimental.
Now, put yourself in my shoes. Would you allow your child to be a part of that study knowing he could die? Even the best
Dr.s don't have a clear answer on why food allergies are so prevalent today. The best known theory is: We over vaccinate and our immune systems are "bored" and looking for something to do (as untechnical as I can explain). When small children are introduced to a food (such as peanut) their immune systems are not developed enough to handle the protein. That is why peanuts are not recommended until the age of 3. But, when my son was 11 mo. someone (without my permission) gave my son a peanut cookie and he had an anaphylactic reaction. It is quite possible that he would have never developed the allergy if we had waited till he was 3yrs to introduce peanuts.
Sorry for the long response.
It's ridiculous we can't send a kid to school with a peanut butter & jelly sandwich these days. Developing 3rd world nations have almost ZERO nut allergies compared to that of the United States. Even Europe is lower than us in this category. The reason is most likely all the ridiculous "AVOID AT ALL COSTS" mentality that is going on. There's such a worry about a child being exposed to even a HINT of air that might blow past someone's peanut butter & jelly sandwich that we're actually HURTING kids by not allowing them to be exposed to nuts. It's the same with sickness – you can keep your kids locked in a bubble but in the end all you'll wind up with is a kid with a very weak immune system because it's not had to do its' job and build up tolerances.
There's NOT ONE CASE of a child DYING or even being seriously hospitalized because someone next to them ate a peanut butter sandwich. DUMB. I'm so tired of this sick mentality that we have to "take care of" everyone and their issues. Not everyone is meant to be a superstar, genius, stellar athlete, etc. Get your lazy rear end off the welfare system and put out some actual energy at a job – you might lose a few pounds doing it too! (And stop drinking so much soda like a fiend – your diabetes will probably go away as a result; you'll definitely lose weight – dolts).
Wow. To say that no one has been hospitalized or died because someone ate a peanut butter sandwich next to them just shows that you are TOTALLY uninformed and have not read a single post on here about actual peanut allergies and cross-contamination.
Ignorant, uniformed rant (and off the subject) much, Turt Honey? Now go have some nice chamomile tea and lay down before you hurt yourself, Sweetie.
I have a peanut allergic child. When he was in Kindergarten, I received a call from the school. "Come immediately, we've
dialed 911!". I drove as fast as I could to the school only to find out that a teacher decided to make peanut brittle in the
classroom. I was told that the same lesson could be done making applesauce. Apparently the teacher didn't like to vary her curriculum. We pulled our child from that school and never looked back. We have taught our son how to manage his allergies and he is now in Middle School and hasn't had a problem since. He's well educated on managing his allergies on his own.
Nobody has the right to endanger my child's life. Shame on those that don't take this seriously. I'm not sure how you sleep at night. A peanut free school is unrealistic, but a peanut safe school is realistic. Meaning, teachers and educators should use common sense when dealing with kids and food allergies. Make reasonable accommodate when needed.
As a child, I had a classmate who was severely allergic to nuts. Most whined when they wouldn't let us bring any pb sandwiches or cookies to class. You know what stopped it? When a sweet but stubborn room mother brought a snack mix that had nuts in it one afternoon. Just opening the jar near the girl set off the reaction. I will never forget watching another child claw at her own throat, unable to breathe, because one person decided "it wasn't a big deal". I think banning peanut butter from all schools everywhere is going too far? But for the few children who are extremely allergic, it ISN'T something they can just 'choose not to eat'.
(The girl in question did recover, by the way, but her parents yanked her from the school after that. I don't know what ever became of her.)
That's ok, Kay, the general public apparently not only doesn't care about what became of your classmate after clawing at her throat, almost dying in front of you, but thinks the "stubborn" (read "entitled to peanuts") mother was not only within her RIGHTS, but absolutely a candidate for sainthood. Because "where does it end", right?
Got it. Sorry for not reading your previous comments.
@ Your Mom's comment. You are a very cold person. I disagree with you and so does the 'American with Disabilities Act of 1973'.
@JB, I sincerely apologize that my sarcasm was not more obvious. PLEASE read my previous comments in this thread. I am HORRIFIED by the intolerance here. I have a peanut-allergic child and was merely trying to make a point. Not well, apperently. I'm a bit bitter from all of the people here saying my kid should die for being allergic, as long as it doesn't inconvenience their kids. Anyway, sorry again.
Nearly 50% of the US population is allergic to peanuts! A peanut allergy is so bad that it kills the ones allergic! An allergy to water (Aquagenic pruritis) is very rare, and usually does not cause more then a skin rash. Peanut allergies are on the rise in the US, and there is no way knowing what causes it. With there being so many people allergic I think schools are not the only places it should be banned. This allergy is clearly an epidemic, and I hope that all these people saying that there is no reason to ban it, have children with this allergy. So that they might understand how sad it is seeing your child scared about having friends because they might eat nuts.
Wow, it truly is an epidemic, having risen from 1% to 50% in one day.
What causes peanut allergies to be on the rise you ask? LACK OF EXPOSURE TO NUTS you DOLT. In fact there's promising research that introduces microscopic levels of nuts to allergic sufferers in slowly increasing dosages – in nearly all the people treated with this new method they are able to actually EAT peanuts. YES – EAT PEANUTS. These were "HIGHLY & FATALLY ALLERGIC" individuals. READ THIS BIZATCHES – and quit your whining about your child's intolerance: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/636455.html
In one study, Perry and colleagues at Duke University placed 15 peanut-allergic children on a slow, but escalating oral dosage program, during which they consumed limited amounts of peanut food. Another eight peanut-allergic children were placed on a placebo regimen.
Among the children exposed to these carefully rising doses of peanut, negative reactions were mild to moderate, requiring medicinal intervention only a handful of times, the authors noted.
At the program's conclusion, a "food challenge" was conducted. The challenge revealed that while the placebo group could only safely tolerate 315 milligrams of peanut consumption, the 15 children who participated in the immunotherapy program could tolerate up to 5,000 milligrams of peanuts - an amount equal to about 15 peanuts.
Having concluded that the dosage program afforded some measure of short-term "clinical desensitization" to peanuts, the research team then explored the program's potential for inducing long-term protection in a second trial.
Eight of the children who had participated in the oral dosing program for anywhere between 32 and 61 months were then subject to an oral peanut challenge four weeks after being taken off the dosing program.
All of the children - at an average age of about four and a half years of age - demonstrated lasting immunological changes that translated into a newly developed "clinical tolerance" to peanuts, the researchers said. And although the children continue to be tracked for complications, peanuts are now a part of their standard diet
The absolute hatred and bullying shown here has convinced me that NOBODY will look after my peanut-allergic 4-year-old but himself. But that is GOOD, all the better. I was SO upset yesterday, reading all of this stuff about how they wanted (yes WANTED) my son to die so that they can protect their God-given right to peanut butter and because little Suzie would pout and go on a hunger strike for a few days. The COMPLETE lack of compassion and understanding and quite frankly, the evilness, about HALF the people expressed seriously depressed me. But today, I am twice as determined to teach him that he is out there ALL ALONE when Mommy is not around. I am also determined to teach him how to kick those pro-not my problem people's fat kids' backsides.
I tell you this now....this country is doomed.
Will you teach me how to Bitch Slap them too,Mom?
Yes. Happily. Don't start it, but if they start it, finish it. They definitely started this. Now behave and be nice, everybody. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
Thanks,Love You Mom.
This. I don't have a child with peanut allergies, but it does horrify and disgust me that people are actively saying children with this allergy should "just die" because it inconveniences them. They do make non-peanut nut butters (and soy nut butters), people! If someone in your child's class is allergic, there are many alternatives that will not KILL SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD. What next...we should kill the disabled (like myself) because we have the audacity to need help getting up and down the stairs?
And you know what makes it extra-sad is that I WANT to be an all-inclusive, loving Earth Mother, but after coming into contact with these people, ok, FINE, I can be Sarah Connor.
There is a calm rational way to find a solution - a way to keep kids peanuts away from kids with allergies - that also don't involve the extreme need to ban them. I happen to love peanuts. So it's wholly unfair to me to prevent me from having it just because another might get sick if they eat it. So don't ever feed it to the kids who are allergic ... keep them away from it if needed ... but allow those who want it to have it.
Wow. The hatred and ignorance displayed here is so depressing, I'm embarrassed for our country to be a part of a society like this. There is something I have come to realize and it is this: The general mentality of American society is very childlike in that, it's "all about me" and "I want it MY way" and "you can't tell me what to do!". We've lived as a society in this great country for 200+ years and have completely twisted, warped and redefined (as we see it) what the PRIVILEGE of our "freedom" truly is. Freedom isn't doing what ever you want, when you want, at the expense of others. Freedom isn't elitist or "survival of the fittest". We are supposed to live here peacefully and help and love one another. I know, I know..."but then it wouldn't be all about ME", now would it?
My kids go to a peanut free school and this is easy to solve. I have switched all 4 of my kids to almond butter. We went through several brands before we found one that they liked. It is called Barney Butter, it is made in a peanut free facility and they can't even tell that it is not peanut butter. So much healthier for them too!!
Thats great! Another good option is Soy Nut Butter! There is a brand that they sell at walmart in the peanut butter section that says school safe soybutter. The label is green, and has a little apple on it. This brand taste just like peanut butter!
I aint stopping givin my boy peanut butter just coz of a few slack jawed retards.
A few? You know that it is nearly 50% of the US population right?
If a child has a documented P-nut allergy have them eat lunch somewhere other than the school lunch room.
Like a leper? Why not the closet, or in a room all by themselves?
This is ridiculous. School's don't need to ban peanuts or peanut butter........but they also don't need to make these kids outcasts. Education and a peanut free zone is fine. One table, or portion of the lunch room. That isn't that difficult. Additionally all these "poor" regular kids shouldn't find it too difficult to adjust. Plus, this is putting forth a good precedent for children–learning to adjust to others and make sacrifices and adjustments.
Excluding someone based on a disability is called discrimination. If schools did that, they would lose their federal funding.
Let me start by saying that I am 31 years old and I have no children. Additionally, I have and always have had a peanut allergy. In addition to this, I also have allergies to all other nuts. I graduate high school in 1998, so obviously I made it through grade school, junior high, and high school without having a major issue related to nuts. That being said, anyone who says that schools are being too sensitive and that "we" are screwing over their kids really needs to take a look in the mirror and realize that they are being ignorant. Yes. IGNORANT. Most peanut are allergies can be described as "mild". Mine is "mild" when put on a spectrum of other people with peanut allergies. What does "mild" mean? It means that I have to always carry an Epi-Pen with me in case I come into contact with peanuts. It means that a "mild" reaction can still be deadly. A "mild" reaction causes a person to go into anaphylactic shock and essentially suffocate to death. It just takes longer than those with a "severe" reaction. Plain and simple, you are hiding behind ignorance and saying "well it doesn't affect my kid, so why should I care?" You should care because you are a human being. Congratulations to you and your kid! You have something I wish I did. Peace of mind that eating something, or being exposed to it, isn't going to kill me. Get off your high horse, stop being ignorant and become educated. Make a small sacrifice so that a kid can grow up with one less worry. Lord knows there are many other things to worry about.
Someone asked, "How do you suppose that a kid who is allergic is going to be exposed to a peanut butter sandwich by a kid who isn't allergic, unless they are forced to eat it, they are attacked with it or they choose to eat it on their own??? "
If you haven't noticed, children touch everything, so I think accidental exposure is a lot easier than you realize.
Nevermind that some have the same reaction to the smell alone. I have a good friend whose throat started closing up as soon as she got home because her careless (for other reasons, too) roommate made peanut butter cookies and the smell permeated the building. I do not know if this was from airborne particles, but bear in mind that the senses of smell and taste are closely linked, and the body subject to unconscious associations a la Pavlov's dogs. I also knew a girl who was severely allergic to latex, and I don't recall any of us whining that we couldn't use certain pencil erasers, we were just glad our friend was alive.
Not all allergies are nearly as common as peanut allergies, so I don't think we need the hysterics about what's going to be banned next.
Grow up, folks. It could just as easily be your child - and the grand irony is, you may have helped do this to their immune systems since we are culturally obsessed with using unnecessary hospital-grade antibacterial products in our homes. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm
ALL children in America are entitled to a safe learning environment in our public schools. To fortunate parents who have kids w/out a disability such as a food allergy and who feel that they should disregard the health and welfare of a small child:would you be comfortable having your child sit down to eat lunch next to a bottle of poison or something similar that could harm, even kill your child? That is what you are asking the peanut-allergic child to do when he sits next to someone eating peanut butter. Your child can eat it all they want any other time but in school. Are you all really that uncaring that you would send in peanut butter anyway, causing an innocent child harm? Their lives are hard enough worrying about every bit of food they eat. If you are that heartless, I feel truly sorry for you. Hopefully you would teach your children to be caring helpful individuals by leading by example but if not, I hope you never have to deal with the tragedy that could result from your selfishness if you choose to disregard the severity of peanut allergies.
Here is what has worked best in our situation: The school has agreed not to serve peanut products and very easy substitutions were made for the famous pb&J. Kids are allowed to bring in their own peanut butter, though we have found many kids who refuse because they don't want to cause accidental harm to a fellow human being (perhaps we should learn from our children). Ideally, if they have peanut products they sit at a designated table. If this is not possible, then the peanut allergic child brings their lunch because we cannot expect the schools to also be responsible for "made on peanut equipment" type of statements. There are just too many ways that this can go wrong for the severely allergic child. The allergic child sits at the very end of the table with the hot lunch kids. The others sit at the opposite end with their sack lunches. Again, if there is a peanut table, then the child can sit at the regular table without the separation of sack lunchers and hot lunchers. I have two allergic children and DO NOT support a ban on peanuts. The reality is there are some very hateful parents who will send it in because they feel it is there right. I would rather know and have a plan r than not know and be caught off guard... a potentially deadly mistake. Keep in mind, that this plan won't work for those individuals who are sensitive to even the airborne particles of peanut butter and a different plan may be needed at their schools.
This is a lot like allowing your child to play in a busy road so you can sue who ever happens to be driving down that street and then insisting everyone stop driving cars. You have a child who has special needs and you place them in a position of danger. You allow it. You insist on it. Take responsibility for your part in this. Because it could not happen without your participation.
The reason we have laws to protect those with disabilities is because of people like yourself. Everyone
is entitled to a safe learning environment.
What we have is a group who has such a demand for entitlement they insist the world spin around themselves.
What about kids that are deaf, blind or in wheel chairs? Are they spinning around in a world of entitlement? Last I checked,
a disability is a disability. Why accommodate one and not the other? Since anaphylaxis affects your ability to breathe (a basic life function) it is no different from any other legal disability. The reason people have such a hard time with peanut allergies is that its more prevalent now than in previous generations.
I think it all comes down to this: people don't like being told what to do, particularly when something MIGHT be a threat to an abstract person. Banning anything is only going to annoy a lot of the population, and provide a false sense of security for the affected person. When there is an actual threat to a specific child, a better solution is to educate the kids and their parents and ASK them to cooperate. You really need to get cooperation here, not coercion. I find it nearly impossible to believe that even the most outspoken people here would actually intentionally endanger a friend or neighbor's child.
Well said!
Feeding peanut butter to your child everyday is irresponsible not because you'll upset the allergic weaklings and their limp-wristed liberal parents but because you will transform your own child into a lard-ass like most American kids these days. Amen.
Allergic weaklings... my peanut allergic son is the starting quarterback for his HS football team, plays on a national AAA Hockey team (#1 in our state). Yeah, he's a weakling. Sure, what ever you say...
Get a clue. Childhood obesity has nothing to do with food allergies. Why don't you educate yourself before you sound off.
I love winding up dumb Americans.
Looks who's talking.
Oh, my goodness! There isn't anyone saying to "Put all of the Peanut Farmers out of business!" All this poll is about is trying to see where people stand on this issue where there are children that attend school with “Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergies” that can kill them within a matter of seconds by them being in the same building & around others who may have eaten a known “Allergen.”
There isn’t anyone saying “YOUR KID” cannot eat “PEANUT BUTTER!” However, if your kid eats Peanut Butter for lunch Monday-Friday & is around my kid, my kid will die! Therefore, if you could let your child eat something else for lunch Monday- Friday so “my kid” doesn’t die it would be greatly appreciated!
**F.Y.I.*** ANYONE WHO KNOWINGLY INDUCES OR TRIES TO INDUCE A “SEVERE ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION” CAN BE CHARGED WITH ***PREMEDITATED MURDER OR ATTEMPED MURDER!” If you know someone could die by your actions (bring Peanut Butter & Jelly) to school & you do it any way. You and your kid could be charged with attempted MURDER OR MURDER!
This is why it should be a case by case basis, not an all out ban. No one in my family would knowingly hurt your child. You need to make sure a note is sent to the parents in you school that your kid is the allergic and let the rest of the world live. I am sorry you have to deal with something so sever and it must be hard. I am lucky I do not have that particular problem. I can assure you that everyone has something hard to deal with.
I think many people love peanut butter and it is a healthy, lunch and snack. It is better for you than all the processed crap out there. My peanut butter has no sugar. I feel bad for parents who have kids with allergies to peanuts, but you can not ask the world to give up peanuts. That is the point. I do not think anyone blames you for peanut allergies. I think people are saying you need to teach these kids to take care of themselves and you need to educate their classmates to keep it away from them. I do not think making every kid in every school in you district not eat peanuts is not fair. I think you are telling us we are selfish and uncaring. Face it your child needs to learn to advocate for themselves and deal with their serious problem. The world is not peanut free. You are asking the world to accommodate you. I am willing if their is a child in my kids class to accommodate that child, but to accommodate period end of story even if no kid in our school has a problem is silly. I also feel that if your kids allergy is so sever they will die from smelling peanuts, you have bigger problems than school. What about play grounds, the mall, the grocery store, my car in the parking lot that my 4 year olds peanut hands have touched? This is a serious problem and if your kid is around I will accommodate them, but if not I think my kids should be aloud to have peanut butter. I do not think that is unfair. I think peanut butter is a great food. It is nutritious and you can guarantee the kid will eat it and it does not need refrigeration.
Is this something that is more controversial because we included the words "lunchtime" and "schools" in it?
I know that everyone loves to jump all over the education system and the profession itself, but realistically I wonder how many times a child with a peanut allergy has been to a zoo or a some type of fair or circus where peanuts were being fed to the animals and the shells were on the ground. What about restaurants where it's popular to eat peanuts as an appetizer and throw the nut shells on the ground? Or for all the sporting events that kiddos attend with their parents... baseball, football, etc. Should we go to the MLB and NFL and say we want them to ban peanuts from being sold at their events? Or would we even think about asking something like that of a huge entertainment venue? Because that wouldn't be the fault of a school if a parent chose to bring a child to something of an entertainment nature, so would a parent think about the what if's and dangers as much if the responsibility were placed in their own hands?
I think the issue around education is that every child has a right to attend school (no matter what kind of disability) and
the right to learn in a safe environment. That is the reason we have laws to protect them. What happens outside of school is the parents responsibility.
I'm a parent of a peanut allergic child. I have a neighbor that was against accommodations in schools and her views
mimic many of the "don't make your problem my problem" sentiments listed here. Then about a year ago, her youngest son had an anaphylactic reaction when someone gave him a peanut M& M. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital and was lucky to be alive.
Guess what? She did an about face. Imagine that. Next thing you know she's calling me to find out how to best manage
her child's peanut allergy. Funny how opinions change when its YOUR child.
So, for those that are on this blog and want to make it seem like we don't want to parent, that we want to make our problem your problem. Think again. It very well could be your problem someday.
I am thankful that there are laws that allow my child to attend school (American with Disabilities Act of 1973). Accommodations in schools allow kids to learn in a safe learning environment. Kids shouldn't have to worry about their allergy in Math, Science or any other subject.
Hi, I am sorry to hear about your child having that horrible reaction! It's terrifying! I honestly think it's ironic that your neighbors kid had a reaction. It's funny how karma will come back to bite you when you least expect it. I don't know where you live but there are laws to protect your child especially for kids with "Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergies." If there isn't a law in the state in which you live, I can help you get one passed. I've already done it for my child & other children that live in my state. Take Care & Please let me know if you need any help!
So %99 of the population must give up peanuts because %1 have peanut allergies (and only a fraction of those have it bad enough where airborne peanut allergen is fatal)? You expect to dismantle a $2 billion dollar a year industry? You want to put 25,000 American farmers out of work because you refuse to keep your allergic child from harm by keeping them home? Exactly who's being selfish here?
Can we try to remain civil? Allergies are serious. That said, can we employ some common sense? Granted my kid's school is small but we handle it easily. Teachers know who has a nut allergy. Their photos are in the serving area of the lunch room, epi pens are readily available and their friends look out for them. Kids who bring P&J sandwiches to school sit away from them because THEY don't want to endangered their friends and their friends don't mind because THEY want their friends to enjoy their lunch. Can we have a little mutual respect – like our kids seem to be able to have?
we should feed all the allergic kids to the non-allergic kids
All you people are raising girly-men
I find it extremely disturbing the amount of ignorance there is still out there regarding "Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergies!" Most children with “Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergies” DO NOT have to eat the known allergen to go into “Anaphylactic Shock & DIE!” All it takes is for the known allergen to be in the same room with the person allergic because A LOT of peoples’ “Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergies are AIRBORNE!!!” The known allergen could be on the breath of another person & the person allergic could go into “Severe Anaphylactic Shock & DIE! If a person eats a known Allergen & touches something after eating this known allergen, then the person with the “Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergy” comes along & touches the same surface as the person that ate the known Allergen, the person can go into “Severe Anaphylactic Shock & DIE!” THIS IS NOT A STOMACH ACHE, OR HIVES THIS IS “DEATH!”
If your kid eats a “KNOWN ALLERGEN” (PEANUT BUTTER, NUTS, FISH, ETC. ETC.) & then is around my kid, MY KID WILL DIE!
However, if your kid doesn’t eat “Peanut Butter, Fish, or Nuts” Monday – Friday for lunch is he or she going to DIE? “I DON’T THINK SO!”
I have a note from my kids Pediatrician if your kid eats a known “ALLERGEN” & is around my kid, “MY KID WILL DIE!”
Do you have a note from your kids Pediatrician if your kid doesn’t eat “Peanut Butter/Fish, ETC. for lunch Monday-Friday that he or she will DIE? I DON’T THINK SO!
Just a FYI: Did you know that can eat Fish, Peanut Butter, etc. etc. your whole life & not have a “Severe Anaphylactic Reaction,” however, turn around & eat it the very next day & it almost kill you! If you DO NOT have a “Severe Anaphylactic Food Allergy” to anything, “PRAISE GOD!” Because it could be you, your kid, your husband or your Mom today, tomorrow or a week from now! THINK ABOUT IT!
for my next piece of performance art, i will play a 10 year old with allergies to peanuts, aaaaaaaaaaaand action
I know if I had a child that was that severely allergic to a certain item, I wouldn't feel safe having him eat with other children even if the school banned peanut butter. Just because it's banned doesn't mean that a child will understand that. Some elementary school kids pack their own lunches. If a kid grabs a pack of peanut butter crackers by accident and then breathes on your child, who then has a severe allergic reaction, it doesn't really matter whether the item was banned or not. How could you ever feel safe sending a severely allergic child to a public school? You are basically putting your child's life in the hands of other children! I don't have children yet, but if my child ever had an allergy that severe, I would not send them to a public school, where anything can really happen.
My youngest daughter almost died when she was a year old. We were in and out of hospitals and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong. She had internal bleeding and was losing all of her body’s proteins. Finally, she was diagnosed with a severe Casein allergy. But instead of the normal reaction, her body responded as though it was being slowly poisoned. Not all severe and deadly allergies are Anaphylactic reactions. Her doctors told us that less than 1% of 1% of all allergic reactions were the kind she was experiencing and it had to do with the fact that the part of her immune system that regulates allergies was missing. That meant that at any time in her life, when she developed a new allergy as we typically do, she could die. Because it would not register as a normal reaction and it would be delayed and it would not be detected on blood work as a normal allergic reaction….. through some miracle and an accidental exposure to milk products and later testing on her immune system we discovered we had, had a miracle and she was fine. She will be fine. BUT, the point is I do know what it is like. I lived in a world of total unknown. I lived with the fact that at any time some unknown substance could kill my daughter. During the time milk and all dairy was the enemy I never once suggested that anyone alter their lifestyle for us. We dealt with it. We took food and drink for Sarah everywhere we went. She was our responsibility, no one else’s. And had her body not healed itself, it would have remained the same this year, her first year of kindergarten. The plan was for a family member to attend lunch with her every day. It never even occurred to us to ask the school to accommodate.
As for some of your comments about if your kids take PB Monday –Friday then simply send them with something else. I know families who cannot afford anything else right now, sadly. It’s PB or nothing for them. Also, I made a point in another post that, most other lunch foods have to be kept cool somehow, with ice packs or some other type of insulation or they can go bad risking illness. There are days when my children don’t remember to put there ice packs back in the freezer and so they have to take PB, because I’m not giving them a turkey sandwich….that’s going to sit in the class for 3 hours, and warm, before lunch.
Ironically, my Sarah came home yesterday afternoon and announced she had a new friend named Brianna. She said “Brianna can’t have peanut butter”. I explained to Sarah that Brianna can’t have anything with peanuts. I also explained to Sarah that on those days that she has anything with peanuts she cannot under any circumstances, go near Brianna without washing her hands really, really well and brushing her teeth (I will put a wisp in her box for after lunch). I plan on sending her teacher an email today to find out if they are going to install any protocols. I don’t want this little girls life to be at risk, I am not a cruel person. And I have been where her parents are with the anxiety of having a child with a life threatening issue. But I have said before and I maintain this position, that the needs of the minority should never outweigh the needs of the majority. Ways can be found to accommodate, but don’t alienate everyone else.
That brings me to my final point. Don’t you think that by you vigilante attitude you have something to do with people digging in their heels against a PB ban?? I was noticing that yesterday. The more vigilante the allergy parents were the more aggressive the anti ban people became. Find a gentler way to promote your cause, and I bet you will see results.
Listening to you mouth breathers defend you genetically inferior crap factories makes me want to vomit up the five fingers of Macallan I had to thrown down just to make it through this literary miscarriage. Back in my day, young men were tough enough to wait until they saw the whites in the eyes of the godless soul whose face they were about to blow off at near point blank range with a colt commander. Now if you so much as shove a peanut butter sandwich into some kids face, his bowels will vacate like a Saigon embassy. God willing, your children will all die from inhaling peanut dust before they have a chance to further poison the gene pool with their offspring
ALL YOU PARENTS ARE GROWING UP YOUR KIDS TO BE JUST LIKE YOU: OPINIONATED, ANNOYING, CRASS AND IGNORANT. LISTEN TO YOURSELVES! JUST STOP FIGHTING AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS. STOP TELLING OTHER PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE. GROW UP! WTF? SEEING YOU GUYS AS AN EXAMPLE MAKES ME SCARED HOW YOUR KIDS WILL GROW UP: JUST LIKE YOU!
Thank you for your thoughtful post, Krista. Nut-free tables and specifying nut-free lunch periods won't do the trick, because the oil in peanut butter can stay on the tale, on a doorknob, etc and an allergic child can have a life-threatening reaction just from touching the oil left behind, or from smelling peanut butter. It saddens me to see that so many people are willing to let a young child live with this danger so that they can continue eating a snack food.
PUT YOURSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES FOR ONCE! Sad thing is I bet many of these horrible people who show complete lack of empathy or concern for human life probably call themselves "christians".
Peanut allergy is estimated to affect 0.4-0.6% of the population.
Dr. Christakis points out that about 3.3 million Americans are allergic to nuts, and even more — 6.9 million — are allergic to seafood. But of 30 million hospitalizations each year, just 2,000 are due to food allergies, and about 150 people die annually from serious allergic food reactions. That’s the same number of people killed by bee stings and lightning strikes combined. About 10,000 children are hospitalized annually with traumatic brain injuries from sports, 2,000 children drown each year, and about 1,300 die in gun accidents, he writes." Media sensationalism has also been blamed.
Prevalence among adults and children is similar—around 1%—but at least one study shows it to be on the rise in children in the United States. The number of young children affected doubled between 1997 and 2002. 25% of children with a peanut allergy outgrow it. In America, about 100 people per year die from peanut allergies.
We are talking about a very very small percentage of the population who are allergic to peanuts.
The American Peanut Council has statistics regarding the peanut industry.
http://www.peanutsusa.com/USA/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.page&pid=12
Seven states account for approximately 99% of all peanuts grown in the U.S. Georgia (41%) grows the major proportion of all peanuts followed by Texas (24%), Alabama (10%), North Carolina (9%), Florida (6%), Virginia (5%), and Oklahoma (5%). There are approximately 25,000 peanut farmers in the major producing regions.
Peanut butter accounts for approximately half of the U.S. edible use of peanuts — accounting for $850 million in retail sales annually. It is a popular sandwich spread, particularly for children, and it is both nutritious and economical. Peanut butter is high in plant protein, contains no cholesterol, and has many important vitamins and minerals, including niacin, vitamin E and other antioxidants, and natural folic acid.
Many of the top-selling confectionery products in the U.S. contain peanuts or peanut butter. They are most popular in combination with chocolate. Peanuts and peanut butter also are used in a variety of cookies and baked goods. Peanut oil is considered a premium, high quality cooking oil in the U.S., is able to withstand higher cooking temperature than many other oils and does not retain the flavor of foods cooked in it.
American consumers eat more than 6 pounds or 2.7 kilograms (kernel basis) of peanut products each year, worth more than $2 billion at the retail level.
World peanut production totals approximately 29 million metric tons per year, with the U.S. being the world’s third largest producer, after China and India.
Like I said before – you can't make peanuts disappear from the world.
I am so disappointed at the responses here. We live in a selfish narcissistic society that is passing these sad opinions on to our children. What ever happened to compassion and honoring thy neighbor. Yes, I am the parent of a child with severe peanut allergies, but I am also considerate and sensitive to other peoples needs. If I knew that my actions (such as sending a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my child's lunch) could potentially KILL another child, I wouldn't do it!
It's upsetting that it takes a tragic event such as YOUR child going into anaphylaxis shock, for you to have sympathy towards others disabilities (which were not, by the way, chosen by these individuals).
Under the American's With Disabilities Act of 1973, Section 504 (which now includes food allergies as a disability), my child does in fact have the RIGHT to attend a public school and not be discriminated against because of her disability. This means my child has the right to be in a room that she is going to be safe in and to participate in all activities your child participates in without being endangered. I wish for this kind of safety and security for all of our children, not just mine.
We've removed lead paint and asbestos from schools so that they do not pose harmful effects many years down the road on our children. It has been proven that peanuts in particular can be DEADLY within 7 minutes of contact to some people. Is it really that big of a deal to rethink what you put in your child's lunch knowing that you could be saving a life, not harming one?
When I was in elementary school, granted it was a while ago, a new student came to our school who was allergic to everything, including peanut butter. Not only was peanut butter banned, but an entire list of other foods as well. It actually went so far as children not being "allowed" to have contact with their own pets before school, out of fear this child would have an allergic reaction from the hair on another child's clothing. When things start being banned, where does it end? If children have a severe enough allergy, there should be no eating of anything in that classroom, and the child should not eat in the cafeteria. It does not make sense to ban food items for hundreds of other children if it is only a few children that have an issue. It seems like a simple solution to just isolate the children who have the problem, rather than affect the entire student body. My school actually had to stop selling certain school lunches because this one child was allergic. Extremely unfair to the other children.
One out of HOW MANY kids are allergic to peanuts? If 25% or more were, then I could see banning peanuts. Do we ban latex? Gluten? People with pets?
Blaming someone for having food allergies is a bit like blaming them for their gender or skin color – it's not a personal choice or something that they can control. Banning PB seems like an over-reaction to me, but there are probably fairly simple work-arounds that will protect the lives of those with allergies while allowing those who enjoy peanut butter to eat what they like. A little creativity here, please. Are Americans unable to discuss anything without polemics?
Unbelievable... I cannot believe the majority of the comments I have been reading on this article since yesterday. I cannot believe how rude, uncaring and mean-spirited people are. And your comments are ridiculous!
"My little brat will only eat PB&J. Why should MY child starve?! Why should we be punished due to a couple of defective weaklings" Starve? Really? REALLY? You're so quick to call everyone else "bad parents" because their children have a severe allergy (because yes, they all signed up for this fate and it is their fault... ::eye roll::) and your child will not eat anything else?!
I am lucky enough to have a 5 year old who is not allergic to any foods. I count my blessings. I also know what it's like to have a picky eater. She's very, very picky. Thankfully she hates peanut butter (as do I) so this will never be an issue for us. Like other 5 year olds though, she's picky. Everyday for lunch, I have to pack her a turkey sandwich. Plain. Just turkey on whole grain white bread and peeled cucumber slices on the side. That's it. Everyday. If she couldn't have her turkey sandwich, she would probably pick at the few other things in her lunchbox and not eat. But you know what? If I was told that there was a child in her class who was severely allergic to turkey (yes, I am making this up) and could die if exposed to my daughter's sandwich – guess what? I WOULD NOT HESITATE, FOR ONE MOMENT, TO MAKE HER SOMETHING ELSE. Yes, she'd probably go hungry the first few days, as she'd be missing her turkey sandwich. Yes, she's whine about it. But you know what, she would NOT STARVE and after a few days, when she would realize that she's not getting her turkey sandwich back in her lunch, she would adapt and eat the other things I packed for her. Big whoop. She could have all the turkey sandwiches she wanted when she got home.
You people are sad. Your pathetic sense of entitlement disgusts me. "My Johnny loves PB&J" – yes, I'm sure it's going to kill him to go without a gross, fat-and-sugar filled sandwich for 1/3 of his day. "I can only afford PB&J!" – I find that hard to believe. I don't find that buying turkey slices is making me bankrupt... I pay $2.50 for a package of her favorite turkey and it lasts about 7 lunches. Ooh... *gasp*
And all of you who are naming all these other, minor allergies and being stupid, please stop. Read, educate yourselves, do something! I am deathly allergic to hazelnuts. However, those are very easy to avoid. I did have an accident with an unmarked cream cheese at a business conference, but I've learned from it. :) I do not expect anyone to accomodate my needs – I do hear what you're saying. BUT – and this is a huge but – hazelnut, strawberry, pollen, dust – those are allergies that are either a) easily avoidable and/or b) not as deadly as peanut allergies. If someone ate a hazelnut chocolate and then sneezed on me, I wouldn't die. But a small, 4 year old child with peanut allergies MIGHT if someone wasn't careful with peanuts.
These parents aren't asking for your precious spoiled brats to be punished and inconvenienced. And starved. Nobody wants your children to starve. But is a little compassion too much to ask for?!!! Apparently, according to all the uneducated, spiteful people on here, it is...
Thank you for your comment. I am glad to see some compassion and understanding!
I meant "she'd whine about it" not "she's whine about it".
My heart goes out to all the parents who have to live with their children's allergies and worry every single day about their safety – thanks to inconsiderate people like the many commenters on this board.
Thank you. I could not agree more. the evilness spewed on this page has caused me to lose the LAST bit of faith I had left in humanity. We, as a country and species, are doomed.
I think banning peanut butter would create a false sense of security for children with an allergy, doing them no favors for the future. Instead, parents of all children should make the effort to teach them about differences, consequences and respect thus making them understand and own their allergies, etc. Outside of school the world does not cater to allergies the way schools seem to prefer nowadays. I don't think it's any coincidence allergies seem a lot more severe either. How confusing for a kid growing up to be catered to and not have to take responsibility for themselves because schools are doing it for them. Everyone is dealt a difficult hand and some things are harder to figure out than others, but we can't create a false atmosphere and then claim we're teaching children about the world and how to live in it.
First off, I don't understand why some people are being so harsh towards kids with allergies. It's not like they can help it. The parents of these children are only trying to do their job as a parent and protect their children as best they know how. If your child/children had an allergy to something that could kill him/her wouldn't you also do everything you could to protect him/her from that? If you answered no, you aren't fooling anyone.
Second, I don't believe that peanut butter should be banned from schools. I think that the parents should come up with a plan for their children and then the school should work with them. If there are enough children in that school with the peanut allergy, they could even have two seperate lunches.
I just wish everyone would stop being so harsh with the people who are slightly different from them. Yeah people are different, but you should try to put yourself in their shoes, see it from their side. Maybe then there wouldn't be so many comments posted from untolerant people.
There's a beautiful thing called homeschooling if your child is unable to be in the presence of other children's peanut butter. This seems to be the new trend, with food or any other type of complaint: "It affects me negatively, so other people shouldn't be allowed to do it"- even though it does not affect them, or not in the same way. If you, your child, or anyone else has a problem with peanut butter, feel free to not eat it. But to detract from other people's ability to eat it is ridiculous.
Schools should get on with the business of educating. Issues such as peanut butter or no peanut butter are red herrings. Don't go down the rabbit trail. We are clogging up the education system with non-sensical although passionate topics for some. If your child is allergic to certain food items. Don't give them to him/her. Tell them not to eat it. The child will be living with that the rest of their lives, they need to start dealing with it. Can you imagine if you had to worry about the different dietary needs of 30 children? No wonder no wants to be teachers!
I would hate to see peanut butter banned from school lunches. For one, it is a tradition and a staple for many families. Not to mention if peanut products were banned from schools, teachers, parents and other school employees would drop their guard and something would slip in. That said, I think there is a good solution that should be worked out between the teacher and parent. i have seen times where my son brought PB&J to school for lunch and he was slightly embarrassed because he had to eat at the opposite end of the table from his friend. We did not know his friend had an allergy, but I still felt it was handled very well and I was more conscientious in the future as well. I don't believe there is a reason for hostility. Compromises can be reached with good communication.
Really? A tradition? A staple? I don't know about you, but my family has more meaningful traditions than eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's not like anyone is asking to ban peanuts and peanut products forever and from everything. If someone can't go 1/3 of their day without eating peanuts, they have issues...
My kids have an allergy table in their school and all the people with food allergy's sit there. I believe that banning peanut butter is not a very good idea because people with allergy's could sit away from people with peanut butter. Also, peanut butter is a healthy lunch which all kids need and my kids just love peanut butter and they would get upset if it was banned from school.
in my kids lunch box today is, peanut butter an jelly, peanut butter cookies, planters bag of peanuts,peanut juice, peanut butter flavored soap to was her hands after lunch.. an i even bought recycled peanut butter lunch bags..an its all about protecting my kids rights...!
When I was growing up, if you were allergic to something, you stayed away from it. When will people take responsibility for their own issues, instead of trying to impose them on everyone else?
If you are afraid your child will eat peanut butter, put them in a private school, bag their lunch for them, instruct them that they shouldn't eat peanut butter, i.e take responsibility. Jeez.
Although I can see your point. The problem isn't just lunch, Its about class time too... Science projects and
people that are aware of someone having a life threatening allergy and choosing to ignore the risks and
exposing them "on purpose" because they don't want to be inconvenienced.
At my son's daycare, they had a food allergy table where sensitive kids would eat together. The rest of the room could eat what they liked. I understand the need for safety, but banning snacks that %90 of the kids can eat safely is over kill.
There's a whole lot in the world we can't control. There are many people who are allergic to nothing and can go any where, do anything and eat everything with no ill effects. And then there are people who have no immune systems what so ever and have to live a lot of their lives in plastic bubbles. Home schooling people with severe allergies might work for some people, and others would find it reasonable to ban peanuts as a food source (no peanut growers, no peanut oil, no peanut butter companies, etc)(a bit extreme perhaps). Many places have come up with compromises – they aren't perfect – but they are workable. People make lunch for their kids, and a lot of them love peanut butter. It's handy, it's easy, doesn't require refrigeration, it's a good protein source, it's reasonably priced, there are no skull and crossbones or poison symbols anywhere on the label. They are not going out of their way to make something that's deadly to anyone else. They are not bad people. If your child will drop dead because a child across the room eats a peanut butter sandwich for lunch – your child needs to be in a very controlled environment and I'm not sure a school could/should have to conform to that degree of control. How far does this go? Through high school? Collage? Are you going to propose banning peanuts in her place of employment? Sorry but you can't make peanuts disappear from the world. There is also some debate as to the effectiveness of nut bans.
"Dr. Christakis notes that while it’s reasonable for schools and parents to take basic precautions, there is no scientific evidence that nut bans are particularly effective at protecting children. But more important, he argues, is that limiting widespread exposure to nuts can make things worse. The “policy of avoidance” means that fewer children are being exposed to nuts, likely increasing their risk for developing an allergy. A 2008 study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of 10,000 British children found that early exposure to peanuts lowers risk of allergy, rather than increasing it."
wow, been a while since i read so much flame and obnoxiousness on one page. you people who post flame should read the whole page and ask yourself why. you are all so obviously useless. so mean spirited, mouthy, obnoxious, and hatefull that if you were a dog we would put you to sleep. i almost thought i was reading the raving rants of fox news readers. Jesus wept you people are vindictive and spiteful. This is what we have done with the internet... this, and you-porn. This species is F****d.
Something should be done but not banning it. Last year at our school a nurse misunderstood the school policy and said the entire school was peannut free when it was only the classrooms. The school luches are an unhealthy alternative and way too expensive for me to afford for 4 highly active children. I tried to make peanut free lunches that were higher in proteins than the school lunches which are mostly carbs. This became very taxing on the budget. Peanut butter is great for struggling families who want protein in their children's diets...please do not say use lunch meat. 4+ packs a week is way too much and then add in all of the chemicals and sodium .
I'm so confused about the concerns about sitting at the peanut free table. Your child's safety is less important than the chance he may be ostracized? Kids are ostracized for so many things in school. There are so many worse stigma out there (race, true handicaps, braces, being a "nerd", the list goes on), that I find it funny anyone is even concerned about this. The argument that you child shouldn't have to sit at a separate table and feel bad about themselves is just silly. Their safety should come first.
Don't forget 95% of all statistics posted on on CNN.com are made up.
As a pediatric nurse who is frequently in school or camp settings, I am very familiar with the peanut controversy. What most of the readers do not realize is that a peanut allergy is frequently deadly to the child. Many do no even need to eat it- opening a jar or bag of nuts in the room is enough to cause respiratory distress and possibly kill the child within minutes. The children have epi pens available, but still must be removed from the area and often taken to the hospital. It is very sad that many adults choose to ignore this. Most of the non-allergic children I have seen are understanding and willing to forgo the peanuts in order for their friend to remain in the room with them. Perhaps we need to learn from our children?
I think schools should make accommodations for kids with allergies but I am completely against banning PB. There are millions of people out there who have to overcome some sort of challenge and we accommodate their needs the best we can but it cant be expected for everyone else to change their lifestyles to meet your needs. If you cant be around PB than don't be around PB. If you want to sit with your friends then ask them to not bring PB to school but if they are addicted to PB then your going to have to accept the fact you cant sit with them. If your kid was allergic to gluten, would you seriously expect the parents to buy gluten free products (bread for example) to make sandwiches for their kids?
I'm sorry but you are in idiot Gluten intolerance will not kill a child a mealy a few short minutes. Peanuts on the other hand very well can. Please be informed on the facts of an issue before you try to comment on them.
Why don't the schools just put "1x giant plastic protective bubble" on the school supply list. then everyone is happy!
Ban everything in schools that anyone could possibly be allergic to, and what will be left?
And why stop at merely schools? By the same argument, why not make any allergen a controlled substance.
Banning peanut butter is retarded. Let anyone that is allergic find away to deal with it themselves.
It is not mean if you don't rearrange your life to account for everyone's potential allergies or other types of issues. If you have a problem, then its your job to work around, not impose your will on society. Much of this peanut butter allergy has been caused by coddling people anyway. In the UK, where children have been overly protected from peanuts, there is a 10 times greater incident rate of peanut allergy than in Israel, where kids are exposed to peanuts at a much younger age.
I'm so sorry Lynn and I'm with Jack. People are downright mean. It's not about the kid with the allergy. It's about being considerate of another human and their allergies. I can see how American kids are turning out to be mean, self centered, and obese. Their parents aren't setting good examples. No allergies here, but I'm not going to send any to school with my kid. There are plenty of other options.
As a seasoned communications professional in the healthcare field (13+ years) and, perhaps moreover, as a mother to a child (son, 5 years) with severe nut allergies, I feel that I have some credence and credibility that affords me an opportunity to weigh in on this subject. (My son averaged an ER/EMS/Hospital vist at an average of 2x/month during his first three years.....)
First off, as a disclaimer, I fully recognize that opinions represented in this forum may range from a personal to a clinical level, as well . I understand that I do not know the representation of profession of commentators in this blog, and do not mean to offer judgement on commentary posted.
Again, so all of that said, here is my commentary....
Again, at first, I am a mother with a child that suffers severe allergies....but I leave that point for a moment....
As a professional in the healthcare field, I think we need only look to the bonafide research that is presented to us from a number of well-respected academic, research-focused associations and forums. The American Academy of Pediatrics and more relay to us - the parents of allergic children - insurmountable and important data about our chldren who suffer from food-borne allergies.
I assure each of the readers in this forum - weather you are a parent of a severly-allegic child, or a parent who does not understand this situation - that change must come about.
Both of my children attend public school. I do not expect that the school district should makle any differentiial for my son, with his nut allergies. Yet, the school has graciouscly done so, at no real expense. There are four children who eat with my son at a nut-free table duriing lunch. I have not asked the school to delete peanut-butter sandwiches from their lunch menu, as there is truly no need. The problem is contained.
Next year, when my son is in first-grade, I hope that he will have the greater know-how about mananging his own healthcare. And I know that it will be my responsibility to ensure that he takes great reigns on managing his health.
But I know that this will be a great concern for me, as a parent, for a long time.....
I think you are setting your child up for success. Once he leaves school and joins the 'real world' he is going to have to fend for himself by getting a job, shopping, eating out, socializing etc and he is going to have to be aware of his allergy and make smart decisions based around it.
Parents who expect everyone else to make changes for their child are setting their kid up for failure because the world simply does not work like that. As much as we would like it to, it doesn't. If kids enter adult life expecting everyone else to change how they live because of their allergy then they are going to be in for a rude awakening.
What about those who are allergic to the sun (solar urticaria) or to water (aquagenic pruritis) or other types of chronic urticaria (heat, cold, etc.)? What about bee sting allergies, grass allergies, allergies to other kinds of nuts, etc.? Where do you draw the line? A parent ultimately has to be responsible for a child with special needs and find the right place for him. There are other avenues of education that can be pursued–school vouchers, anyone?
Get a grip people, almost evyer form of packaged treat now has a label warning that says the material in the bag was processed in a factory or on a line that may have come into contact with Peanuts, tree nuts or wheat – there is no safe food to replace it with.
Kids with allergies that severe should stay at home and study online – it is the wave of the future.
I think this is another side to a coin tossed earlier in the year. CNN posted a story about peanuts being banned from airlines. While I myself am not a fan of this, in an airplane it makes sense. Passengers are in an enclosed space and get circulated air. However, in a school setting i fail to see how proper education on both the sides, the school to the students and the parents to their children, can't stem the issue so that things such has a ban does not have to occur. I have to admit I am also in agreement with something that was stated earlier in the thread. It is wrong to expect everyone else to give up peanut butter because your child has an allergy.
Everyone has some health issue or another. As a child I was so allergic to grass if I across a field I would loose two days of school. As a result I was excused from normal PE. Today I am not quite as allergic to grass as I once was perhaps, because my nose is a bit further from the ground than it used to be, but I still avoid it whenever I can. My point is it is only humane to accommodate the special needs of those that we can. Peanut allergies can be very serious. There are people who can go into anaphylactic shock after coming into contact with a single peanut shell for only a moment which can be life threatening. Its not unreasonable for them to expect a peanut free environment in which to study.
A ban at the pre-school and lower levels ok, but beyond that NO, school is supposed to teach life lessons, and teaching kids that there world is safe is wrong, kids with peanut allergies need to be taught from a young age that they are responsible for themselves, the world outside of school isn't peanut free (a friend of mine, son knows how to read the labels to protect himself from his peanut allergy). The other kids need to be taught too about the importance of watching out for others, to wash there hands and clean up. LIFE lessons. I also know when inner city schools here banned peanut butter several kids started coming with out lunches. In that case who's not respecting who. As for too far, now schools here as well are dictating what kids can even eat, they aren't allowed cookies nut free or not except on Fridays cause it promotes obesity. how far should schools be allowed?
The problem with banning one allergen is that you have to ban them all... It could create a serious but comical situation.
For example my kid is allergic to Citrus Fruits, if his school is going to ban Peanut Butter than I would expect them to ban all foods that kids in the school are allergic too, because if you are going to protect some kids (a minority) than you have to protect everyone, just to be fair...
Man most of these posts are just downright depressing. The recurring theme is "I don't care about your child", "It's your fault your child has an allergy and therefore you are a bad parent". Frankly I'm embarrassed for those of you who make these kind of posts. Here's a brainstorm idea: instead of serving your child peanut butter for LUNCH, serve it for DINNER. If your child will only eat peanut butter for lunch and dinner just know this, you (yes you) have failed your child with your lazy parenting and the apple will not fall far from the tree
OK. That does it. I have had it up to here with the whiny PC idiots trying to make life miserable for the rest of us. It's not like peanut allergies are something new. If your kid has one, then tell him to be careful, just like every other kid with a peanut allergy has done since we had such a thing as schools. What's next? Ban synthetic clothes because some kids have sensitive skin? Get over yourselves.
I think many people love peanut butter and it is a healthy, lunch and snack. It is better for you than all the processed crap out there. My peanut butter has no sugar. I feel bad for parents who have kids with allergies to peanuts, but you can not ask the world to give up peanuts. That is the point. I do not think anyone blames you for peanut allergies. I think people are saying you need to teach these kids to take care of themselves and you need to educate their classmates to keep it away from them. I do not think making every kid in every school in you district not eat peanuts is not fair. I think you are telling us we are selfish and uncaring. Face it your child needs to learn to advocate for themselves and deal with their serious problem. The world is not peanut free. You are asking the world to accommodate you. I am willing if their is a child in my kids class to accommodate that child, but to accommodate period end of story even if no kid in our school has a problem is silly. I also feel that if your kids allergy is so sever they will die from smelling peanuts, you have bigger problems than school. What about play grounds, the mall, the grocery store, my car in the parking lot that my 4 year olds peanut hands have touched? This is a serious problem and if your kid is around I will accommodate them, but if not I think my kids should be aloud to have peanut butter. I do not think that is unfair. I think peanut butter is a great food. It is nutritious and you can guarantee the kid will eat it and it does not need refrigeration.
I also want to mention one of my kids is allergic to strawberries and I take precautions for her, but never tell people to ban them. We do not eat them in our house in front of her. She is only 4, but I put them in my 8 year olds lunch because she loves them. She has known since she was 2 1/2 the she is allergic to strawberries and could articulate it and her sister has known longer. If she can tell people no at 4 and younger a school age child should be able to be responsible for themselves.
I think it is sad that some kids have allergies, and they should be protected, but a whole school going peanut free is excessive. I know my kids favorite lunch is PB&J. I use whole grain bread and sugar free peanut butter. She then has a low sugar jelly. It is a great lunch that is high in protein. So kids should be educated and they should be aware of the kid with the allergy. I think a spot in the lunch room should be designated peanut free and the other kids should enjoy a good lunch.Let the kid with the allergy deal with reality from a young age. The world is not peanut free and will not go peanut free. My kids eat PB&J all the time on the run it is much healthier that any fast food chain lunch. They walk into stores, play at the park. I think it is up to those parents to watch their kids and let people know to keep it away from their child. It is like any other sickness it is the parent and child's responsibility to take care of it. I think banning Peanut butter for the millions of children who love it is wrong. I was at a park once and some parents treated my child and I like criminals for eating PB&J. I am would have taken care to clean my kid before she touched the play ground equipment and kept the peanuts near me. Instead they yelled at me and left. I think they were the selfish ones and they are doing the kid no favors teaching them to treat people badly instead of just stating the allergy and hoping people will comply. I will happily put peanut butter away if there is a kid playing with mine who is allergic.Otherwise peanut butter is a great healthy food.
I recognize that some people are hypersensitive to peanut products and it could kill them, however as all it could take would be one student eating a granola bar for those rushed breakfasts to have enough peanut contamination to pose a threat I believe that it is best to keep those students at home. I am an incredibly busy person and I cannot eat lunch if I have to go through the lunch line at my school, so I pack peanut butter because it is shelf stable unlike meat. For severe and not deadly cases schools should take reasonable precautions to protect the student, but deadly cases schools should make no accomodations to limit liability.
Oh My what is next that the school can control? Next they will make a kid go to scholl all day with out eating and this is exactly what it is comming to. There are so many kids allergic to eggs so do we ban in the schools every thing made with eggs? Oh and I forgot there are so many allergic to wheat. So do we also ban anything made with wheat too ?
I think it is up to each parent to worry about what their child eats. And to teach them what not to eat as well. I think if the schools would worry more about education and teaching our kids something they would be better off.In some areas the school system in some states have set up just what they can feed these kids nutrition wise and I have to laugh the state tells them what to feed the child and they are not allowed any sugar items but they are allowed to give them nutrition wise chicken nugets that are full of fat. This is really gettting bad. SO bottom line is take care of your own kid and let the schools teach them and worry about a good education and you as parents worry about what your own child eats!!!!
Parents start taking a interest in what your child does! Or lock your child in a closet til he or she is 18 and you will not have to worry about anything but what you do with your child only! You willnot have to put the blame on the schools for not taking care of the child that you should have been taking care of your self. THE SCHOOLS ARE TO PROVIDE AN EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND THAT IS ALL. YOU MUST TEACH A CHILD RIGHT AND WRONG YOUR SELF AND MOST OF ALL RESPECT. ALSO WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT NOT TO EAT IF YOU WANT TO FEED THEM SPECIAL FOODS IF THEY HAVE ALLERGIES!!!!!!! DO NOT LEAVE YOUR JOB UP TO SOMEONE ELSE!
If we ban PB how about:
1) Strawberries, Raspberries, Apples or several more Fruits
2) Milk and Cheese products for the Lactose Intolerant
3) Bread / Pizza Crust and other Wheat products for the Gluton Intolerant
4) Walnut, Pecans, and other Tree nuts for those alergic
5) Products containing Sugar for the Diabetics
6) Other products (Caffeine ) etc due to Cultural / Religious prohibitions
There are numerous other alergens and social reasons FOR YOU to keep me from taking care of Myself and my Family
I am close to tears at some of the horrible mean spirited comments on this board! My son is 5 and just entered Kindergarten. He is severely nut allergic. He was diagnosed at 10 months and up to this point it was fairly easy to monitor his eating and what he was exposed to. Starting school has been very scary and nervewracking for me as he could die within minutes if there was an accidental ingestion and the correct actions weren't taken. 60% of deaths from food allergies occur at school. I have been extremely involved in partnering with his teacher, principle, school nurses, bus drivers, and lunch staff to make school safe for him. I have supplied the school nurse and his teacher with an epipen. He also carries one in his bookbag and I insisted the bus driver be trained on how to use it as well. I spend $18 every two weeks on Wet Ones because they are the only product that will remove nut protein from hands after lunchtime. I compromised on this because it was not convenient to take 21 children to the bathroom to wash hands after eating lunch. I have provided a nut free snack list for snacktime. I send in special stuff that my son can have b/c he can't eat the birthday cupcakes from bakeries. The school has a peanut free table and for the first two weeks my son sat alone. Imagine going to school for the first time and trying to make friends but having to be alone during the most social time of the day. His (great) teacher came up with the idea to send home laminated cards that say "peanut free lunch" so that if another child brings a lunchmeat sandwich or what not the parent can put that card in the lunch and the teacher can look over it and allow him/her to sit at the peanut free table. Now my son has others to eat with and I am so grateful. My son is very responsible (first born) and is very aware of his allergies. HOWEVER he is five years old. This has to be treated the same as any other special need. My son NEEDS to be safe at school and all you people saying that this is basically my problem and my problem only have serious issues. A five year old can be told how to stay safe and what to eat all day long but the school and staff must play a vigilant, active role to make it a safe environment. I of course would be in favor of peanut free schools altogether b/c of the severity of the allergy. Peanut allergies are one of the most severe, most common and only getting increasingly more common. Free/reduced lunch is available if times are that tough that all you can pack for your child is peanut butter. I find it appaling to see implications on here that parents of allergic children are obsessive, we caused the allergies from not exposing our kids to certain foods, allergies are natural selection and my child should be weeded out, etc. WOW. I hope none of your children are ever struck with any illness or special need, I guess you'll just let them die b/c that's Gods will right? Geez people. Have some heart. I cannot believe the disgusting and shameful comments on here!
I am sorry Lynn, but you sound obsessive. It is great that you are involved, but you should be. I also disagree about a 5 year old not being able to tell what they are allergic to. My 4 year old can not eat strawberries, she tells people all the time and has since before she was 3. She loves strawberries so it is hard for her, but she knows and I do not keep them in my house. I have provided snack and juice for her at school for the days someone brings in a snack with strawberries in it. By the way lots and lots of juices and products have strawberries in them. She has looked at labels and smelled food. This I did not teach her. I just told her she is allergic, to tell people and not to eat them. I understand that your child has a contact problem as well. Maybe home schooling is right for you? My 8 year old found out the hard way that she is allergic to penicillin when she was 5 she broke out in hives over 95% of her body. She always tells Doctors and nurses first thing that she is allergic to Penicillin. Most of the time it is not relevant, but I let her advocate for herself. I have been told she could die if she ever ingests it again. Ok so we all have something to worry about. My kids are aware of what they can not have and speak out. I trust them. I do not baby them, they are strong.
To percysmama, your an idiot and obviously one of the many that don't understand severe allergies. Lynn is trying to protect her son from DYING from exposure to nuts. No one but a true severe allergy parent understands what she is going through. No one cares about her child's wellfare as much as she does so she has to be proactive when it comes to the school environment. Exposure to peanuts is more than just a PB&J sandwich. You can't just tell your child to stay away from a PB&J sandwich and they will be safe. So many products are processed around peanuts and they can't eat those products either, for example, breads, crackers, snack bars, and etc.
I dare you to go nut free for a week and see how stressful it is. Eat nothing that was processed in the same plant as peanuts/nuts, nothing cooked in peanut oil, and etc. Then come back and tell us it is easy...you won't because it's not easy!
the intolerance is shocking... as a mother of three kids with no allergies you will never catch a peanut product in my kids lunch. They all love peanut butter, but understand this is something they only eat at home out of respect for those who have allergies. I could not live with myself if that pb&j I sent to school caused a severe reaction to another child or even worse.
Baning it at schools will not work. Most people with peanut allergies don't need to eat it to get sick. They just have to touch anything with peanut oil on it. Kid eats a hand full of peanuts at home and uses a pen to do homework. Next day take the pen or any object touched to school and hands it to someone with allergy. The other person still gets sick. Their are so many ways for peanut oil to get to schools without it ever being servered or brought for lunch.
Peanuts are just one particular allergen that gets a lot of focus. There are many others that are as significant, and perhaps, as common. If we ban every item that any kid might be allergic to, to some degree, it's only a matter of time before kids come to school, go through decontamination, get in a clean suit, and study from books that have never left the clean room-esque environment.
And then they get out of school, go somewhere like the mall or a movie or a playground and come in contact with the allergen. Since you can't control the environment all the time, your only real line of defense is preparation for the inevitable.
Kids in America are too fat. I don't know why anyone, let alone children, is eating peanut butter.
I have a kid who IS allergic to peanut butter and who doesn't fully understand the consequences of ingesting a single bite of the stuff. The problem doesn't lay in the fact that other kids have to conform to keep everyone safe. The problem is that kids, under 13, don't understand what it means and subsequently don't treat the problem well. Yes my child has been exposed by the outside world and we do teach him, but if we can teach our kids early on to be mindful of those who have allergies and disabilities aren't we better off?
For those who can't see this then I offer this:
- allow smoking everywhere any place and anytime. hell, i'll just light a pack and smoke into your allergy free kids face, because that is fair.
- If your parent or loved one has cancer then let them die, why should I foot the bill on their health insurance
- Let everyone drink and drive, who am I to tell you that you shouldn't
It can go on and on and on
Schools have other reasons for banning peanut butter than just concern over allergic kids. Often times, schools profit from kids buying lunches at full price and those profits go to subsidize the free and reduced lunch kids. In these tough times, parents are more apt to sent their kids to school with a cheap PB&J sandwich than spend money for kids to buy a less healthy school lunch.
Many schools are now not only going peanut free- but threatening kids with confiscating any lunches suspected of containing peanuts and punishing kids or parents who repeatedly send kids to school with peanut products. The alternative is always- don't pack, spend the money and buy your kid's lunch from us.
Also in many of the wealthier schools, teachers don't like the competitveness where parents send their kids to school with expensive packed lunches and the only kids who buy are the poor kids who get free lunches. So you've got the poor kids eating their free hot dog lunch and the rich kids eating their Whole Foods Chicken salad and hummus.
Don't you love the yuppie-like comments that treat peanut butter like it's a "treat"? For many peanut butter provides an affordable lunch whose nutritious value is very good. Government Care-like food packages to low-income people used to include peanut butter for that reason. If you value an allergic kids health, you should also realize that many kids deprived of peanut butter would be eating nothing but jelly on their sandwiches some days. Accomodations can be made for allergic kids without banning peanut butter, which hasn't even been an issue since it was invented over a century ago.
This is a serious question to those of you who have a child or children with a severe peanut allergy – honestly – and not meant to be snide or sarcastic. (If it comes across that way, I apologize.) Iif you could "make the rules," what would you have society do? Obviously, you would want peanut butter banned in schools. But cited above are examples of children having life-threatening reactions by touching a playground slide contaminated with traces of peanut butter, getting breathed on, being exposed to peanut products in restaurants, and of course, the possibility of touching peanut butter on a school bus surface. Okay, so the schools ban peanut butter, but your child is still not safe. I'm just curious, but if you could set the rules, what would they be? That peanut butter would be outlawed everywhere, including the grocery stores? That before entering a playground, all children must wash their hands? That parents must sign a form pledging not to feed their children peanut butter at breakfast so that there won't be any traces of it when the child gets onto the bus and to school? Again, I'm not trying to "start something," but I truly do want to know what parents of peanut allergy kids would like to see happen in society.
Yeah, it's be great if there weren't any allergens out there but I know that is not realistic. Yes I would prefer schools to be nut free. However, in society in general, if less of our food would be processed around nuts, that would be the biggest thing for me to see happen. There are so many items out there that my son can't eat because it was processed in the same production plant as peanuts. Even buying a loaf of bread is a huge ordeal because of where most of them are processed. I have to carefully read and analyze every single food item I purchase and even then, it doesn't mean a product is safe because some companies do not post warnings on their food if a product is produced in the same plant as allergens.
My son can't have barbecue sauce because one of the "secret" ingredients in most of them is peanuts. However because it's a trade secret ingredient they don't have to place that on their label. Those companies won't even tell you if peanuts are an actual ingredient or not, they just tell you it's best for you not to purchase their product. Things like this are infuriating and difficult for a parent of an allergic child.
Actually your scenario is EXACTLY what I would like to see. You would understand if you saw your baby fighting for their life and suffering so badly. I didn't take it as seriously as I should have till I got a verbal tongue lashing from an ER Dr for driving my 2 year old to the hospital instead of calling 911 and seeing my daughter almost die and be admitted to the ICU.
More and more classroom doors are displaying signs that alert all to chldren w/ alergies. Common courtesy requires we all act responsibly . EAch community will have to agree on a common solution. Hopefully, a medical solution will be an answer for all eventually. Alergies can be serious and life threatening. Adults must be conscientious and teach our children to care about one another.
If the school bands peanut butter then they should pay for a lunch for the student who is not allergic . If they won't let me make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich then they can pay for and provide an alternative not me.
Parents and children need to notify and remind food staff/school nurse/ administration of allergies (severe or otherwise) so that precautions can be made. Last I recall, lunch menus are prepared by the month so there's no surprise for what day is PBJ Day. So, on PB & J day send little Johnny/ Suzie to school with an alternative. That's what parents are supposed to do – don't expect teachers, school administrators, school nurses, etc raise your children for you.
I agree with one of the posts that I read about parents notifying the school of the child's allergies and the school keeping a record of it and implementing that. The parent could make sure that their child is aware of all of their own allergies, the school should also be informed and there should be other alternatives for the children who are allergic. There should be a seperate line/menu for kids with these allergies on those particular days. Not all families can afford to send sack lunches with their kids everyday, that's the reason for the free lunch program to ensure that kids get the proper nutrients at school.Its not going to cost that much extra for the school to preoare a seperate dish for the allergic kids.And hey our tax dollars will be used one way or another why not make sure we are promoting our educational systems in the best way possible.
I am shocked at how little people who don't have allergy kids know about all this – and how they seem to think they are an authority. Having a kid with a peanut allergy – which I do have – is a constant anxiety. I have to work – therefore she must go to school. YES, they can react from the essence of it. YES, they can react just touching it. GOD forbid they accidentally ingest it. Everything is a nightmare for my kid: birthday parties, carnivals, trips to the zoo, field trips with school and even going to the mall or the movies. Everyone, including her dance instructor, has epi pins. IS it controllable. YES. But would it be nice to have the one place she spends most of her week at – school – be safe? Sure would. To all of you intolerants and ignorants – I hope you all have 10 kids with nut allergies and you will see the hell we live.
If someone is so allergic to peanuts that merely breathing the fumes brings on life threatening attacks, how do you get thru life? Any place you go, anything you touch (stores, restaurants, playgrounds, friend's houses, etc) might potentially be contaminated with peanuts. You don't know if the person next to you just ate a peanut product, and might be breathing peanut breath on you. Or if the kid next to yours ate peanut butter for breakfast and then touched the railing on the bus just before your kid touched it. Some restaurants use peanut oil – does passing by potentially threaten your life?
It's not just in school that someone might be exposed to peanuts.
It seems that the only safe approach is to teach your child to avoid exposure and what to do when exposure happens. Because if someone is that allergic, exposure is inevitable.
Well as far as the Federal Government is concerned, life-threatening allergies are considered a "disability" meaning that these children with food allergies are covered under the American with Disabilities Act...therefore the schools must accommodate them.
If banning peanuts from school is a step towards protecting these kids then I'm all for it. My son has nut allergies and I am so thankful that his preschool is a nut-free school. Those of you who don't have children with food allergies don't know the stress us parents go through when everywhere you go is a "war zone". You can't take your child out to dinner without thoroughly researching the place, the food, the preparation of the food, and etc. When you grocery shop your time is consumed with reading labels, researching companies, and etc. It's exhausting and to be able to send your child to school in an environment that bans one of your child's major allergens is a blessing.
Liam their dry roasted and lightly salted.
The public school system is there to provide education, not to pander to every little concern parents have. Parents need to take responsibilty for once! If your child has a special need then the parent needs to do something about it! God forbid someone takes responsibility for themselves for once instead of crying and screaming no fair while pointing at someone else.
I'm fairly liberal but there is a point when the school system should tell the parents to perhaps parent. If the parents know of a risk they should act accordingly. My children's safety is not everyone elses responsibility. I have not lobbied to ban forks in school cafeterias because I have taught my children not to stab themselves in the head. I have not sued the manufacturer of my stove because my children might burn themselves. This is my responsibility as a parent.
I suggest a supervised lunch table for everyone who wants to bring peanut butter sandwiches. After they eat they can be escorted to wash their hands and mouths. If kids and parents really want peanut butter, and can't afford anything else, a separate table shouldn't be a big deal. And the nut allergic kids around them won't face injections, emergency room visits, and death. I am astonished at the ignorance and anger on this thread. May God bless you with compassion and wisdom.
When our school nurse thought we were totally nut free she wanted to take the PB kids out of the lunchroom and have them eat in her office. That is a problem....wouldn't have minded a table in the lunchroom. The alergic kids had airborn allergies she said so they couldn't be in a room with PB. But, what about spagetti sauce...many have peanuts secretly addded as an emulsifyer...couldn't that kill those poor kids. In their case I think going out into the world is a huge risk if their allergy was as bad as the nurse portrayed it to be.
As the mother of a two-year-old who eats peanut butter and has no problems with it, but also someone who understand the difference between my child's allergy to cats (which is mild and controlled by two prescription medications and keeping our 3 cats out of his bedroom) and someone like my friend's son who goes into anaphylactic shock if peanuts or peanut products are in the home, I feel like we have an obligation to provide a safe environment for all children to learn. A child who is separated from others because they have a peanut allergy who is not being taunted because of that is like the child who was forced to wear a dunce cap! First of all, the offending child should no longer be allowed to bring any peanut products to school AT ALL. No ammunition for them to use. Then the school needs to look at the severity of the allergy in that particular child. Two counties over from where I live, in a more urban area, they HAVE banned peanut products of ANY KIND in schools. If there was a child in my child's school, I would wholeheartedly support a ban at that school or even the county, or all tree nuts, or milk, or whatever. I can still feed those things to my child in my own home, I don't have to send them to school with him. I think we have an obligation to educate all children in the community who want a public education.
Sorry that was NOW being taunted, not NOT. It makes quite a bit of difference in the meaning...
I'm a teacher, and I've brought my own peanut butter sandwiches for lunch for the last ten years. It has saved me hundreds of dollars in expenses and is more nutritious than any hot lunch served in a cafeteria – I'm able to compete as an amateur triathlete, while your children are fat because of their 1200 calorie lunches. I have no intention of stopping, regardless of whether or not someone decides it's "not allowed." What I choose to have for lunch is not your business, sorry.
In my opinion, this is what happens when people with weak genes get together and raise their children in sterile, HEPA-filtered houses. Everyone is increasingly incapable and allergic – why should the rest of us have to pay for it?
You are disgusting – a total loser. You are a teacher. you should be ashamed of yourself – you selfish pig. You are an employee of your municipality – your wages are paid by the people you teach – you are what is wrong with teacher.
Even teachers can be ignorant and unwilling to learn. Thing is I don't believe you are a teacher, and certainly not an athlete.
Good for you, Teacher Tim. It's an insane notion to ban food. It's one thing if it's a drug or pornography or something, but food? Keep on eating your sandwiches and hopefully one day we'll figure out what the real cause of all these allergies is. I assure you it's something man-made, not the food itself.
And, thank you for your service to our children!
Too bad many of you are hating on poor innocent little kids. While I don't believe I should be restricted from providing my son PB&J sandwiches I also think it is my responsibility to do it in a responsible manner. The school is the one who needs to provide separate lunch hours, classrooms, etc. to assure these kids with allergies are not exposed to things that can kill them, whether it be peanut butter or anything else.
By the way, natural peanut butter is one of the most nutritious things that kids actually will eat. You cannot take that away from them. Good proteins and good fats.
If you're concerned about the fats then get physical education back in the schools. That is where the problem is.
Banning peanut butter or obvious peanut products would not go far enough in preventing issues. When I was in the process of opening a preschool, I made a comment how I was going to place peanut butter on the "do not include" list regarding packed lunches. I was told by a mom (who complained about every issue that came down the pike) of a huge list of products that I also needed to include because they either contained peanuts, peanut oil, or were processed in a plant that also processed peanut products. Her do not allow list exceeded the list of permitted foods. It was truly ridiculous. I decided to not bother with a list at all, but have a peanut free table. Of course she moaned about that and how her kid would have to eat by himself. Some people you can never, ever please. Don't even try. But, we can all make some concessions that will help out – especially the youngest of the students who are the most vulnerable in that they may not realize what may be "contaminated".
As for those who are against a ban (and I am one of them) I believe their irritation is not at the fact that peanuts may not be welcome at school, but at the fact that government has no business telling us what we can or can not eat. It is just one more example of a forced loss of freedom. If every one who has posted above were seriously asked to refrain from sending in peanut butter due to a particular child's condition, and were not forced through a ban, I am fairly certain that out of the goodness of their hearts toward all children, they would. When you ban an adult from doing something, you are looking for and will get a fight. Asking for cooperation gets a much better result.
FYI, some say there is a link between the peanut oil used in vaccines which may trigger this allergic response. I for one, don't doubt it.
In medical circles, it's becoming increasingly apparent that most allergies are caused by the "hygiene hypothesis', which essentially says if you deny a substance, you become sensitive to it. Live in a dust free home, you become allergic to dust. Limit social contact, you become anxious in social situations. We need to accept responsibility for our ailments and learn to avoid and deal with them on our own. Open your windows, get out of the house, do stuff, avoid chemicals and toxins, embrace all that nature gives us and avoid artificial substances, and god willing, we should be, and stay, healthy and happy. Coop your kids up, feed them processed crap, buy new plastic crap that they whine for, live your lives in your car, expect others to solve your problems, you'll become a neurotic, allergy prone, pale, unhealthy, unhappy, fat person. aka,your average American.
Agreed. You also shouldn't discount genetics, though – years ago, people with severe allergies wouldn't have survived childhood. Should we set our societal rules to accomodate the slowest, weakest, least-able individuals? It's getting that way.
your research is out of date, the hygiene hypothesis may play some role, but it is certainly not a major causation of allergies. Most informed allergists instruct parents to avoid peanuts and treenuts until after they are at least 3 years old specifically because the avoidance theory has been debunked. I hope for your sake the medical staff don't take a survival of the fittest approach at your next ER visit, I don't think our schools should be a return to the Lord of the Flies either.
Believe me you would all change your tune very quickly if you had to watch your child almost die at 2 years old from just touching a playground slide that had peanut residue on it. You people who think that it is OK to bring peanut products to school and other public places it is the same if my kid brought a loaded gun. It probably wouldn't hurt your kids but you never know, try imagining dealing with the anxiety of living with your life and keeping your child safe with loaded guns (peanut products) everywhere. You you just like all of us peanut families to just stay at home all the time no school, playgrounds, or outings what so ever. You are all really compassionate and understanding.
This is a serious question - honestly - and not meant to be snide or sarcastic. (If it comes across that way, I apologize.) You have a child with peanut allergy, and I sympathize with you ... but if you could "make the rules," what would you have society do? Obviously, you would want peanut butter banned in schools. But you cite an example of a life-threatening incident regarding peanut butter on a slide. I'm not sure what you're proposing ... so if you could set the rules, what would they be? That all peanut butter would be outlawed everywhere, including the grocery stores? That before entering a playground, all children must wash their hands? Again, I'm not trying to "start something," but I truly do want to know what parents of peanut allergy kids would like to see happen in society to keep their children safe.
The fact is there are more chronic diseases and illnesses today than there were even 20 years ago. Tons of kids have allergies; we are looking at a little more than 1/2 of all kids today. Why not have lunch hours that address this. I don't think showing a little compassion for others teaches kids to be weak. The problem is we don't practice it with each other as adults.
I feel bad for kids with allergies, but I don't think a ban is required. Just teach your child that they cannot have peanut butter. I mean, c'mon, peanut butter is a good source of protein and makes your child a healthy snack. Unless, of course, your child is allergic. But I will state once again, I do not think a ban is required.
I feel bad for kids with allergies, but I don't think a ban is not required. Just teach your child that they cannot have peanut butter. I mean, c'mon, peanut butter is a good source of protein and makes your child a healthy snack. Unless, of course, your child is allergic. But I will state once again, I do not think a ban is required.
Trust me, I can't imagine that any parent of a severely food allergic child has not taught their children not to eat someone else's sandwich, even if the other person is offering them a bite. Peanut allergies are much more severe than that, and kids tend to get it all over their hands and mouths, and then not wash their hands. Ultimately, there is peanut butter on the tables, chairs, doorknobs, etc. and that gets onto the hands of peanut allergic kids. I wish that it were as simple as teaching my daughter not to eat peanut butter. Life would be much easier and much less worrisome. Obviously you are free to have your own opinion, I just wanted to make sure you understood that the facts are a little more complicated than you implied in your post.
There seems to be an inordinate amount of mean spirited comments here. I picked "Other" as a solution because there is much that I do not know about peanut allergies. I don't like jumping to conclusions based upon incomplete information. The issue seems to be a complicated one. Why, for example, are there more of these allergies? How far away from peanut products to those with allergies need to be? How sensitive are some children to them? How many are highly sensitive, somewhat sensitive, barely sensitive? I want information, not meanness.
There are many possible reasons for the increase in peanut allergies, some relate to how peanuts are processed in the US (roasted for peanut butter) some relate to Vitamin D deficiencies, others might be related to toxins in our environment. In short, we don't know, but the US has MUCH higher rates of peanut allergies than other countries. Some nut allergy people are allergic to eating peanuts, others react to airborne particles or nut residue left on playground equipment, etc., and many of those people are almost housebound, can never travel on public transportation, the kids can't go to camp, go to school, etc. without fear of having a severe reaction and DYING. I don't know the breakdown of how many nut allergy sufferers can't eat nuts/can't be around them/etc., but it seems that some common sense ideas can help keep people safe and not infringe on the liberty interests of those who have to eat their PBJs. A nut free table is one option, a nut table is another, depending on how many people have to have PB, how responsible they are (can they be trusted to wash their hands and not endanger others), how many nut allergy sufferers there are, and how severe those allergies may be.
When my nut allergic daughter started school, I talked to her teachers about her allergies, I was very concerned about the possibility of her being exposed to life-threatening situations when I wasn't there to take her to the hospital. The school, without my urging, decided the best thing for the teachers, the students and the several nut allergic children, would be to be peanut free. All of the parents have been amazing at finding alternatives to PBJ for lunches. Thankfully, the school is now able to focus on teaching the kids, rather than on which teacher will have to inject my daughter with an epi-pen and who would accompany her to the hospital. And my daughter can learn, spend time with her compassionate classmates, and not be fearful about having an allergic reaction. I think it is better for all of the kids, frankly. Who would want to cause one of your classmates to have a life-threatening reaction?
Why is this an issue? My son is allergic to peanuts. My son also knows to stay away from peanuts. He is also only three years old. If my three year old can know when to stay away from things that make him hurt why can't other children. My daughter on the other hand loves peanuts and peanut butter. I wouldn't deprive her of something she likes because her brother can't have it. So why would I want to deprive other children at her school? Parents need to step up and teach their child about their allergy and what to stay away from. Not have the school ban the product.
Your sons peanut allergy is obviously not severe. How many times has he suffered acute anaphylaxis? Thank God you don't have to suffer with a very severe allergy and have compassion for those who do.
If you have peanut butter in your home for your daughter while your son is allergic you are an idiot. P.S. you better get a little wiser on the whole subject or I am afraid for your son.
I am a 40 year old, mother of five... who has never suffered from an allergy or had a child who suffered from an allergy. Until three weeks ago, that is.. when I suffered a near fatal reaction to a medication, containing peanut oil. I must now carry an Epi-Pen, watch my every consumption of peanut related products... and in the name of self-preservation... have banned all peanut products from the home. Before this... I was the mother who packed peanut butter and peanut products every day for my children.... wishing those who suffered " the very best" and (essentially...) too bad for them. It's funny how your perspective changes when you are hit head on, with a life-threatening peanut allergy of your own. Why is there a rise in peanut allergies in our children? Who cares. A seven year old shouldn't have to worry about such things, on his/her way to an education in our country. Ban all peanuts & peanut products from our schools. For those of you who feel differently.... I say again.... I never suffered any allergies in my life until three weeks ago. You can develop a life threatening allergy at any time in your life... to anything. Be thankful you do not suffer and have mercy on those who do.
@Robyn...this is what is wrong with this country and why we are witnessing the downfall of society...there is zero expectation of personal accountability. The peanut allergy argument doesn't hold water as far as I'm concerned because it isn't a widespread health problem of such numbers that it should affect the entirety of society, in this case school districts. Car accidents kill FAR MORE children than allergies in this country but am I supposed to demand that there be a ban on motorized vehicles to protect my child?? In the past couple of years there have been at least 4 children who were hit by cars while walking home from school in my city...all accidents were technically 100% preventable. Guess how many children were injured in the same amount of years because of peanut allergies in my school district? Try ZERO. So how is the ban in our district even justified?
I agree with the poster who stated that this is a free country based on the belief in the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And maybe the people here wouldn't be thinking of this peanut allergy biz as a joke if it wasn't being forced down everyone's throats the way it is...
Kosher diets, lactose intolerance, sugar issues; there have been so many different food issues in American daily policy from Day One that this cannot be seen as other than another. Are they meaningless?
Of course not. They are real issues of physical health and perceived religious purity. These matter.
But....did public policy mandate for no-pork, no-milk, no-crustacean (for kosher AND sulfate allergy concerns) regulation in schools?
No.
Peanut butter has been demonstrated to cause problems in some individuals. So has cow's milk. So has shrimp. Cease and desist with the mandates; tell your kid not to eat the stupid peanut butter.
Offer a variety and teach your children well.
I can agree with both sides of the issue. I know that financial issues and kids just being picky eaters can limit a parent's choices of what to pack for their kids lunch. For many, PB&J is a staple lunch food. However, it is also reasonable to expect schools to provide a reletively safe environment for kids, even those with severe allergies. Perhaps the best solution would be a compromise: use a classroom or a smaller cafeteria as a peanut-free room and the regular cafeteria for everyone without food allergies (and enforce that they use that room, since some allergy sufferers are sensitive enough to it that stray peanut dust in a classroom can do severe harm).
OK – I haven't read each and every post but, has anyone considered the tact that unlike the mall or a ballgame or even a birthday party, children are REQUIRED to be in school – BY FEDERAL LAW. Therefore, there is an obligation to protect their health as much as possible. Sure, it's a never ending thing, but my understanding is that a peanut allergy can be pretty darn serious and I wouldn't want my child's PBJ to be responsible for another kid's illness. I'd just feel bad. Besides, PBJ's are wonderful AFTER school snacks!
Actually there is no evidence that PB bans are in any way helpful. There also is an almost complete lack of documented cases where an allergic child has a reaction from another child's lunch. Many parents of allergic children react in the extreme esp if they have seen an anaphylactic reaction, wouldnt you? The fact is that the large majority of cases of peanut allergy are actually unchallenged by allergen challenge testing because of the fuss that is necessary in case of an anaphylactic reaction. It is just easier to identify a child based on the parents supposition that peanuts were the cause of the initial reaction. The is good evidence that desensitization using peanut flour is an effective treatment for this allergy but most parents are too frightened to try it. Lets have this problem resolved with some real research into the risks. The peanut and now any nut restrictions are just going too far and is largely driven by the fear of litigation.
Schools have emergency drug kits that contain epinephrine pens (Epi-Pens) for use during an anaphylactic reaction (bee sting, peanut allergy, etc). This would stabilize the child while 911 arrives for further care. However, this would be such a rare event. I mean children have been taking PB&J to school for years without any huge catastrophies. Why the worry now?
These are causing the allergies:
- Pesticides used in plant foods, including peanuts.
- The run-off from nearby farms–antibiotics, hormones, pesticides.
- The way peanuts are stored before shipment–mice feces and urine soaked peanuts does not sound too pleasing, mold spores penetrating peanut shells.
- What the mother has been exposed to BEFORE pregnancy and what she eats while BREASTFEEDING.
- Cleaning products used to keep the house clean.
If the allergy will cause death, perhaps it's advisable to keep the child away from other children.
But if the allergy is mild in comparison to a deadly allergy, then a peanut-free table should suffice.
I'm a young adult with severe alleriges to tree nuts, milk, eggs, etc. As a kid, I was encouraged to read food labels when learning to read, was taught to ask about everything, and it was my responsibility to feed myself. I made it through six years of summer camp, youth group trips, hiking expeditions, family vacations, and two overseas trips to Japan. I've never had to use my epi-pen. I once came close though due to a mislabeled bakery product in the grocery store. That's it. Banning PBJ is stupid. I lived off of PBJ – I ate one today even. If I'm sitting next to someone who is eating something to which I'm allergic, I move. I don't punish everyone else.
When I was on a US Forest Service hotshot crew in 1951 they used to drop us pineapple juice, grapefriut jiuce, and PB&J sandwiches by helicopter. That food was THE BEST!!!!!!! But we had to make sure we drank the grapefruit juice before the pineapple juice.
Here is the problem I have with banning peanut butter because there is an allergy: quite simply almost every food has someone allergic to it.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/food_allergies/subtypes.htm
Looking at the link above people can be alleric to eggs, milk products, wheat, meat, fish, potatoes, assorted spices, fruits, vegetables, rice, condiments and cooking oils. What would the cafeteria be like if everything was excluded?
I think the reason peanuts get special attention is because the allergy can be fatal. I think that for kids with severe or fatal allergies to food, it would be best for the parents to contact the school and make arrangements for a safe room (like having a classroom set aside as an allergen-free room at lunch) so that those kids can have lunch without having to worry as much.
Maybe different colored bracelets – red for peanuts, brown for wheat, white for lactose, etc. That way the lunch ladies could spot them easily, and so could the folks minding the playground.
If your child died of a peanut allergy for sending them to a PUBLIC school, it would be YOUR own fault for being stupid and nieve enough to think that no one would bring any peanut based item to school. Schools would be stupid to institute such a ban as they are setting themselves up to be liable if someone has an incident.
I can see it now! It is lunch time so bring out the peanut patrol and everyone prepare your lunch for inspection!
Peanut Patrol: "Son, this appears to be Peanut Butter, I have a code 19 a code 19!".
Student: "No officer, my sandwich is sunbutter and banana, not peanut butter and banana! Please do not make me throw it away!"
Peanut Patrol: "Tough luck kid, it looks like peanut butter, so you are to go without lunch or I will expel you and put you in peanut jail!".
Ya good luck with enforcing that ban you nuts!
im allergic to homework lol
From what I can determine, peanut allergy affects less than 1% of the population. If there are say 1000 kids in a school, then less than 10 will have the allergy. So the question is do we ban a staple used at lunch for those 10 kids? So what about the kids that are allergic to wheat? Allergic to lactose? Allergic to this or that...where do you draw the line? I think instead of banning peanut butter or whatever, lets do something smart for a change...we are a smart nation, lets put our educated heads together and come up with a brilliant solution. Maybe those kids have lunch in a different room, or at a different time, or at a different table. I also think we need to educate the rest of the kids about different allergies and just how harmful they can be.
WTF is the deal with all these kids with allergies? No one, absolutely no one that I ever knew in elementary, high school, or college had any food allergies. No one that I know at any of the places I've worked have had food allergies. IMHO, this is the legal system making a mountain out of a molehill. No food should be banned from public schools. If a kid has a real life threatening allergy, the parents shouldn't have the kid in public school in the first place.
We have more than 3 million Americans who are allergic to peanuts and/or tree nuts. Everyone acts like this is joke. This isn't a joke. Almost half of the deaths caused by food allergies each year are caused by peanut allergies. From the time of exposure, for a child that has a deadly allergy to peanuts (which could cause anaphylaxis), you have less than 3 minutes to administer epinephrine or that child will die. THREE MINUTES. I see people's remarks where they are scoffing at the idea that a child can react to the smell of peanuts and become sick from that. Please, instead of making fun of people with these allergies, please educate yourself about food allergies and the actual biochemistry of the allergic reactions. There is a good chance somebody you know already has a food allergy. Making snide comments about natural selection doesn't make you intelligent. It makes you appear callous and quite frankly uneducated. There are more than 25 million Americans with some type of known food allergy. Those are just the ones we know about. For those of you who wish to be snide about this, keep in-mind that someone close to you could have an undiagnosed food allergy. Will it be so amusing to you then? Will you make snide comments when you find out that someone you love could die from a food? Will you smirk and mention "natural selection" or will it suddenly get through to you that this is not a joke?
That said, of those 3 million (double that what FAAN lists @ 1.5 million), the incidence of fatal, anaphylactic allergy in that group is less than 3%... making that grand total less than 70k (liberally) to under 30k (more probable).
Don't fail to mention the difference next time. The vast majority of those with the allergy are not going to die from it.
Some people don't view life as precious. If you interfere with the way people want to live, those people don't care if you live or die. If you can die from food, then you are lucky to be alive. Assuming people need to care about preserving human life, when survival of the fittest is a point of view of so many, is arrogant. No one needs to be protected, we have 7 billion people. If you think someone shouldn't eat peanuts when they want, because you might die or someone else might die that's fine. Most people don't feel that way. Can't survive the environment you live in? Why should anyone else care? We all have to worry about keeping ourselves alive. If we were Spartans we would be disgusted by these people with food allergies and the fact we let them live. My point is not everyone has this moral desire to preserve human life at the risk of their own lifestyle. If my drinking milk is dangerous to someone, and they cause me to not be able to drink it, I would eliminate that person. Wanting to be normal, does not make it so. Learn to live with your deficiency, without upsetting the status quo. Who cares if 1% of people die from food. Only those people and their parents.
So, Educate – by your reasoning, we should tally up the foods that those 25 million people are allergic to and ban those? It seems that those of us trying to provide an 'allergy free meal to our children' will be quite challenged to do so.
This is yet another symptom of the problem we have in this society of people not taking responsibility for themselves and their children. Something can cause an allergic reaction – ban it. Child is misbehaving in school – it must be the teacher. Trip over a crack in the sidewalk – sue whoever owns the building in front of it.
If your child has a severe allergy, i feel sympathy for the child, but I have much disdain for the parents who don't empower the child to take charge of their condition, and take appropriate measures to be safe. If your child goes into shock at the smell of peanuts, it might be a good idea to provide them a surgical mask.
I am a 17 year old who has a peanut allergy! For all of you who are ignorant enough to say "Tough Luck" i hope one day while your eating that peanut butter cookie you choke on a shell. Sorry bout my temper but im so beyond pissed at the moment! I have been to the "NO NUTS" table and back and guess what? I have been made fun of ever since then! To a child its not worth having your whole life being a downer just because some ADULTS raise their children to be insignificant peices of trash! Peanut Butter was my torment growing up... Being chased around with Peanut Butter cups is not the highlight of my day just to let you know! Oh and yeah the school never did anything bout any of that besides going no no (Insert Bullies name here) thats not nice. Im That Peanut Kid and i VOTED to BAN peanut butter from schools!
Sorry to hear that.
But adults don't have to be involved for kids to be pieces of trash. Did you expect segregation to incite anything more than being singled out, regardless of the cause? That's people. It sucks, but that's people.
There is alot more to life outside of school so I'd hope it wasn't all a downer. I wasn't the most popular kid either and had my fair share of getting picked on for being in music and science, but you know what, that didn't make my school days a downer. Sure, if you have the peanut allergy, there's a risk, but EVEN WITH incitement, you didn't have a reaction. You're alive. Why ban peanut products from all schools if even direct teasing didn't do a thing besides just show that kids are still going to act like kids?
First off take a breather and calm down. Second, kids are teased and bullied about many things. I guarantee that not even five years down the road you're not even going to care. Granted there are some that take the ignorant route of saying 'sucks to be you," but don't take it out on everybody. Think about if a kid couldn't eat meat for some reason, and peanut butter is a great supply of the protein lost due to their inability to eat meat. You wanting to ban peanut butter in school is doing the exact same thing to another kid somewhere else in the world.
Sun butter? What the hell is this, Russia?
I do feel bad that some people are born with an allergy to certain things, but there are too many allergies out there. I went to school with kids who were allergic to milk, so they did not ingest any dairy. If your child is allergic to peanuts, make it known to them, without a doubt, that they are allergic. If the child is at a younger age that you don't believe they are responsible enough or capable enough yet to know and understand what the allergy means, then I feel that allergies of this nature should be annotated on a form signed by the younger child's teacher AND administration, and monitored by the teacher. Don't let one spoil it for the the whole.
Travis,
Very good point. I think that was very appropriate to say "Dont let one ruin it for the rest!"
There are kids who could die from eating a slice of bread, others from drinking a glass of milk. Actually, there are about 100 times as many of them as there are with life-threatening peanut allergies. But I don't see any of those hysterically screeching about peanuts standing up for those other kids, asking that milk and wheat be banned from schools.
I think peanuts, peanut oil, or any other form of peanuts, including peanut butter, should be banned from any schoo caferteria or food program. Unless the school agrees to test all children for allergic reactions, and pays all costs involved with the testing
To Ian:My kid refuses to eat anything but BP&J for lunch at school. Oh yeah, she's got a BMI around 6 and is a young athlete. Basically, because I'm being a dick and not allowing my child to starve in school because she WON'T eat anything else except her daily carrots and granola bar, I should be ashamed?
TO:TWM – peanut butter a staple to your kids diet?
really? learn how to cook a meal! I bet you guys cook a separate meal to accommodate your fuzzy little eater! what a bunch of crap! Seriously, you should be ashamed! If your kid only eats carrots, granola bars, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches you should totally be ashamed. Sounds like your kid is already starving. Those poor kids don’t have a chance to develop a palate. Buy a f**king cook book! You should also show a bit of compassion for those with food allergies. I don’t think we should ban peanut butter in schools but we can be accommodating for another childs well being. It sounds to me like your both heartless and selfish human beings!
I encourage those willing to entertain the thought: read up on the "hygiene hypothesis"
Why do 'more' kids in the US have peanut allergies in 2010?
*** First off, this is simply because there are MORE children around in the US in 2010.
*** According to the hygiene hypothesis, children over-protected from immune-stimulating infections as infants and young children have a higher risk of developing hypersensitivity to otherwise inocuous substances... such as foods, minerals, dyes, etc that do not really affect the vast majority of others.
*** In summary, your immune system NEEDS something to work against in early development and even on through the adult years. If this system is spared the normal load of infections (let your kids play on the floor and in the dirt outside !for crying out loud!) and other exposures, what ends up stimulating immune responses are the 'other' less stimulating but common potential immunogenic compounds in foods and other substances given to the body.
As far as this goes, I say it's up to the parents of the sensitized child. They should have already told the kid what to avoid in terms of their anaphylactic reactions, much less the kid probably already knows what one of those reactions feels like. You hear HORROR stories about 'airborne food particles' and the like, but these are the absolute rarest form of anaphylactic triggers. If one kid died of a peanut allergy due to airborne exposure at the school cafeteria, I would chock that up to sheer bad luck rather than the school's fault for allowing peanuts to be present. These kids are ALREADY bringing their own lunches to school! This isn't an infectious disease that could be spread to many kids and potentially kill large numbers of people from a single source and subsequent transmission, this is a 1 in 5 million chance of somebody have a severe reaction to peanuts... Somebody who ALREADY knows they have this allergy, anaphylactic or urticaric type, and whose parents should have already been well instructed and informed on how to minimize exposure and handle any emergency event.
It's on the parents and the allergic person themselves. If the person is young, it's totally up to the parents. Anaphylactic allergies cannot currently be cured and are never fully preventable. The best method is to reduce exposure, but at what expense? It may seem trivial to rant on and on about peanuts but there are a few simple facts that can be looked up on the CDC website and NCBI databases readily that do not support the need for public intervention.
#1 the human factor- no matter how 'policed' antigen exposure is at a production level, even limiting the exposures in a communal dining setting cannot reduce the chances of exposure due to "airborne" peanut allergens that are already going to be on somebody's clothes and skin that can just as easily (and perhaps even be MORE likely to be the actual cause of the airborne source... think about it) be brought to a sensitized person, whether or not the food is being eaten in front of them
#2- the true incidence of anaphylactic peanut allergies is SEVERAL ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE LOWER than urticaric allergies. parents that have even bothered to have peanut allergies diagnosed even confuse this to say that any peanut allergy is an anaphylactic allergy and go beserk over the 'protection of my sensitive child who could die at any moment because of their allergy'. For those that truly do have peanut allergies, the rest of the community is ruining it for you
#3- Liars, while this seems harsh to say, some people will say anything to make themselves feel like their kid is special compared to others... It's called Munchhausen's syndrome in the case of illnesses or 'special conditions'. Yes, this is an actual, documented, analyzed, psychiatric condition. It's literally lying about the child's disease in order to receive attention or special treatment. The child typically comes to believe the disease is actually present if the factitious conditioning is started at a young age.
#4- Emergent care preparedness is ALREADY in place in national public schools. I'm not getting into an argument about quality but somebody that truly has an anaphylactic allergy (and their PARENTS) KNOWS how to handle the situation if it comes. If they are not ready, that is entirely their fault. Know the signs, know the immediate treatments, and know how to get ambulatory EMS!
#5 Incidence is exaggerated by ignorance. If you don't have a doctor's diagnosis of anaphylactic peanut allergy and yet you say that such and such has one, you should be ignored. Self-diagnosis is unreliable, even amongst physicians' families, because of bias!!! Go see a doctor who will be skeptical about your claims. It can be MUCH better to hear that, in fact, your child has a minor allergy and NOT a life-threatening one whenever an objective eye takes a look and doesn't get skewed by knowing the family or knowing the kids ahead of time, making them more likely to follow the loudest mouth in the room (the mother!!!!) rather than their own judgement.
Wow, it is truly amazing, and sad, to see how many people are not only uncaring, but downright mean. I can only hope that you people never have some type of issue hit your child which requires help and compassion from others.
I'm also amazed at the extremes people migrate to vs trying to actually arrive at a solution. Yes all allergic children should be taught what they can and cannot have and how to keep themselves safe. However that lesson can only be effectively taught at certain ages so we need age appropriate solutions. When my child was in K-3 we had a peanut free table. All the kids in his lunch period with nut allergies sat there and were allowed to bring a friend who had a safe lunch which was checked by a luch staffer. The school also had pre-made peanut butter sandwiches vs a peanut butter sandwich making station to help keep the mess under control with this age group. In 4 & 5th we asked for a corner seat at a lunch table instead of a nut free table. We felt he was responsible enough to monitor what type of meals were being eaten around him, and the school empowered him by allowing him to ask anyone with unsafe food around him to move a few seats down. He did that for 2 years, without abusing his power to send kids away, and without kids arguing that they have the right to sit were they want to. You see, parents, your kids are really good people and want to be nice, despite how some of you are raising them. No one ever felt their rights were being violated, they were logical and simply moved a few seats down – all was good. In middle school, he still maintains his corner spot with the right to ask kids to move. The school provides ingredient labels so my son and I can review them and select safe meals (he usually brings his lunch, but some days he just wants to feel normal and eat like the other kids.) The only thing we have asked the middle school to do is to make the peanut butter sandwish making station its own station vs being on the condiment line where my son had to go to get condiments and utensils. You see, the solution doesn't have to be all or nothing. It just has to be age appropriate. And people need to show a little compassion for those that are not as fortunate as them. I have never asked that a child not eat peanut butter, I only ask that they do not do so around my child, and that they wash their hands after lunch to stop the possible spread back into the classrooms and onto playground equipment. It should be noted that all the crabby, mean comments that are being posted are in the minority. We have been living with this allergy for 10 years and my son is very active on sports teams, scouts, plays, ski groups. i.e we have encounterd a lot of different people that we needed a bit of understanding from to keep our son safe. Not one of these hundreds of people ever batted an eye or spoke meanly about our requests. Their reactions have always been 1) how can we help, and 2) thank God my child doesn't have that allergy because it must realy suck. (and yes, it does really suck.)
This whole peanut butter ban in schools is so ridiculously blown out of proportion! Because one or two children are allergic to nuts shouldn't constitute a district-wide ban on the stuff! C'mon parents! I went to school from Kindergarten to 12th grade and I never heard one story of a child dying from their peanut allergy because I brought pb & j for lunch! I just can't believe how sensitive this country has become...no pun intended. I have many allergies, food allergies included and do you know how my parents kept me from going anaphylactic in school?? They taught me to avoid the things I couldn't have and were truthful in explaining the consequences of what the outcome would be if I didn't listen! That's why they make epi-pens. Parents need to stop trying to make everyone else accountable for the safety and well-being of their children and be responsible for a change, as generations of parents were before us. Seriously folks, GET A LIFE!
A Public school may want to consider a ban because it's a public school and they carry a liability issue and I would suspect they would want to protect themselves from litigation – serious litigation. At a private school I would suspect the educated and well off parents would rationalize and agree that a peanut anything ban would benefit all invested parties in the school because as they would be taking preventative measures to prevent an accident or death. My daughter who is 3 developed the allergy at 2 and a half. Is she weak? No. She is 3 c'mon. But should peanut butter be banned from schools? Ugh...I hesitate to say yes but if it is to protect any kid from serious illness and or death then yes. To the parents of children who didn't or don't know how to provide food options other than just peanut butter and or if you can't afford better food – tough. If your kids are denied peanut butter at school, so what big f**ing deal. It's not our fault your kid only eats it and if you can't afford good quality, expensive, organic food – good. (sarcastic tone of voice) Survival of the fittest – Natural Selection because I can throw money around to provide good food and provide various other healthy options for my child. The only difference between my child and yours is that mine can die from just touching it if not addressed quickly.
If you can die from eating food. That is a weakness. Not wanting it to be a weakness, doesn't change the fact you are weak enough to die from food. Weak isn't a swear word. We all have weakness'. Food allergies are a weakness, alcoholism is a weakness, stupidity is a weakness, inability to withstand sunlight, also a weakness. Call a Spade a Spade. My childs weakness should not affeact what your child eats. I can die from certain anesthetic, it's my weakness.
I understand the seriousness of the allergy. However, the child needs to learn how to deal with these situations the same as other aspects of their lives. I thought about the peanut free table idea, but that would just make those kids a target. Then, when you go out to eat, you don’t tell the restaurant to clear out until all peanuts can be removed – you deal with it, and teach your child how to avoid issues. That is the only real solution – this time of their lives is for teaching them how to deal with life on their own, and sterilizing their environment is not going to do it.
Lets be a little practical. There are a great number of people with life threatening allergies to various types of food, bees, perfume, cleaning supply fumes, etc. Shall we disallow all of these foods into the school? Maybe we should forget about recess. How about not letting teachers wear perfume? Maybe maintenance men should wash the floors with water. Parents need to teach children not to share food. Maybe a list of class allergies should be made and birthday snacks to share should accomodate this list. I understand that parents are concerned, but simply taking this out of schools does nothing to teach children how to manage their health. Peanut butter and peanuts can be contacted anywhere at any time. And what happens when they leave school? These kids can't live in a bubble forever.
To @Host-Anaphylacticallergypodcast, 1 in 17 equals 5.8% of children under 10 have "life-threatening" allergies? Perhaps you could substantiate this number? Here is a fact: CDC statistics state that more die each year from bee stings that die from peanut allergies (notice I said die, not have a reaction to). So, as many have pointed out, if peanut allergy deaths are a tragedy, then all bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, etc should be destroyed regardless of the cost and inconvenience to society at large. Also, the traffic fatalities in America dropped last year to the lowest in some time, around 40,000 total (last year stats avail) Obviously only some are children but I guarantee that it was waaaayyyy more that died from peanut allergies. So if your arguments are about child safety above all else, you should never put your child in a car again. That is the LOGICAL extension of your arguments, devout of parental angst and emotion.
BTW, I am allergic to molds, mildews, cats, dogs (essentially anything with fur), numerous mild food allergies and a "life-threatening" allergy to bee stings. An allergy that I have lived with for longer than many of these posters have been alive. And if you don't believe that then take it from me, no line of coke or hit of speed will amp up a small child like a shot of adrenaline to the chest wall. Neither I or my parents ever expected anyone to be responsible for my welfare except us.
BTW, both of my boys are also allergic to bees, so don't tell me that I don't understand the sense of gnawing, endless worry of a parent for his child's challenges – every time they go out to play in the grass or a field.
Ban this, ban that!! When is it going to stop? If you have allergies it is up to you to take care of yourself and/or your parents to take care of their child. All of this coddling of society because people can't take care of themselves is pathetic.
Food and venom allergies are all serious business, and certainly, they are things of which we should be aware. True, we could eat healthier, and probably should, but I've seen the "healthy" lunches supplied by the public schools. I've seen first hand what parents are packing in their kid's lunches; frankly, it makes me worry about our literacy rates. My grandson has corn allergies so bad that he cannot even take medications which use corn byproducts (which is most of the OC drugs). He will be restricted from most commercial food products his entire life, but he will not blame the world if he is one day accidentally exposed. He knows that he is different, and though he wishes he could eat what he sees other children eating, he does not begrudge them that experience. Maybe he'll change his mind when he gets older. He has friends, and they are alert to his needs, and are careful in his proximity. They remind other kids and nearby adults without being mean or bossy about it. In my opinion, he has the right of it: it is up to us to adapt to the world, not to force the world to adapt to us. That's what being human means, that's what life is for, that's what makes life possible and worth living.
I think what usually happens, is a kid breaks out in a rash, and the parent decides that it might be a peanut allergy because he had a PB&J sandwich that day. Before long, the words "life-threatening" get tacked on to it, as they rationalize that all peanut allergies are potentially life-threatening. All this without ever even seeing an immunologist for proper testing to see what the allergy is to, or how severe it is. But that doesn't stop the parents from demanding that the entire world change to accomidate their poor "life-threatened" child.
Personally, I think that any parent who actually believes their kid has a life-threatening allergy, but hasn't taken him/her to see an immunologist for proper testing, should be stripped of their parental rights, for the good of the child.
"the dramatic uptick in frequency of nut allergies and more particularly the measures taken in response to the threat show elements of mass psychogenic illness, hysterical reactions grossly out of proportion to the level of danger." – from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Don't forget Munchhausen's syndrome (factitious disorder by proxy) where these kids are being TOLD they have the allergy by a parent who is intentionally lying. I think this is more common that some are willing to admit.
I'm glad to see the actual group say something about hysteria and psychogenic illness... People must be selectively ignoring that part of their statement on peanut allergies!
im a middle schooler and all we do is always leave seats open at the end of the table so that anyone with alergies dosent have to worry about being exposed to whatever it is they're allergic to.
So if I was still in school, well kiddy school since I go to College, I wouldn't be allowed to eat peanut butter because my sandwich could kill another student? Do you have any idea how much I would rebel against that. Peanut butter is amazing, I love it on bread, in cookies, cakes, brownies, you can make peanut butter muffins, peanut butter cupcakes, peanut brittle....That's about all you can do with peanuts. Once again the select few are trying to tell me what to eat. I cant order a super size McBurger with the bucket of fries and drink that puts small lakes to shame, because some fatty decided to sue McDonald's for making them fat. I'm not fat, I will never be fat, far too active. Yet I have been denied my McBurger with the giant ass fries and drink. I just get a McBurger and fairly large fries. I don't want fairly large, I want the bucket. Now you are trying to take peanut butter from me? Who do you think you are?
You cant just walk in with your child and his/her/it's peanut butter allergy and demand I stop my consumption of peanut butter. The world is a harsh place, the buttery peanuts lurk in the shadows just waiting for their next target. So of course schools are just the beginning. Next it will be Colleges, offices, job sites, shuttle launches and maybe even the moon. We have to stop this peanut butter ban before it gets out of hand. I totally forgot to mention peanut butter smoothies. But nevertheless, you cant tell me what I can and cant eat. This is America my friend, we have basic freedoms, outlined in the Bill of Rights, you should read it sometime. In there it states clearly that I have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My pursuit of happiness involves food. I'm skinny, so I can enjoy said food without worrying about getting fat. Comes with being an active person, you should try it sometime. Back off of my peanut butter, your genetically weak child cant be coddled forever.
Understandably so, it can be frustrating to protect children from allergies, especially food allergies. My husband had severe digestive problems that limited his diet from certain foods. It was difficult and time consuming coming up with new recipes and foods he was able to eat. With that said, I could never imagine burdening the general public with the same restraints. Today we ban peanut, tomorrow who knows? If we ban peanuts because of children's allergies than we it would be fair to say that we should ban other foods children have mild to deadly allergies to. Could you imagine hundreds, even thousands of parents trying to come up with cheap, easy recipes for their children to take to school with so many rules/regulations? I'm sorry for your child's allergies, I know from personal experience it is very frustrating. But this sadly a burden that must be on the child's parents, not parents of ALL the children.
Keep peanuts in our diet. Everywhere.
I am 53, attended many schools, and have never known anyone to die of peanuts. I have known people killed by cars, guns, falling, electricity and sickness. My nephew was killed by a table lamp.
Are we to stop living so we won't die?
Kids should be eating more spinach and less sugary sweets. Peanut butter is served with what? Some sort of sugary topping. So eat more spinach and less sugar.
As for kids with peanut allergies, we can put the allergy blame on the parents who helicoptered over their child and didn't let them get a spec of dirt on their bodies. These kids who have peanut allergies are seriously bubble brats. They have been raised in such a sterile environment their immune system is totally out of whack. Neither a whole school or class should have to ban a food product because of one child. Instead put that child with peanut allergies on the bubble bus to the bubble school where every desk has a hand sanitizer dispenser and the class rooms can be sorted by food allergies.
I raise my box of Cracker Jacks to all the kids in the world that are allowed to be kids, get dirty once in a while, and be able to eat all the peanut brittle, peanut butter, peanut M&Ms and peanut soup they want!
It's hard enough to get good proteins in our children during lunchtime so banning PB only limits the options. I would not adhere to any ban on a food item, as it is my responsibility to decide what is healthy and appropriate for my children. If it's a natural-grown food, it's fair game.
One of my children is allergic to tomatoes but I don't expect the school or anyone else to keep tomatoes away from her. She manages her own allergy and bothers no one in the process.
The easiest solution to this is to set aside a small area for kids who eat pb (or have allergies to it) and have those who eat PB wash their hands/ rinse their mouth out with water (or brush their teeth) after they eat. Or better yet, have all kids do this as just a general health thing (some places consider it child abuse if your kids get cavities). However, we should never ban something from somebody just because it might make them sick. If we did that, we’d have to ban tobacco from all public areas, make cars that produce no pollution and so on. The country is trying to become way to politically correct and in doing so we’re losing a lot of our moral values. The needs of the few should not hinder the many, but the many should not trample the few.
I can't help notice that many of these comments were made during working hours. Either people are wasting time at work, or I finally know what all the unemployed people in this country are doing: Not looking for jobs, arguing with people on the internet over peanut butter. I'm glad my tax dollars are paying their unemployment checks!
You do realize that not working does not = unemployment. Not everyone works 9-5, nor Monday thru Friday. Then others of us get vacation days. Relax we are not stealing your tax dollars.
Wow didn't now PB was such a hot topic.
How about parents being the child's advocate .
If your care about the diet prepare their lunch!!!!
Oh and teach the child to keep their hands to themselves.
i swear to god i didnt and he fully regrets posting it lets get that strait so my mom doesn't kill me because i'm innocent and dont deserve to be killed im just ventilating the talent i was born to do, forensics, sign up isn't for another month and i've been waiting since fourth grade to however i meant everything i said in my typing i cant control asher's typing.
This is an easy problem to solve. Schools should send lunch menu's home every friday so that the parents will know what they will be serving the following week. The parent can then just let their child take their lunch on the days that they serve something their child is allergic too. Problem solved.
Ahhh yes, let's kick back, relax, visit a reputable news source such as CNN, and read what the intelligent people of the world think about the deadly risks of an American epidemic; the old stand-by, poor man's sandwich - the Peanut Butter and Jelly.
And I wonder what's wrong with kids these days. After reading these posts, it's the outstanding parenting they are receiving! We have a world of ME first self centered kids that couldn't care less about their fellow man because of these solid role models. I don't think you'd allow your kid to be around poison, that's what peanuts are to those with the allergy, poison. It's deadly. Kids have to go to school and I shouldn't be afraid of my child dying at school because some uneducated parent insist that their child have PB. I couldn't care less about the bullying, that's part of life, but when it's a threat to life...You wouldn't want it to be around your kid either if they had the allergy.
I really feel sorry for my brother-in-law. He's never been able to eat peanut butter, and has never savored a peanut butter pie, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, or a Reece's cup. His allergy to peanut butter is very severe. There have been times when he nearly lost his life because of a reaction after being mistakenly exposed to peanut butter, or to (or near to) someone else who ate it. Peanuts should be banned from schools, and from airplanes. Peanut allergies are no simple, every day food allergies. In any regular allergy, people should be responsible for their own food choices. This one though, is deadly. Of course, they should stop serving peanut butter in schools. I can't believe they serve peanuts on airplanes, knowing what can happen if the person in front, beside, or behind the person who they serve could have the allergy.
While I'm not in favor of banning peanut butter, I think it's time to stop invoking the protein content of peanut butter as a mark in its favor. Across the board of peanut butter subtypes, for a 2-tbsp serving (32g) there are 170-210 calories, 15-17g fat (3g saturated), and only 7-8g protein. Try calorie count dot com for a range of peanut butters' nutrition content.
There are hundreds of foods with a far better fat-to-protein ratio. Here are 5 choices that a lot of kids like:
Yogurt (0-3g fat and 8-10g protein per 8oz cup)
string cheese (6g fat and 7g protein per 2oz stick)
hummus (1.5g fat and 1g protein per tbsp)
turkey breast (0.5g fat and 7g protein per 2 slices)
bean dip (0.5-1g fat and 2g protein per 2tbsp)
I don't say this because I don't like peanut butter. I agree with the sentiment that legislating to the extreme minority here seems like overkill (one child is allergic to pet dander! You must all undergo a biohazard level4 chemical shower before setting foot in the classroom!). But peanut butter is not the health food it's touted as, and PBandJ (especially if we're talking white bread and grape jelly), while delicious, has virtually the same nutritional value as a hefty slice of chocolate cake.
If your kids love the ol' PB, send it along with some carrot sticks, and tell them not to smear it on their neighbors.
peanutbutter is cheap. The amount of protein in a jar calulated against cost. Also kids need fat. A serving of 7 to 8 grams of protein is reasonable. And when the cost is pennies, well that's why peanutbutter is so good. Like a jug of milk it is full of inexpensive nourishment. No need to spend more money because the kid next to yours in class has a deficiency. The deficient child needs to adapt or perish. Like the real world, where he lives. No one needs to spend more money to accomodate the weakling offspring of another. (Yes if food can kill you, you are a weakling.)
I totally agree that no one should have to spend more money to accommodate another kid's allergy. But there are lots of higher-protein, low-fat foods that are as cheap or cheaper per protein amt than jarred peanut butter. The milk you invoke, for example. Cottage cheese. Plain yogurt. Dry beans or lentils. Whole frozen poultry.
And while healthy kids certainly do need fat (but not twice as much by mass as they need protein!), I think you'd probably agree that, especially for American kids from poorer backgrounds, obesity is more likely to be a concern than getting enough fat.
Again, I'm not saying PB's bad, or advocating a ban on PB or any other food allergen. Just pointing out that PB is far more notable for its calorie density than its protein content.
Banning things people are allergic to means banning almost everything. "Kid, if you eat peanuts, you will die." Is enough. Someone doesn't need to go buy a more expensive source of protein because your kid is not bright enough not to eat something that kills them. No one cares how special your allergic child is, so long as it doesn't mean modifying the lifestyle of the kids who can eat the foods provided. Make sure they are smart enough to not eat peanuts BEFORE sending them to school. It's not everyone elses problem. One of my good friends is allergic to peanuts, his parents told him no to eat the stuff, and he didn't so he is still alive. What's next, all the kids who can't eat wheat, (or their parent's THINK they can't eat wheat) as so many parents like to imagine their kids are not able to eat things based on trend and not on what the docotor said. What about Beef and Pork, you know the foods some kids aren't allowed to eat. They could condemn their soul if they trade for these foods afterall. No one cares about peoples weakness' it's human nature. Keep the frail and infirm and allergic at home, if you are scared.
This is a joke right. I grew up in a world where peanut butter was served at lunch in schools and at home. Maybe instead of banning peanutbutter the government should figure out what innoculation is causing the allergy
vaccines don't cause food allergies. Their only recorded side effects are injection site irritation and sometimes a slight fever. Whoever told you allergies were caused by vaccine is not a medical researcher. Autism is also not caused by vaccine. And in fact people who have been making claims about vaccines that are unfounded have been stripped of their right to practise medicine. Well now you know.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/are-nut-bans-promoting-hysteria/
"Dr. Christakis notes that while it’s reasonable for schools and parents to take basic precautions, there is no scientific evidence that nut bans are particularly effective at protecting children. But more important, he argues, is that limiting widespread exposure to nuts can make things worse. The “policy of avoidance” means that fewer children are being exposed to nuts, likely increasing their risk for developing an allergy. A 2008 study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of 10,000 British children found that early exposure to peanuts lowers risk of allergy, rather than increasing it."
Now take responsibility for your allergic kid and leave everyone else alone.
here here!
My nuts are the tastiest!
I voted other because I think each child's case must be considered individually. All peanut allergies are not the same. Some people are mildly allergic and some have severe allergies. When our school has students with mild allergies, we ask students to not eat peanut products around the child with the allergy. That seems to be sufficient. The worse reaction we've had is hives or a stomach ache for the student with a mild allergy who accidently ate food with trace amounts of peanuts. Definately not life threatening.
We currently have a child that is just starting at our school who does have a severe allergy. If someone ate a PB sandwich and did not wash their hands and touches them, they will have a severe, life-threatening reaction. In this case, our school has decided that PB should be banned. We've also asked parents to make sure their children wash their hands after eating peanut products at home. The consequences of being exposed to peanuts is too great to take chances in this case. This child's accidental death due to peanut exposure would not only be devasting to the family, but would affect all the students and staff who knew him. I would also think that the child who did expose him to peanuts would have to bear that burden for the rest of their life. Not something I would ever wish on my child or anyone else's.
i had nothing to do with my friend ashers last post
Allright, let's get this straight: this is going out of hand. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show... the parents are mother(beep)ers who were born in hell. Their mom was a jack(beep) who looked like a (beep). They be (beep)ed! That is all! I'm Asher Zaitz and I approve this message!
It is up to parents to take care of their kids medical needs and make sure their kids stay away from food not packed for them. It is not up to society, other kids, parents, teachers to have choices taken away because of someone's allergy. Pack your child's lunch, advise them not to eat from other children, have medication in the office. Do not even think of taking away your neighbor's kids peanut butter sandwiches. These days people think the world revolves around them and their personal needs. It does not.
In any normal situation where soy, wheat, milk, etc are concerned, I would say "no", that food should not be banned; that the responsibility and accountability for a child's diet restrictions should fall on careful monitoring by the parent and the child (if old enough). The case of peanut butter however, is quite different. Some people, really don't understand the severity of food allergies, and the dangers thereof. We're not talking about a matter of convenience with peanut butter. This stands apart from other food allergies, becuase this one is deadly. It's not just a matter of eating it. My brother-in-law is allergic to peanut butter, and has been since he was a child. There are many times when he nearly lost his life because of anaphylactic shock after being mistakenly exposed to peanut butter. A person who is severly allergic to peanut butter can die, from even the smell of it - like for example, being near someone who has it on his-or-her breath. This allergy is far too deadly to be allowed in schools.
My daughter IS allergic to peanuts and I would never ask that someone not eat peanuts around her. She is only 3 1/2 and she knows that she cannot eat peanuts. My husband and I have been proactive to educate her so that she can remain safe. She knows to tell her caregivers that she is allergic to peanuts and even smells cookies, candy, etc before eating it to make sure it is peanut free. If you educate your children and those around your children, this shouldn't be an issue for non-life threatening peanut allergies.
Now, if your child does have a severe peanut allergy, banning peanuts is not the answer. I think banning peanuts would create a false sense of security. A young child might have peanut butter on toast before school, forget to wash his hands and pass the peanut residue to a child with an allergy. When I took my daughter to an allergy specialist, the doctor told me that people can build up a tolerance to peanuts. This is something that needs to be done under a doctor's supervision, of course. I think this is the answer to the problem.
We cannot always be there to protect our children, so I think it is important to give them the proper tools to protect themselves.
I can honestly say that I don't have an allergy to anything that I know of, thank goodness. I'm into my 40's now and knock on wood I doubt I will ever develop an allergy to anything that my immune system cannot fight off. If I became allergic to peanuts or peanut butter, I would be seriously upset!!!!
I am always appalled at parents with special needs shoving it down the throats of others. Guess what? The world doesn't revolve around you or your child, so don't expect the world to change for you. There are people who are deathly allergic to perfumes, to shellfish, to cat dander etc. etc. etc. So what would you parents with allergic kids have the rest of us do? Stop living life to satisfy your over-reactive protective urges? Get a life and grow up. If your child is that sickly, keep it at home and home school it, and please do us all a great big favor and don't make any more if you know this runs in your family and encourage your child to follow suit. With 6+ billion people on the planet, I assure you a few less folks will not be frowned upon my good old Mother Earth.
"Anaphylaxis" reactions are very sever and it will kill the kid in few minutes if not treated on time. Peanut is one of the common allergen to causing this very sever reaction. Please be considerate to people having this problem.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000844.htm
Ok, how exactly are WE supposed to be considerate of people with allergies. People can have very severe reactions to peanuts, milk, perfume, bee stings. On and on. I don't see them walking around with a sign on their chest offering a warning. How can I go around being concerned about other people's allergies, of which there are hundreds if not thousands. Sure, if I go visit someone's house and am asked not to bring peanuts I would certainly comply. But what about trains, plains, buses, crowded concerts, public places, sporting events. The onus has to be on the sufferer in this case. People allergic to bee stings bring an epi pen, same with food allergies. In a school of 1000 kids, maybe 10 at most will have a peanut allergy, you really want to limit the peanut intake of the other 990 kids. It's completely unrealistic and selfish.
My son has multiple life threatening food allergies. Banning peanuts won't do a thing for his tree nut, sesame, fish and shellfish allergies. Allergen-free zones helped a lot when he was in grade school. Other students wanted to keep our son safe. The parents had to be educated about food allergies, and told we weren’t looking for our son to “get more attention” as some of them thought. Our allergist wrote a letter to the school outlining the accommodations our son needed to attend public school and to remain reaction free. Thankfully our school district has been on the forefront of education and awareness with food allergies creating a Food Allergy Task Force to ensure all children with food allergies come home safely from school every day.
Nicole Smith
AllergicChild.com
Can we all agree on one thing? Peanut Butter needs only to be banned in situations where there is a child with a severe peanut allergy in the classroom or lunchroom setting? If so we can cut past all of this to the heart of it. Most people aren't saying ban it all...most are saying ban it only when needed or don't mess with my rights. With a few exceptions. So those of you who keep arguing that we shouldn't ban it all are really not listening to many of us who say only when needed. You lump all together to make yourselves sound more rational, how about compromise...are you willing to see any compromise? what about a ban only when it is determined by a doctor that this the level of severity of a child in that situation? Most parents who are requesting such a ban have medical documentation to their situation! So why can't there be compromise?
That makes sense as long as the same type of accommodation is made with any child that has a severe food allergy in a particular school. The bigger issue with peanut allergies in particular (and a handful of other severe allergies for some individuals) is the risk of unknowing contamination... such as something fried in or made with peanut oil or another nut that was processed at a plant that processes peanuts or even an otherwise safe cookie that became deadly because it came in contact with a peanut butter cookie (or even just a spatula that came in contact with a peanut butter cookie). If a child has a severe enough allergy that peanut butter needs to be banned from the entire school, then there needs to be a much more extensive educational outreach and restrictions on other items or else that ban on peanut butter was pretty much useless (especially since the child probably knows he/she can't eat peanut butter and is more likely to come into lethal contact with something containing peanut products that are hidden).
Seriously, this is a waste of time. I don't know if some kid traded his balogna sandwich for a pb&j without knowing they were allergic or what but this is the dumbest attempt at imposing a ban of any kind that I've ever heard of. Somebody apparently has WAY too much time on their hands and is a selfish, self-centered idiot to even suggest taking this seriously
Wow some of the posts here just blow me away with what little feelings people have for others.. My daughter has a peanut allergy and if I could do something about it I would, however there is no cure today. There are a number of studies being done but unfortunately my daughter will have to deal with this through out her life. Her school does provide a peanut free table and she wipes down the area prior to eating. Unfortunately not all kids are that lucky they are more sensitive and can have reaction just smelling it. I don't think banning it is the right option but the schools need to address a way to accommodate the individual. Our biggest problem to date have been with kids bringing there sandwiches and sticking it into my daughters face asking her to take a bite. Obviously some here don't want to be tolerant of anything. Be careful, one day you might find the shoe on the other foot and will not like the end results.
To quote the cdc dot gov site:
Food allergy is an abnormal immune response to certain food(s) that the body reacts to as harmful. An estimated 3.9% of children under the age of 18 and 2% of adults have food allergies.1,2 Though reasons for this are poorly understood, the prevalence of food allergies and associated anaphylaxis appears to be on the rise. Risk factors associated with food allergy include: family history of asthma and allergies, genetic predisposition to allergic disease, elevated allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin levels (IgE concentrations), and being younger than 3 years of age. There are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergy reactions cow’s milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts (for example, walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews), fish, shellfish, soybeans, and wheat.2,3,4 While 3.3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, 6.9 million are allergic to seafood. Combined, food allergies cause 30,000 cases of anaphylaxis, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths annually.2
While we're banning PB, how about the others on that list? Simple. Ban wheat, no PB sandwiches.
Seriously, for folks with kids who have severe food allergies, do you ever take them to a restaurant or the grocery store? How about the ball game? The beach?
I know first hand all about food allergies. my son was diagnosed when he was 6 months old. He is SEVERELY allergic to milk, eggs, dairy, amoxicillin and penicillins. I DO NOT believe that peanut butter should be banned from schools. Our school, as well as others, have assigned tables for kids with peanut allergies. I, too, know first hand that some food allergies ARE severe enough that all the child has to do is be around the allergic food (not touch it, just inhale it) and can still break out into hives. My son is like that when it comes to dairy. Therefore, should Milk and Dairy products (which would include ALL cafeteria lunches) also be banned from schools? that would be absurd, wouldn't it?! i have to provide my son with his lunch and snacks EVERY single day. For the most part, he takes a peanut butter sandwich, which HE asks for. This is mostly in part because the school will not allow him to bring something in that has to be heated up for safety reasons and for the sole purpose of not wanting to be sued if they were to make it too hot. Is this fair to my son?
We need to look more closely at this matter. I am a peanut allergy sufferer. I even react to the smell of peanuts in the air. Natural selection or not, I have a right to breathe. Schools need to take this into consideration, and ban peanuts.
I have no problem with banning peanuts if a child is severely allergic.. but then you have to also ban any other food to which any child in that school has a severe allergy. Peanuts are NOT the only allergy that can be fatal. More kids are allergic to seafood than peanuts (at least in the US, I don't know about other demographic groups). Milk, while more commonly a case of intolerance, can also be an actual allergy and children have died from it... so if you are banning those peanuts for the safety of the children allergic to them be prepared to bar milk and any milk products if a child has a severe allergy to it. And then there are other nuts and seeds which are frequently the cause of severe allergies. More rarely, there are cases of lethal allergies to various fruits, including tomatoes and peppers (I personally know people who have severe allergies to both of those that they have been hospitalized for) and mushrooms (again I know somebody who has been hospitalized for this one and cannot even be in a room where mushrooms have been sliced let alone exposed to them in food). Any accommodation you expect the world to make for your peanut allergy, you better be prepared to make for another person's potentially life threatening allergy.
TIME magazine did a great article about this very subject. As a previous EMT/Firefighter, I've seen food allergies in action, and yes it's scary. But, whilst it has the potential to be deadly, so do so many other things we do in our lives. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1881985,00.html
The amount of "CYA" labeling that manufactors is doing these days is borderline ridiculous. I really think that there is a limit to what can and cannot be done. As a parent, I am the SOLE PERSON RESPONSIBLE for the health and well being of my children. No on else. So, why in the spirit of "neighborly love" do we burden millions of people to avoid an incident for a few?
Teachers at my kids' school use Peanut Allergies to indoctrinate the students with PC nonsense. It's all about teaching 'compassion'. If kids bring peanut butter to school, it's taken away from them and the student is called selfish and shame the kid that the simple act of eating a PB&J sandwich is such a horrible thing to do to the peanut allergy kid. It's all this socialistic liberal nonsense being taught by all schools now a days, whether public or private. All parents can to is tell their kids it's nonsense and do their best to counter this indoctrination at home. Feeding my kids nutella sandwiches before school is my favorite thing.
My cousin (4 years younger than I) has a severe peanut allergy. The issue with his allergy was not that kids in his class were bringing peanut butter to school. The issue was that once the kids found out about the allergy while some students would understand and refrain from exposing him to the substance, others would begin to bully him and chase him around in an attempt to get peanut butter on his face or harm him in some other way. Unfortunately, his allergy was severe enough that physical contact of any form would require medical care. I think the issue here is not should kids be allowed to bring nut products to school, but what can be done to compensate for the immaturity these kids possess which threaten the lives of others.
I can't find the research quickly, but I'm pretty sure that I've read research before that eliminating peanuts to such a degree in schools would actually contribute to more peanut allergies. As mentioned before this problem effects a very limited amount of children to a severe degree. Therefore, there shouldn't be a one size fits all elimination of peanuts. As others have mentioned if you start banning every food that some child is severely allergic to then your options become extremely limited. Possibly alternative arrangements should only be made in the very few situations where a doctor documents that life threatening reactions may occur. Then those accommodations should only be made in the most limited of groups, for example the child's table.
while I am sympathetic, I do not support a PB ban. It is the cheapest healthy lunch I can make for my kids and they eat it. Given that they are extremely skinny, good calories are important. I also eat it because I can't eat much carbohydrates without problems. Nuts work perfectly with my system. Allergic children are going to have to learn what they can and cannot eat because the world will not be nut free. Awareness of allergies should be taught to all children so they understand not to share food and separate lunch areas would be as far as I would go for a 'school' solution.
I think it's ridiculous to ban PB because some kids are allergic to it. What about my kid, who is allergic to wheat???? Yes, that's right, he cannot eat bread. IF WE BAN PEANUT BUTTER, TO BE FAIR WE NEED TO BAN BREAD IN SCHOOLS too, in case my kid contacts it. Obviously I can't expect that of everyone, so I don't think peanut butter should have any priority over other food allergies.
so many kids have other allergies like spring alleries so how are we going to get rid of that, BAN FLOWERS? I have tons of allergies what do i do when they act up? I TOUGH IT OUT INSTEAD OF BEING A BIG SISSY. I'M ALLERGIC TO MILLIONS OF THING THINGS I'M EXPOSED TO OR COME CLOSED TO TRIGGER AN ALLERGIC REACTION WHAT DO I DO I AVOID IT INSTEAD OF MAKING A BIG HAIRY DEAL. INSTEAD WORRY ABOUT OTHER UNHEALTHY STUFF LIKE 200 HOUR A DAY SCREEN TIME ADDICTION TO OREOS AND OTHER JUNKFOOD THAT'S RIGHT I'M TALKING TO YOU CHRISTOPHER. YOU COULD SAVE THE MONEY AND GET A FLUE VACCINATIO0N CAUSE COLDS FLUES SMALLPOX STREP AND OTHER DISEASES KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO AT SCHOOL ARE A HELL OF A LOT WORSE THAN ALLERGIES.
I agree with what others have been saying. If we ban one allergen at schools we'd have to ban all of them. What i suggest is that if there are students with severe nut allergies, why not have them eat lunch in a separate room?
This is not a tough issue when you compare it to something very similar. Many of us who are younger probably grew up knowing one or two kids who were severely, deathly allergic to bees. Did the school administrators then ban outdoor recess because maybe two kids out of 200 were allergic to a stinging insect? Of course not. Instead, the parents of those kids who were so allergic to bees made sure their children carried some kind of emergency hypodermic in case a bee should ever sting them. That, or the school kept similar medicine on hand in the nurse's office. That's how it worked with bees and that's how it should work with peanut butter: if parents are that worried about their children, they should take the necessary precautions to protect them by ensuring they have access to emergency medicine. Because at the end of the day, the person who should be looking after a child's safety is that child's parent, not the rest of the world.
Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!Peanut butter jelly time!!!!!!
White Dog wins the internets....awesome.
I believe what we are dealing with here is a simple case of misunderstanding. Perhaps if everone here truly understood the significance of a peanut allergy we wouldn't be having this conversation. Or at least we could have it in a respectful manner. I myself am extremely allergic to peanuts, so I think I can claim to be an expert here. Some kidsand adults have airbourne allergies, if this is the case they simply can't be around peanuts, they can't even smell them. Some kids don't, a seperate lunch table will be fine for them.
But what I think we are talking about here are the kids that have this very severe airbourne allergy. I know personally if I can smell peanuts, my lungs close and if I'm not at the hospital in a very short period of time, I'M DEAD! There's not much you can do for a patient whose lungs have swollen shut except try to keep it from happening. I can guarantee you from the times that this has happened and they've been able to save me, it is extremely painful and it isn't short lasting pain!
So, before you respond harshly or say that those with peanut allergies are weak I ask you to think twice. I run marathons, and survive this nasty allergy. Am I weak? Do I deserve to die because you are unwilling to make a tiny concession to potentially save my life? Just think about it...
I don't think it's a misunderstanding. I think people are getting tired of being told to always make accommodations for the minority. You lay the groundwork when you say you run marathons. Do you demand that the other runners not brink energy bars with peanuts due to your allergy, I doubt it. It's a serious allergy, but you can't expect the world to go around concerned with other people's food allergies. Statistically there are very few casualties from food allergies, especially compared with driving or other activities. Certainly parents can request that other children in classroom not bring peanuts, but we're talking about a very, very common food product. People have terrible allergies to milk, perfumes, bees so it is completely unrealistic to place the onus of protecting an allergy suffer on the other people in the room.
You are a hypochondriac! Medical science has proven that there is no such thing as an airborne food allergy. Some foods can cause mild reactions if touched. Some can be fatal if ingested, but food odors CANNOT cause allergic reactions. So, either you had self induced episodes (the mind is a powerful thing) because you had been conditioned to believe that you were that allergic, you had a reaction to some other environmental toxin, or you are a liar.
Simply put, my child's nutrition should not suffer as a result of another child's allergies. While I am sympathetic to the needs of others and other people's children–(I send as MANY peanut-free snacks as I POSSIBLY can to school with my 10 year old) I am also sympathetic to the needs of my child. Recently, he came home with a note that said, "No more strawberries, kiwi or raspberries. Furthermore, NO more treenuts of any kind. How am I supposed to provide not only a nutritious meal for my child but a lunch that he will eat?!? I would NEVER ask the school to make sure that there is NO hand sanitizer in the school because my son has an allergic reaction to it! I recognize, that hand sanitizer is sometimes a necessity and he is to stay away from it. As a parent with a child who has allergies–we must teach our children to be vigilant & responsible for their well-being when we can't be there to watch them. I have many friends who's children suffer with peanut allergies and 99% of them are ALL for segregated lunches–if it means their child will not suffer a reaction to someone's lunch products. If I were to comply with my son's school's requests–I'd be sending him with a bloody celery stick and a bottle of water everyday....There has to be a solution that works for everyone–not just for a portion of the children. What's next??? No dairy products??
I have read all the comments...yes all of them. Sadly, there is no perfect solution but there sure are alot who believe if it could kill the kid, take it away–don't have it around..so I say let's ban cars: Kids get killed by cars that don't stop or they run in front of on their way to and from school. Let's ban bicycle riding to and from school because many kids have died from injuries on bikes. Let's ban baseball and football at all schools because a hit to the head can kill the child. At home we should NEVER have any prescribed OR over the counter medications because any of them have the potential to be life threatening and kill a child who finds and takes them (of any age). STOP and THINK...anything has a potential to kill a child–but DEMANDING that everyone should stop an activity or not have access to a certain food because it has a potential to end another's life is just pure insanity!!! Protect these children as best you can by knowledge,by educating the other children about the problem, by the separate food tables and the allergy bracelets,by an open awareness that everyone needs to be watchful and mindful. But come on..what does a ban do? Often it creates a hostile environment that creates other unforeseen problems and severe consequences.
Just imagine this scenario: The school bans peanut butter ,maybe all nuts. One day a kid gets into a fight with his/her parents and wants to defy them (those of us who have kids know that none are perfect, none mind ALL the time, and some think of creative ways to be defiant...not bad kids...just kids learning, testing and impulsively reacting to their environment). So he/she brings a hidden peanut butter sandwich or a bag of peanuts to school, sits down next to a kid who has an allergy (which is not known to the offender because there are no separate tables, there is no information, and no one is looking for any of these products) eats the offending product which creates a hazardous dust, or is on the table and the other child unknowingly breathes in or touches it. The other kid leaves before anything happens. The allergic kid goes into shock but no one knows why and you guess the rest...so what did the ban do ? NOT WHAT WAS EXPECTED and, possibly even more harm than good.
Did prohibition stop alcohol production and consumption? Not in the least. Did banning drugs stop the influx and ingestion of them...hardly. In fact the 70's hippies openly stated they did drugs in defiance of the government's stupid laws on marijuana. And we are talking about adults here. SO what makes any of you believe that a ban of food products will prevent a child from sneaking such in? Or secretly eating such just before entering school or at lunchtime? Or prevent exposure from such. IF you want complete control of your child's safety and environment, please for everyone's sake, keep the kid home. School's are NOT a safe haven from detrimental and life threatening conditions., and no matter what will never be.
We don't ban cars because kids get killed by cars. We put in stop signs and cross walks and such. Right? Do you get that? It's not about completely eliminating the source of the danger, it's about reducing the risk. Any reasonable person knows that you can't get rid of cars.
But it's not reasonable to say that peanuts and peanut butter are as important in their context (kids' meals) as cars are in theirs. Banning peanuts is not analogous to banning cars. Banning FOOD would be more analogous to banning cars. Banning peanuts is more like banning, say, extremely fast cars with inherently long braking distances. We can't do without cars, but we can do without the FAST cars. Similarly, we can't do without FOOD but we can do without peanuts.
I'm just making the point here. My kid's allergic to peanuts but I'm not saying we should ban peanuts. I just wish so many people insist on drawing analogies that don't really represent reality.
...The problem that isn't being addressed is *why* cases of peanut allergies are on the rise. The first time I'd heard about people having potentially fatal allergies to peanut products was a CNN story back in 1994, and that was limited to people confined in airplanes who came into contact with peanut particles from the stale bags the stewardesses gave out during the flight. Now it's gotten to be almost an epidemic, with some people taking a hypochondriac stance and demanding that peanuts be not just banned from the lunchrooms, but exterminated as if it were a pestilance. I've actually heard some whackjobs claim that being within ten feet of a sealed jar of peanut butter will trigger their allergies.
Sorry, but peanut butter is *NOT* Kryptonite, people. If you or your kid can't tolerate it, you've two choices: avoid it, or seek medical assistance. If you feel you have to demand that "something" be done, then demand that research be conducted to find out why in the past 25 years an allergy to a foodstock that's been a staple to American society for over two centuries is now, all of a sudden, this "toxic allergen" that "threatens to kill all our children and should be banned". That's the problem that needs to be addressed – find the cause and the cure, not just resort to some legal retardation.
For a school to ban peanuts is opening them up to legal action if they do not police everything brought in. Should someone import peanuts, even if innocently done, makes the school the scapegoat. It would be better for the school to suggest that parents limit use of peanuts, and have the affected child be aware of those around them. I'm aware that some kids are so sensitive that the scent of peanuts makes them ill. It's just common courtesy to not make someone sick.
I hear a lot of people are allergic to wheat too...BAN BREAD!!!!!
I wish I had never read this page. My heart is breaking from knowing that a peanut butter sandwich is more important to some parents than the safety of my child. I am a right-leaning conservative, all about personal responsibility, but my child is four years old and cannot police himself 100% yet and will never be able to police his friends. I will never trust his friends now, knowing that one of yu haters who thinks he SHOULD die might be their parent.
I wish I had never read this page.
Not saying your kid should die, saying his allergy is YOUR problem and you need to be the one held accountable for that not everyone else.
Peanut butter is already banned at my kid's school. I'm a medical professional, and understand allergies, and know how severe they are and can kill you, but because the minority of people are allergic to peanuts shouldn't be a reason to ban the product altogether. Either have the allergic kids eat in a separate room, and have the emergency shot ready, or allowed those kids not allergic to eat their peanut butter sandwich in a different area or room. My kid only eat peanut butter sandwiches, we tried the sunflower butter and the hazelnut spread, and he won't eat it.
I'm a firm believer in natural selection, and survival of the fittest, and if it wasn't for antibiotics just introduce 60 years ago, lots of people would die because of infections. That is why our grand parents had so many kids, and some time don't even named them or recorded them at birth because they would die. Read american history and you will see that settlers had 10 kids or more just to have 4 to 6 survivors, and wait until they turned 2 or 3 years old to name them because children didn't survive. That is life.
Banning PB in school is not the answer. Look at how many products contain peanuts or may contain peanuts.
My son is allergic to Peanut Butter it took an allergic reaction in preschool to find out. Good thing that it only took one look from someone in the office to call 911 and realize what was going on. The next day when I went into school I remember that the comment was made are whole snack program for the year includes peanut butter now what do we do. My son is lucky that he is not as allergic as some kids but do I want to find out if it will kill him because the school doesn't want to implement a no peanut butter rule? It's like driving a car while intoxicated until you get caught or kill someone why worry it can't happen here or to me. All I can do is remind the school every year make his teacher aware every year and hope it doesn't happen again. They still talk about his reaction in preschool so I know made them aware and that every year when a new group of kids come in they watch for a peanut butter reaction from the kids.
Perhaps an area in the lunchroom can be keep for allergy sensitive kids, but it seems onerous to others to ban peanut butter.
You know, contact with the bumper of a car is potentially fatal too, (particularly the airborne its of one) yet I see no one calling for a ban on cars etc. What do we do with little kids and young people to keep them safe from cars? We supervise and educate them and teach them of the danger to themselves if they make improper contact with a car.
The key is not to expect the whole world to change to keep your kid safe, rather you should be diligent and teach diligence from an early age.
Great googly moogly....we've become the most overprotective society in the history of mankind. I'm surprised half of you helicopter parents don't wrap your little darlings in bubble-wrap before they get out of bed in the morning.
If you are a CARING person/parent you should CARE for your/other child.
Therefore penuts should NOT be allowed in schools, for safety reasons–FOR ALLLLLLL.
Children can eat them before and after.
-- simple, and safe.--
If one doesn't kow about allergies, they should learn, and consider–because u never know u might develop one TOORROW!
You are all Peanuts!
people with kids need to just stop. the world doesnt revolve around you and your kid. you keep raising these weaklings who can't even handle simple confrontation without breaking into tears. if you wanto dictate what people can and can't feed their kids, how bout you pay for it? on 2nd thought, screw that, youll just whine like your kids do when they dont get their way. send your kids to private school, but dont try and control public school lunches. todays parents suck.
I am 53 years old and have lived with allergies my entire life. I was allergic to peanuts as a child, and learned to avoid them in camp and at school. I ate a lot of cream cheese and jelly sandwiches! Fortunately, I grew out of my peanut allergy by the time I was 18. (Some, but not all, kids will lose their allergies as their bodies mature.) I was also allergic to most beans, but with the help of a chiropractor practicing the NAET method, was desensitized a few years ago and can now eat all beans with no allergic reaction. I am still allergic to most nuts, coconut, and sunflower seeds. I read labels and am careful to avoid foods I'm allergic to and am cautious when presented with an unfamiliar prepared food. Despite my many allergies, I've managed to be careful and have had only 2 moderately serious incidents in my lifetime, both very uncomfortable but not life threatening, one due to a mislabeling of a prepared food.
I share my story to give background to what I want to say: I empathize with parents of children with severe peanut allergies and wish them and especially their children good health and good luck, but I don't think banning peanut butter from schools will solve the problem. In fact, I think it would be to the long-term detriment of the allergic child. Most children with allergies are well-trained to avoid the things they're allergic to and those who aren't trained by their parents should be so they can deal with situations both in school and elsewhere when they don't have control over what foods they're offered or what other people are eating. Since school is a place of learning, they can practice avoidance of allergenic substances with their friends and on the lunch line. As a child, I simply knew to avoid foods I was allergic to, and overcame my shyness to ask the lunch lady about ingredients when I wasn't sure–skills that have helped me keep safe for my entire life.
In addition to using the presence of allergens at school as a way to train allergic children on how to stay away from danger, (along with making sure the school is aware of the health issue), I urge parents to stay on top of research and new developments in the field of allergy medicine and research, and to keep an open mind. My experience tells me that in many cases, there may be options available that will reduce the severity of reactions or eliminate them altogether.
I went to elementary school with two friends with severe peanut allergies in the mid-90s and these kids were good at self-patroling. We were all aware that we could not sit with these students on days when we had peanuts in our lunches, and they were quick to enforce it. Kids are more than able to take care of themselves and banning a staple of school lunches is certainly not the answer.
It's a shame that so many people are ignorant about the Peanut/Tree Nut allergy. It shouldn't be considered an allergy actually, but a life threatening condition. My son, Hunter, is about to turn 8 years old and we don't just celebrate his birthday, but celebrate another year of us making it this far with surviving his condition. We carry EPI-pens everywhere we go, since this isn't an accommodating allergy that a tissue can help with. My son's first reaction at 2 years old was terrifying when we discovered his condition. Thankfully the doctors at the hospital reacted quickly, because the harder he cried the harder it was for him to breathe. For those who commented like Joe I feel sorry that you do not understand that for their few minutes of satisfaction eating a peanut butter sandwich (for ex.) could be a life time of sadness for me as a parent if I lost my child. We try to be prepared for any accident that may occur, but to lose my child to someone's ignorant attitude will be unbearable like Joe's. Holidays are hard to celebrate, but we do it especially when it comes to Halloween or Easter. We pay the higher prices when we can for items from companies that specialize in Peanut/Tree Nut Free. Again, far from your cheap little life involving your $2.00 jar of peanut butter. Family and/or friends, even co-workers, often bring the container of anything they made to show it is ok for him to eat. Does that ask a lot? No, that means a lot! Those who hang around Hunter don't treat him any different than their own kids and if they want to eat something that could cause him harm they know they can wait until they get home. My son understands as best as he can at 7 years old that he cannot enjoy a classmates birthday at school because a parent didn't take the time to just simply talk to us about the cupcakes they bring to class. My son doesn't get a simple doctor's visit every 6 months, because he cannot be tested in an allergy office he has to have blood work almost yearly to see if his blood levels have change. There will be not be an allergy shot in the future to help him against any effect. This is his life and we embrace all we have to do. So, if you believe your simple spending of $2.00 for a jar of peanut butter is a simple fix for your family since that is all your child will eat because you may see them as a picky eater than you should put yourself in my son's shoes, his family, his dad, his friends families, our wonderful friends, and co-workers and his mom. We check everything!!! It is in so many things you have no idea. But we gladly do it to see his smiling face each day when he comes home from school. So, go in your cabinets and check your shampoos, lotions, seasonings, sauces, cake mixes, ice-cream, cookies, snack foods, chips, dog food, candy, and everything else you will find and see if it has a Peanut/Tree nut or say "processed in a plant" that has contact and see what we do every single day. The school doesn't have the responsibility to watch only your child, but they watch my child. Our food manager at school contacts me on any concern as does his teachers. They care whereas all those ignorant people who comment negatively do not. I could be ugly and hope my child doesn't sit next to your child if they have the same beliefs as you or I hope you don't have anything to do with him in his future as an adult. My son will continue to enjoy school, sports, field trips (esp. ball parks), playing his guitar, and anything else he puts his heart into it without being held back by people like you Joe. Until he has a voice in all of this I will stand up and fight for his rights and nothing will get in my way of that. We have 10 minutes to assist my son with his EPI-pens and this isn't a complete guarantee of him recovering. We don't let this hold us back and just go on educating ourselves more on more on how to prevent him having a reaction. My son didn't ask to be born with this condition, but he talks about it and teaches people about it as best he can at 7 years old. I thankful for every day to have a son like that! So, why don't all the negative people take the time to check out the FAAN or other food allergy networks to learn a little bit more than trying to save the peanut butter sandwich. Happy Birthday Hunter! I wouldn't change a thing about you. Love, your mom..
The truth is, regardless of allergic reaction to peanuts, they ARE hard to digest and there ARE better sources of nutrition around.
Ban away!
I'm allergic to fat people. Can we ban fat people from school lunch and other fine eaterys so I can eat without coming in contact with fat people.
I would guess that those in favor of any sort of PB regulation are democrat, while those in favor of personal accounabilty are republican. This is such a simple problem with a simple solution. If you have an alergy, be extra sensitive to avoid that which you are allegic to. On that same token, be aware that others may be allergic to something that you are not, so don't douse the person in anything. Stop with the lunch time PB&J brawls and don't douse people with water.
And yes Dave... there are some people allergic to water.
Regarding non -ingestion allergies. You can die! My daughter has had 4 airborne reactions from peanuts in the air in the last 10 years and one was on a plane and two were at school. I have a friend that lost his adult son from an airborne shellfish reaction in Spain to a seafood soup that was being cooked in a market he walked through. He didn't eat anything but passed out and went into coma. It was too late to get enough meds in him and he died a month later on Christmas. He didn't know an airborne allergic reaction could kill him. I helped a fellow Dad on a field trip anaphylactic allergy allergic to coconut. A girl walked by wearing coconut based sun protection and we had to carry him away from the area so we could administer his medicine and try to breathe. The Teen Ambassador for our local FAAN "Walk for food allergy..." has had several anaphylactic reactions from non-ingesting. Those Doctors that do not believe that you can have an anaphylactic reaction from airborne allergens need to listen to their patients. Every thing we breathe goes into our bloodstream-duh! It's not like asthma-It's a whole lot more immediate and deadly.
Got a big ol' BS!!! for you. It has been proven by actual science that peanuts do not "go airborne", and that allergies are NOT caused by odors. The DOT recently refused a request to ban peanuts on airplanes because repeated studies conclusively proved that there is no potential for harm without ingestion. Your story is a complete fabrication.
I, as a kid as well, must say this is rediculous! For one, it's just butter mixed with peanuts. What's wrong with that? Two, if kids are allergic to peanut butter, go (beep) yourself! That's their own problem! Three, these so called "parents" aren't doing anything about it! Four, this doesn't make any sense! Five, go tell that to Favre! And six, in the next 30 years, at least someone will die because of WATER ALLERGIES! You see what I mean?!
I dont think the school should ban peanut butter but the schools are more likly to cave because of possible law suits. The parents need to tell their children how important it is for them not to eat anything that contains peanuts and take appropriate action by having there children carry an epi-pen just in case. Parents raise your kids and stop expecting other people to do it.
I work in an elementary school. There are far to many products that contain peanuts, or are made in a facility that also has peanuts in it, to be banned. We have a few kids with severe peanut allergies and we have these children in a NUT/PEANUT FREE classroom. However, any child who can eat peanuts is welcome to bring peanuts for lunch. We have a peanut table and a peanut free table. This has taught compassion for others at an early age and works well for us.
Knowing that some child has suffered for my peanut butter just makes it taste smoother, creamier, happier, better. What about the children? Let them die.
I grew up in a home where my brother was deathly allergic to peanuts. Then I raised three daughters, one of whom has an eating disorder and the only thing she would eat is peanut butter. My brother now carries an epi pen. My daughter, thank God, still has access to peanut butter. If she didn't she may not be here today. The solution, I think? Everyone take responsibility for their own needs. Be as considerate to and as conscious of each other as possible. Stop bickering. We've got bigger problems to worry about–like the health crisis are for example. Now that would cost lives.
PB should not be banned! Children who are allergic need to understand that the world has products in it that may cause them harm. I see this on a dialy basis at school. Teachers and school nurses are educators, we help children learn to be safe. I have 2nd grade children in my school calling out "I have peanut butter in my snack, don't come over to me until I've cleaned up. Younger children are asking thier parents not not to pack Pb , so they can sit with an allergic child.
If Pb was not allowed in school, allergic children will have less opportunity to learn about food saftey and the social aspects that go along with having an allergy. I feel it is much better to learn to say " I'm sorry I can't sit with you because you have PB" when you're 5, than to try to figure it out when you are hormone struck, going through puberty, with peer pressure all around you, when none of your friends know you have an allergy, because its been hidden for years.
Make everyone aware of the allergy. Do not ban PB. Help the allergic child learn how to manage their life. Celebrate the diversity in our classrooms.
who in their right mind would ban something just because a certain part of the population is allergic to it? if your kid is allergic to peanut butter then dont give it to them. inform them that its bad for them and to never eat it or use any products made with the ingredients. blah blah. whatever.
You never hear about poor countries having these food allergy problems. I have never met someone from a third world country with lactose intolerance or peanut allergies!
But what about everywhere else? I pack snacks for my kids on long plane rides. The pre-packaged frozen peanut butter sandwiches are great for long plane trips. Or giving my kids a granola bars with peanuts for after karate class or swimming lessons. Bans at schools work because parents can bully schools into doing whatever they want, but there's no way to make the world peanut free, but I suspect that's what many of these insane peanut allergy parent want. They want to make parents feel guilty for feeding their kids anything with parents, so it's just unexceptable for kids to eat anything with peanuts ever, whether it's at school, at home, or anywhere else.
My son attends a peanut free preschool. We are told we may 'replace' peanut butter with sunflower butter. It is delicious and even creamier than peanut butter. Peanut allergies are dangerous for those allergic......and, really, when it comes down to it, would you want your kid to be the cause of an allergic reaction of another child?
I'm surprised your kid's school will allow any peanut butter replacements. My kids' school banned any nut butters or anything that resembles peanut butter because they can't easily tell the difference. The rabid peanut allergy parents at the school insist that parents will send their kids to school w/ peanut butter sandwiches and claim it's sunflower butter or almond butter, so at my kid's private school, anything that looks like peanut butter can be confiscated. The threat is always that if you pack your kid's lunch, the teachers can take it away from them and your 6 year old might not get to eat lunch. It's a good threat, no one wants their kid to go hungry, so they take the peanut butter bans seriously.
how absolutely ridiculous...What kind of idiocy has our society enetered into where we are expected to espouse banning something to everyone just because a couple of people have allergies?
I as a kid fully agree with john and think that you should all forget it and figure out a different solution instead of ruining it for everyone thats how airport security got so --ing tight solve your cruddy problems in your own way. and trust me if peanut butter gets banned you have some strong ------------------------ing opinions from my sister and me and i'll use such such strong language ill be banned from this website until i'm 3000 years old. and as for you kittyman why dont you look at bretts comment
Peanut butter was always my Dad's favorite snack. When I was 4, he made me a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Stuff started happening in my mouth and throat that I didn't understand, so I started to cry and refused to eat any more of it.
My dad sent me to my room in disgust, and every so often, for years afterward, he'd sit me down with another sandwich and say, "You're not going anywhere 'til you eat that!"
It wasn't until I was 12 that I got allergy tested, and peanuts & walnuts were at the top of the list.
I wanted my dad to apologize for traumatizing me all those years, but apparently he'd forgotten.
Every time I get a whiff of peanuts, I duck and run.
Is PB an illegal substance? No! So then why ban it? It is absurd to keep accomodating all these "special needs!!" How about they (or the parents) deal with it. How about for those who are lactose interolerant? Perhaps someone is hyper-sensitive and cannot be near lactose? I guess we'll have to ban lactose products as well! Oh wait, there are those who are allergic to various seafoods...let's ban tuna and salmon, etc.! Hmm, what else...hey, I know someone who is allergic to soy-based products...let's ban them!!! Of course not! It is pathetic that the majority must accomodate the minority in this way. if you have a problem, then deal with it like an adult...it is childish to expect the world to accomodate you!!!
As for the person (Matt) who claimed PB is making ppl fat because it has junk in it and it is the "lazy parent" who uses it for quick lunches. 1. Yes, your standard Skippy or Reeses PB is filled with "junk" – that is why I only buy the PB made with peanuts ONLY! 2. Sure, I'll bet many parents use it as a "quick" fix for lunch...but not all! Personally, I often enjoy a nice (natural) PB and (natural) jam sandwich. Sometimes my children ask for it as well! It is not relevant to the issue anyhow...
Enough catering to those with special needs, learn to deal with it!!!!! (**Maybe** an exception should be made for very young children who have not yet learned how to deal with their deficiencies.)
i think kids sould be abble to eat peanut butter for lunch i as a student eat it every day
I'm starting to get the feeling there are a small group of people putting out all of these repetitive "comments" using new scenarios... Seriously. This looks just like a spam-bot attack on any other message board.
In public schools there are no nurses or enough supervision on the playground for this disability. Unless allergy kids are allowed to run around with loaded epi-pens then I suggest we leave the sticky substance at home especially at the elementary schools. 1 in 17 kids under the age of 10 has a life-threatening allergy to a food. Most of these are to peanuts and less than 20% ever grow out of it. My child has a "right to life"-and this is a right to life issue. My choice is to protect her and stay involved. I can not do it alone.
> In public schools there are no nurses or enough supervision on the playground for this disability.
Since when did an allergy to peanuts become a disability? Next thing you'll be wanting is government approved monetary compensation because your kid has an allergy to peanuts. I would hardly call an allergy to peanuts a "disability".
Let me enlighten you. Anaphylaxis (due to a food allergy) affects you ability to breathe. Breathing is a basic life function which is required for one to live. Which under the law defines it as a legal disability. If you don't believe me, check with the Federal Government.
My son is allergic to nuts and has had an anaphylactic attack. He is 6 years old and we have epipens everywhere (including school). There is a wonderful alternative to peanut butter called sun-butter. I guarantee your child will not be able to tell the difference. You can find it at your local supermarket and it is actually healthier than peanut butter! My sons school does a great job of keeping a safe environment and he still is eating with his friends.
On another note, IF my son was exposed to nuts as an act of bullying (as referenced in the CNN article today) I would press charges against the school, the school district, and of course the parents of the child who tried to murder my son. As well as get a restraining order against the child. You may think this is drastic, but to me it is like bringing a gun to school and pointing it at my son.
Seriously??? This is absurd... You people are a bunch of liars! Go see a doctor and have this 'allergy' tested!
Due to the number of parents that self-diagnose allergies: If it's not diagnosed, I say don't believe it.
Why should ANYBODY have to prove themselves to you? But ok, since you asked SO nicely, MANY people on this thread posted that their kids have had ANAPHYLACTIC reactions to peanuts. Look it up, it means "about 30 seconds from death." And my kid was diagnosed with the allergy from one of the leading pediatric allergists in the country.
You are mean. Stop it.
Name the doctor.
All I'm saying is that a) people are lying on this comment page to lie, b) people are claiming allergies that are not truly fatal, c) people are taking a urticaric allergy and claiming it as fatal, d) people are just LYING, e) a small number of people are falsely generating paranoia about peanut allergies just to incite press and argument
Jay M. Portnoy, MD
Chief, Section of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
The Children’s Mercy Hospital
2401 Gillham Road
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 234-3097 (voice)
(816) 346-1301 (fax)
Jay.M.Portnoy (Skype)
You jerk.
Jportnoy@cmh.edu (E-mail)
If you don't have a diagnosis from an immunologist, then you have absolute NO right to demand anybody do anything to accomidate your suspicions. Furthermore, if you believe your child does have a life threatening allergy, but won't take them to an immunologist for proper testing, then that child should be REMOVED from your "care."
Many of us have children who have been tested and tested positive. All liars...I doubt that! Many of these entries have been offensive. What if I told you someone you loved deserved to die because they have an illness or a personal health challenge. Chances are you would find that offensive. Many of us don't feel a peanut butter ban is the best answer for all situations, yet here you call us liars and others tell us our children deserve to die. What do you really expect from us?
I have a 14-yr old, peanut/nut allergic son who has been attending school since he was 3 and 1/2. I've read many of the comments and very few mention how the allergy can be triggered by touch. Yes, it is easy to teach my son what to eat and what not to eat, but we also need to worry about him sitting at a table where peanut butter has been wiped on the table by someone previously. my son has broken out in a rash on his legs at a restaurant where someone must have left PB on the bench where he sat previously. we were lucky it wasn't worse in that instance.
that's the reason I chose "a peanut-free table should do the trick" because it seems to be the safest solution for both sides of the argument.
and for those of you who really believe the bigoted, self centered comments you have posted here, please remember that we all share unalienable right to live "safe from harm" and it is the same US Constitution that allows you to voice your uneducated, thuggish and remarkably uncompassionate opinions freely in this forum. gyhooya
thx.
Please explain how a rash is a life threatening reaction that should allow you to inconvenience everybody else? At least you don't try to claim that peanut butter can somehow become airborne. Parents like you are the reason for all the vitriol and invective on this forum. Your child may have a mild reaction when exposed to peanuts, I get it. But a rash isn't going to kill him, so leave the rest of us alone.
Howie,
it's people like you, who speak before you think, that are the problem. You'll notice I chose "peanut-free table" since this is an easy compromise that in no way affects the non-allergic children. It just gives the allergic children a relatively safe option, unless you have a problem with that too?
is that simple concept finding its way through your thick skull?
While I sympathize with people who have these allergies, I don't think that we can eliminate all allergens from any public place. Peanuts are used in so many different manufacturing processes that it would be all but impossible to eliminate all peanuts from any public space that serves food. Children with peanut allergies must be well trained in what to do in case they are exposed to allergenic substances so that they can live safely for the rest of their lives. The adults around them must also be trained in recognizing symptoms and in identifying those foods to avoid. A simple fanny pack with a dose of pseudopherine and a shot of epinephrine in it should be worn at all times by children with nut allergies. Both the child and the adults in charge of them should know how to administer these in case of emergency. Asthmatic children have been self medicating with inhalers for decades. There's no reason to think that they can't learn to take care of their own allergies in the same way. Even if peanuts are prohibited in schools, peanut residue will get in on clothing, in candy, in cakes, cereals, etc.
You have got to be kidding, is this going to be yet another example of how the troubles of the few effect us all?? It seems that everyday in this country is filled with Mass Media excercising it's "intelectual" muscles over the most microsocpic items. While completely ignoring the true issues, yet another distrationary tactic to keep our heads spinning. And, truth be told this item effects such a small precentage of the entire populace that it's almost like pointing out that there is a needle in this haystack!!! Let's make sure that we ban hay?!?!?!?
and where do the bans stop? I have CAT allergies. If I shake the hand of someone with cats, I know to wash my hands. I manage hugging my kids after they come home from their mom's house because she has a cat. WAIT!!! this logic can really work for me. Ban all cats. Then I am sitting on easy street. While this BS radical logic works well for me, it doesn't for everyone else...SO I JUST SUCK IT UP...will the PB allergins and their parents just deal with it. We are all different and all have our own challenges. I can't jump like Michael Jordan and I WILL NOT ASK THAT THE REGULATION BASKETBALL GOAL BE LOWERED TO ACCOMODATE ME. I will just accept that I am not as goot at Basketball as he is, and if it is that important to me, I will lower the goal in my own yard.
Many of us who have allergic kids don't promote a total ban of peanut butter, but suck it up...really? Why don't I tell that to my kid who goes in to anaphylactic shock? I'm sure that advice will be helpful at that moment.
as the parent of a child with a FATAL allergy to peanuts, i say you can't ban them from schools. that's not American and it doesn't really solve the problem. education does.
I also say to these fine folks who have posted these illogical, idiotic and mainly inaccurate posts here spouting intolerance and hatred, not a day goes by where i don't worry about the safety of my child and how he interacts with YOUR child. the one thing I can't control is how well educated and tolerant YOUR child is and given the responses here, that's a pretty scary prospect.
Is your kid alive? Then he doesn't have a fatal allergy. Maybe potentially fatal, but that doesn't sound as scary does it?
I think more needs to be done to figure out what is causing this explosion of food allergies. They weren't really around when i was growing up. It seems like it has more to do with the processing of foods than the foods themselves. In the meantime, I don't think it is such a big deal for kids to abstain from peanut butter at school. Parents could reward their peanut depraved child with PB & J shots when they get home.
I do have a question...as a parent whose son is wheat allergic and under the care of a pediatric allergy and asthma specialist...people really think there is a cure for allergies? Some kids do outgrow some allergies...that is true, but mostly care for food allergies involves education of child and family regarding food allergy avoidance and dietary considerations, epi pen, and asthma or related issues treatment. The idea that they are curable is really a misunderstanding I believe for many of the food allergy kids out there.
I think we all wonder about the parent who is oversensitive out there, but most of the time if the school is involved enough to have a plan from a doctor the diagnosis is well founded. There may be some exceptions, but usually school nurses ask for basic allergy and epi pen info from doctor. If they don't have an epi the school response is typically not as involved.
You people are idiots. Most kids get these allergies because of the super low quality of food they eat day in and day out. To ban PB isn't the issue. Its why are food allergies and childhood cancers are exploding in the US. The issue is why are you low brow morons feeding your kids chemical laden foods with hardly any nutritional value. Whatever suffering you and yours incur because of this you deserve.
My sympathy goes out to those with peanut allergies, but banning peanut butter in public schools isn't a viable solution. It's been tried before and parents simply disobeyed the ban. Peanut butter is also a much cheaper and healthier food than many alternatives; the majority shouldn't have to switch to a more expensive or less healthy food because of the ailment of a minority. My suggestion: if you have peanut allergies, stay away from peanut butter. The lunch room does not encompass the entire school and it should be very easy to set a room aside for those with peanut allergies. Everyone wins this way. The majority gets to eat their cheap, healthy peanut butter while those who are allergic to it are kept safely separate from the thing they're allergic to. Granted, this does mean little Timmy will be separated from his school friends during lunch while he eats in a peanut-free environment, but I really can't see a 45-minute separation during lunch for the sake of his health being labeled as unreasonable.
I have a friend whose grandson has a severe peanut allergy, which was only recently discovered when he was rushed to the ER with a severe reaction. Since that time he has had three other episodes where he had great difficulty breathing, was injected with an epi pen and then rushed back to the ER. One of those times happened after eating at his aunt's house. His 8-year old cousin had eaten a peanut butter sandwich three hours earlier. His mom thoroughly cleaned the table top and made sure that the peanut butter and all used dished were cleaned up and put away. As this five-year old sat eating his sandwich, he touched an area underneath the table which had previously been touched by his peanut butter-eating cousin. He immediately fell to the floor and started turning blue. It wasn't until several hours later, after one more trip to the ER, that they discovered what had happened.
As a friend and mother, I found this story terrifying. My kids are grown now and got through their childhoods with only mild allergies. One of my daughters went through a phase where peanut butter was a daily staple. Armed with the knowledge of severe food allergy potential, I'm not sure what my opinion would have been then.
I do think that parents of allergic children should do all they can to educate their children on their allergies. It's also important to notify teachers and school officials and make sure that they all know how to react in an emergency. I don't think it's fair to ban peanut butter from a school entirely, but I do think that compromises can be made to help increase the child's likelihood of exposure to a minimum. Perhaps offer the option that they can all eat together at the same time of day in a small room set aside for this purpose? Then it would be up to the child and his parents whether to segregate him/her at lunch every day. I also think that other parents should comply with a request to be sure they don't send in extra classroom snacks containing peanut butter or peanuts. It doesn't hurt to have all of his fellow students and their parents aware of the problem.
I think you should just try to set up the environment to be as safe as possible, but understand that we're all human and mistakes can happen, no matter how careful we try to be. The best course of action is for the child himself to be given the knowledge to help him get whatever immediate help he may need. Try your best to be preventative, but be prepared in case the worst happens.
I'm sure there are legal issues involved too, and schools are worried about negligence. I have no legal background and can offer no opinion on this. I do think that anyone who knowingly exposes someone they know to have a severe allergy should be punished strongly enough to deter others from future behavior.
I am really appalled by the number of you who think it's ok to weed out the weak ones and let them die! Frankly, I'm shocked and sickened to see the things some of you have written. Where is your mercy and empathy? I can't believe are speaking this way about sweet, innocent children!
If my child was so allergic to peanuts that he would die because of particles in the air, I would NOT send him to public schools. How selfish and irresponsible these parents are to send their children to public schools where peanut butter is a healthy staple food!
Not to mention that WIC provides peanut butter to low income families. My children do not eat peanut butter, but I know a lot of families who have lost their jobs over the last year that rely on the stuff! If the government is going to provide it then they better not ban the product.
The needs of some do not out weigh the needs of many.
I'm sorry? Did you say it was SELFISH and IRRESPONSIBLE for the parent of a food allergic kid to send them to a public school? Really? What is the alternative and are you going to pay for it just so your kid can smear peanut butter wherever she wants to?
If my child was sooooo deathly allergic to something, I would not expect anyone but myself to care for that child. I have been in school lunch rooms and I do not see anyone smearing anything anywhere, so I am not sure if that is normal behavior for your children, but mine do have manner and good hygiene.
Basically your statement about wanting someone to provide your child alternative education is EXACTLY the same as everyone else saying, YOU should provide alternative lunches for people who depend on peanut butter to feed children. Get real, your standards demonstrate that I was correct when I used the word "selfish" to describe you nut cases... and by the way, there are many free home school programs.
There are children that are too allergic to attend school. Having an airborne allergy is very hard to manage. They can never fly on a commercial airplane among many other things. One could hope for a cure. But, the government is still responsible for educating them. I know of a family that has private tutors and teachers (funded by the school district that they attend) that teach them in the safety of their home. Thankfully their are laws that protect these children. They aren't banned from school, but given an alternative education.
My 14 month old son was just diagnosed with a level 4 Peanut Allergy. I am new to this whole world of food allergies and never in my life could have imagined a peanut could harm a child like it can. I had never heard of peanut allergies and never really gave thought to food allergies at all. I would probably be the first to run around the house chasing my best friend with a lobster if I knew she were allergic to shellfish….
This has been a huge learning experience and I now know there is a need for information and compassion. The peanut allergy is life long; my son will never outgrow it! Exposure for him means a severe reaction. One of which is Anaphylactic shock, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction. He could die! Our immunologist told us that peanut allergies have quadrupled in the US in the last 10 years that he believes it has to do with the way peanuts are processed in the US, (Dry Roasted). Other countries process peanuts by boiling them and they do not have the peanut allergy issues as in the United States. He also talked about what he called “germ phobia” and over use of antibiotics that has weakened our immune systems. He believes all have given rise to food allergies. So on to the “Peanut Free” schools. I believe educating the public about these food allergies is what needs to happen! Why is there a rise in the allergy, why are food allergies so dangerous?! Let’s educate each other and out children so that there is compassion and understanding about the issue. Keep in mind however; Schools have removed soda machines because soda is not healthy. Peanuts can actually kill!
Viv – time to get a new doctor! It is absolutely untrue to state that your child will "never outgrow" the allergy. Most kids have reactions to certain foods when first introduced. If you continue to re-introduce the food, the reactions usually go away. There has been no increase in actual diagnoses of peanut allergies. The increase has been in SELF-REPORTS of allergies. Hypochondriacs are on the rise. Many many people have a one or two time reaction to peanuts – myself included. I kept eating, and the problem went away. Just because a 14 month old had a rash, some hives, or even a little chest congestion is not a reason to freak out. Any doctor who tells you otherwise should not be practicing medicine.
My -ex is 57. He still hasn't "outgrown" his peanut allergy which he has had since a small child. Peanut allergy is the ONLY one allergy someone cannot outgrow. Now we have a grand-daughter who has this same "allergy".
My child is allergic to the BS 99% of Americans spew from their mouths. Can we ban you people from talking or otherwise expressing an opinion please?
Oh for the lovva god, can all of you shut the (beep) up! I like peanut butter! Live with it!!!!
I think schools should actually ban every single thing that a kid could be allergic to. That we we keep everyone safe!
I am allergic to: Almonds, Oats, Wheat, Dairy, Whey Protein, Eggs, Tomatoes, Strawberries, all other berries, Citrus Friut, Spinach, artificial colors, artificial flavors, beer, wine, eggplant, and several other things. There is no way on earth anyone or any restaurant or school could cater to something like that. I believe it is the responsibility of the parents to pack a nutritious and allergen-free meal for thier children. It is not the government's job to ensure that your child eats a balanced allergen free meal. It is the school's job however to be aware of any such allergies, so they know what to do if an allergic reaction should happen. The best thing that could happen would be for schools to stop providing lunches to children. They are not nutritiounally balanced and are made with all kinds of cheap, low quality, "imitation" food, which is contribution towards the growing rise of obesity and other related health problems. I have taught my kids that if they do not know where something comes from, then it's not good for you. Corn Dogs and curly fries are NOT a food group. Sadly, this is what kids eat at the school lunches. The only way I would even consider letting my children eat the school food if it was "Clean", which schools cannot afford to provide (sadly). As the only other option, kids need to bring their own lunch, and stop asking the 98% to accomodate the 2%. Manage your own issues for yourself you can't expect others to manage your ailments for you. I manage mine just fine – I pack my lunch and inform those around me of my allergies.
I can't read that list and not snicker. You are a bad liar or have never seen a doctor and had this documented. Even then, you are not going to have fatal reactions to every single thing you listed. It just screams hypochondriac. That, or mild skin reactivity to a allergen panel (which would mean you're not at risk for much of anything but an itchy day). Or perhaps you are just making the whole thing up.
If you had one actual medical problem, my guess would be gluten enteropathy.
You've got to be kidding me. Granted, I haven't been in school for a long time but I don't know why all of these PC advocates out there have to be so nit-picky about every little thing. If your kid has an allergy to peanut butter, take the peanut butter away from the kid, don't take it away from *every* kid. I happen to love peanut butter and I know at least one other person who has an allergy to peanuts but I respect that about her and she respects my love for peanut butter. This has just gone too far and it's about time someone said, "NO!".
The relative number of 'parents' here claiming their 'son' or 'daughter' have anaphylactic peanut allergies far outstrips what the reported number of cases nationwide... Is it people lying through their teeth (probably) or selective collections of people?
Folks, stop lying about your kid with a food allergy. If you think they have one and have never seen a doctor, you cannot honestly claim they do have the allergy. These reactions are very well defined... and kid 'climbing up the walls and get getting violent' isn't an allergy.
When every other person in this round robin claims to have a kid or friend with a food allergy (FATAL, ANAPHYLACTIC, DOCUMENTED), I say people are just lying.
life threatening peanut allergy overcome by new treatment. Telegraph.co.uk
I'm shocked but not surprised. Peanut allergy can be serious. Those without peanut allergy should be grateful that they don't have it and sympathize with those that do. Kids can surely live without having peanut butter for lunch! I'm so disgusted that it is the parents commenting and voting here who will be teaching life's lessons to their kids. This is such an intolerant and spoilt society. I blame suburban culture for this. Too much personal space! Too little diversity! It is not like this in other countries I've lived in! Really!
lETS BAN PEANUTS AT BALL GAMES... IN sTORES, AT PARKS , HELL JUST JUST BAN THEM LIKE CIG'S... COME ON i REALLY LIKE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES!!! AND SO DOES MY SON!!! OH AND DON'T FORGET THE JELLY!!!
Since only 1 in 2 million kids have a life-threatening allergy to peanuts, but 1 in 20 parents claim their kids are miraculously one of those 1 in 2 million, obviously 99.9% of those kids have never received such a diagnosis from a doctor, or the parents are flat out lying.
Peanuts are full of mold, aflatoxins that can cause severe reactions in children less than 1 years old. We all know that, after having children, but we do not fully understand how exposing ourselves to these aflatoxins affects our health as growing children and adults. Peanut butter is very high in fat and one of the worst forms of protien. Allergies are on the rise and immunologists do not know why. Some theories are that our children receive three times the amount of vaccines than we used to, born in the 70's, and therefore, some children's immune systems may be compromised. Another theory is that since we have less exposure to microbes, high use of anti-biotics, sterile environments, non-cultured foods (lack of firendly bacteria) our immune systems are not developing as they should.
More children have severe and/or life threatening reactions to tree nuts and until we find out what is causing this increase we can choose to be adapt or complain.
@Zanatos I mostly agree. Steps have to be taken to protect the few vs the many, just as a matter of practicality. However, and though I'm no expect by any means, peanut allergy seems to be a particularly violent reaction to a tiny presence of allergen. So though it's true that there are no end to the number of allergens, I think the benefit of avoiding the problem probably outweigh the cons of people having to avoid peanut butter.
It's not a non-concern for the rest of the parents though. Peanut butter is cheap protein that doesn't need to be refrigerated. Still, this isn't a "if you're allergic, don't eat it" situation.
The bottom line is it's not as black and white as either side is making it. It's a thornier issue than "It's my right to spread peanut butter on everything and the hell with you!" vs "If you make one PB&J you are consciously choosing to murder my baby"
Also to the "it's not a powder therefor it can't be airborne" people, what do you think smells are?
In recent years we have seen such a tremendous increase in the number of people with these serious allergic reactions, just as we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of children with mental problems of various kinds including autism. Imagine for a heartbeat that this was a biological attack; how intense would our national reaction be? But if it's just because the food and cosmetic industries are able to release products without major testing, well, that's just the American way.
We don't want big government, and we don't want government interfering in our lives or in our business; but we also want someone ready to step in after a natural disaster and we want someone watching that eggs are safe to eat and we want someone to keep the banks honest. One would think there must be a COMPROMISE that most of us could live with; except this very subject – fatal anaphylactic shock allergy reaction – shows that on some things a compromise isn't attainable. So it still falls to us as good human beings to find ways for everyone to live well, rather than yelling at each other from opposite sides.
I used to be one of these people who couldn't figure out what's wrong with kids today and their allergies...and then I had 2 kids with peanut allergies. The difference between peanut allergies and some other allergies (e.g. shellfish) is that peanut oil gets all over the place and there is a much higher instance of cross contamination. My kids' school didn't ban PB, but they do have a peanut free table and we've asked our kids' teachers to have the class wash their hands when they come to school in the morning and after lunch. (We even provide the wipes). I don't find that this is such a hardship for the non-allergic kids and a side benefit is that one teacher told us that her kids had fewer sick days which she attributed to the hand washing. Nonetheless, there are always going to be these virulent people who think that kids are somehow weak because of allergies. At one parents' night a parent actually stood up and said her non-allergic kid "feels bad" because he can't sit at the peanut-free table and he feels like he is being punished. My kid can only sit at one table...yours can sit at the other 29 tables...but somehow your kid is being punished? Who is the weakling now?? For whatever reason there are more and more cases of allergies these days. It's a reality we need to deal with.
Of course we can't ban something for the few. That's not the way life works. If you need to stay out of the mainstream for your safety, then that is what is best. If I didn't have peanut butter when I was in school I would have had to go without. Even now I frequently take it to work for lunch. It's nutritious and afforable.
When did so many kids develop peanut butter allergies? I had never even heard of this until a few years ago. I'm not saying it isn't serious or doesn't exist - but just wondering why all of a sudden it is such a big issue. Are there any statistics on how many kids suffer from this allergy?
Can't we just ban the students with these allergies instead? It's much easier and cheaper that way.
That has to be the best idea I have read thusfar! Thank you!
This is just more Liberal nonsense brought to you by the people who brought you global warming. Peanuts are harmless. No one has an allergy to them. I don't have any allergies to anything, and I think that so called "allergies" are all due to overdosing on antihistimines and other junk-science medications. All you need is a kleenex and a little will-power and you will shake your antihistimine addiction.
That's absurd, wrong, and irrelevant. Let's say for the sake of argument these insane ramblings of yours are the truth, what difference does that make? 7 peanut molecules still kill these kids. No matter how you feel about the bans, what difference does it make how they get the allergy? They have it. It's real.
My child is bright, smart, energetic and allergic to peanuts. I don't see why this topic is even being debated. Allergies to nuts can be and are deadly. To not ban them in schools is essentially like handing a loaded gun to a child. Children do not make the best of decisions, and to allow them a chance to bully another (which in this case could be a life or death situation) is irresponsible. My child goes to school equipped with an epi-pen and a packed lunch each day, but I'm essentially waiting (on eggshells) for the day that an accident happens and I'm contacted by the hospital and school officials. We've already had 2 of those accidents while he attended a child care center, and a preschool that refused to ban peanut products. Basically, feed your child whatever you want to in your own home, but please keep it safe at school. My boy isn't an outsider, and doesn't need to be singled out to eat lunch alone in the classroom.... stop serving nut products in school so all children can experience a safe environment and remain included.
For you to suggest that the only way to protect your child is to dictate what my child can eat in PUBLIC is (a) ludicrous (b) egotistical (c) self-centered (d) manipulative and, most importantly (e) rejects YOUR responsibility to teach YOUR child to take responsibility for their OWN limitations and act accordingly. Go teach your child what needs be done, or not done, as the case may be. I don't care who eats PB, or or who doesn't. I do care when self-centered egomaniacs like you presume to tell my children and grandchildren (two of whom DO have peanut allergies, by the way) what they can and cannot do. Good luck with that. Not happening. I taught my children to deal with their limitations, and they taught theirs. No one dead yet, or seriously ill. Teach your helpless victim, I mean your child, the same lesson, and your child will survive. In the mean time, leave mine alone.
Believe me, my child knows what not to eat. He knows not to go around children eating peanut butter or granola bar type snacks. The reactions go beyond what enters his mouth! If he touches something that another child with peanut butter on their hands has touched he will have a reaction. You should know this from your own experiences with the allergy. We've attended peanut free preschools and there wasn't a problem presented by the parents of children without allergies, so I doubt there would be that big of a problem deeming schools as peanut free. My house is peanut free, its not like its that hard to remove peanut and nut products. Not the end of the world for those without allergies. Less impacting than the current bans on smoking in public. I'll Im asking for is for you and your kids to go 7 hours a day without peanut butter.... but that's too much to ask. I'll let you get back to watching Fox News.
Maybe? We should be more worried about why "food?" allergies are on the rise! Ah, could it be something as simple as greed? By the handful of mega companys in control of most "food?" offered , But are the same companys behind all the chemicals from the farmers fields to our doctors "cures?" Please! just take some time to look into it before making More rules to limit personal freedoms.
I wrote about this debate on Helium.com and my article is number 3 out of 62. Here is the link with my side and another writer's POV on the opposite side. http://www.helium.com/debates/69622-school-districts-should-anyone/side_by_side?page=3
I am allergic to fish – emergency room allergic. I had to learn to stay away from fish, things made with fish, fried foods that were fried in same oil as fish, etc. Fish was served every Friday in my school and no ever thought to ban it because of my allergy. It is my responsibility to stay away from what will harm me, not the responsibility of others to not eat fish because I am allergic to it.
If your child is allergic to wool, should we ban that? If the child is allergic to dairy products (my grandson is) should we ban that? If your child is allergic to perfume, should we ban that? If your child is allergic to soap, should we ban that? People have to start taking responsibility for their children. If the child has an allergy, he should eat alone or be taught that he cannot touch the stuff EVER and there should be medication available in the event he is accidentally exposed. If we don't get real about these issues, there won't be anyone in our schools.
Until the School provides my daughter with a lunch I will send whatever I want.
As a school food service director, I can tell you that establishing policy regarding peanuts in school is a touchy issue and reading some of these ridiculous comments tells me that whatever policy a school district comes up with is going to be a no win topic because no one will be satisfied. It's impossible to have a peanut-free school but it is possible to eliminate peanuts from the school menu and to establish good hand-washing procedures for kids. And doesn't everyone benefit from good hand washing?
I can't believe the number of people who are willing to chance other childrens health just because they are too lazy or ignorant to change their child's lunch time sandwich! Your kids were born lucky – I'd love to hear your arguments for change if your child was in a wheelchair etc. and needed special access at school.
I have had a life threatening peanut allergy since I was born in the 70's – long before the hype of rising food allergies. I have lived with this allergy for 34 years; I've had scares consuming peanut-containing foods and have had several rushes to a hospital for benedryl drips and adrenalin shots.
Despite this, I actually don't believe that schools should ban nut products. Parents – YOU NEED TO EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN. They have to live with this problem their whole lives – eating at friend's houses, in restaurants, traveling after graduation. The sooner kids learn that they DO NOT accept ANY food from another person, the better they will be prepared for a real life of taking care of themselves.
School is tough enough. Making kids eat at a separate table from their friends or in a separate room is just mean.
What should be banned is straight peanuts / nuts in the shell or shelled that carry the dust. That is what gets in the air and causes problems for people with nut allergies. I truly believe that as the incidence rate of allergies rises, public places such as schools and airplanes have a responsibility to keep their "customers" safe and should ban those foods. However peanut butter sandwiches, chocolate bars etc. don't get in the air, and don't put other kids at harm unless ingested. If anything, schools should have mandatory hand washing after lunch – that would solve a host of issues!
Parents, it is your responsibility to educate your kids for their own good. Their college or workplace won't ban peanuts for them, and they need to learn how to manage their environment.
However, to all the other parents who make comments like "I bet the kid doesn't even have an allergy" or "the parent is just dramatic" – just wait until your kid has an accident and is in the hospital and you are worried sick – I hope someone comes up to you and says "I bet they aren't even hurt and you are just looking for attention".
Is this even a problem? Shouldn't we wait for an allergic reaction or an issue to exist before we start over-reacting and taking a brown-bag staple lunch away from kids?
The problem here isn't in the nuts, but in the lawyers. The schools are afraid of lawsuits claiming that they failed to protect their children from harm. Most people these days have this sense of entitlement and severe lack of personal responsability. On the other hand, common courtesy has also gone out the window.
Guess what? If there was actually a danger of death – even to a very small portion of the population, there would be links all over this page to validated reports of children dying. Instead all we get are baseless fears and hysteria. No child has ever died in this way. Poster RichP had it right, he offered to pay $50 to anyone who could post a link to an actual validated case. He didn't have to pay up.
I blame the lawyers. The schools are afraid of being sued if a kid dies from a peanut allergy, so they take the heaviest handed tactic they can, ban peanuts completely. That way, even if a kid dies from this allergy at school, the school lawyers can point to the "no peanut" policy and say it wasn't their fault.
I am no expert, and while I am completely aware that *some* peanut allergies are severe, I am also aware that parents have become increasingly reactionary in their thinking about peanut allergies instead of seeking medical advice. Many food allergies are outgrown or can be treated – peanut included. Allergies can be very severe, but most are NOT and can actually be classified as "intolerance". Parents, please seek TRUE medical advice for your children if you suspect an allergy – and reassess that diagnosis from time to time. Simply because your child showed an adverse reaction to eating peanut butter 3-years ago does not mean the whole school needs to be peanut free.
My thoughts are that parents need to be VERY realistic about the severity of their child's allergy or intolerance. I feel like any school that is considering or instituting "peanut-free" policies should be doing so out of absolute necessity for a child, not convenience or fear. There are medical professionals that deal specifically with allergies and I believe they should be consulted to examine children with allergies to determine the severity and necessary precautions.
If I can save another child's life by thinking twice when packing my children's lunchbox, I am happy to do that. However, if I'm spending extra time, money and energy (along with thousands of other parents) to simply perpetuate one parent's unfounded fears, we have all succumbed to the fear mongering.
Families who don’t deal with food allergies on a daily basis may not understand the serious nature of food allergies.
Having a peanut allergy is not the same in each case – symptoms can range from a minor irritation to a life-threatening reaction or anaphylaxis. And for all you who think that allergic kids should be watching their own backs and leave your kid’s lunch box alone… the life-threatening reaction does not only occur when the child himself eats peanuts. If someone with an extreme allergy even comes in contact with peanuts, they can go into anaphylactic shock. Example – a kid eats a sandwich at lunch, gets peanut butter on their hands, and then touches a door handle going into class; then comes along an allergic kid, touches the same door handle going to class, and then rubs his eyes with his hand. Within seconds, the allergic child will begin to have a reaction, which in severe cases can lead to anaphylactic shock and death, even if the proper reaction steps are taken.
In the last ten years alone, the prevalence of reported food allergies has increased to over 18% of children under the age of 18. According to research reported in the December 2003 Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, the incidence of peanut allergies has doubled from 1997 to 2002. In April 2007, this same Journal collected research on 31 deaths resulting from fatal anaphylaxis… nuts accounted for over 80% of the deaths.
For all those out there who have little patience with parents trying to keep peanut butter out of the schools, good luck. With the rate of nut allergies increasing astronomically each year, chances are you will know someone someday that has this allergy. Hopefully they do not encounter ignorant people, such as yourselves, who have no concern for other people’s safety.
Amen!
So, what is next? Okay, so then, the next kid comes up and has an allergy to HAM. There is one more thing my son cannot take to school. This is the parent's resposibility, not the school and definately not mine. Can I request that you stop using a certain type of laundry detergent because my kid is allergic to the fragrance they use and he comes home congested and itching everyday?
Yes, you absolutely can request that. You can request that, because it's something that's so very easy to change. I would change my detergent if your child had a severe reaction to it. I would make that change because I'm a decent and caring person. Just like peanut butter...it's easy to make a change, but sad that most people aren't decent or compassionate enough to bend just a little bit. So disappointing.
For those that are opposed to accommodations in schools should be ashamed. Schools accommodate for any type disability (yes I said "disability" since breathing is a basic life function and anaphylaxis affects your ability to breathe.)
I would hope that the naysayers never have a child or a family member with a life threatening food allergy. I promise
if you did, you would feel differently.
Also, parents of food allergic children do educate their children about food safety. I have yet to meet a family that wasn't working hard to educate their child on being safe. But, at the same time, these children are entitled to a safe learning environment. Just like any other child.
It would be wonderful if every child could be accommodated, but that is not possible. I have a deadly allergy to fish (I've lived with it for over 50 years) and have to be very careful about what I eat as fish oil, fish based sauces, etc. lurk everywhere. I had to learn to ask questions and keep myself safe. What happens when the peanut allergic child goes out into the world at large – will he or she know how to protect him or herself or will it be expected that the world will ban what they are allergic to? Empower those children rather than teaching them that the world will change for them.
I understand that education is key. Teaching kids to live in a world where their allergens are present is very important. But,
I am referring to kids in school where there are laws that protect them. Each child is entitled to learn in a safe learning environment. Period. If you disagree, contact the Federal Government.
I think we are talking about two different things here. The everyday allergy to foods which is not severe enough to cause trouble for a child if they aren't directly in contact with it. In most cases we will never need to limit peanut butter or other food allergens because the response is not that severe for all people. I speak as a mom with a child with a wheat allergy and a former teacher. We always seem to have a knee jerk reaction as a country to everything. So aiming for balance here. The percentage of the time where the allergy is super severe is smaller. In those cases we need to ask parents and other students to help- compassion is a lost art that we all should rediscover. How often might this be...well most kids will never have another child with that severe of an allergy in their classroom. My son doesn't need everyone to quit eating wheat...he knows what he can and can't eat and has an epi pen...that said we should be compassionate for those kids with severe beyond their control allergies. In 11 years of teaching I never had a student with allergies so severe that they couldn't be in the same room with it, but I know that it does exist. So if your child for one out of 13 years of public education is asked to go without peanut butter would that be the end of the world...no. They would probably applaud the change. I understand that many feel they have rights...don't we all. The first of the rights is to life...we must consider this the most important...so can we give these kids with severe allergies a break on the rights issues. They have a right to life. That supercedes inconvenience. The school is a public place open to all. They have as much of a right to go there as anyone else's child. So let's not have a knee jerk reaction and ban all peanut butter and lets not have a my rights hissy fit that is only focused on the rights of one who might be inconvenienced. Lets keep PB and other allergy foods as options in the school unless it is seriously dangerous to a child and lets show compassion when a child needs us to go out of our way so they can have their right to life honored.
Each child with a peanut allergy should wear an ALLERGY bracelet...and then.......arm each lunch aide and teacher with an EPIPEN.......
Your exact comment was "If you can't be cured, and are so deathly allergic, then you have no business being out and about in society, anyway." I shouldn't need to repost it since it is only one line up. I fail to see the 'responsibility' you are speaking of, other than, people should be responsible for not inconveniencing you. Thanks for calling me a TWIT, it makes you sound much more intelligent.
My kids don't have peanut allergies (though they do have celiac - another story), but I've seen kids react to peanut allergies and it's scary, even with an epi pen. Sorry, I don't see picky eaters fitting the same life or death category. Truly, how many children spend a week in intensive care because they can't eat what they want for lunch? At this point I don't advocate banning peanuts from schools. Some things that have worked in schools that have students with severe peanut allergies is making the cafeteria kitchen peanut free - no nuts in the banana bread, cookies, muffins, etc. That way if a kid with a peanut allergy goes through the lunch line, there's no danger of exposure to peanuts. Also in classrooms where a child may have a severe peanut allergy, children who bring their lunches from home (pb sandwiches, whatever) leave them in a tub outside the door. Then they wash/sanitize their hands when they get to the classroom. There can be a peanut-free table in the cafeteria, but non-allergic friends of the child with the peanut allergy can also sit there (as long as they're not eating peanut butter that day). These are all simple courtesies that aren't that difficult to put into practice. Yet if parents continue to adopt the my-child-should-be-able-to-eat-pb-no-matter-whose-life-is-on-the-line attitude, someone will get hurt, whether it's through bullying (mimicking the parents' bad attitude perhaps?) or even the death of someone who can't help having a serious peanut allergy. If something so tragic is to happen with any frequency, pb will be banned and rightly so.
this is ridiculous. I don't have kids but i use to be one, and if your kid has a allergy then that's your problem. You shouldn't stop others from eating PB or anything for that fact! i just learned that kids cant play tag, dodge ball or leap frog in my local elementary schools. All because of parents like these that take their childs problems to the next level. And if your worried about your kids weight, then step up and take away their PS3 or Xbox and put their ass on a bicycle or in soccer, AND QUIT CRYING ABOUT EVERYTHING!
To all the people saying peanuts are the only life threatening allergy or whatever, here's a newsflash- it's not.
I have a friend deathly allergic to chocolate. If she touches it, she gets a painful rash. If she accidentally eats it, it will inflame her throat so much she could suffocate and die right away. I remember two years ago, she touched a plate that had chocolate chip cookies on it and got a rash over both her hands. The rash became infected and she was in the hospital for the infection for a week.
I've never ONCE heard her ever suggest banning chocolate from anywhere. Telling a kid to stop eating peanut butter might make a few angry, but imagine having a school ban chocolate. That was not intolerance, that was a deadly allergy she had.
So, before you retort that "Oh, we won't be banning dairy/water/fruit/etc because those aren't deadly", kindly remember that allergies vary intensely by person. I'm willing to bet that you can find at least one person in this world who is deathly allergic to dairy.
Wow. Hot topic.
IT'S NOT A "PEANUT BUTTER BAN", IT'S A "PEANUT BAN"
No peanut butter, no cookies with peanut butter or peanut pieces, no chip or crackers made using peanut oil, no food made on equipment that processes peanuts.
Regardless of what peanut-parents say, that's not an exaggeration. (Logically, would you allow anyone peanut pieces if you were certain a peanut in the corner of the room would kill your child?) One peanut-parent tried to get our school to ban kids consuming peanut products immediately before coming to school.
Accomodation like a table is acceptable, maybe no PB&J sandwiches in grades k-3, but there must be a point that it stops. In fact, I'm against a ban for this very reason.
Common sense people!
That's ridiculous! Make a nut-free table or an allergy table or something and just ban sharing food! People are stupid. Like you can't come up with a better solution than banning peanut butter across the board? Use your problem solving skills that are SUPPOSED to separate us from apes!
Seriously, ban SHARING food? That's just a bit naive. You must not have kids. What do you think is going to happen when you tell kids to not share food and then send them off to lunch? They're going to share food.
Oh right Tim. Banning SHARING is naive, but banning Peanuts is not. Sorry your can't teach your retard of a child not to give his food to others or to eat food from others. Your child has a long life of failure ahead of him.
"DaveInTucson
....But the Democrats could have their way and ban peanuts in school. They ALWAYS overlegislate to protect the MINORITIES."
Unlike the Republicans that ALWAYS legislate to protect the RICH!
Personally I don't think banning anything will help, but that taking special precautions like a peanut free zone and having epi-pens on a case by case basis is indeed warranted. Both the child and the staff should be educated on the condition.
I do not have children, but I have encountered many different allergies with varying degrees. I have treated someone in anaphylactic shock before and it is an extremely serious thing. They can indeed die from it without rapid intervention. That said I find it ironic that some people are going to extremes in favor of the ban including saying that others people's issues are not as important or severe as theirs. Comments saying that you can't be allergic to this or that or mine can kill etc. It undermines your cause when you do that and makes you sound less credible rather than the mature adult I know you are. You get emotional because it can be scary and I sympathize with you I really do, but there are indeed allergies to things you wouldn't believe with the severity varying from individual to individual. To those saying you won't starve or no harm can come to a kid if they don't eat PB; the parents are stupid for coddling them etc read on. Two of my cousins both have genetic diseases that result in behavioral issues. They refuse to deviate from their select palates even with professional help called in in the form of doctors, nutritionists, psychiatrists, and special educators. It is like OCD and yes they would rather go without food than eat something else that you put in front of them. It is a disability just as much as the one you mentioned your family or friend has and I assure you not one of their choosing... who wins that fight? I say live and let live and reserve judgement on those around you until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
Very, very, well said.
'According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as many as 1.5 million people suffer from a peanut allergy. Annually, about 100 people die from a reaction.'
Let's just do the math really quick, shall we?
Earth's population = 6,871,600,000
Percentage of people with Peanut Allergies = .0002%
Percentage of people who die Annually due to Peanut Allergies = 1.45526515 × 10(-8)%
Chance of winning the Powerball = 1 in 20,358,520 or 100 in 2,035,852,000
You have a better chance of winning the Powerball 3 times before dieing from a Peanut Allergy.
My child will eat Peanut Butter whenever he pleases, whether your kid is allergic or not. Call me what you will, but until you win the Powerball 3 times, I don't care about your child.
Good Points, but I think some of those numbers are completely useless in your argument.
Bravo. And your child will grow up to be a douchebag just like you. Poor kid, he was a loser from the day he was born.
Wow Tim, great argument. I'm sure you are up for the Father of the Year award. My kid is a very SMART kid who knows what is right and what is wrong. He knows that the stove is hot, and he shouldn't touch it. He is able to heed the warnings given to him. Teach your kids that eating Peanut Butter or Peanut products is bad, and HOPEFULLY they will know NOT TO EAT IT. Thats not my child's responsibility to ensure the safety of your nitwit child.
Hey JJ, my nitwit kid knew not to eat peanut products. He had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter by touching the underside of a table, which wasn't cleaned the night before. not by eating when he shouldn't have. Nice try though.
I don't doubt your kid's looking pretty smart to you. Can he do that really fancy math like you can?
Here's a solution, your child's school can fire the damn janitors that don't know how to CLEAN and get some competant people in there. That, again, is not my child's responsibility.
I understand. I also understand that people like myself must put in extra effort to take up the slack left by narcissists like you and ultimately your child.
Sorry, peanut butter does not release dust or particles from the peanut into the atmosphere. The oil and sugar syrups pretty much eliminate that hazard, so banning it is simply acceding to a very, very small minority of sensitive people. A child so sensitive to peanuts that being in the same room with peanut butter causes severe problems is going to be exposed no matter what – kids eat peanuts, peanut candy and peanut butter, get it on their clothes, and eventually contact kids with allergies. Shall we just simply ban peanuts completely? How about ragweed and pollen (for the allergic) and wheat flour (for the Crohn's disease people)and eggs and milk (for the lactose intolerant).
Sorry. I sympathize with parent of chidren with allergies. I grew up with a mother who took allergy shots for years. You simply need to deal with the problem in a way that does not impose your tiny minority problem and solution on the rest of the world. We do NOT owe that to you.
I find this amusing. I do not support gov't involvement with peanut butter especially if it satisfies a very very small minority. I know the risk of peanut allergies, here at my hospital there are people who come from all over for the clinical trial for peanuts. I think what people are missing is that restuarants should have the right to ban smoking they are a private institution. The gov't shouldn't intervene. I don't smoke and can't stand the smell of it. I do not go to bars if there is smoking, but I prefer customers stop going b/c of the smoke. This applies to peanut butter (and nuts in general) also. But schools for the most part are public and shouldn't be allowed to ban peanut butter. Kids are old enough at 5 to know what they should and shouldn't eat. If mom and dad did their job and explained to them the problem with eating something that can't eat b/c of getting sick.
Peanut allergies can be airborne, got it. But peanut butter isn't a powder and neither are whole nuts. Peanut butter stays on the bread it doesn't fly in the air. Kids should be taught what is right and wrong. I DO NOT want the gov't telling me what is good and bad. If I buy a Prius, it will not be b/c it is good for the environment. It will be b/c I save my MONEY on gas. But hybrids are not a good investment so I choose not to buy one. Instead I buy civics b/c I save on gas money. I am all for helping my neighbor when it makes sense. But peanut butter, come on, where does it stop.
As a young adult with food allergies, I think it's entirely bogus that you would restrict everyone else to what they can and cannot eat. I have severe food allergies to the point where I can't breathe if I'm in the same room as someone that's eating an apple. Does that mean that I don't allow anyone around me to eat an apple? No. I talk to my teachers and let them know that if I have a problem, I'm going to step out of the room. It's simple. Kids with food allergies aren't weak: parents just have to let them deal with their issues on their own. I'm severely allergic to all nuts and most fruits, and I've still managed to make it to 21 without telling my friends or classmates what they can and cannot eat.
To the one who believes peanut butter is bad. I have eaten the stuff for 8 or more meals per week for the last six months and I'm healthier than the vast majority of men my age with sub 10% body fat. Foods with unsaturated fats are energy foods that are perfect for kids. All natural peanut butter is all the better. Bottom line, kids don't get fat simply from eating wrong. They become obese because of the unrelenting phobia of getting off your tail and doing something. When I was small we played outside and ran and played. Kids with allergies have an obstacle to deal with. If we deal for them in any other way than rational encouragement it only compounds the growing number of young people in this country with absolutely no idea what it means to be a self improving and self sufficient American. People have got to man up and stop all the whining.
If they are going to ban peanut butter they better ban all the other things that make people ill. My neighbors daughter has Celiac and she can not be exposed to flour (gluten) in any form. That not includes ingesting it which she has control of but she can not be in a place where it would even be in the air. So, get real. Peanut butter?? No – it is not peanut dust in the air. It is contained in a jar.
Peanuts can cause an immediate fatal reaction in some children, even just breathing it in and I'd hate to be responsible for a little child's death because I was selfish and wanted to make a point. Peanuts should be banned from schools. If you want your child to eat peanut butter, give it to them on the weekends. It's really not that hard of a decision.
I don't really understand the attitude of those who would put other kids' lives in jeopardy just so their kid doesn't have to give up ONE food. Really, is your kid's "right" to have a peanut butter sandwich worth another kid's life? Is that what it's come to?
I think peanut free tables are usually sufficient to protect kids, but as we've seen, it will NOT protect against a bully who walks over to the peanut table and waves nuts at the allergic kids. These kids need to understand that their action can be DEADLY and that knowingly exposing a peanut allergic child to nuts will be DEALT WITH no differently than if the child had waved a knife or other weapon. And parents need to understand that their children will be treated as such, with the added potential of CIVIL liability for injury caused by their children's aggression.
Peanut allergies are a DISABILITY that is becoming increasingly common in society, and experience with ADA has shown that only hard LEGAL protection will result in action to assist this significant minority. For example, disabled parking would never work if there weren't STIFF PENALTIES for parking in a disabled parking space. Similarly, for schools, tough liability laws need to be passed, and schools need to inform both children AND their parents of the potential LIABILITY they will be subjected to if their kids intentionally expose allergic kids. Unfortunately, only then will the ridiculous "peanut butter is my right" faction be swayed to respect the needs of others.
Note, this is not about accidental exposure - even with diligence, mistakes will happen, and I'm not suggesting that people should be punished for an accidental exposure. But for intentional acts, there needs to be a deterrent for the kind of life-threatening bullying that is becoming all too common in schools
But the reality of it is that it is not really one food. It is peanuts in all their incarnations. Sure it is the good ole' PB&J, but it is also any cookie that has peanuts in it. A favorite granola bar in our home is chock full of peanuts. Or frequently, I will pack a snack bag full of trail mix, which has peanuts because it is a good, healthful, protien rich snack. Reeses pieces for an after lunch treat, nope can't have that anymore. There are tons of examples I can give of foods contining peanuts that would fall under a ban. And that is one of my issues with such a ban. I am not insensitive to the issue. We have severe allergies to certain substances in our family, but I just don't think something like this is fair to the majority.
Yes Mike... it is my kids "right" to have whatever the hell he wants to eat. He is a citizen just as you are. We have freedoms in this country and I am sick of control freaks like you that want to dictate what others eat... just because your kids health issue. Have them sit in a special peanut free room during lunch.... go and sit with him daily so no other kid can smush a PB sandwich in his face...
I have an allergy to fish. Tuna, salmon (lox) and similar types of fish. I made it through school and i was not given my own table or anything special. i probably sat next to kids eating tuna at lunch regularly, but here I am. My concern as an adult though is going to places such as Subway where there might be cross contamination. knife in the wrong bin. A bit of tuna falling in another container. I just avoid them when and if I can.
Are you required by law to go to Subway? My child is required by law to attend school.
My son does not eat meat. Peanut butter (natural) is one of the only protien rich foods that the eats. I do not tell anyone else what to eat or how to keep thier kids healthy, so please do not tell me what to feed my child. Someone needs to do a study on why this issue has come about recently. It seems that it is a recent development or maybe parents have become too dramatic, not sure.
It's not just schools. There's a Peanut Allergy kid in one of my kid's classes. Invite the kid to a birthday party and the entire party has to be peanut free. Special expensive bakery cake from a peanut free bakery, all the food has to be peanut free etc. My kids' school has a policy that every kid has to be invited to a classmate's birthday party so you have to invite the peanut allergy kid and his overly pushy mother. It's crazy. I bet the kid doesn't even really have allergy, his mother just gets off telling people what to do.
This of course ridiculous. Again, using our son with the milk protein allergy, we bring him his own dessert to parties just in case he can't eat whatever is being provided. If we are good friends with the family and they are familiar they might offer an alternative to the pizza or whatever, but we would never request it. We would buy something on our own and provide it for him.
This crazy peanut allergy mother insists her kid could go into anaphylactic shock if exposed to the breath of a kid who ate cake from a bakery that uses peanuts even if there are no peanuts in the cake. Nothing at the parties can have peanuts in it or not have packaging saying the food was made in a peanut free facility. Thankfully the school policy ends at 2nd grade, but until then, many parents in the class don't invite any kids in the class just to avoid "The Crazy Peanut Allergy Mom".
I swear much of this is helicopter parenting gone to extreme. It's about controling all the parents around you. This crazy mother isn't just into the whole no-peanut thing, but kids shouldn't have artificial coloring in their food, everything should be organic. She wants to tell everyone what to feed their kid, and she's got many of the parents competely freaked out that if they ever feed their young kids peanuts, they'll develop deadly peanut allergies.
'the school has a policy where you have to invite all classmates to a birthday party'
What happens if you dont... What if your child doesnt like one of the other kids... you have to invite them anyway?
I would do it just to annoy the powers that be. This is the most absurd things I have ever heard. A liberal must have come up with this ... cant hurt anyones feelings now... JUST SAY NO to this crap. People.. your freedoms are being eroded daily by these control freaks!
Perhaps this could be an age based decision? I understand wanting to ban PB from daycare and possibly kindergarten, but when a child is older, he/she and parents need to accept the responsibility and.
Ignorance and intolerance are a scary combination. I almost hope some of these insensitive people posting eventually have a child or loved one with a life threatening condition that is misunderstood and trivialized.
It seems to me that the problem is that any contact with peanuts causes a reaction in senstive kids and adults. However, kids touch each other all the time. Banning peanut products from the school lunchroom will not solve the problem since a kid with peanut butter residue on his hands can - and most likely will - touch a peanut-sensitive kid. Furthermore, it is simply impossible to monitor. Parent's of peanut-sensitive kids must train their kids to be aware of the potential for contact and how to avoid it. And, what to do if the kid does get exposed.
MY CHILD IS ALLERGIC TO BREAD. BREAD SHOULD BE BANNED FROM SCHOOLS!
My child is allergic to artificial colors and flavors. It makes him climb the walls and get some what violent. Should we ban artificial colors and flavors or should we find a suitable way to work around the allergies. I send his lunch with him. Which by his choice is usually a PB and J sandwich. I find a work around that works for my son. If necessary the school should find a separate table or even a separate room for kids with peanut allergies to eat lunch. I have enough trouble as it is finding suitable lunch material that my child will eat as it is.
I must have missed something. Have peanut allergies suddenly become more common and severe than ever before ?
Or have attitudes changed where your problems became everyone's problem?
I would venture to guess that the people who are pro-peanut butter ban are either one of the parents of the few kids in the school with allergy or have never parented a picky child. Sorry to the first and thank your lucky stars to the second.
Im sure mine isn’t the only child who for years during elementary school ate only 5 foods, peanut butter being the most nutritious. Sure we tried putting other things in his lunch – he came home starving and we soon discovered he had been tossing his lunch for days at a time.
There is no middle ground. Your kids, your problems, if they have allergies make arrangements for your child. I have been a teacher in the past and have seen the hyper vigilant parents helicoptering around, thinking their concerns were of the highest priority. Over half the time the "whatever" that was so important was a figment of their imagination.
My instructions to a parent with these concerns then and now are, "Have them checked by a doctor, bring the diagnosis and two epi-pens to the school, one for the teacher one for the school nurse. We will be as vigilant as humanly possible and still do our job which is to teach and care for 24 other students and your child. Be sure we have all your contact information and emergency numbers. Please try to stop making your child any more neurotic than they already are, many children out grow these allergies.
No matter what arrangements you make with the school believing that your needs out weigh the needs of others is a symptom of the greater problem. The fact of the allergies can be dealt with in a reasonable manner.
I think the school can make reasonable accommodations. At my sons school they have numbers they use to purchase their lunch. This can be used to raise a red flag if they put in the system what child is allergic to what and than if they try to purchase that item they would be prevented from doing so.
This of course is reasonable. Schools should definitely have a record of allergies for kids and make sure they aren't ingesting them directly.
Some peanut allergies are sensitive to just a few ppm of peanut in the air. An optional peanut free lunch room should be provided or conversely, a room provided for those who want peanuts.
For some of us it is not a matter of nutrition or even whether or not the child next to my son has an allergy....it is economics. Some of us fall into that category where we do not qualify for reduced or free lunches so we save where we can......this usually means the WHOLE family has to brown bag it. This also means packing a dollar stretching lunch and pb&j goes a long way. Recently a parent informed me I was attempting to "kill" her child by packing pb. At which point MY child was sent to the office to eat lunch ALONE. He already has sacrificed certain luxuryies because of a situation he has no control over – now he is being sent to the office thinking he has done something wrong. Not sure what the answer is but I dont want my son or anybody elses child to fell ostracized because of a small percentage of children that suffer from an allergy and the fact that I as a parent can't afford anything different.
So, parents of peanut allergies, once there is a ban are you going to tell your kid, "Kid, no more having to think twice about what you eat at school. Please feel free to lick every doorhandle, table, or anything else you want. And at lunch time I encourage you to stick you face in every other kids lunch box and breath as deep as you can, because there can't possibly be the slightest trace of peanut product anywhere in your new peanut-free haven."
Does that sound a little extreme? Now you know how a total peanut ban sounds to normal people. You and your child would still have to take all the same precautions you do now, only everyone else would be deprived of one of the most staple of foods found in school lunches. There's no point to it.
Hell, kids don’t even have outdoor recess anymore to burn off that extra energy they get from those PB&J sandwiches… which is something that would benefit all of these fat assed little snots… now you want to take away the PB… next we’ll find out that these kids cannot go into the gym because it doubles as the lunchroom and PB&J sandwiches were served for lunch…
According to the CSDC, which tracks all causes of deaths in the United States, 11 people (adults and kids combined) on average per year since 2000 die from ALL food related allergies. That's less than the number that die from lawnmower related accidents. So, this claim of allergy related deaths, perhaps seems to be being blown out of proportion.
My son has an allergy to a milk protein called casein and may also go into anaphylactic shock and have his throat swell shut. When he was young, we had to rush him to the hospital because of just such an encounter. However, we have never required his school to be milk free or for no one to bring milk to school. He has the same issue, if he is kissed by someone with milk on their lips, he will have a reaction. We would never consider requesting PUBLIC schools to adhere to such rules.
Why not ban wheat, onions, pepper, and pretty much every other food there is since someone is alergic to it.
I think the conversation is about peanuts since each year (per FAAN), 92% of all anaphylactic deaths are from peanuts. That includes all food allergies and allergies to bee stings, etc.
The UK has 13 million children under the age of 16. In the last 10 years, 4 have died from milk allergy, and NONE from peanut allergy.
Yet here we have see these hysterics, brought to you by people who fraudulently claim their child has a life-threatening peanut allergy. And I'll bet 99% of them have never even tried immunotherapy.
reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1719140/
Hey, wow! My seven year old has a severe peanut allergy. We've been waiting with baited breath for the immunotherapy you're talking about. Please send a link. I assume this information will say that 100% of children with peanut allergies will benefit from this immunotherapy. You seem to want us to think you're a smart person. Put your money where your mouth is.
If your child really does have such a severe allergy, then he should probably be removed from you care, since you waited to ask ME, instead of your doctor, or even just Googling it. Talk about negligent parenting!
The therapy was developed at National Jewish in Denver, almost 2 decades ago. It involves, in the first treatment, of giving an initial dose of 0.1mg of peanut protein by mouth. Observation, followed by increased dosages every half hour or so, until by the end of the day the child is tolerating 50mg – or approx the amount they would get from one peanut. The child is observed throughout this time by a nurse, who also provides activities to relieve boredom. At the end of the day, the child is sent home, with a bottle of pills containing 50 mg each, to take twice a day for a week. The second treatment brings them up to 300 mg, or about what they would receive in a Snickers bar. After that they can just raise it up themselves, starting with a tbsp of peanut butter, until they can tolerate an entire PB sandwich.
It is YOUR kid, why the hell aren't YOU finding this stuff out?!?! Some parents SICKEN me with their negligence!
But I asked for a link. It's pretty easy for you to accuse me of being a bad parent while you're spouting a bunch of technical data you don't really have a handle on. What capacity confers you with the authority to tell me to use this therapy on my kid when there are many, many people in the medical field who actually give a crap about childhood food allergies telling my wife and I that the therapy that would benefit my kid is still several years off?
So again, I would LOVE to see the literature that tells me I can do this with my kid. All sarcasm aside, I would thank you to the ends of the earth if you show me where it is and it turns out it's efficacious.
Just Google: oral desensitization immunotherapy
And get yourself a different immunologist, as the one you have is apparently a quack.
My response to all of you "slippery slope" folks who are afraid that if we adapt to this, oh no!! What's next??? The world adapts to the blind. And to the deaf. And to the developmentally disabled. And to the physically disabled. And to the poor. And to the sick. And to the vulnerable. And to unequal gender (see sexual harrassment). And to pregnant women. And to women who have recently had babies. And to the unemployed. And to the sick, both temporary and chronic.
Adaptation is why this country is so awesome. Look around you. Open your mind. If you don't like the idea of inconveniencing yourself a little bit for the sake of someone who might die for your convenience, think about what it COULD be like for you an hour from now, a day from now. When you're suddenly really sick, or laid off, or recovering from a traumatic accident. I would adapt for you. I do adapt for you.
Ok, I'm sorry, but what about when that kid grows up and they end up working in an office with people who love to bring in peanut butter sandwiches, or peanut butter cookies or anything else that can be made with peanuts or any other nuts?? They will have to learn to speak up for themselves at some point. Now, I will be teaching my son to be a bit more sensitive about a person's allergy should the case come up. My friend has a peanut allergy, and we just pay extra attention to what we make and serve at parties or get-togethers. All she did was bring it to my attention and I understood, and this is what we need to teach our children. Not ban it completely. Use this as a teaching tool for everyone involved.
Yeah, my parents raised me with that old-school mentality. Especially my Dad. He couldn't understand why I couldn't just figure it all out. Lots of adults unfortunately make the mistake of thinking that a kid should just be able to work things out like an adult does.
The problem with that is this: A six year old CANNOT learn how to be an adult. My six year old can't learn how to be careful when he's at the office. You know why? He doesn't have a job yet. He's six. It's not his job, nor is it within the realm of his capability, to "learn to speak up for" himself. Yes, we're doing our best as his parents to help him learn to do that. But he's not doing it yet - because he CAN'T. He's SIX. He also can't drive a car. But by your logic, well hell, he's going to be driving a car some day so why not teach him now?
I didn't say that they need to learn how to be adults at a young age, but that they should be taught starting from a young age consideration for another person's well-being. That's what is lacking with most adults today. If they can't learn it, then maybe peanut butter should be banned until they learn. Again, this needs to be used as a teaching tool for everyone involved (parents, teachers, students).
Generally speaking, peanut butter is crap and is full of sugar. Can't believe how parent buy this stuff and feed it to their kids. Better to eat almond or cashew butter, *without* the sugar.
Thanks for your 'expert' opinion Beth... My... how judgemental you are... just because you do not like peanut butter... or think it is unhealthy... You can keep your almond butter or other crap.. I think it is disgusting. You really sound like another elitist trying to dictate to everyone else what we 'should like' and 'should eat'. PLEASE... go sit in the corner and eat your edamme
Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a bigger threat than peanut butter. It's a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. I'ts abundant in schools nationwide. Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN!
What if you have a child that eats ONLY peanut butter? What then? I have one that eats only Ramen noodles and Jasmine rice....it happens
I think that people need to realize that the current situation for children is vastly different from the eras that they and I came from. Older generations grew up on peanut butter and want to impose their own experiences to their children. However, it is NOT the same world and for reasons speculated but not known, there are children that could DIE because of peanut exposure. It is really hard to imagine people so callous as to advocate for "survival of the fittest" mentality here. I would bet that if their own child or grandchild suffered from this they wouldn't be spouting such vitriol! And really...how hard would it be to have a school sans peanut butter? Now, if you packed your child a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, I don't think you should be stopped, providing a peanut free table for allergic kids should do it. Kids should wash their hands frequently as taught in most school environments.
Are people really this ignorant?
Peanut allergies are life threatening, not strictly through digestion. It is also an airborne allergy and can kill by being near someone who has eaten peanuts.
People who insist upon threatening to kill someone with a severe nut allergy, should be held crimally negligent.
In the schools, there seems to be a Malicious Intent to cause bodily harm to a minor.
I encourage those willing to entertain the thought: read up on the "hygiene hypothesis"
Why do 'more' kids in the US have peanut allergies in 2010?
*** First off, this is simply because there are MORE children around in the US in 2010.
*** According to the hygiene hypothesis, children over-protected from immune-stimulating infections as infants and young children have a higher risk of developing hypersensitivity to otherwise inocuous substances... such as foods, minerals, dyes, etc that do not really affect the vast majority of others.
*** In summary, your immune system NEEDS something to work against in early development and even on through the adult years. If this system is spared the normal load of infections (let your kids play on the floor and in the dirt outside !for crying out loud!) and other exposures, what ends up stimulating immune responses are the 'other' less stimulating but common potential immunogenic compounds in foods and other substances given to the body.
As far as this goes, I say it's up to the parents of the sensitized child. They should have already told the kid what to avoid in terms of their anaphylactic reactions, much less the kid probably already knows what one of those reactions feels like. You hear HORROR stories about 'airborne food particles' and the like, but these are the absolute rarest form of anaphylactic triggers. If one kid died of a peanut allergy due to airborne exposure at the school cafeteria, I would chock that up to sheer bad luck rather than the school's fault for allowing peanuts to be present. These kids are ALREADY bringing their own lunches to school! This isn't an infectious disease that could be spread to many kids and potentially kill large numbers of people from a single source and subsequent transmission, this is a 1 in 5 million chance of somebody have a severe reaction to peanuts... Somebody who ALREADY knows they have this allergy, anaphylactic or urticaric type, and whose parents should have already been well instructed and informed on how to minimize exposure and handle any emergency event. It's on the parents.
Finally, a voice of reason. Those are great, valid points. I have a nephew with a severe peanut allergy. He is home schooled, but goes to football practice, church, the grocery store etc. You just have to be as vigilant as possible, but you can't wrap them in bubble wrap. The world will go on and we all need to adjust accordingly.
how about instead of making the school deal with all of this extra baggage, have it deal with its main focus: actually teaching children. Some schools already cannot figure how to make their students smarter or how to make them study more, how can you expect them to deal with what some extra problem when they cannot solve their main one. A suggestion: How about two sessions in a school day, split up by lunch, in which student go home, eat whatever they want, and then come back for the second session. Students would be more focused and productive.
Something important that I feel people are overlooking is the fact that peanut allergies can go airborne in children without notice. A peanut allergic child can walk into a room with a peanut butter sandwich and go into anaphylaxis without notice. We are raising a generation of self-centered people. If we can't sacrifice our daily peanut butter to keep our neighbor alive and healthy there is something seriously wrong with us as people.
Most children with severe allergies carry an EpiPen as a life saving measure. What most people don't realize is that the EpiPen buys the child maybe 20 minutes of time to get medical attention, it is not a cure.
Let's do more "do unto others as we would have done to ourselves" as a society and see how that goes.
Not to be harsh, but the ridiculous rarity of airborne anaphylaxis does not mean people should ban a food from being brought to school. Every single kid in school is thousands of times more likely to be killed by a complicated infectious disease, die by trauma, or be diagnosed with cancer than die from anaphylaxis due to peanuts.
Nicely said.
This goes for any allergy, not just peanuts. I am allergic to dust, pollen, animals, and a host of other environmental allergies that are airborne, but I don't live in a bubble, though my mother was told I should. I had a friend growing up who was allergic to citrus. So much so that if someone across the room peeeled an orange, her whole face would swell up. The remedy? Benadryl and fresh air. No one banned oranges just for her sake.
We should ban peanut butter because most of your kids eat too much in the first place, and it's an easy way to cut down calories since so many people just gobble that stuff up. Chunky Peanut Butter? We don't have to personify it.
And accommodating other children's potentially fatal food allergies is about being a considerate person. So, if you're an asshole, it might be a problem trying to be thoughtful of those around you.
I didn't realize what a hot topic of debate this is. TONS of comments. I actually just found out last week that my 16 month old is allergic to peanuts. I have 2 older kids, both of which eat pb sandwiches and one who takes a pb sandwich for lunch 3 times a week to 1st grade. As I've been thinking a lot about my daughter's allergy, I have realized that it doesn't matter what anyone does, it only matters what I do. Nobody loves my daughter as much as my husband and I do. Therefore it is my responsibility to teach her that she can't have anything unless I give it to her. I have to constantly out loud and in front of her (as she gets older obviously) read labels and make her very aware of the effects of her allergy. Now, the allergist has not said anything for me to think that my daughter is so highly allergic that the mere presence of peanuts will cause her to go into anaphylactic shock. However, if that were the case, then I would need to decide if the risk was worth sending my child to school. I am already well aware that the chances of keeping my child completely away from peanuts are slim. I won't be with her every day and night for her life. I personally do not think that having peanuts banned from school is the answer, although I think it is great for there to be precautions taken since food allergies are becoming more and more common, and it is a matter of safety. The point is that the parents are the ones that have to take the measure to protect their child. Even if a school is deemed "peanut free", a kid could sneak a snickers bar.
About 100 Americans die from peanut allergies each year. In contrast, about 10,000 children are hospitalized annually with traumatic brain injuries from sports, 2,000 children drown each year, and about 1,300 die in gun accidents. Are peanut allergies really something that we should be paying that much attention to? Ironically, the media hype around peanut allergies has caused some parents to not give thier young children foods with peanuts in them, which has partially fueled the rise in peanut allergies since early exoousure to peanuts is key to developing an immunity to allergies.
both my kids have peanut allergies, yet we always have peanut butter at home. My kids (8 & 6) are well aware of their allergies and know not to touch any food item that has not been packed by their parents or has been verified to be peanut free by a responsible adult. I don't think a school should ban peanuts. Some parents are shocked that we allow peanuts in the house – but life must go on and kids must learn to be aware of their allergies.
People are so coincided and we wonder why children in our country are becoming teen mothers/fathers, ending up in prison, or living off welfare. There is no caring anymore, no understanding. Personally, my 5 year old is allergic is severely allergic to peanuts, to the point that anything containing peanuts are not allowed in his classroom because he could die. Sitting at another table or another area of the room is not an option. He also has other severe allergies so he does not eat the snacks brought by the other parents, we provide them for him. He also does not eat school lunch, but we worry every day that he will come into contact with peanut butter during lunch. I understand that many feel a need to defend their children and their rights, but a child should not have to die to prove a point. If a friend of your child's or a friend of yours child died due to a severe peanut butter reaction, would it change your opinion. I'm sure it would, but for a lot of people it would take something impacting them directly for them to understand the seriousness of this issue.
I went to a state-run workshop yesterday and was a bit irked by the sign at the front check-in desk telling all and sundry to not wear perfume to the class. I thought, "Who are they to tell me what to wear. Harumph." Then, when sitting in the class, I started smelling something kind of sickeningly-sweet - some kind of perfume or lotion. It was NASTY to me and within about five minutes I started getting a serious headache from it.
I'm still laughing about my "instant karma". I've only had this kind of strong, negative reaction to a perfume once before (twenty years ago) and I'd forgotten all about it. Now I was getting an instant lesson in compassion for those who are chemically sensitive in general.
Thank goodness I am neither chemically sensitive in general nor allergic to peanuts or other common foods - but if I were, I'd appreciate all the help I could get in avoiding these irritants. If children can be protected from peanut-wielding bullies, fine. If not, then banning extreme allergens makes sense to me. They can have PB&J for dinner instead.
Eventually we will reach a point where because we cater to every single allergy, affliction, ethnic/minority/religious/racial/special interest group, we will not be able to do anything but stand in a darkened room for fear of offending someone, risking their lives, or violating their civil rights. When does it stop? It's not and can't be a perfect world for everyone. The needs, wants, and desires of the many outweigh those of the few.
Someone mentioned Darwinism, and I agree. The world cannot to adapt to a few people. The few people must adapt to the world.
This is another example of Big Food corporate America trying to steer us one step closer to whatever product or products they want us to be eating. Students could easily be accommodated with a separate table and a stern reminder to other students to carefully clean up their peanut butter lunch with a wipe of a paper towel or wipe. I know for a fact that my children, neither allergic to pb, have been scared to death by the prospect of a child's trachea sealing closed and their dying from touching anything with peanuts. Besides the idea that we are now telling our kids that they should keep this kind of food at home due to the danger it poses to others, is it really a good to provide yet one more factor to increase their anxiety of the world around them and strangers?
Making rules for everyone based on the exceptions in society is an extremely important message for children...it is empathy and it teaches how to be mindful of others. At what cost, however, when there continues to be exception after exception that only makes a child's job of caring for others stressful rather than an extension of their innate kindness?
This is ridiculous, what it comes down to is RESPONSIBILITY. Nobody wants to be responsible anymore. My friends son is deathly allergist to nuts and what has she done, she has taught him that he does not eat anything that she has not given him the go ahead to eat and wow how crazy is this he follows those rules. While I think the attitude of I don't care about your kid and all that is terrible and definitely shows a major part of what is wrong with our society, the fact that parents no longer take responsibility is the biggest problem.
The country was founded on tolerance but that is no longer the way it is. Now it's I don't want your religion at my school I don't want your bad ideas and ways to intrude on my child's bubble. No competing someones feelings might get hurt. No parents want to teach their children right and wrong and what to do.
Okay so you ban peanut butter but where does that stop there is always going to be someone who can't be around something. Sure we all want the safest environment for our kids but if we don't teach them to not jump out in front of a car then how would they know not to do that. Do you not let your kid go to visit any friends, how do you know they don't have the allergen at their house? Now if a kid is going to torment or chase a kid with a PB sandwich then there is another parents screw up, that kid should be kicked out of the school. Maybe instead of coddling and making exceptions for everything under the sun try making kids responsible for their actions and teaching them what actions have consequences.
As the parent of a 4 year old with a level 4 peanut allergy, I think this is a silly argument. Peanut butter is a staple in American homes, mine included. I have 3 younger children, all of whom eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When they have their PB&Js, my allergic daughter has a simple jelly sandwich and they all enjoy their lunch. To ask schools to remove peanut butter all together is not only ridiculous, it's not fair. This argument comes down to the same bottom line as all the other societial issues regarding children as of late: lack of parenting and responsibility. My daughter knows she has an allergy, knows where her EpiPen is, and knows she can't have peanut butter. How much more simple is it than that? I have never in my life seen a glob of peanut butter "roguely" fly off a sandwich and onto another child so accusing other parents that thier children might be so harsh as to fling peanut butter around is assinine. If they were flinging peanut butter I would hope any competent parent would discourage such behavior, but who knows these days. I think the best in-school remedy is to teach and encourage awareness and responsibility, and to keep the teachers aware in the lunch rooms as to what the kids are doing. I hate the thought of my daughter being forced to sit at a table with a bunch of kids she doesn't like just because of her allergy, but if that is the best solution, and the solution set forth by my school, then I will make sure she understands and adheres to that rule. I don't really know why this is such a huge deal. Teach your kid about his allergy, and make sure they understand the ramifications, and make sure they're responsible. No one's going to hold him down and stuff a peanut butter cookie in his mouth. Take responsibility for your own children, and make them responsible for their allergy. I mean, after all... I have a milk allergy and somehow survived 12 years of public schools wihthout a "milk free" table. Maybe that's the solution? Make kids sit in food groups? Again, it all seems very silly to me.
If only more parents were like you! I don't discount the seriousness of food allergies. A boy I work with is severely allergic to peanuts. But his mother has created such an atmosphere at his school that another mother asked me if it was okay to send her son to school with bread that had whole rye seeds in it! It's going to far!
Additionally, strawberries are a very common allergy. And guess what? Strawberry is possibly the most common flavor of jams and jellies! I guess we'll need several special tables, one for kids who are allergic to peanuts, one for kids who are allergic to strawberries, and one for the kids who are unfortunate enough to be allergic to both.
And woe betide the poor child who is allergic to strawberries and is also lactose intolerant. They'll need to build him a whole new lunchroom just so he doesn't come into contact with strawberry milk.
I developed a shellfish allergy in my 20s. It does cause anaphylaxis and can be scary. I don't think it's reasonable to expect the world to change because I am allergic. I pity the folks who are allergic to peanuts, milk, wheat, and other foods that are consumed around the world. Hopefully, there are a variety of foods available and the parents can educate their kids and provide acceptable lunches. I'll take a PB&J, but hold the shrimp.
Banning peanut butter from the school because a few kids are allergic? You have to be kidding me. I sympathize with parents of children who have serious reactions to the stuff, but face it - if you're kid has any kind of severe physical condition they are the ones who have to deal with it, not everyone else's kid (Sorry, Billy's anemic - no more gym for the whole class!). For the parents of kids with milder allergies - get over it. Your kid should know not to eat/touch the stuff, and a little exposure might just desensitize him/her (yes, this is a way allergies are cured).
That being said, a peanut-free table seems like a fair compromise. Just remember, you're going to also get the kids who are allergic to almonds, or gluten, or whatever else requiring the same treatment, so its going to be a grand hypo-allergenic meal for every one of those kids every day.
I work with a child who has a peanut allergy. I know he could potentially die if he eats a peanut. That said, I have found no evidence that someone eating something with peanuts in his general vicinity will kill him. He's old enough to know he can't eat peanuts, and so he doesn't share his classmates food. But not only are peanuts and sesame banned in his entire school, ALL nuts and nut butters are banned in his classroom. So his classmates (some of whom are vegetarian) can't even bring an almond butter sandwich to school just in case there is a trace of peanut in the almond butter and that some how gets into his body. His mother even managed to get a local ice cream shop to not carry peanut butter ice cream, even though he only gets ice cream there maybe 10 times a year.
I do think it does him no good in the long run to develop the idea that his world needs to change to suit his needs. That's not how the world works.
As far the inane comments about peanut butter in the comments, natural peanut butter is one of the best things you can eat. I have not bought or eaten skippy or jiffy or anything with transfat and that much extra sugar as an adult. But natural peanut butter on whole grain bread is a great source of HEALTHY fat and protein.
we should feed the allergic kids to the non-allergic kids
LOL... rollling on floor laughing.... GOOD ONE!
I am a mother with a 5 yr old daughter who is allergic to ALL fruit (1 exception blue berries), eggs and lavender; my husband is allergic to melons, bananas and eggs; my nephew has a peanut allergy and I am allergic to lemons. So my family is no stranger to food allergies. Do we let this rule our lives? NO! Do we except not to have a fruit tray at parties, watermelon at a summer picnic, peanut butter pie on holidays and no one allowed to have a lemon in their tea? NO! We just don't eat what we are allergic to and carry epi-pens just in case the unthinkable happens. Some would say that I must have never experienced a severe allergy reaction then. Your wrong. My daughter can't be in the same room with a lavender candle without getting hives head to toe, my husband can't be in the same room with a fresh cut melon without experiencing swelling of the tongue and throat. We take precautions in our home and when we are out. When my daughter started school I spoke with her teacher about making sure there was no lavender products in the room. I understand some people have more severe symptoms than this, but the world doesn't revolve around you. You have to find a way to become a functional human being in the world. Does it make me nervous that my daughter will want some of the juice every other child in her class is drinking or really want a frozen juice pop that all the other kids are enjoying on the play ground. Yes, yes it does. However, I have taught her what she can and can't have, she knows how to use her epi-pen and she knows if she starts itching or having a hard time breathing to tell a teacher. It is up to you as a parent to teach your child what to do if they start experiencing an allergic reaction. It is also up to you to make sure that proper precautions are taken with your child's allergies. Pack their lunch, if you are afraid that they will eat something that they are not supposed to ask for a separate eating space for YOUR child.
I know how scary food allergies are, but I also don't let them rule our lives.
A child in my daughters class has a severe peanut allergy and her school has adopted a careful graduated policy that changes as the child ages. In Kindergarten, no nut (or "may be processed in a facility that also processes nuts") products were allowed in lunches or snacks. This year, in first grade, nuts are allowed in lunches, but a nut free table is provided for the student. Most students bring nut free lunches most of the time so that they can sit with the affected student. This policy protects the student when she is too young to protect herself, but allows her to take more responsibility for her safety as she matures. It seems like the most practical of all of the proposals that the school considered- it acknowledges the danger but also teaches the student that she needs to be aware of her surroundings.
Survival of the fittest? STFU.
Okay, does your kid have glasses/contacts, hearing issues, diabetes and countless other issues that modern science solves??? Fine, consider them dead.
This isn't a primitive society, people!!!
I happened to be eating peanuts at my office desk as I was reading this article. As I read through it, I realized that after I ate a handful of peanuts, I would brush my hand off on my pants or shirt. I do this unconsciously with most foods that I eat with my hands. I'm going out on a limb here and guess that I'm not the only one who does this. The fact of the matter is that there will ALWAYS be peanut protein in the environment. If you are so allergic to something that you can have a life threatening reaction after brushing up against my shirt – I can honestly say that I'm sorry. I hope it never happens – but I guarantee that I can not stop brushing off my hands on my clothes. Likewise my children may escape the house with less than clean clothing on.this mornings peanut butter bagel or apples may very well be smeared on my daughters pants or shirt. Not because we are trying to kill you or your kids, but because that's what kids do.
feed the kids sushi instead of peanuts
Ban children. Ban Schools. Ban school lunch time. Come on people! Jump all over the ban wagon. Ban everything.
If your precious has a problem it's YOUR responsibility not anybody else's. Don't expect everyone else to bow down to you. It's pathetic that when 1 child has a peanut allergy those parents expect 2600 other family's to go out of their way to protect that one. Uh, no. Get off your butt and teach your kid about their allergy. Don't rely on the school.
How many kids in these schools cann't tolerate peanut products.
I mean I understand completely that they are allergic. But don't they know this and know that they have to stay away from them. Making hundreds of students stay away from somthing they want an like is unfair also.
Kids that are allergic should not have to suffer because of them but then neither should the other students.
I mean its common sense.
what a stupid subject
It is ridiculous to ask a school to accomodate for every alergy or special need of the population today. We have to stop putting responsibilities on the education system to parent our children. If your child has an alergy and it could be life threatening, how can you ask an entire school system of atleast 400 students plus faculty and staff to change. The real story behind this article are American parents who lack the nerve to actually parent.
well said!
It would help if the schools do educate the student and parent population of the presence of the food allergies in their midst. It always help to raise awareness. In my son's school, they don't ban peanut butter, however, they have asked birthday treats to be non food – which really helps.
Peanut Butter Jihad!
I wonder if they're allergic to "deeze nutz"...
This reminds me of a time when I was in first grade and a kid offered me a chocolate bar with almonds in it. At the time I had no idea I was allergic to almonds. I ate some of it and started to feel sick when I was in the playground. I told the monitor and she said "Don't bug me with that I am not a doctor". She didn't even want to send me to the nurse. I felt like crap all afternoon and hard trouble breathing... Well I think it is a good idea to ban peanut butter. Otherwise make sure your school staff are not a bunch of ignorant people.
I find it amazing how the parents of allergic children are in many cases here demanding that the world change to accommodate them. Funny how the bee allergy people don't demand we eliminate bees, wasps and spiders. I had a friend many years ago that had a very serious peanut allergy, but somehow this young man managed to survive school in a very PB&J intensive America. This gentleman now only survived in the American school system, but managed to live and eat in Hong Kong, a place where peanut oil is used everywhere. Unfortunately, America has become a place where the "disadvanted" demand equality and conformity from the masses. Next, milk will be banned, sports, we'll spray for bees. Anything to protect YOUR special child. Some people on this post are demanding an public banning of peanut products, even though your child is far more likely to die on the car ride to a baseball stadium or restaurant than from a food allergy.
Banning something is a foolish response, because bans never solve the problem. Th problem is an allergy likely the result of environmental factors that can be corrected, studies have shown that gradual introduction of allergens to the body helps develop appropriate immune system response. Parents compund the problem by treating their children like lepers where they must be shielded from sight to avoid contamination. A little contamination is a good thing–it builds appropriate immune system response.
The problem is that if you give one "disadvantaged" group preferential treatment, everyone else with an allergy will expect the same. Banning peanut butter is merely the opening salvo of the Nutrition Gestapo. Pretty soon, every soccer mom whose child is allergic to wheat will demand that glutenous bread products also be banned. Then come the advocates for lactose intolerance. It's not fair that the school serves only 2% milk! Everyone should be expected to drink soy milk from now on! But that won't work either! Soy is one of the "big eight", most common food allergies. So are eggs, seafood, vegetables and fruits. Basically, for everything that we know and accept as being a staple of nutrition, a small sector of the population is allergic to it, potentially mortally. We can't up and eliminate peanuts, eggs, milk, soy, glutenous starches, fish, fruits and berries from the school lunchroom menu. They'd be having celery and a glass of water each day. This wouldn't even be an issue if we'd just assume responsibility for our own children and educate them on what foods most commonly contain the things they're allergic to. Instead, we shift the blame onto the schools, expecting them to gerrymander their menus to the specific needs of one, maybe two children out of probably hundreds. It's ass-backwards, and it's no wonder the schools are getting paranoid. Should little Billy accidentally eat a bite of a Snickers bar, it's NEVER the child's fault for being careless; it's NEVER the parent's fault for failing to inform the child of the true risks; no, it's ALWAYS the school's fault for being so negligent as to not have a Brown Bag Inspector at every entrance. The school gets sued for a ridiculous sum, non-core subjects are eliminated, and the students are trapped in some wretched gulag of a cafeteria. Meanwhile, little Jimmy sits alone, ostracized because he (vis a vis, his parents) completely ruined lunchtime. Kids are cruel, man. As a parent, I would expect that the parents of a child with a food allergy would provide the proper lunch for their own child, as I would mine. It's not the school's job to monitor what everyone eats, nor should every other student bear the burden of one kid's problem. If you are so damned worried about your child consuming the wrong thing, then keep him home and teach him yourself.
For the record, I can't eat grapefruit and I'm a chef. I don't demand that the restaurant dispose of its grapefruit juice just because it poses a personal problem to me. That's dumb. Ergo, asking other students to ditch peanut butter, wheat, eggs or whatever just to coddle one child – that's equally as dumb.
I feel like this debate brings up a bigger issue. We are relying too much on the schools to do everything for our kids. Granted, school staff are caregivers and educators to our kids for move than half of their young lives and there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that, but there has to be a collaborative effort on the parts of the parents and the school staff to ensure well-rounded experiences for each student in the classroom and the lunchroom. If everyone were not so concerned with pointing fingers and more concerned with the quality of their own child's experience, a lot of this could be avoided all together.
Your kid should be smart enough to not sit near the kids eating peanut butter if he/she is allergic. Put them all at the same table, and then someone's gonna complain that it's segregation. Same thing goes if you ban it. One of my good friends is allergic to peanut butter. Know what he did? HE DIDN'T SIT NEAR ME AT LUNCH WHENEVER I HAD PEANUT BUTTER.
I think all food should be banned. Seriously, it's dangerous stuff, kids can choke on it, get poisoned by it, have allergic reactions to it, eat too much of it and die a slow death from heart disease or diabetes, or get an eye poked out in a food fight. A school is no place for children to be eating and I think school districts should adopt the same kind of zero-tolerance policy for food that they have for weapons and drugs.
On a serious note, isn't this more of the same extremist crap. There's got to be some middle ground. We're not all the same, some of us have to sit out P.E. because we're asthmatic, some of us have to go to special reading classes because we're dyslexic and some of us have to eat lunch somewhere other than the cafeteria, or always bring a bagged lunch, because we have deadly peanut allergies. We don't all get to have children that have 100% perfectly normal childhoods. Parents need to accept that their children will experience struggles in their life, and it's not always going to be fair but if they're loved and cared for by their parents or dedicated guardians everything else will work itself out. And for those that don't want their children inconvenienced by other kids special needs, SHOW A LITTLE COMPASSION! If you can make a small sacrifice so that others will have a large improvement in their quality of life then why not? If you can't handle that then you shouldn't be a part of society.
My kids are allergic to homework. Should that be banned too?
[I'm allergic to religion - whenever I'm exposed to it, I break out in large patches of rational thought! I say we ban that too, but that's a different thread.]
Seriously, how far should we go to accommodate the extremely small minority of people who have allergies such as these? My elder son (now 11) is allergic to dust mites (a rather common allergy), cockroaches, birch, and elm. Should those things be eliminated from our world or should we just learn to deal with it? Adapt. Evolve.
Better yet, why don't we use our huge scientific brains to come up with WHY some people are allergic to anything to begin with and then find a cure for it?
In a global society of 6 billion+ people, is it reasonable to believe that we can accommodate everyone?
Likewise, in a school of hundreds of children, how far shall we go to homogenize the environment for the unfortunate few? And why should it be just at school? Why not at the grocery store or at restaurants as well? What about the ball park? Don't they throw peanuts around there too?...
I've been reading more of these posts, and am learning that 1) peanut allergies are different from all other food allergies and only need to be present in the air or a trace of dust to be harmful, and 2) that there is apparently no known medical way to combat or prevent theM? So how do people allergic to peanuts fly on airplanes? There is no ambulance to take you to the ER when all the little of packets get opened and the evil nut oils go wafting about the cabin, is there? If this is such a national emergency/life threatening issue then why does modern (or ancient) medcine provide a solution? There must be some old world holostic resolution?? Chinese Medicine?
Are people with these allergies stuck with driving everywhere and never leaving North, Central, or South America? How do they go see Europe or Asia?? This is sounding more ridiculous by the minute!
How do we fly? Not easily – by avoiding airlines that serve peanuts, and staying away from those eating them. Medical researchers are working on a treatment. Yes, travel is difficult. Europe is easier than many places, as labeling laws are good. Asia is difficult, as the allergy is not prevalent there, and PN’s are common. Thanks for asking, it’s how you learn.
Yes, we do drive. Everywhere. Being trapped in a tube with no more than a few epi-pens between us and the idiots like those on this list is all we'd have. I prefer to drive so I don't have to hear the muttering from others as to why my daughter should just die and get it over with.
Truly, you people (not the above poster) should be ashamed. The incredible lack of humanity and compassion on this board has given me chills. I won't argue all the points as to why this is a disability, or why you should care. I'll just leave you with this: There was NO history of this in our family. None. Never even heard of it. And my daughter scores off the chart on her allergy test. She really is one of the few that would end up in the hospital from smelling it. So.... all you so called Darwinists (and you really are doing him a disfavor by even evoking his name), I truly hope you have a child get this allergy. I have never wished it on anyone before. But this time – it's all yours baby! Have fun!
For those who don’t know, by withholding peanut butter from the cafeterias you are actually causing a rise in peanut butter allergies by restricting a Childs exposure to it. I don’t understand how hard is it for the school district to use their brains… if someone is allergic then they obviously should not be eating peanut butter LOL…. So therefore the school should give them an alternative and not restrict a Childs freedom. This is as silly as getting rid of Milk, Meat, and Wheat because 1 child out of 20 might be allergic… even if they were allergic it would be stupid to get rid of meat, wheat, and milk because of them… A more common sense option would be giving them something in its place.
You can also make the allergy worse by continuing exposure. Not only would the cafe have to cut out PB but anything that is processed in a facility that process peanuts. Than the kitchen will also have to have different utensils. As a whole it is much easier and safer for a kitchen to go peanut/tree nut free. Tree nuts/peanuts are the #1 killer and most sever food allergy. Due to the fact eggs and shellfish are in the same family a child will more than likely have those as well
My great niece is 6 years old and is allergic to a number of foods. She knows what she is not allowed to eat. Her mother does not go to the school and try to get the menu changed for hundreds of other students. IF YOU DONT WANT TO FEED PB TO YOUR CHILD THEN DONT BUT LEAVE THE OTHER CHILDREN ALONE. I think their own parents can speak for them without any help from you.
My innocent little pre-k could DIE from peanut butter!!! Not many other allergies are that severe. Is it her fault? no. There are many other lunch choices available. We eat Sunbutter, it is made from sunflower seeds in a peanut free facility. Sunbutter is delicious and any kid who lives on PB&J would love it. As I read more of allergy bullying, banning peanut butter from schools seems like a fair choice to eliminate this life threatening taunting. Especially since grade school children could not possibly understand the severity of their actions by waving a peanut butter sandwich in a classmates face. Not to mention the fear the peanut allergy child must feel on top of the fact that they are "different". This is an easy solution and should not even be up for discussion considering the risk involved.
SUNBUTTER! WTF! Who in the hell wants SUNBUTTER... it even sounds nasty... "come on kids, it's time to eat sunbutter and jelly sandwiches"... really? Stacy, I'm sure that you mean well, but don't ever suggest anything that dumb again...ever, OK. Sunbutter...
Sunbutter actually is good and a nice alternative for some families. However, my problem with stacy's post is that it is so incredibly self centered. That Sunbutter she is advocating because it is something her peanut allergic child can tolerate is just as lethal to some sunflower seed allergic children as peanut butter is to her child. Her child's allergy is not the only severe, life threatening one out there and various seeds actually happen to be another allergy that is on the rise both in terms of prevalence and severity. This idea that the world needs to revolve around the needs of her child but who cares about the risks to other children should NOT be tolerated. Any decisions regarding rules on food allergies should apply to any child with a severe allergy if they apply to peanut products for the kids allergic to peanuts or else we as a society are saying that somehow those peanut allergic kids are more important than the ones with life-threatening seafood allergies (actually more common than peanuts still) or whatever other food some child in her school is allergic to.
My daughter is severely allergic to eggs and ALL fruit ( 1 exception blue berries). Should I go to the school and tell them that they can no longer serve fruit, especially apples, grapes and bananas? I don't think so. My daughter knows she can't eat them and if any waved one in her face to tell the teacher. She is only 5 yrs. old, I found her allergies when introducing baby food. She's lived with it her entire life. Her egg allergy was so severe that she couldn't even touch an Easter egg. As the years have passed we slowly started introducing eggs into her food, I let her start with breads, cakes and cookies. She can now eat a whole piece of cake without getting hives, her throat getting itchy, or her nose and eyes watering. I haven't had this success with the fruit though. However, I have taught her what to do and do not expect anyone to accommodate her. Lavender is also a big allergy for her. Do I need to send a note home with all the kids telling the parents if they wash their clothes in lavender detergent to stop or if they use lavender lotion to stop. I think not. I spoke with the teacher before school started to make sure there was no lavender candles, hand sanitizer or anything else. If she starts getting hives move her to a different table and see if they go away in about an hour, if not give me a call. I don't expect everyone to stop their lives for her, no do I expect her to stop living her life, we just rearrange and adjust.
Get over yourself. What gives you the right to impose your will upon hundreds of parents? Are you willing to pay the cost differential to every one of those parents to buy the Sunflower stuff every meal while your child is in school? If not, you're asking all those parents to incur the cost of YOUR child's medical problems. Figure the difference is $0.35/jar. 1 jar per child every 2 weeks. School year is roughly 36 weeks by my count. Say your school is 500 students. Are you willing to pay the $3150 difference to those parents (total, not each)?
Type 1 diabetic children who produce no insulin as a result of their immune system attacks are in a sense "allergic" to sugars. If they eat some other child's nut-free candy bar, they could just as surely need medical attention or even go into shock. These children need to grow up faster than other children. They need parental education. And they should get used to the fact that others can do things that they can't. It was hard for me, but I am better off for it.
Some people, ok most people commenting on this topic, are not qualified to do so. It is quite obvious they do not possess an education so why would they have a need to comment with their wild and crazy opinions. I pay taxes to send my kids to school; therefore it is the schools responsibility to ensure their health and safety during the school day. Ban peanut butter! If you highly educated people, with your stupid comments, feed your kids peanut butter every day, and it seems that you do, then Lord help them because they are lacking in a proper nutrition and will eventually suffer as well.
not trying to pick a fight but just curious. I'm super healthy eater (all organic, mostly fruit and vegetable diet). My son is super picky and peanut butter on bread is one of the few things he is willing to eat. I don't consider fortified wheat bread + organic all natural peanut butter + carrot stick + fruit to be a bad diet. There is carb + protein + fruit/vegetable. Why is it bad?
The solution is a convenient, common-sense combination: a peanut-free table at school and parents of allergic children providing a suitable diet and instructions (and parents of non-allergic students educating them about allergies). While I realize some allergies can be severely debilitating–even fatal–we begin descending a slippery slope when we make special arrangements for various groups as a knee-jerk response. For example, my daughter's school sent notices home telling parents they must notify the school if peanut butter is in their child's lunch. Unacceptable and excessive.
Well I understand what the parents of kids with allergy go through. However my kid is super picky eater, and peanut butter bread is only of the few healthy items that he is willing to eat. If the school bans it, I will have one less thing to choose from to feed him. Kids are allergic to everything these days. Milk, soy, peanut butter, egg, wheat. I don't think it is reasonable to ban everything because someone could be highly allergic to one. These kids still remain to be the minority and instead of forcing the diet change on everyone, they should have special menu and rooms for those who are allergic.
The kid is not tolerant of milk. Should milk be banned schools? The kid is intolerant of glucose. Should bread be banned in schools? The kid is diabetic. Should all sugars be banned in schools? Why not just starve the kids to death and eliminate the problem?
Pretty soon they'll be outlawing recess due to kids with bee allergies and even ragweed allergies. Then they'll be outlawing dairy products due to lactose and tolerance. What really should be outlawed is the junkfood and soft drink products from our schools. Peanut butter or any nut that someone is allergic too shouldn't be banned. Education should be made available and the kids should voice their allergy to their friends and teachers in an effort to have it being controlled around them. If some kids love peanut butter and want it for lunch everyday it should be their right to have it. I personally dont want to live in a matrix type world where we eat the same glop everyday because foods have been limited or banned due to their nature for causing allergic reactions. Peanut allergies have been around a long time, and people with them should be doing the educating to the younger generations about how to deal with them and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Besides if more and more schools keep closing due to funding problems we wont have to worry about this problem in the future anyways. Point is there are more pertanent matters to be dealt with in this world right now. Peanut butter legislature should be down on the list.
No… I say ban the kids that are allergic to peanuts… why should the kids who are not allergic do without because of those who cannot? First peanut butter, then milk, then eggs, and shell-fish… what next then we start listening to the vegetarians and the vegans… it’ll never stop until all you can do is show up…
That's a fine solution. I'll quit my job and home school my peanut allergic kid as soon as you pay for it. Really, I'd be HAPPY to!
Your problem breeder, you figure it out.
...your kid... you problem, don't make it mine.
No, you'll deal with your oddity and the rest of us will live our lives, and if you get near me I'll smear peanut butter on myself.
What is the world coming to if you choose food over a childs life,
It's not just PB&J folks , it's granola bars, cookies, crackers or chips made with peanut pieces or oil. You can also be "counseled" for knowingly bringing in any food "...made on equipment that processes peanuts or treenuts."
Our school went from a pnut table, to ban PB&J, to ban pnut products. We went back to table, allegedly, when the student needing these accomodations left. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was when the idiot parents tried to ban kids from consuming pnut products immediately before coming to school, that the rest of us had enough.
It's s*** like this that makes it hard to defend legitmate liberal causes.
I think many people are missing the point. PA (peanut allergy) is a relatively common food allergy, and can be deadly in small portions. It is different than other food allergens in that it is dusty, and PB is sticky, leaving a deadly residue. Older children need to learn to look out, but younger children need to be protected. A complete ban would be lovely, but a PN-free table, and watching out for the little ones, is likely just fine. Point is, let’s all learn a little tolerance. Yeah, some of you can wait a few hours for that PB snack if it means making a child safer. PA children don’t deserve to be “bred out of existence” any more than anyone else in this world, and the fact is NO ONE knows what causes allergies. We need to teach tolerance, we need to teach compassion – obviously not only to the children, but to adults as well.
Frankly...NO. I'm tired of everything I do in this country being neutered and controlled to protect the little guy. If my kid wants a PBJ for lunch, he can have it.PA, ADA, NAACP, we have so many special interest groups that the rights of normal, everyday people are the ones being trampled upon. I say stand up for the rights of the average citizen for once.
I don't think peanut butter should be banned from the schools. I think schools should show the kids proper hand washing techniques after eating to prevent the spread of the peanut butter. How do you know that door knob/handle/item of clothing in public areas haven't been touched by someone each peanut butter or it product? If they ban it in the schools they should ban it everywhere!
Children with life-threatening food allergies should be banned from public schools. Not only for the child's sake, but also for liability reasons. For the school, but also for the parents of other children, who shouldn't risk liability if they accidentally bring an allergen into the school on their clothing, picked up from a public bus bench or somewhere else. The other parents have just as much right to legal protection as the parents of the afflicted child.
I agree, ban the kids not the peanuts. That is the only 100% reliable means of keeping the kids safe.
RIGHT!!! While we're at it, let's get rid of handicapped access to the schools, and Special Ed too. Waste of taxpayer dollars!! Who needs all those wheelchairs clogging up the hallways??? Those freaks should stay home with their parents, where they belong, out of society's eye. That way we don't have to see them, or deal with them. That would be nice, huh? And those handicapped parking spots?? I'll bet you're just so lazy you want to yank those away from deserving citizens too, right? Because I'm thinking you just hate everyone and would be much happier if everyone was just "normal."
How can you compare the number of students with disabilities with the minute number with peanut allergies... Sheesh.... talk about drama.
So, tell me. What makes one disability more important than another? What you are failing to recognize is that
children with allergies are protected by the Federal government and Disabilities Act. They have as much right
to attend school as any other child. If the school fails to accommodate they will lose their
federal funding. So, as you are welcome to your opinions, the law is on the side of the child with the disability ~
no matter which kind they may have. FYI- A peanut allergy is a legal disability due to the fact that anaphylaxis affects
your ability to breathe which is a basic life function. So, please know the facts before you discriminate.
This entire discussion absolutely baffles me. You parents with kids who have this allergy honestly intend to impose your will on hundreds of other parents? Maybe we should just ban peanuts as a product nationwide to make sure the .01% (probably too high) of people who have this serious allergy are never at risk? Gimme a break. Teach your child how to deal with it and make the school aware of the allergy, thats all that needs to be done.
Ok, I'm going to chime in here. My son is 8 yrs old. Due to a medical condition combined with multiple severe food allergies (including anaphylaxis to milk), his diet is limited to 14 foods and he also has a feeding tube. And he goes to public school.
There are three points I'd like to make:
1 – parents w/ allergic kids need to realize that the world is not going to protect their child at all times – they need to be proactive and teach their kids how to survive in the real world
2 – schools need to provide a safe environment for ALL kids – that is the entire point of public education
3 – if parents and schools keep an open mind, they can come to a mutually agreeable solution in almost every case – in our case, our son eats lunch in the cafeteria with his class but he sits at a desk pushed up to the end of his class's lunch table. To prevent cross-contamination, we provide the school with Clorox wipes to clean his lunch desk, plus paper towels for him to use a a place mat. We also provide his classroom with extra bottles of hand sanitizer (in addition to the 2 bottles the teacher asks all students to bring in) so that there is less chance of having food residue on the kids' hands. We don't ask the school to restrict the foods other kids bring in for lunch, we just ask that they do their best to keep our son safe. And they do.
If we are going to ban peanut butter, we should be reasonable and ban everything related to common allergies. So no :
milk (including Au gratin foods, Cake and cake mix, Chocolate and cream candy, Donuts, Coffee creamers, Creamed or scalloped foods, Mashed potatoes, Custard, Nougat, Ice cream and sherbet, Malted milk, Margarines (some, check the label), Pudding, White sauces, Salad dressings, yogurt, cheese)
eggs (mayonnaise, breaded foods, battered foods, ice cream, foods that use egg as a thickener or binder, often ,
nuts (tree or ground) (pesto, marzipan, Nutella, baklava, pralines, nougat, gianduja, turrón, and possibly cereals, crackers, cookies, baked goods, candy, chocolates, energy/granola bars, flavored coffee, frozen desserts, marinades, barbecue sauces, and some cold cuts, such as mortadella),
wheat (including bread, waffles, pancakes, rolls, biscuits, cakes, cookies, crackers, pizza, buns, many cereals, pretzles, muffins, et al.),
fish, shellfish,
soy (edamame, miso, natto, shoyu sauce, soy (soy albumin, soy fiber, soy flour, soy grits, soy milk, soy nuts, soy sprouts), soya, soybean (curd, granules), soybean butter, soy protein (concentrate, isolate), soy milk, soy sauce, tamari, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, also possibly :chocolate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), flavoring (including natural and artificial), canned chicken broth, vegetable broth, gum, protein, and starch, bouillon cubes (beef, chicken, vegetable, etc.), lecithin, caramel color, mixed vegetables, vegetable oil, methylcellulose, vegetable fat, vegetable oil, "natural" flavors, mono- and di-glycerides
Lunch today will be leaf lettuce and water. Tomorrow we'll be bold and have steamed rice.
By the way, we're also asking that you keep no cats, dogs, rabbits, or horses, flowers, grasses, molds, or perfumes in the houses of school children, as they will invariably bring some of this to school with them. It is possible that some of the other children are allergic to these things, and we cannot have any of that.
Should baseball stadiums stop selling peanuts as well should grocery stores have allergen free isles
The most common food allergies are: Milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts, fish, shellfish. There are also allergies to wool, latex, certain metals, grass, and dust among many others. Where is the logical place to draw the line? Do we allow allergens that cause only mild irritation, or nausea or slight difficulty in breathing, or do we eliminate all known allergens out of fairness? What happens when the child becomes an adult? Do employers, banks and grocery stores have to ban the allergens as well?
It's unfortunate that illness and allergies exist, but they do. It's not practical, nor logical, nor ultimately beneficial to the allergic child to force all others to adjust to the needs of one. The child must adjust to the world. We don't turn off the lights for blind people or stop talking for the deaf. There are only two options: those with disabilities adjust or those without disabilities adjust.
I say we ban school all together, and work, social interaction. We can build giant bubbles that only those we trust can live in. We will be a society built on the principle of "Saftey First", no allergies will get us!!! True we will eventually kill off our population, but good riddance. We are no use to this planet at this point. We are given a food like peanuts, which can fullfill your daily nutritional needs, and we want to ban it because some little kid has an allergy??? Turns out I am allergic to kids, when I am around them I feel annoyed and stressed. I say we ban kids.
Wow, I really feel sorry for the kids with severe food allergies. But I think the real issue here is the bullying. Schools and parents need to address that – and schools should not need to dictate what parents feed their children. If schools can't afford adequate supervision in the lunch room, then maybe parent volunteers are the answer. Parents and teachers alike, please educate the children to understand the allergies that are becoming more common each year and to have a little compassion for those who suffer from life threatening allergies of any kind.
Banning peanut butter in school? Really? Who cares? On the list of things we have to worry about in this nation, I believe whether or not we should ban peanut butter in our schools belongs on page 9 after "are we eating too much garlic as a people?". I'm only 17 so I don't have kids of my own but if I were a parent I'd make sure my kids knew to avoid peanut butter at any & all costs provided they were allergic to it.
really? WHEN you do have a child and he/she is "blessed" with a peanut allergy, how do you plan to ensure that he/she does not share/swap food with other kids at kindergarten?
If you don't care, I'm not sure why you would bother to respond. If it affected your life, you would care.
I agree with the poster who said that allergies this severe are nature's way of weeding the weak out of the gene pool.
Look up the term "Mass Psychogenic Illness."
The reality is that only about 100 people per year die of peanut allergies. Banning is overkill- have a different lunch period for kids with the allergy if they feel they really need it. There are people with seafood allergies, wheat allergies, soy allergies, nut allergies, etc, but you can't start banning foods because one or two people in a school of hundreds or even thousands of children have a sensitivity or an allergy- it just doesn't make sense.
Peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches should be a regular staple in schools nationwide ... as long as you don't have allergies, that is. It is the BEST, bar none.
I am not writing this out of anger, but out of a deep sadness to what I've read here. I am a father of four, two of which have severe food allergies to multiple foods. I've read most of the comments on this page, some of which I cannot even fathom that a human being would write. Would you be that callous with me face-to-face? I can assure you, that if you had an allergy that could kill you within minutes you would be singing a different tune.
Take a minute, think, then try to see with different eyes.
We've come up with coping strategies and have educated anyone we come in contact with (school, parents, etc.). What I have issue with is people's flippant attitudes about the whole thing. Would you have your child treated as a leper, segregated and shunned? I think not. These are normal, loving, feeling human-beings who just happen to have a food allergy.
I agree, life is not fair and we've made peace with that. But the indifference and cold-hearted comments speak volumes of this society we live in. I feel sorrow and pity for you, not hate.
Sorry, I don't care about your peculiarity enough to change my life because we might meet, and you might die. Stay home.
That says a lot about you. But I digress...
Yep, it does. And I don't speak for just myself. Take heed.
there are wasp and ants and drugs around schools that needs to be eliminated
a lot of people have reactions to stings, bites, and bad drugs...
JUST A ADULT THOUGHT.. I MIGHT GET A "D- " FOR THIS COMMENT
Children with allergies need to be educated by the parents about those allergies and the consequences if they eat, get stung, etc. To ban a food at the school is not teaching the child to be responsible for their "problem." You ban peanut butter because of nut allergies... what about someone allergic to tomatoes? No spaghetti, ketchup, tomato soup, green beans in stewed tomatoes (should definitely be outlawed). The child should wear an alert bracelet if the problem is real serious, the school should have it in their records. A ban in the cafeteria.... no way!
I think our children can decide on their own. When my son was in 2nd grade, he made friends with a child that has peanut allergies. Joey said he couldn't bring in anything with peanuts or peanut butter, or cooked in peanut oil. His school never told him this, he told me that it was not fair if he ate things in front of his friend that his friend couldn't eat. Our children have more empathy about this topic than we give them credit for.
Sorry if this sounds bad but take care of yourself. It's like saying that if one child is afraid to take the bus that we should ban all school trips. Why should all suffer because of one.
Yes, it does sound bad. Being afraid of a school bus is CLEARLY NOT the same thing as being KILLED BY A PEANUT.
If your child could be killed by a peanut, then you are one sick parent for sending your kids out into society where they could be so easily killed. Instead of demanding that everyone else take care of your kid, you should grow up and do it yourself.
I am sick of the "My kid is allergic so you everyone has to change things to suit us" Nazis. If your kid is that damned allergic keep him at home and home school him. Why on earth, if you love your little spawn so dearly, would you risk sending him to public school?
dont ban peanut butter because of a couple of wimpy / pathetic / panzy kids whoose parents baby them. kids have ben having / eating peanut butter in excess for decades. it is not the peanut butter that is fattening or bad for t hem it is the laziness / lack of any kind of stimulation that makes kids the way they are today. i mean come on a dumb kid 20 years ago would be a genius today
Wow, pretty depressing that so many people are missing the point. And you call yourselves parents? These are CHILDREN we are talking about. They are LIVING, BREATHING, YOUNG and VULNERABLE people. I can't believe that everyone wouldn't want to keep these children safe. This can be a very serious allergy and I can't believe how many people would so selfishly, proudly and knowingly put a CHILD in harms way. Really sad people. Just very sad. I have children without any allergies and I would GLADLY restrict peanut butter to my house alone if just one child at my school had an allergy of this nature. Is it really worth the risk to the child with a possibly deadly allergy? Do you need a child to die to understand the tragedy? Why don't you take just a moment to figure out how grossly backwards and uncaring your priorities are. Suck it up, teach your children some compassion and find something else affordable and nutritious for your child to eat... FIVE meals a week is all we're talking about people!
Well said, I am amazed at the callous comments. I think people forget these are children, like their own fathers-mothers-sisters-brothers...they just happen to be deathly allergic to some foods.
Our solution has been sending our kids to private school. We've worked with the teachers and faculty one-on-one to help make their jobs as easy as possible and at the same time make our children as safe as possible @ lunch/snack time. Most have been VERY understanding, unlike many who have posted here.
Charles, you are a disgusting piece of white trash. You should be smoking marijuana and beating your children instead of posting here amongst the real parents and regular, hard-working people who are trying to support their family.
I have a son with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts. It is an airborne allergy, so we have had to make many adjustments in our lives to keep him safe. His (public) schools have been wonderful–they worked with us for nine years to come up with a safe place for him to eat and learn, and yes, the kids in his class have had to make some adjustments. However, In all of this time I have never heard or "heard of" a child having a problem with accommodating his allergy–it is ALWAYS the adults. The kids are empathetic, supportive, compassionate and understanding. They have willingly given up peanuts to eat with my son. Parents have told me that their children have them read labels on their schools lunches and snacks as early as kindergarten so they can help keep my child safe. One parent said her child, who previously only ate peanut butter sandwiches, happily gave them up so he could be with my son. It's been a tough but eye-opening experience and I couldn't be prouder of my son and his friends.
Kids have no problem because they don't like eating their lunches. Now they eat even less. C'mon Johny eat your toffu sandwhich or ice cold soup. If you child is allergic as they are, I think it is crazy to put them in such a risky situation.
When your kid grows up, are you going to sue his employers, to force them to provide a peanut-free environment, and only hire other employees who do not eat peanuts? Are you going to sue the city, and force them to provide peanut-free buses, ridden only by people who do not eat peanuts? Your attitude that the rest of the world must provide for your child's problems is not tenable.
Have you even bothered to try immunotherapy? It provides a cure to 80% of those with peanut allergies.
If not, then you have absolutely NO RIGHT to be demanding that the rest of us alter our lifestyles to accommodate you.
Oh pull up your pant, your ignorance is showing! The immunotherapy for PEANUTS is not AVAILABLE yet. It is still experimental and the experiments are only being done in certain places. YOU have not right bullying parents of allergic kids, you selfish inconsiderate person. Especially when you don't even know what you are TALKING about. Don't you think parents with kids would do immunotherapy in a SECOND if there was a treatment available? Ignorant jerk.
@your mom, it's been available for 20 years, so quit lying and do something for your kid.
There aren't any therapies that are approved by the FDA. In fact, the one you are referring to is not
approved. There have been deaths in the trials. You really should have your fact straight. I'm a health
professional. You clearly are not.
What is this country coming to? -_-
The amazing thing here is the amount of people commenting on allergies who have no knowledge of them. To the person who said we should have adrenaline shots for kids with allergies...HELLO WE ALREADY DO! To the one who says we should have our children treated by a doctor....HELLO WE ALREADY DO OR THEY MIGHT NOT BE ALIVE! To the one who says parents should handle it...HELLO WE ALREADY PACK SEPARATE SNACKS, LUNCHES, PREPARE ALTERNATE BIRTHDAY TREATS FOR SCHOOL, MEET WITH SCHOOL NUTRITIONISTS AND NURSES PRIOR TO THE YEAR STARTING. To those who say no accommodations should be made for the child with allergies...HELLO THE TEACHER ACCOMODATES A LOT OF STUDENT NEEDS AND PARENTS TOO(DID YOU HAVE ANY SAY IN YOUR CONFERENCE SCHEDULE?), DOES ANYONE GET FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH?, DO OTHER CHILDREN GET HELP WITH INDIVIDUAL NEEDS? YES THEY DO. THE SCHOOL SHOULD CREATE AN EXTRA LUNCH HOUR FOR THEM? THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE LEGISTICALLY FOR SCHOOLS. WHAT IF WE HAVE ONE CULUTURAL GROUP HAVE A DIFFERENT LUNCH BECAUSE OF THEIR CULUTRE? I BELIEVE WE CALL THAT DISCRIMINATION! Could we have a separate area for kids in the lunchroom who have major allergies...we could but that would involve a lot of training to avoid bullying, but it can be done. Now the amazing thing about this is that although I am really irritated that people are so cold, I don't believe that all schools should ban peanut butter. I think we should go on a case by case basis. My son is allergic to wheat, but it isn't a problem for him if other children in the room have wheat...But my pediatric allergy specialist said that some kids can't even handle it around them. That is the doctor's words not mine. He is highly respected by the children's hospital specialists in my state as being one of the best pediatric allergy and asthma specialists here. You don't have to take my word for it, take his. So what do we need? A good dose of knowledge, compassion, and compromise. Should your child have to go without peanut butter their whole school career? No. Should they go without it during the time they have a child sitting next to them who is severely allergic to something..maybe. Does someone have the right to smoke and exhale in my face? Some states say no, because it infringes on my rights...adverse affect on my health. This is a similar idea. Those of you who spew hate at least get the facts so you can sound intelligent. Then we'll know that you are just cold hearted.
Peanut is in a lot of food items, not just peanut butter sandwiches. I give my kids granola bars which also contains peanuts. Don't forget peanut M & M's, that you may not buy your child but your child may find a way to get the peanut candy. It's extremely hard for schools to regulate this. It's up to the parents to educate their child and their child's friends about the consequences of an allergic reaction.
So, when there are kids who allergic to bee stings, we will terminate outdoor recess?
Common sense has to be the rule sometime! I am getting really tired of the rights of the majority being trampled because of the wants/needs/desires/rights(?) of the minority.
And, oh by the way peanut butter is not the only food containing peanut products.
The bullying issue, on the other hand is very serious and needs to be addressed period, not just as it relates to food allergic kids. Banning foods is just a cop-out on a bigger issue. Attach real consequences to bad behavior.
For anyone that is so adamant about not banning peanut butter and posting rude comments about kids with allergies being weaklings, consider this. How adversely do you think it would affect your own child, if their peanut butter sandwich sent one of these "weaklings" into anaphylactic shock? You want them to have to live with the guilt of nearly killing one of their classmates?
I don't know about banning it. Peanut butter sandwiches are an easy and most of all cheap. For a parent already working to make ends meet, it might be the best option. Extreme answers are never good ones.
If my kid had that horrible of an allergy problem I'd home school them.
Parents who have kids with allergies...you chose to have the kids. And if you didn't plan on it well you still chose to keep the child. Therefore it is YOUR responsibility to deal with his or her allergies/issues. Not anyone else's.
This is hilarious! I live just outside Toronto, and peanuts and all nut products have been banned in schools and most daycares for a while now.
Canada only gets to exist in a spineless, excruciatingly PC state is because it is our neighbor. We don't care how you do it up there, because you only get to do it that way because of us.
I do agree this is a major issue. But banning a group of foods that people may be allergic to is not the answer. I will hate to see the day when kids have their bag lunches searched to see if they have any unwanted type of food. And if they do have the said type what will happen then? Will they send the child home or throw away the lunch and more of less force them to have no lunch? And if the school provides a lunch for the child will the charge them for it? This will need to be looked into more deeply than just banning something. Maybe an allergy section of a lunchroom is the answer. But I will agree with the school's kitchen, not carrying things like this. There is too much of a chance of cross contamination with places like that.
As someone with allergies, and a deathly allergy to peanuts, I think that it should be banned from schools. You never know when a child is allergic to the stuff and even the SMELL (in my case) can send them into anaphylaxis. Numerous times I had to sit in the class room and eat lunch by myself when peanut butter was being served in the school cafeteria...that was hurtful in more ways than one, I couldn't be with my friends and it sucked! Finally, when I entered 7th grade, my school stopped using peanut based products and it took care of everything!
I'm sorry that you have an allergy. But it is something you have to deal with, it is not something that society can handle for you. What would you expect a school to do if they had you, who could die if exposed to peanuts; Billy, who could die to citrus; Jane, who could die to wheat; Zhang, rice; Margaret, shellfish... Someone out there is extremely allergic to ANY food you can think of. The only way to eliminate risk is to make schools food-free entirely.
Myself, I am extremely allergic to whatever goes into a fair number of perfumes. When some of the girls in high school started coming in drenched in the stuff, my airways literally closed. With the help of my teachers I was able to get myself seated by the window, or simply transfered into another class if a solution was not possible. And some of the girls voluntarily stopped wearing strong perfumes after they saw what it could do to me.
What I didn't do is have my parents come marching in and demand that the school become a fragrance-free zone.
Ouka, if I were your parent I would walk in (not march) and request (not demand) that we try to work together to come up with a solution. I'm sorry to hear that your parents didn't advocate for you. My parents never advocated for me either. I do advocate for my child though, and you would do well to think about how life would have been different for you if you had learned that you were worthwhile enough for someone to consider that your PHYSICAL SAFETY is more important than a number of individuals fulfilling their fashion desires.
And I'm sorry that your children will never learn the importance of self-reliance and instead learn the lesson of self-centeredness. The world does not, and should not, cater to your individual needs. Society cannot bend to accommodate every last individual need. That simply reduces freedoms to the lowest common denominator.
Well said. And I would reiterate that, in considering banning peanuts in schools, CHILDREN ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO ATTEND SCHOOL. It's not a choice, so they can't just walk away as with other public venues and events. (And those of you who think we should just home school: Although some do that, it's not typically an option.)
my former employer had a child with severe peanut allergies (couldnt even eat a sandwich at home and then come into the office w/o brushing my teeth – that bad). you know what she did, home schooled her child and then found a school that caters to kids with allergies – those schools are out there, but im willing to bet most parents dont do the proper research and try force their child's predicament on others
As a nurse I am absolutely shocked to hear so many negativities out there on this topic. If you had a child dying in your arms from a simple peanut I think you would all change your minds. It's life-changing. Obviously, for all of you who have the thought that it's your right to have peanut butter at school have no one in your family with a peanut allergy. For some people all it takes is a simple handshake after eating peanuts to send them into anaphalactic shock. Really sad.
I think the kids who are not allergic can decide what to do. When my son was in 2nd grade, he made friends with a child who had peanut allergies. Joey told me he could not to bring anything with peanuts, peanut butter, or even things cooked in peanut oil because his friend was allergic. The school never told him to do this, he did it because he felt is wasn't fair to his friend if he ate anything his friend couldn't. Our children have more empathy on this subject than we give them credit for.
PEANUT FREE ISLAND
There is no doubt a severe allergic reaction to peanut protein can kill someone; however, the same can be said about a severe allergic reaction to stings as well as number of common medications. I have a daughter with insulin dependent diabetes and one of her friends has a peanut allergy and given the wrong type of situation both children could easily die. It is something they have learned to live with, but they also carry an epinephrine pen (peanuts) and glucagon pen (diabetes) which can be used in an emergency. Neither have asked for special regulations, rules, or special favors...only that people understand their condition and take a few minutes to learn what should be done if an emergency should arise. In the two examples mentioned, neither banning peanut butter or preventing a diabetic child from going on school trips is not the solution, which is quite simply a matter of educating those in contact with them regarding what to do in am emergency. Of course, there is always the risk of dying in a car accident on the way to school, but I really believe the present system of educating drivers is better than banning cars.
We had a nut-free table in middle school, and barely anyone sat there; unfortunately it was like the geek table :(
Since I hate peanut butter, my answer would be yes.
@Michael, I think you are going a bit far calling a peaunut allergy "a disability". I have money and I'm educated and I think it's up to the parents to make alernate arrangements if their kid has an allergy. After all, this is life. I suppose you can get the school to cater to your child's 'disability' but what about after that? You can't get the world to cater to them. What happens when the kid goes to college, or gets a job or flies in an airplane. You can't control everyone around them. This is something THEY are going to have to deal with their whole life so they have to deal with it at sometime, the sooner the better.
You do everything you can, but at some point you've just got to let some kids die. Are we at that point with banning peanut butter? I don't know. But the survival of any species can't continue when the weakest are allowed to pass along their sickly genes.
HARSH DARWINISM (Even 4 Me)
I bet you might feel differently if it was your kid that we should just "let die". Wow
Banning peanut butter from a school seems more than a little extreme. While some kids are deathly allergic to peanuts, the VAST MAJORITY have only a mild or moderate allergy. Thus, unless the school is dealing with a deathly allergic child, the school should not make any special arrangements for allergic kids. That responsibility should be left to the parents (and the school should be notified of what the parents want them to do in case of a reaction). We don't prevent kids allergic to bees/wasps/hornets/etc., from going outside, nor do we prevent entire schools from having outside play time because of one (or a few kids) bug allergies. This is no different.
The schools have no choice but to ban it and for a very simple reason. If they don't, then some parent who's child has an allergy and comes in contact with peanut butter will sue the school. Plain and simple. That is the way we are heading in this Country, isn't it? Everybody has to cover their back sides regardless of the logic because there is always someone looking to sue, and there are always lawyers looking to exploit situations, and there are always courts who favor the weak and stupid.
AMEN!
There are too many individual food allergies for any sort of systemic government ban to work. If YOUR kid has a severe allergy to something, then YOU work with the school to find a solution that does not unduly impact the other 99.99% of the kids. Maybe you get to come in at lunch time and your kid eats with you in your allergen-free car.
It is completely unreasonable to expect the rest of the world to cater to your individual needs. Your kid has severe peanut allergies, I'm sorry. But Sally has severe allergies to Almonds. Tim goes in to shock if exposed to wheat gluten. Bobby could die if he get's close to someone peeling a citrus fruit. Zhang, ironically, is deathly allergic to rice. And Margret's airway swells closed near shellfish.
Just what in the hell do you anti-peanut crusaders expect SOCIETY can do for food allergies at large? If you banned all the foods that someone could be allergic to, there wouldn't be any food left for anyone to eat.
here, here!
At least have the guts to say, "I don't care about your kid," rather than, "I'm sorry." It wouldn't really change your message but you'd be more honest.
Again, it's not valid to say we shouldn't ban peanuts because it's impossible to protect everyone from every morsel of peanut every day of their lives. That reasoning would indicate that we don't need seat belts - you can't protect everyone from dying in EVERY car accident. Intelligent people understand that seat belts REDUCE the number of fatalities. Do you see the difference? "Reduce." No, we can't protect a kid from peanuts 100%. But we can reduce the risk. If enough people give a shit. Unfortunately people like you see everything as black and white, and zero sum. It's either all or nothing, and if they help the kids by banning peanuts then that's going to hurt me.
At this point all I can do is ask you to please not have any children.
Tim – We can reduce the maximum speed on cars to 10 mph. We won't stop people from driving their cars, we will just make it incredibly irritating in order to protect pedestrians and cyclists. Great argument. Well aslong as you and your child ins not inconvenienced.
Bob (again!) - You really think banning peanuts from schools is equivalent to instituting a 10 mph speed limit? Come on man.
Apparently you fail at reading comprehension. Peanuts were not the thrust of the post. Try reading again.
If i could, i would post a video of a child having an anaphlactic reaction while their airway swells shut within minutes. Maybe then you would be able to imagine how scary it is to send your child off to school. My daughter is only 2 yrs. old so no school just yet. But, god help her with all these morons walking the planet. A young child doesnt always make the best decisions - no matter the parenting. As they mature, sure, its a parental issue at that point but not until then.
Thank you Mr. Peters. Apparently some people don't realize that 2 year old can't think for themselves and unfortunatley, we can't all stay at home all day and keep them in a bubble either.
While I am so thankful that I do not have children with allergies to peanuts, I also have an enormous amount of sympathy for those parents that do have this issue to deal with both in and outside of their home. I do not think, however, that banning peanut butter in the schools is the right answer. I think education for everyone concerned is what is needed. These kids will eventually become adults who will face the “peanut’s” of the world every day, in many situations so teaching them at the earliest of ages is essential. My son is asthmatic. He was taught about his triggers, how to know when and when not to use his inhaler, etc. before he started kindergarten. By the time he started school at 5 years of age, he was able to self medicate and control his asthma as if he were an adult. While of course, his issue with asthma was completely in his/our control and not associated with anything that another student might have in their lunch bag, it still is about the education. Kids with peanut allergies need to know at the very earliest of ages that this could essentially kill them. The schools need to accommodate the allergy to the extent that they are ready in an emergency and ensure that all the kids within the school understand that this child or these children could die if they come in contact with peanuts. Even having, as the poll online states, a dedicated table where no peanut or peanut butter eater may sit is an outstanding idea and should be mandatory in every school just like handicap parking spots are within parking lots. I see so many intolerant people commenting on this situation and it comes from BOTH sides of the fence. For those that do not have kids with peanut allergies…have a heart. For those that do….be practical and ensure your child is educated about their allergy.
We found out the hard way that my daughter was allergic to peanuts when she was 2 years old. Her first blissful taste turned into a nightmare when she went into anaphylactic shock after 1 bite. Luckily we lived less than a mile from the nearest hospital. Each of her days is a struggle just to survive. At 9 years old, she has been thru 10 epi-pens, 10 emergency room rushes, and dozens near misses from the careless acts of other. Yes, peanuts are a glorious gift from GOD that all SHOULD be able to experience freely. However, put in the wrong hands, they are a dangerous weapon. I mean it would be great to be able to say each kid for him/herself or that it's the parents responsibility to keep them from harm. Look, if I was at school all day with my kid, you better believe that a peanut cell wouldn't get within a mile of her. The fact is that there are so many occassions when CHILDREN just don't know any better and it's going to turn out bad. Here are several examples of reasons why peanuts should be completely banned from school and other public places.
1. Sagebrush Steakhouse has a barrell of them in thier lobby where toddlers can reach in and grab or better yet, some putz in line tries to hand them to your cute kid like they are candy.
2. Schools sometimes provide sack lunches where they have PB&J sandwhiches. Even though your kid has a dietary order stating that they aren't supposed to have peanuts, some substitute is not going to read it or they are going to write the wrong name on the wrong bag and your kid is going to take a bite before they realize wuts happened.
3. Some kid in daycare is going to bring in some peanut M&N's and start handing them out w/out permission.
4. Some kid in school is going to bring trail mix that looks like candy in at lunch and try to trade for something your kid has.
5. The school is going to let something slip that may have peanut by-products in it.
6. Your kid is going to go to a neighbors house and eat some fried chicken that was fried in peanut oil.
There is NO WAY an adult can keep peanuts away from thier child 100% of the time. How can you expect a child to be able to fend off the constant barrage?
I mean, come on now, what if it was your kid?
Really? I shouldn't have access to a peanut product anywhere "in public" because of your kid's problem? Man, you make me want to scatter peanuts everyplace I go. Sounds like a gene pool that needs to be drained.
Read the stuff at the top again you moron. "Schools." Not "public." Again, one of the saddest facts of life is that stupidity doesn't hurt enough to keep people away from computers.
This is what Chelsea said up above: "Here are several examples of reasons why peanuts should be completely banned from school and other public places..." You're the ignoramus here.
Uh, oops. You're right, she did. Sincere apologies for my post.
It's high time people take responsibility for themselves. I realize there are allergies to peanut butter, but there's allergies to wheat, milk, fish, eggs, etc. If you ban everything a person could be allerigic to what will the kids eat? A child knows that they can't have something so they stay away from it and it's ok to let the school know of an allergy. But why punish everyone for a few. If the child is being bullied by other students because they can't eat something then that's another problem and should be handled not be tolerated by the school.
YOU MISS THE POINT I DO NOT WANT TO CATER TO YOU OR YOUR CHILDREN SO JUST LEAVE AND LEAVE ME ALONE. IF I DON'T LIKE IT SOMEWHERE I GET UP AND LEAVE-WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT THAT I DON'T HAVE FRIENDS I DON'T LIKE WHY SHOULD I LIKE YOU
I'm allergic to Pine trees, can we cut down all Pine trees please.
Can you just try to avoid them like you avoid the question mark key.
Peanut Butters on the market such as the ones that are mass produced for institutional purposes should be banned for reasons to do with hydrogenated oils – not due to nut-related allergies. Children who have allergies of all kinds: gluten, dairy, nuts etc. will need to learn to avoid these foods for the rest of their lives. I do not think that we should only serve foods that have no known allergies. That would not be fair to kids without those allergies. Overcoming the growing issues to do with obesity in this country , to me, would be more pertinent than avoiding known allergies, since allergic foods will need to be a learned process in order for those children to get to adulthood. But feeding EVERYONE foods that have hydrogenated oils that are known links to obesity and subsequent illness – is that what we want to serve our children?
Hey from recent studies the PB allergey is due to non exposure to peanuts in young age, 2-3years, so feed them some PB & no allergy..... Hey I am allergic to TUNA Fish, I barf when it crosses my lips & puke smelling it, should it be banned, no walk away, just say NO......my last air flight cancelled the in flight snacks (peanuts) because some little PB allergic wimp complained, drive dude, dont cheat me out o'mi nutz....
Peanut butter allergies are interesting not for the rise of this once unheard of allergy but instead of the world adding yet another chapter in "The Emperor's New Clothes"
Reporting your child as having a peanut butter allergy immediately prompts an overwhelming response from the school and requires that all other parents notice you, your child and additionally change your routine out of respect for the situation.
I think certainly a large number of peanut allergies are outright hoaxes or exxagerations to garner attention by parents. No one sees beyond what they are told.
People always love attention, are over sensitive about children, are ultra concerned about social pecking orders and additionally being a hypochondriac runs rampant in America. Guess what – My child has a peanut allergy! How terrible?! What can we do to help?
There is likely no increase in the number of real peanut allergies – but there is a remarkable increase in the number of reported peanut allergies!!
No one questions whether these things are true and its any easy way to garner petty sympathy and attention from the community.
A certified exam from a allergy doctor certifying to the intense and life threatening allergy should be a requirement before parents are permitted to request these accomodations, peanut or otherwise.
Well, that makes sense. As the parent of a six year old with a peanut allergy, it never actually occured to me to take him to the doctor. I have to admit, you've pegged me. I'm more interested in creating a disturbance at my child's school and stigmatize him at the same time, for the sake of garnering a little attention, than I am at leading a normal life.
OK, all sarcasm aside: As difficult as it may be, you are officially the stupidest person to post on this forum. Congratulations.
Tim, Tim, Tim... Tsk...Tsk. It's ok to be so narrow minded about this issue, but let's keep civil. Your replies all result end in rude insults. Just because some disgrees with you, it doesn't mean you need to be rude you dumb ar$e. LOL
What can I say Bob? I love my kid with his peanut allergy. (And all sarcasm aside, last time I checked he actually has a peanut allergy. I'm not just trying to get attention.)
Maybe the reason so many children are allergic to everything under the sun is because their parents have protected them from everything under the sun?
It's possible that the increase in food allergies in recent generations is related to how much more we keep ourselves clean and avoid things that aren't clean, as a society. However, children are born with food allergies so parental overprotectiveness is not a consideration.
Tim, you are wrong on this one. Research proves, just as being too clean causes one to be more susceptible to germs; lack of exposure to allergens can causes one to be sensitive to it.
I am a school teacher who has had many students with these allergies. One was so severe that my student could have died if peanuts even came near him. Simple solution, peanuts were not allowed in MY classroom. The school did not become peanut free. Parents were great and used alternatives for their children's lunches such as soy butter, sunflower butter etc. Classrooms where allergies were not a problem were peanut OK zones. But as always teachers, students and parents were aware of the children with allergies and always took precautions such as handwashing etc. A little empathy and understanding by the school community went a long way and everyone was happy.
The focus should be on the children bullying others bc of their allergies. They need to be repremanded and educated about the consequences for their actions.
If you can ban PB from schools why can't you ban Muslims?
I'd rather ban the BIGOTS.
I, too, have a child with a nut allergy and I started training her at age 3. I also had to train well meaning teachers who thought she was being fussy. IF there was a bully I showed both my kids how to stand up and speak for themselves. BANNING foods is a slippery slope. You ban steak because a baby can't chew. C'mon folks. The peanut allergy is a dangerous allergy and education is the key to saving lives.
It is sad at how embittered these boards are. Always, there is so much anger at everything here in the US lately. Even a damn peanut allergy discussion has people ready to go to blows.
Pathetic what we have become.
Look folks, just talk to your children, ok? They're not as stupid as you think... If they have an allergy, they simply won't touch the nutty stuff...
Wake up, parents! It's not like they're sneaking peanuts into the food or anything... Stop whining and communicate with your kids!!!
I forsee soon the 28th amendment to the Constitution to protect the children with allergies:
Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the cultivation, processing , sale, or transportation of peanuts or peanut products within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for any purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
(if you look closely, it is heavily based on the 18th amendment(ie prohibition) With this amendment there will soon be a large underground organized crime network in the trafficking of peanuts and peanut products with peanut speakeasies and essential repeat of the rampant organized crime of the 1920s
I think we should ban guns in school. Oh wait, they already did that! And kids still manage to get them there and kill people with them.
As the parent of a child with SEVERE food allergies…including peanuts…I believe that it is my responsibility to keep my child safe. Although the school is aware of her allergies she has been trained from a young age to read labels and identify the foods she can not have. This is something that she needs to be educated on more than anyone…because she will deal with it all her life. We are lucky that her school has made the choice to educate teachers and students but in the end I am the one who takes full responsibility for her food…sending lunch and snacks that she can safely enjoy.
what about kids with severe bee sting allergies? are they not allowed to go out for recess?
My kid is allergic to bees. Am I going to demand that a glass dome be erected over the school? NO, that is just how it is. I have educated her on what to do if ever stung by a bee, I'm not leaving it up to others, nor am I going to demand that every flower be eradicated from the planet.
You better teach your kids better ways to eat and not to eat things u didn’t prepare for them… Explain them how important is know what he eats and I will like to know if you take all that cause allergies of the kitchen then you better close the school… lest be realistic… I did grow up allergic to sea food.. I know since I was a kid.. One of my brothers to peanuts’… My mom always say that I have to adapt to the world, never try to change the world because my allergies… good luck on that and my opinion if you still not understand me is NO do not take it out of the menu…
I missed many a day of school due to the triggers in the classroom that set off my severe asthma attacks- came close to being left back as well as almost dying once or twice from it- we don't know how I survived. I live with this illness- have it for 47 years. It is my problem & I learn how to handle it no matter how difficult. The school arena for me triggered worse reactions than my friend with peanut allergies's kid has ever seen & I hope never sees...we can educate these kids, their friends, their teachers- they can help (they tried changing MY seat a few times) but let's not hurt others at our expense. Banning is downright not fair to the mainstream healthy. I suffered but didn't make others do the same for me and my illness...
Peanut butter should be allowed in schools. I it is one of the most nutritious foods available for people. If some kids are allergic to it, they should be taught not to eat it by their parents. There are many different kinds of food sthat people or kids are allergic to. Milk or dairy for example is one of the top foods that people have reactions to. Should we start banning MILK in schools?... I don't think so!
unfortunately...people don't understand until they see their own child suffer a reaction...so for one minute i ask you to reconsider your stance if it was your child that was having an anaphylactic reaction (a severe life threatening reaction...something my son has had 11 times before he was 2 yrs old) to a food. it's so sad that people are quick to judge and quick to respond with these harsh statements when it comes to children and their well being.
Leti – I would not send my kid to school because it could happen even with the ban. I would never take that chance. As you can see from the responses that lots of people don't care or disagree. Kids eat peanut butter at home at breakfast and lunch. Accidental contamination could easily happen. I feel for you, but ther is too much at stake.
Schools teach and help prepare children to be productive adults.
Children who expect their environments to cater to them may not be prepared for the workforce or outside world.
Would be good to teach children to wash their hands and brush their teeth after eating, cover their mouths when coughing/sneezing, keep their mouths closed when eating. This would keep airborne food particles and germs down and be a benefit to themselves and society.
#1) Thank god I went through school before this was an issue.
#2) Thank god I don't intend to breed so I won't have to worry about it in the future either.
I think the bigger question is...why are we seeing all these peanut allergies? Too much antibacterial soap? Too many chemicals in the water? Weakening gene pool? Didn't they used to put kids like this in plastic bubbles or let them die off?
Banning peanut butter in schools is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard for several reasons. First off referencing that peanut butter should be banned because there are healthier alternatives completely misses the point of American and growing up: you are responsible for your own decisions.
Secondly it should be the parents responsibility to educate their children on how to care for themselves. That is what being a parent IS! Parents of allergic children should educate their children to stay away from peanuts (and tell other students they are allergic if it is brought near them) and the allergy should be documented by the school so if something does happen they can respond correctly. If kids who are allergic need to have their own table, that's one thing but telling someone else what they can and cannot consume for lunch is going too far.
I sympathize with people who have allergies. However, schools and the rest of the world cannot be changed to accommodate every possible allergic condition. In addition to peanuts, there are allergies to gluten (in bread), shellfish, and milk products. Some people are also allergic to pollen, dust, mold, synthetic fabrics, perfumes, etc.
There is no practical way to eliminate all the potential allergens from schools or anywhere else. People with allergies have to come up with coping strategies – just like people with pacemakers have to avoid microwave ovens. Individuals who are at risk have to take the responsibility to look out for themselves.
I'm not trying to be mean about the situation. I'm trying to be realistic. It might not be "fair" – but it's the way life is.
Peanut allergies are very serious and it's up to all parents to educate their children on how to be safe whether your child has an allergy or not . The problem I have is that schools are misleading parents with children who have these allergies when they decide to become "peanut-free". There is still going to be that random kid that comes to school with peanut butter on his fingers from breakfast and spreads it on the table next to someone who has an allergy. Outright bans are no fun either. If you're going to ban peanuts than you might as well ban playground time because there is always that chance that someone with a bee allergy might get stung by a bee. I think that education is the best answer as well as making it known to students and teachers who has the allergies so everyone is aware and prepared if something happens.
Ther is a ban on PB in all schools in Ontario. What a problem that has cause me!
Neither of my kids eat anything but peanut butter or nutella. Both are banned from our schools.
Try explaining to a 5 or 6 year old why they are only getting bread and butter (neither eats jam. fish or cold cuts) for lunch with fruit and veggies.
My niece has to carry an epi pin due to her fish allergy. She obviously is not as important as fish is still allowed in schools.
I think that ther should be a room set aside for those with sever allergies to eat in and allow kids to be kids and eat their PB
Eric, I know its difficult to sacrifice your own interests for the sake of others but thats what makes this world go round. Im sorry to inconvenience your peanut eating desires. Its hardly a debate when were talking about sacrfificing peanut products, in trade for the well being of 'our' children. My guess is that your divorced, overwieght, self-indulging, and teaching your children the same 'critical thinking'. Go back to work, or are you unemployed as well??
Mr. Peters – Lost of kids are allergic to milk and milk, wheat, eggs, sea food and soy products – all common food allergies. Why don't you check the ingredients out on most products. So no milk, no cheese, no yogurt, no bread, no crackers, no tuna sandwiches, no samon sandwiches, no pudding, ...what the hell are kids suppose to eat ? Bark?
Give your head a shake.
Mr. Peters, from the sound of it you're one of those self absorbed parents who thinks your little Johnny is god's gift to the world and that he deserves and A in class no matter how poorly he does just because his Billy got an A for the best work. In your twisted world it's not fair that others do better than your child, because he also should be the quarterback. Allergies are difficult, but the world is not going to rid itself of peanuts and bees and bully's and smarter kids than yours. Grow up Mr. Peters and with a little work, perhaps your kids can as well.
Why not just ban eating from schools? Kids are too fat anyway and it should be the responsibility of the parents to provide them with meals that are catered to their tastes and allergies.
Natural Selection FTW!
love it!
cool. this is great...also, there are kids allergic to water. Now everyone will have to do without water because there are some people actually out there with water allergies. So now no one can have water just as those with peanut allergies can do away with peoples' rights to give their kids peanut butter.
I am a mother of a 6 year old child who has a LIFE THREATENING peanut allergy. I am saddened by some of these comments and the fact that people would take the life of my child so lightly. I would never for a moment talk about another child as I hear some people here talking. My husband or I go to school everyday for lunch to ensure that our child is safe. We are the advocates for our child and do what we can to make sure that he is safe. I have not tried to "ban" pb at his school, but this year we have successfully established a peanut/nut free table and that is working very well. I do not try to force anything upon anyone about this topic when some people are so close minded, but I am always very open to talking about it when someone approaches me. If anyone is interested in learning more about the seriousness of this...we have experienced it first hand. And yes, peanut particles can be in the air and can be life threatening. I am also involved in an allergy support group which helps me to deal with this. I recommend for anyone that has an allergic child. Thank you so much to those of you who do show compassion for other's children...
I am sorry that your child has to go through this. And I am sorry about the stress that this causes you and your family. But what about the kids with wheat allergies, shellfish allergies?? Should they ban all those things as well?
ditto
In my post, I do state that I have not tried to ban peanuts at my son's school. I believe that the parents of children who do have other life threatening allergies should try at their school to enforce an allergy free table. It took me over a year to establish one at my son's school. The thing is the parent has to be the one to head it up and build good relationships with the school staff, principal, school nurse, etc. I have made sure that everyone knows my son and has put his face with his name. This is what I do to make sure that my child is safe. Sorry for the long winded answer...
Its serious and that is fine to have a peanut free table. With that said, if there are airborne particles and your child is that allergic, he could still be at risk. I dont think that other kids rights should be infringed upon if it is as serious as having a reaction to airborne particles. If this is the case, I would strongly consider having the child home schooled because of the severity of the condition.
you are right...home schooling could be an option, but at this time it is not something that I feel we need to do. we fortunately have not had an episode because of airborne peanut particles. i was just stating that it is a fact that can affect some individuals because some of the posts have stated otherwise.
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_allergy#Prevalence
Peanut allergies kill about 100 in the US each year. You'd be far better off, statistically, banning driving your children to school.
Idiot. So do you think we should only ban the one thing that causes the most problems? I don't know about you but I can walk and chew gum at the same time. Here's an exercise for you: Go find the thing that kills more people than auto accidents among underage drivers. Then go find a web site where people discuss how to make teenage driving safer, and tell them that the thing you found kills more people than teen driving. God, you are so friggin' stupid. STUPID. Does logic play in, you moron?? Do you think before you open your stupid piehole? God I am so tired of stupid people.
I HAVE A SOLUTION FOR ALL OF YOU IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE HERE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. I WILL EVEN PAY YOUR WAY
What about the kids who are alergic to wheat products? Should they ban bread, chips, and everything else? There is a term for this type of thinking. It's call the "Pussification of America."
They have a word for people like you: Stupid. Actually more than one word: Moron and idiot too.
They have words for people like you, too. Nazi and Fascist come to mind.
After reading so many of these responses and looking at the results I only have one thing to say. You Americans are selfish. I am Canadian and we work together meaning.. if it takes us to ban peanuts because it would save the life of one child then that’s what we do, and it s worth it. My son does not have any allergies. I don't get to send him to school with peanut butter sandwiches like I was able to when I was a kid. I do make them for him at home. Remember it's not the kids fault he is allergic. He was born with it. It's not like he has a choice in the matter. Don't deprive him of a childhood because of it. Life isn't always fair but together we can make life that much more comfortable. Stop being selfish.
Not driving cars would save hundreds more children's lives. So why are you Canadians still doing that?
Typical pompous Canadian response. "We all agree and think exactly like I do."
GTFO
So you are only reading the posts made by the jerks? All the people who are posting statements in agreement to you– they are not Americans? You have quite the ego. Some of us are selfish, yes. But not all of us are as smug as you, it seems.
Yes Denis.. Ill admit it.. IM SELFISH... I like my freedoms... I have been raised to cherish my freedoms from control freaks that want to dictate every aspect of my life. I like having the freedom of speech that you Canadians lack... You can't even publish anything that may offend anyone without fear of being arrested. Well... I hope you enjoy living like that. I will NOT EVER tolerate that. These little things where a small group attempts to DICTATE behavior of the masses is where it all begins. Again... it is the MINORITY that is demanding that everyone else change their behavior that are the SELFISH ones. So.. enjoy your semi-free life in Canada and I hope you dont offend anyone and end up in jail.
Please don't lump all Canadians under your banner. Although there does need to be some protection for kids with food allergies, blanket bans are not the way to go about this. As has been mentioned earlier, allergen-free tables are usually a sufficient protection for kids, while enabling the other kids to exercise choice in their dietary needs. This is particularly important for low income families, where nut butters represent a inexpensive form of protein for their kids. Saying "Ban all nuts" is all well and good, but will there be a supplemental food program for those affected?
As to the persecution that children with allergies face; the answer to this lies with the parents (usually of the other children). If a child forces contact with an allegen on another child, treat it as if it were a physical assault and discipline your child.
The way we build up a tolerance to things is by being introduced to them while our bodies can adjust (i.e., when we are young). Some doctors even advocate, under supervision, introducing allergens to people in small increments until their bodies build up a tolerance.
The problem is that we would rather complain and avoid the situation than have our children learn to deal with it. They won't be able to hide their entire lives, and I would hate to read someone's tombstone saying: "I died from a goober because my momma and daddy couldn't simply teach me how to survive."
This is a case where the line between compassion and stupidity is being crossed with regularity.
FYI, the therapy you are recommending (feed the allergen small doses) hasn't been approved by the FDA
because there have been deaths within the study. You really should have your facts straight before recommending
something like that.
OMG so many ignorant people and responses I really don't know where to start. Honestly are you all that stupid and that insensitive? God help us all if that is the case. I have a son with a peanut/tree nut allergy he sits at the peanut free table with others that suffer from peanut allergies. It is very common now. However, we are lucky because he is ok as long as he does not touch or ingest it. I have heard of others who can not even be in the same room as it. I wish people would educate themselves and be sensitive to others. OUr world would be a better place. For those who refuse to do that – maybe one day you or someone you love will experience a life threatening food allergy and then you will know what it is like – chances are this will happen.
I keep trying to convince myself that there aren't so many stupid morons in the world but forums like this keep making that a futile effort. The "don't bother me with your problems" mentality reveals the animal in so many people.
And people like you, who think that YOUR problems are the responsibility of everyone else, but not you yourself.
WHY LIMIT THE BAN TO JUST SCHOOL??!!
BAN PEANUTS ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!!!!
I believe that every child has a right to attend school and if the peanut allergy is the problem then ban the peanuts.
There was a child in my district that couldn't attend school because of his airborne peanut allergy.
Give me a break, there are a ton of food choices on a school menu. No child HAS to have PB & J. If teaching your
child compassion for others is against your beliefs, then shame on you.
Let's ban all foods that cause allergys; strawberrys, peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, fish, shellfish, to name a few; Do not allow these foods in schools; feed the students tofu and carrots (if they are not allergic) I have allergys, but I take responsibility for them my self; and try not to inconvience others, Teach the kids about their allergy and how to manage it and leave the others alone.
Let's just home school all the children. Between food allergies, bee allergies, car accidents, bullying, drinking, the flu. It's obviously too dangerous to allow these kids out in public. I know a mother who won't let their kids in the woods because of tic born disease. These kids are precious to allow them exposure to the worldly elements. If the peanut allergy doesn't get them, than it will be the cashew nuts or the wayward snickers bar after the holloween where Jason and witches are banned.
From kindergarten through sixth grade, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch at least twice a week and, SURPRISE, none of my schoolmates died because of it. Maybe we need to stop living in a state of constant fear.
"Fear is the mindkiller. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration." – the Bene Gesserit
i haven't been to school in years, but i distinctly remember having a lunch card. at the time, it was a punch card but i'm sure there's a more technologically savvy lunch card now that can be swiped or something.
any way we could have a notice to the lunchlady printed on the card, or even show up on their screen that flags them as to what this particular child may be allergic to? let's leave it up to the lunch staff to determine whether a child should have something or not.
and at some point, the child will learn, whether they like it or not, that they cannot have something when they are restricted from it by a higher authority. if schools want to serve lunch to children, the staff should be responsible for the goings on in 'their' lunchroom.
or go back to the 1800s where kids brought their own food. i assure you, it would be MUCH cheaper for families and schools alike to have the parents provide a sack lunch for their kids. that way the parents KNOWS what's going into the lunch bag and can decide how they want to feed THEIR children.
I think it is ridiculous how people think that others should change just because they have a problem. If a child has a nut allergy the parents or guardians should be the ones that are taking the necessary precautions to assure the child's safety. They shouldn't expect the school and everyone around them to accommodate their child's nut allergy. Also, the parents should do their best to educate their child about their allergy. If the child knows that nut products can cause a reaction which could kill them, hopefully they would have enough common sense to stay away from it!
For many food allergies, the threat is hidden. Food that wasn't properly removed by cleaning. Food processed in plants that also process the allergen. It's not possible to simply stay away from an allergen in an environment where that allergen can be on the underside of the table, in the air, on another person's clothes, etc.
You can always find someone who thinks ANYTHING is reasonable... but once you start, where do you stop? First peanut butter, then other nuts, then eggs, and so on Ad Infinitum. And to make things REALLY interesting, what happens when someone decides one child is allergic to another child? And finally, are you raising these children to protect themselves in a hostile environment, or to assume someone will always be there to make the hazards go away??
A comment about what kids are capable of: I have a six year old son with a peanut allergy. A couple of weeks ago I took him to a birthday party at a public facility. He made friends with a kid he did not previously know. When the time came for cake, I gave my son the cupcake we had brought for him, since my wife had determined the cake was not safe. My son's new friend naturally asked about the cupcake and my son told him the reason for it.
Several minutes later my son's friend shoved his cake in my son's face.
So to those of you who think it's as simple as educating our children to be safe: We need to educate YOUR CHILDREN too. A six year old, seven, eight, ten... 12? 15? Kids that age don't get it. People under 20 have been shown in numerous studies to not have the cognitive ability to understand risk and consequence. Most kids adolescent age and younger don't understand what death is, and most have never been seriously hurt. THEY DON'T GET IT. That's why we discuss the idea of making universal rules about what's allowed and what's not: BECAUSE AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH is sometimes the only thing that really creates reasonable safeguards.
You can thank Cass Sunstein for this and more to come because he thinks were all Hommer Simson and someone to control and tell us what is good for all.
Dear God I wish we could ban stupidity.
Well, that would certainly eliminate most of the posts on boards such as these.
Since when do schools only have a single option at the lunch counter? I agree that if a child is alergic to something they should not be forced to eat it. I believe that for food safety that peanut butter should be prepared in a certain area where it will not contaminate other foods. I really don't see a need to ban peanut butter. Instead we should probably ban bread. It is clearly evil and cannot be trusted in the hands of children. For that matter, what about celery? It has that stringy stuff in it.
I don't see a need to ban peanut butter in every public school nationwide. However, if there is a child that does have a life-threatening allergy, then I think it's up to the school to handle that on a case by case basis. Nobody should be complaining about making adjustments if there is a real and immediate threat. I have been on airplanes before where there were no nuts allowed because of a passenger's peanut allergy. Nobody kicked and screamed about being deprived of peanut butter for the hourlong duration of the flight. I like peanut butter too, but not enough to KILL for it, for heaven's sake.
It's a slippery slope to start banning certain food items from children's lunches. Many children have food allergies to items other than peanut butter, and it would create chaos to ban all of these items. The better solution is for parents to educate their children about what they should and should not eat.
My daughter is in 3rd grade. In her school, there are separate tables for children with food allergies. That means I can send her in with PB&J for lunch. The system has worked for as long as she has attended. Also, all lunchroom staff and teachers are trained to recognize when children go into distress due to food problems – this includes choking as well as allergic reactions.
Some individual classrooms have identified children with nut allergies. If there are none identified to the parents, there are no restrictions on what the child can bring in for snacks. There is a restriction on bringing food to the classrooms for birthdays, which I can understand. What I find ironic is as a PTA we are not allowed to sell home baked goods at bake sales because of potential food allergy/dietary law restrictions. Given this, how did my generation ever survive to adulthood without Big Brother watching over us?
More hyperbole. Joe, not everyone from your generation survived. And I would submit that some from your generation who died died because of things that could have been prevented. Also, the rate of peanut allergies in children was almost unheard of back in your generation. The rates have increased dramatically in only recent years.
Tim I think you are on to something! It is these over coddling parents.. that dont allow their children to eat certain foods or only allow them to eat vegetables... or make them constantly bathe in the purell hand sanitizer lotions that are causing the problems to explode..... they try to be 'healthier'.. however... they are doing the exact opposite and making these allergy issues even worse. We have gotten along just fine until this point...
You got Peanut Butter in my Chocolate.
I think we should take a state like say....Utah. Put a 12 foot high barb wired fence around it and put all these PB allergic kids inside the fence with their own schools, churches, shopping malls, etc. where they can live out their lives in total harmony without fear of allergic reactions. Parents can visit on weekends and holidays.
To everyone saying water allergies do not exist, please check your facts. No, there is no actual allergy against it that causes a histamine release (as in allergies to peanut butter, etc), but there is a disorder that causes extreme hypersensitivity to it, causing someone who comes into contact with water to develop severe rashes closely resembling those of an allergic reaction. It is called Aquagenic urticaria. I wish people would stop spouting things off on here without knowing what they're talking about.
I'm 19 years old and can't imagine growing up without eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch at school. Sure, lunch meat is okay for some kids, but there are actually people who seriously do not like cold cuts. There is also the question of vegetarians who don't have much choice for protein besides peanut butter. I don't understand why this is becoming an issue now when people have been allergic to peanut butter for centuries. People have made it work since the institution of the public school system. I hope kids with allergies are safely guarded against peanut butter or anything else, but that is the responsibility of the parent.
Quite honestly.. I think any parent putting lunch meat on a child's sandwich should be thrown in jail... Also.. any parent feeding their children hot dogs... chicken nuggets... or any processed meat food for that matter... should be prosecuted for child endangerment. Peanut butter is much healthier than any of those aforementioned items. It would be a travesty if we let .0005% or whatever it is... banish peanut butter from existence. LOOK.. Im sorry for their allergies.. but pack em in a space suit and send em to school.
Right from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease:
"Any food can cause an allergic reaction, but only eight foods cause nine out of ten reactions. They are milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish."
Are we going to ban all of those foods from schools? According to the NIAID 0.5% of children under the 18 have legitimate food allergies (vs food sensitivity). So if we're going to ban peanuts, we need to ban milk, soy, eggs, wheat, tree nuts, fish and shellfish too. If we're willing to do that for .5% of the population, then we should also ban from schools any other food a child attending that school is allergic to.
Based on the National Center for Education Statistics, the average American elementary school has 402 students. Based on that, on average, 2 students in the elementary school have an allergy to the aforementioned allergens. If two students are enough to ban an allergen, then we should also be able to ban an allergen if simply 1 student is allergic to it.
Any one else see the insanity when you think of the numbers? I understand that parents want to keep their children safe, but short of sticking your child in a bubble, you cannot protect them from everything. With that said, I do believe that is the parents who should take precautions to protect their children. According to the NIAID, only 2000 people a year are hospitalized from any type of food allergy and only150 people a year, die from all food allergies combined. From the NHTSA, over 35,000 people die a year from car accidents. For all of those people who are saying that peanuts need to be banned in schools because they could kill there children, I bet you don't think twice that when you buckle your child up they 233 times more likely to die on the drive to school than from any food allergy.
Problem though, you say we should take soy out of the cafeteria too, but kids need their milk right? what about that population of kids who are lactose intolerant and can only drink soy milk? How do we choose which group to cater towards if there are critical limitations that counter each other in that situation? Going blitz off paranoid is not going to help solve any problems, that attitude will just create more. A solution that fits both sides is necessary, but completely banning peanut butter from schools is A) not going to work because there is no way schools can enforce this. What are they going to do? take the kid's food and make him starve through lunch, or take his food and have to pay for the food the child needs. That's just a recipe for both disaster as well as lawsuits for child neglect. B) is ethically wrong. Though I feel for the minority who have storng extreme allergies, the fact of the matter is, as a society, we cannot allow a tiny majority, whether or not their argument has validity, control our actions.
I yelled about the people using the "Darwinism" theory last time to describe their point, this time I'll focus on the other extremists for the other side. No one here has any right to personally judge anyone else on here. No one knows who anyone else is in real life, what they struggle with and any other important details. I've seen a bunch of allergy pro parents yelling at those who say peanut butter is a cheap and healthy way to go, telling them they should just get off their lazy asses and go get jobs. Well, newsflash to all of you, getting a job isn't as easy as some of you are making it sound. The economy is a sh*thole right now, and people are getting laid off left and right. You don't know what their lives are like, so stop acting as if you have any right to judge their decisions.
An elementary school near me banned nuts and all nut products...what happened was that a flourishing black market on peanut butter cups, single peanuts, and shots of peanut butter began to explode...i mean these kids were hitting the nuts hard until there had to be a war on nuts, things still aren't the same, you drive by that school and its a mess, kids walking around shaking and crying out for just one more shot of peanut butter...ahhhh the humanity
How dare you make comments like this. You all have NO idea what this is like. I have a son with a severe peanut allergy. It is NOT bad parenting. He did NOT ask for it. The first time he ate it, he had a severe reaction. We now have to carry an epi-pen with us everywhere we go. For the rest of his life, he will never be able to have them. And yes, he even has a reaction when he smells it. It is not fair for him to keep him home and keep him in a bubble. I have never once asked a school to ban it, but it does make it easier if they do. I have heard parents complain about not being able to bring PB to school. How is this my fault if all your kid will eat is peanut butter? That people IS bad parenting. My son has no choice, yours do. The comments on this page have made me sick. For one second, put yourself in his shoes. You may not think a ban is the answer..but peanut is one of the few allergies that can cause death. I'm not talking about a runny nose..death. So yes when a school asks you to not bring it and you do anyway because your kid can't eat anything else...you are risking a child's life. Again, how would you feel if this were your child??
There is a big difference between peanuts and peanut butter when it comes to peanut allergy. The smell of peanuts and peanut butter is NOT a known allergen. Breathing peanut pieces in the air is. Peanut butter does NOT become airborne and therefore only causes allergies when eaten. I am very allergic to peanuts, but i have never once asked the rest of the world to do without them because of me.That would be stupid and very self centered. When these kids grow up they can not ask that no one bring peanuts or peanut butter to work, so they need to learn how to protect themselves just as i have. The number of deaths a year by food allergens is only 150 so let's be realistic here.
NO-peanut butter should not be banned. It is a healthy satiating food. Schools however should be prepared to handle any potential emergency. Kids who are allergic to peanuts know they are allergic as do their parents. It is the parents responsibility to make sure the child understands the significance of the problem with eating a knowingly allergic product. Separate lunchrooms would be an acceptable solution also.
all you people who are saying that they dont care about the kids with allergies, you are all selfish. i dont believe in banning pb in schools, but i do belive in taking precautions for people who are allergic. being a strong society means working together to save eachother and if you dont give a crap about others then you are wrong. im not saying that we should baby the people with allergies, but geeze... it doesnt hurt to care.you would want people to care for you in even in the slightest way, wouldnt you? its called the golden rule...learn it!
@Matt
Matt, you are an idiot.
Children sometimes get hit by cars while crossing the street. Solution: ban all cars within 100 yards of any school.
We are raising a society of panzied idiots.
Wow so many comments, too many to read. Look something needs to give, and maybe a solution in the middle should be created. No one wants to be seperated from their friends at lunch, so what do we do? I for one am 41 years old and still love PB&J. But I am not going to offer my food to anyone. So I don't understand will a kid in school force his lunch on his friend if his friend says no? Let kids eat what they can and be a good parent.
Ok, I have read a lot of stupid and hateful posts on here. I normally would not weigh in on one of these forums, but since I have a daughter with a tree nut allergy I feel like I have to. First of all, this is a very dangerous condition. How dare any of you, compare it to pet dander, mold or pollen. Food allergies are very serious. If my daughter is exposed to the slightest residue from any type of tree nut, she will die without immediate medical attention. However, she does not have an allergy to peanuts & normally eats a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. That being said; schools banning peanut butter would affect her also, but because of her condition and being educated about this she would understand. I would like to think that most parents try to protect their children and keep them from harm. This is no different. Kids don't always know or think about what they are doing. Small children like to play around, they don't alway wash their hands. The may drink out of someones cup after eating peanut butter or they may have it on their hands and touch what an allergic child is eating. Older kids may not fully comprehend the severity of an allergic childs condition and play a prank on someone, causing a severe reaction or even death. This allergy is common enough that schools & daycares should become nut free environments. To those of you who disagree & want to be hateful. What would you do to make sure your child is protected?
What would I do to protect my child: I can't say since this is a public forum and I don't want to end up on a watch list somewhere. What I will say is this: I'm sorry your child has an allergy that is life threatening and I wish the world was a different place where we didn't have to deal with these kinds of things. But the reality is that it's a big world out there and we have no way of knowing what dangers our children face. What you and many of your ilk (and I use that word deliberately to describe my frustration with ALL YALL) don't seem to get is that it isn't just the schools, it's the playground during the summer break, it's a quick stop at a friend's house and their parent doesn't know your child is allergic, it's any of a number of things that you have no control over and here you controlling b______s go trying to make everyone make you feel safe. That isn't my responsibility, nor is it the responsibility of the government. For you and YOUR CHILDREN IT IS YOU who is responsible. If you are unwilling to work with the school and your kid and TEACH THEM WELL then why do I have to protect them from themselves?
HOW DARE you belittle pet dander allergies. If I come in contact with any cat dander.. I have a SEVERE allergic reaction that triggers an asthma attack. I have almost died on a few occasions because of this. Don't you dare tell me that the peanut allergy is worse. Talk about ignorance... you should look in the mirror! You know what.. I deal with my condition and dont expect EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD to accommodate my health issues.
I understand both sides of this story, but I have had plenty of friends allergic to a variety of things, and all it takes is slight adjustments. It's just too selfish to either 1) ignore the problem because it isn't your kid with an allergy or 2) to ban it all together because of a handful of little ones. I never want to see a child get sick or be hurt, but I do think that this is America. It's not like outside of school the rest of the world is going to ban peanut butter for your child. Once they get into college and into a work environment, nobody is going to adjust their lives for the same allergic kid the school district adjusted for. Teach kids early how to be proactive, because school eventually ends. If you know your child is allergic, find the other parents of children with peanut allergies and ask that those students have a separate table together as a health precaution. Parents with healthy kids, be mindful of your children's classmates and friends and maybe just be a little more understanding. Safety is a priority, but there have to be reasonable adjustments. A ban isn't reasonable. It's silly.
I ate peanut butter every day of my life in school. As much as I hate it, I believe that one day the problem will be so bad that we won't have a choice but to ban peanut butter from school. My son is allergic to peanuts, and believe me, when people have to experience it in their own families, they understand immediately and their attitude changes. The problem is that my son has had an allergic reaction on the playground because someone didn't wash their hands after eating peanut butter, so a peanut-free table isn't good enough for some. I wonder if it would be ok to have mold growing in the classrooms. After all, MY son is not allergic to mold.
Well said.
As Tim said, well said. Now I'll ask you what I've asked others: If your child is that allergic then what are they doing outside your house? A kid on the playground with PB on their hands because they didn't wash? STOP THE F__KING PRESSES!!!!!!!!! WE'VE GOT A NEW LEAD STORY. I'm truly sorry that your child has this PROBLEM but really, you need to get a grip on teaching them to have a good life and not live in fear.
My main fear is that some kid is going to sneak in some reese's pieces to school and my kid will breathe them in....not the crunchy shell obviously but the peanut butter middle...mmmmm that peanut buttery middle...ahhhh but anyways, they banned nuts at the school but i'm worried one of these jerks will sneak something in, whose fault would that be if my kid dies from it? i'd want that little snot nosed 5 year old and their parent thrown in prison for life, for life!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zeig Heil mein fuhrer.
Sorry, though I was raised to be "Leftist" this is where I put on the German uniform, grow a stupid moustache and start talking about "Weaklings destroying the human race!"
Civilization, our technology, is man's greatest threat. Simply put, those that would have died in nature survive and reproduce, magnifying their inferior genes. Unless man embraces a 'eugenics' policy, one that genetic technology/gene therapy can make more merciful, man will destroy himself by making himself more helpless than a clam if his 'shell' ever fails.
But, no, no more "Political Correctness". Ever read "Harrison Bergeron"? No more making us all weak to save the feelings of weaklings.
If feeding your kids peanut butter is your idea of a good lunch. Or better yet those of you that say that is the only thing my kids will eat. Parents LISTENT UP!!!! STOP BEING LAZY AND GET OFF THAT DEAD ASS AND MAKE THEM A DECENT LUNCH. Why don't you eat that nasty ass peanut butter for your lunch. If you can't afford something else then get a job if not for yourself do for your kids. Or join the Obama free lunch program.
Please tell me that you are impotent and unable to procreate. If you don't like PB or even think it's "of the devil" then by all means avoid it. If someone is so destitute that this is all they have and it's what they can feed their kid then YOU ARE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO GET OFF YOUR DEAD A$$ AND WAKE THE F__K UP.
Eric they are probably a vegetarian and like water cress sandwiches... Im sorry.. Im not changing my diet to accommodate anyone else. These people are control freaks...
I do not think it is necessary to change the schools and take peanut butter out of them. My granddaughter has the peanut allery (plus many others) and she is learning that she can't have certain foods and understands why. Yes, she knows that she cannot even sit at a table where they have the peanut butter – and her friends understand that if they want to sit with her for lunch, they cannot have PBJ sandwishes and they ask their mothers not to pack that for them because they want to sit with their friend. I think here, that everyone is learning. The kids who do not have allergies are also learning about those that have and are willing to compromise. After all, everyone can eat peanut butter at home if they are able to. And they can eat it in school too, just let the people who might have an allergic reaction to it, know that this is what they have. They can move to a different table – but they have to know.
You know seriously if a child has another disability it is taken into consideration with a medical IEP and they must be accommodated by the ADA. So how is a life threatening reaction to a food that is airborne by mold spores any different. Everyone who feel that these children do not need accommodation need to look inside themselves and realize what a terrible parent you are for feeling your non-allergic child is any better or special then anyone else's child. Most of the comments from parents too lazy to consider simply sending their kid a jelly sandwich to school w/o the peanut better just really aggravate me. Save your peanut better for after school with some whole wheat crackers or celery and the children with peanut allergies will be safe. (Oh and my child has several food allergies but peanuts are AIRBORNE ALLERGIES!) Stop belittling parents and children who have a life threatening condition to deal with on a daily basis and think of someone besides yourself for once. I am ASHAMED of my generation of parents. ASHAMED!
Lets build a space suit that these kids can wear that filters the air..and protects them from any airborne allergens.. PROBLEM SOLVED. I swear.. every day I wake up.... Im finding more and more of my freedoms disappearing... what the hell is the matter with you people.
I, too, have a deathly allergy to shellfish, despite being brought up in Louisiana where they are a staple and other places on the coast. However, our constitution does not allow for the abolition of peanut products in schools. It simply is not feasible to remove a staple of the American diet to accommodate a very small minority of the public. We already struggle with enough in our schools to add one more avoidable issue for educators to combat. It is unfortunate that some of us live in fear of a cross-contaminated knife or cutting board, but it is our responsibility, or in the case of a child, the parents' responsibility to remove the child from the situation. Our country was founded on the freedom of choice, among other things, and parents of severely allergic children must acquiesce to the good of the many.
Tell you what, you tell your kid not to eat my kid's PB&J sandwich and I'll speak to my kid about not stuffing his sandwich into your kid. Sounds fair right?
The only thing I can get my picky 5 year old to eat in her lunch is a PB & J. I understand the seriousness of the peanut allergy along with others such as wheat. However, I need to make sure that my child is eating something during her lunch time and she wants PB & J and I think she should be able to have it.
I can certainly understand the concerns of a parent who has a child that is seriously allergic to peanuts, but I'm afraid you can't force others to change there habits to accommodate a child with allergies. What about the child who has a severe allergy to bee stinks, is that parent going to insist that the entire area around the school be sprayed to kill off bees and wasps?
Here's the problem – a peanut-free table wouldn't be enough. It only opens the school up to a lawsuit from people claiming to have been given a false sense of security. Way too many commonly used ingredients contain peanut oil, and for some children, the smallest amount is deadly. You're talking about an extreme menu change to promise food that is free of peanut product. If you're talking about asbestos, which hurts everybody – get rid of it! You cannot expect a school, though, to offer foods free of all items that children may be allergic to, such as peanuts, eggs, wheat, dairy, soy, etc. Parents will need to tell children what they can and cannot eat, and possibly send them to school with their lunches and snacks from home. Additionally, the school cafeteria should post a sign warning all students of the possibility of peanuts and other such items in the food. I know this doesn't seem fair to those parents of children with allergies, but a 'peanut free table' may not seem fair to the parent of a child with a wheat allergy, either. There has to be a level of reason displayed here.
There are simply too many alternatives to peanut butter that don't cause allergic reactions. There is cashew butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter. And there is also soy butter..I know soy does cause allergic reactions but it is not nearly as common as peanut allergy. Plus, how could you knowingly send your kid to school with a peanut butter sandwich knowing their classmate has a deadly peanut allergy. Would you want your child to have to live with the kind of guilt that would cause if their classmate died because you were too lazy to pack your kid something else?
Firstly, an allergic child is far more likely to be killed riding home from school in a car than from a food allergy. Secondly, I have to alter my child's feeding habits to accommodate another's allergies. What about the child with a milk allergy, what about bee allergies, should be spray the school grounds to kill off bugs? Risk is a part of life, driving, playing sports, anything can cause harm. The allergic child and the parents have to deal with these issues everywhere..airplanes, restaurants, grocery stores. If you that worried, home school the child.
I spread easy
"The problem with your horrible comment is that your kid's wayward peanut butter at lunchtime could kill a child' - If we have food flying across that table into other peoples lunch, the problem isn't peanut butter but extreme eating. Everyone has an allergy. I'm allergic to cantaloupe. Does that mean nobody can have cantaloupe? No! I just steer clear of cantaloupe. If you're so paranoid, put your kid back in his plastic bubble and call it good. Otherwise, SHUT THE H-LL UP!
This should not be such a polarizing topic. As with politics, the extreme views are getting all the publicity. But the answer lies in the middle. Should peanut butter be banned in all schools? No. Of course not. Should schools take life threatening allergies very seriously? Of course. Just like with any disability, people need to help take care of one another. I will not respond to any of the bottom-feeders that have no human compassion. Their opinions are idiotic and everyone knows it but them.
Anyway, the reason that bans are discussed at all in the lower grades (and pre-k) is that many kids in those grades are extremely messy and peanut butter can end up anywhere in the classroom without taking some precautions. As kids get older, those with food allergies do have to learn to take their own precautions in order to live a productive and safe life. To ask little four- and five-year-olds to deal with that level of awareness is simply too much. But there are creative solutions that most intelligent parents will be happy with. For example, kids with severe food allergies can eat the very first lunch of the day, when the tables are cleaned and there can be, perhaps, more careful monitoring of who sits where (at the peanut-free table or a milk-free table). Most kids will be unaffected. I do find that the children who meet food-allergic kids early on have NO trouble adapting. Kids who thrived on peanut butter only the year before, will now prefer their mom make cheese sandwiches so that they can sit with their best friend, who is allergic to peanut butter. Kids get it, most of the time. There is plenty of room in the middle of this situation, where peanut butter can easily be banned in school from certain places and at certain times, while being available elsewhere. Moderation is the answer, and certainly this type of issue needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis, with parents working closely with their allergy-aware principals to find solutions that keep everyone happy and safe. It can be done.
Amy, unfortunately the comments from the "my child is deathly allergic" crowd won't let us meet in the middle.
Eric,
You know what–my child IS deathly allergic to peanut butter, along with tree nuts and stupid old seeds. But it still can be done. You just have to have a parent who is willing work hard to find solutions and a principal who is willing to work just as hard on the other end. Each party must take responsibility for keeping the kids safe. It's so logical and boring that people must forget that it is even an option.
Sure, we will compromise. The affected kids will just sort of semi-die. If they do die, the parents can have a new kid, they will just pick one of the surviving classmates. That kid will be assigned to take the dead one's place, and the other parents can see pictures of him or her every few months. Sounds like a good compromise.
My son is allergic to having water in his lungs, causes a bad reaction when this happens. So I have told him "Do not dunk your head under water and inhale". Unfortunately, due to large amounts of water present in our childrens schools, I cannot cannot guarantee that this won't happen. I understand that my child should have to learn to deal with his water allergy, but he is just so young. The other kids may not be aware of his allergy and might playfully dunk his head under water long enough for him to need to inhale. Considering this possibility, I have been on a strong campaign to remove all water from our schools here in Florida. I admit my success has been limited however. One administrator told me that I was ridiculous when I asked him to lower the relative humidity to 0%. What gives him the right to laugh at a concerned parent? Who is he to think he knows what is safe or "best" for my son?
What about tree nuts? Those can kill, too.....almond butter, chashew butter, etc. If someone can die from being around a food item, and with limited cafeteria supervision at schools, parents can't be there every second. If there are kids at that school THAT allergic, ban it at that school and the others can eat it at home. If you dont' understand that, be grateful your child doesn't have a life-threatening food allergy.
and looking at other comments....I understand the importance of freedom of speech but outlets like this show how really self-centered, ignorant and sad a portion of America truly is.....find something else to do with your time than post comments that make no sense.
"If someone can die from being around a food item, and with limited cafeteria supervision at schools, parents can't be there every second. If there are kids at that school THAT allergic, ban it at that school and the others can eat it at home." "I understand the importance of freedom of speech but outlets like this show how really self-centered, ignorant and sad a portion of America truly is.....find something else to do with your time than post comments that make no sense."
Tell me sweetie pie, were you lookin' in the mirror when you wrote these words you selfish, self centered twit? How arrogant and condescending can you be? I'm sorry your child has an allergy, DEAL WITH IT AND TEACH THEM HOW TO AVOID IT. TEACH their peers don't DEMAND that you be given your way just because it makes it easier on you.
I am from the class of 1986
I neither heard of Peanut butter allergies or Autism back then. (maybe they are connected)
I pretty sure there was no such thing a lactose Intolerance (or at least we never heard it)
I was walking in my kids school when I saw a sign that read "peanut free zone"
How about a school where you can express yourself, and maybe a sign that reads "Politically Correct Free Zone"
Have a snickers and move on. If you kid is allergic to peanuts, they will learn real quick, not to eat it. I am allergic to shellfish. If I take a bite of the shrimp cocktail, whose to blame, me AND MY PARENTS.
Or not, make your busy lives easier, there is always riddlun
Scooter was ignorant in high school. He didn't know about it, so it didn't exist and isn't a problem now. Problem solved.
Allergies to peanuts, dairy, wheat gluten, sugar, strawberries, fish, shellfish, etc. If we ban everything that someone COULD be allergic to, nothing would be left to feed except water. Perhaps we should do away with school meals, have parents respnsible to feed their own children, and as a side benefit, taxpayers will be able to have the satisfaction of paying less money for free/reduce meals, and the moral correctness to know there is no way we can contribute to the possible allergic reaction of any child.
Micromanaging seems to be an ongoing and ever increasing problem in this day and age. Though I feel for the parents and the child who suffers from these allergies, banning certain food products in schools, especially a staple like peanut butter just won't work. Since when did Americans become so lax in their ability to try and solve a problem that all we ever do is look towards our already corrupt government to solve it for us.
While I do feel sorry for the children who suffer from moderate to extreme allergies, banning a food in school just doesn't work. Some children are lactose intolerant, do we ban all types of milk except for soy? Other kids are allergic to tomatoes, so does that mean one can no longer have ketchup with his hamburger in school? Fortunately, these problems fall upon the society's hands to figure out a solution for. I say fortunately because that is what Americans are supposed to do. But instead, most of us seem content with letting the higher ups take care of everything, while we just sit back and let them.
I have an allergy, mild as it may be, to pollen. There isn't anything I can do about it, nor if there was some drastic solution, would I take it as an option. Every spring, when the flowers bloom, my nose gets super stuffed, my eyes water and I spend about a week hacking up disgusting goo from my lungs. Not life threatening, but uncomfortable to say the least. I have no right to jump in everyone else's face and scream for a ban on flowers in public places, claiming that because it affects me negatively, that everyone else should hug me close and tell me everything's going to be okay.
I also can see the allergic child and their parent's side of view too. Having a child who is allergic to everyday items is not fun, nor is it easy to deal with and take care of. The parents have to be on constant alert, much like they do with asthma. Those issues do not make for an easy, laid back life, and keeping a steady eye on your child is becoming even harder since parents have to work more to make up for the drowning economy. It's a hard problem to solve, but there can't be a black and white solution for this.
Banning peanut butter is like banning a protest. What is the school going to do when they realize children are bringing pb & j sandwiches for their lunch everyday even though the all powerful school banned its existance. Especially with the economy, money is harder to come by, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches remain one of the cheapest sources of food avaliable that also remains healthy. Answer me this, do you really think the alternative lunchable is going to be any better for your kid?
Give some respect to the parents who actually take time to prepare food for their kid instead of just sending money to the school. I spent 8 years in the public school system and the food they served there was barely more healthy than the local burger king.
To those parents that are self-righteously screaming the "Darwinism" bullsh*t, shut your craphole now! The way we act towards the environment as well as the wildlife and animals that live in it have knocked us out of the ability to claim ourselves a working part of nature. There are improvements occuring, but we have just as much of a right to claiming Darwinism exists in our society as President Ahmedinijad has claiming the Iranian people all love him.
Secondly, to that affect, how dare you say something like that? Has American society become that self centered? The world revolves about only ourselves now, the only person that matters is me, me, me? Get a life and realize that without the help of other people (namely your mother and father) you wouldn't even exist. Human life exists because we have figured out ways to help the majority, the population we live in. Pennecilin was discovered and that scientist could have just chosen to hold onto it for just himself and the ones he cared about. Instead, he released it and now every child is given that as a vaccine. The doctor helped your mother give birth to you. Had he not been there, it is quite possible that you could have suffered complications and been left with some disability of your own.
If you are so damn perfect, then start helping out the less fortunate. That attitude is what made this country great in the first place. Since when did we take our privelages and the blessings we have as things we deserve and will always have? I work in the Army, and I'll tell you, it's real hard sometimes to look at America and find a real reason as to why you are defending this country.
dear Canadian mom just think there should be no food so look at the money you save and I will bet your kids walk to school and eat Moose jerky and smoked salmon.
If my child had an extreme allergy I would elect to home school the child because I wouldn't want to put my child in danger. If the child could not administer her own antidote then she MUST not be exposed. It is not an educator's responsibility to medicate a student. The teacher's job is to teach. As a retired teacher I can truthfully say that there are too many accommodations being made for student's with special needs. We have limited resources that are being stretched too thin with programs that are unnecessary. If the allergies aren't life threatening give them their own table and be done.
I completely sympathize with parents and children with food allergies but banning something is not the solution. I have a child who does not eat meat and has basically eaten a peanut butter sandwich everyday since he was two. It's very hard to get him to eat enough protein a day and peanut butter is one of our few choices. The other week, he was guilted into throwing out his peanut butter sandwich at school because of this fear in the cafeteria due to a child with peanut allergies. Lack of education and having a good plan by the school on this issue was the problem and my son went the rest of the day without eating his lunch. Accomodations, planning and education will go much further then outright banning something such as peanut butter in schools. There are many, many other food allergies out there and we can't ban everything in the school cafeteria.
Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time!
Right now my kid's school has completely banned anything with Peanut Butter. They have also made restrictions on what the children can have as part of a Birthday Celebration at the school. The banning has gone so far as to now only give the kids one single choice for School celebrations. They can have Minute Maid Juice Pops. That's it.
My daughter and son both Love PB&J, and they are both vegetarian. The school does not accommodate vegetarian children very well (you think a 5 year old is going to eat Salad every day?). PB is a good source of protein for them. They are both very physically fit and are being penalized for enjoying a staple of their diet. Perhaps we should have MEAT banned from school or make the school setup a MEAT EATER table so they don't have to eat with those kids...Yeah, like that will happen
Lol your 5-year-old kid is a vegetarian? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Are you that arrogant that you're going to risk your child's healthy development because of a social decision that YOU'VE made? I'm not supporting the peanut ban in your school, but how about giving your kid some meat as a substitute to their peanut butter and stop imposing your social decisions on them.
Nice. It is always funny watching parents force veganism on their children. My wife had that happen to her as a child and it destroyed her relationship with her mother in the long term. Needless to say she hates vegans worse than anything else...
So ban.. peanut butter? Why not ban all the carbohydrates too for those of us who are diabetic and have to take insulin every day to live? Or all wheat products for those allergic to wheat.. and how about all the eggs for those with egg allergies? Maybe if we weren't ingesting strange chemicals in all our processed foods we wouldn't even have these problems to begin with.. So many can't even tolerate regular milk anymore.. something is definitely wrong. If you start banning peanut butter, what are the diabetic kids supposed to eat to reduce their carb intake? Pretty soon you can't eat anything anywhere!
Two of my kids have asthma and one is allergic to dairy, and yet they survived school with no special treatment. There are more asthma related deaths than food allergy deaths. Every day 11 people in the US die from Asthma. I worked with the school, had a close relationship with the school nurse and educated my kids with the signs and symptoms that lead to attacks. Just being near cat hair was enough to trigger and attack. I did not ask the school to provide a special play area because they were allergic to grass. In my opinion the US has become so antiseptic that kids don't build up natural immunity, and their bodies overreact when exposed to allergens. I am all four parents advocating for their young children but there comes a point where parents today hover too much! Helicopter parents are everywhere today and kids are not accountable for anything because mommy and daddy will fix it.
If peanut particles in the air can kill you, you need to be living your life in a plastic bubble instead of imposing on the rest of society.
No wonder this younger generation is so entitled. It isn't all about one or two kids; it is about society as a whole. We shouldn't have to bow to the needs of a tiny minority. If they can't survive in an elementary school, they have 0% chance in the real world.
RIGHT ON YUMMY. It is funny how the 'few that are dealing with the allergies' turn the tables and tell the rest of us HOW SELFISH WE ARE. I think they should look in the MIRROR and see who the unreasonable ones truly are. Again my heart goes out to those with life threatenign allergies.. but that is life.
I am EXTREMELY allergic to cats... one cat hair can cause me to have a severe allergic reaction and kill me because it triggers an asthma attack. If someone has a cat and that person sat on a chair in a lunchroom and then I go and sit there... could cause this reaction AS could simply touching a person that touched a cat. What would their solution to that be? Should I have demanded that every parent make sure they wash their childrens clothes and be CAT HAIR FREE before bringing them to school each day? OR... should each family that has chiildren attending that particular school be required to GET RID OF ANY CATS they may have? I learned to deal with it and take appropriate precautions!
I'm allergic to milk. Always have been. As a kid, I sat at a table with other kids who drank from their cartons of milk. Indeed, the schools still push milk as the healthy drink. I go to school sometimes to have lunch with one of my sons. Should I request a milk-free table? When I go to a movie theater or ride public transit do I have a right to ask the people around me to not handle milk products? No, I do not. I've lived with this allergy my whole life without ever asking for special accommodations or attention. My mother never requested anything out of the ordinary for me. "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." These kids have to learn from day 1 how to handle their condition. No one can do it for them, and no one should have to.
Actually, at my elementary school, we had whole classrooms that were deemed "peanut-free" at the beginnin of the year, the teacher would inform the parents and we would send kids who brought peanut butter lunches to other classes, until those parents learned not to. They can have it at home, its not too tough to have one meal without peanut butter..
Many of you are missing the point. The peanut allergy is an airborne allergy. You question how a child might come in contact with the allergen. How about a child that easts a peanut butter sandwhich, does not wash their hands and then touches the door know into the class room? The child that has the allergy then touches the door and has a reaction. Is a peanut butter sandwhich soo important that you would risk the life of a human being just so your child can have peanut butter sandwhich? That is one of the most selfish statement that I have ever heard.
I have two members of my family that have peanut allergies. One of them will have an allergic reaction just by being in the same room as peanuts. People need to do a little research and understand the issues before making a quick decision and assuming theat your rights are being violated.
A peanut allergy is no where near the same as a orange or red dye or any other type of allergy. It is much more severe and much easier to spread. People need to learn about compassion and not be so self centered.
I am not suggesting that peanuts be banned. I think it is the responsibilty of the parent to educate their childern to ask the right questions and know when to noteat certain foods. I know that my children always ask the correct questions. I also think that people should be aware of their surrondings and not be so self-centered that they cannot go without a peanut butter sandwhich for one afternoon.
If your kid truly has a life-threatening allergy, then it is criminal for you to even let your child out of the house, much less send them to a public school. An allergy such as the one you are talking about can kill your kid even if nobody takes peanut butter, or peanut containing products to school. You can't prevent every kid in the school from eating peanut products at home – or shaking hands with someone from a different school who did. They could pick it up on their clothes riding in a subway, or sitting in a chair at the doctor's office. It is YOUR responsibility to protect your kid, not everyone else's.
This reply is dead on. What you peanut banning nazis are suggesting is no different than banning driver's licenses because people cross the street. Or making the planet wear surgical masks and bathe in antimicrobials because some people have immunodeficiencies. Peanut allergies are unfortunate and deadly, but banning peanut products in any setting as a result is irresponsible and selfish.
Statistically speaking, fewer than 1 in 200 have any allergy to peanuts, at all - and fewer than 1 in 2 MILLION have been diagnosed with the life-threatening allergy we are talking about here. Yet, somehow, over 5% of parents claim that THEIR child is one of those so afflicted. Just because your kid broke out in hives when he ate a PB&J sandwich does NOT mean he has a life-threatening allergy, and certainly doesn't mean everyone around him should be deprived of peanut products. If your kid truly is one of those so afflicted with a life-threatening allergy (to anything) then it is criminal for you to even let your kid out of your house, much less send them to a public school.
I swear to god, so many of you are so hateful that I wonder you can even live next to anyone! The truth is that peanut butter allergies have developed over the past few years. And those who are terribly allergic are fatally so. Is it really worth the death of a child just so you can say that you have your rights, or whatever it is that bothers you so much over this issue? You want peanut butter that much? Fine, buy it for yourself and yours and keep it at home. But, become better informed, hey, better educated and certainly try to become a more decent human being. If not for yourself, then for those having to be around you!
How about an article and some research about the reason behind the prevalence of peanut allergies today? This kind of poll is like an open invitation to the trolls to come out and play.
anyone who thinks its the allergic child's parents problem and not the school's problem, may you be so blessed and never have any child or grandchild deadly allergic to peanuts (or anything for that matter) because if you did you would not be speaking the way you do. The real question here is do we place the allergic children at risk so that the moms or those not allergic to it don't have the conveniece of a quick peanut butter school lunch taken away from them or do we say those children who are not allergic to it have all the other time of the day that they are not in school + weekends to have peanut butter and no child's life should be put at risk simply because my child needs to eat peanut butter when he/she is in school. This is what's wrong with society. Do you realize what you are saying, "your child has the right to eat something in a place that should provide a safe environment to everyone even if it puts another child's life at risk." Selfish and rightous!!!!! How self-centered has society become???
It has become as self-centered as you have become. You are part of society.
so what sum pll don lik peanut butter or sum or allergic dont ban it caz of sum pll take a vote or servey
Where he at
Where he at
Where he at
Where he at
There he go
There he go
There he go
There he go
Peanut butter jelly
Peanut butter jelly
Peanut butter jelly
Peanut butter jelly
Do the peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly,
Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat
Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat
Me thinks we are all to blame for getting us to such a low point. We allowed our food to be taken over by agribusiness – Cargill, General Mills and all those types have to much control. Many of their junk products have transient ingredients and are labeled poorly, makes it tough even with simple rules to keep kids safe. Lunch rooms have hazards behind every wrapper. Honestly though, it's pretty lame that we are even considering banning such a fundamental real foods as peanut butter in schools. We have so much fake junk at every turn, real peanut butter is too good to give up. There he go.
Kids and adults need to be educated on the affects of a food allergy and the severity on some people. My 8 year old daughter who is severly allergic to tree nuts gives a presentation, including epi-pen information to her classmates at the beginning of every school year. This allows her to tell her story, her frustrations and what she does to keep herself safe in her own words that can relate to other kids her age. We have done this since she was in Kindergarten and she has never had to worry about bullying or an unsafe school cafeteria. The kids, faculty and parents are willing to work with us, especially when she speaks her mind and shows her spirit. She is confident and well educated and can stand up for herself which is something she is going to have to do for the rest of her life. I won't always be there to protect her or control her environment, she has to learn to make it a natural instinct of her own. I don't agree on a peanut ban, I do agree on education of the food allergy for everyone, kids and adults.
Finally! A REAL parent who is teaching their child to take control of the situation and not to rely on a publicly funded system to do it for her. As a fellow parent I applaud your wisdom. Kudos!
banning peanut butter is like banning any kind of food that kids eat. some childern are so picky that they wont eat the school lunch and some kids won't eat anything but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. so i think that banning peanut butter is not a big enough issue to be banned.
No, it should not be banned. I agree with others that the uptick in peanut allergies is the result of the lack of letting kids develop a healthy immune system.
To me, the correct solution is clear.
If the PARENTS of this child have a concern over peanuts and peanut butter, then it is the responsibility of the PARENTS to come and pick up their child every day for lunch, bring them home, feed them lunch in their sterile kitchen environment, and return their CHILD back after lunch. Meanwhile, all the other students are free to eat their PB&J sandwiches and PB crackers in the cafeteria.
We need to STOP inconveniencing everyone, instead of inconveniencing just the one complainer.
Your "correct" soloution is in fact, wrong. Your peanut loving kid will eat his oh-so-wonderful sandwich, get peanut butter on his hands and hair, and then when the allergic kids come home from lunch, your kid will touch them with his peanut smeared hands, and the teacher can call the ambulance and explain that the nice men shoved that tube down Joeys throat so he won't die.
If you don't understand the problem, what makes you think your kids do?
Some people's logic is shockingly selfish and ignorant. According to their thinking, we should permit the teacher to carry a loaded gun into class and place it on their desk...and leave it up to the parents to teach gun control! (I would in fact prefer that over a peanut sitting on their desk because i know they have no chance with the peanut.) ...My kid didnt ask for this allergy you inconsiderate egomaniacs. Im sorry you have to sacrifice your precious peanut butter so that i can feel confident sending my kid to school. :-(
True, your kid didn't ask for the environmental allergy, but has it DUE TO YOUR OWN BAD PARENTING. Stop attempting to punish everyone and start to accept the consequences of your own stupidity.
Hey Josh – explain how his stupidity gave his kid an allergy? A Nobel prize in medicine awaits you. I am betting against you getting the prize.
Let me get this straight. Your kid has a life-threatenng condition. If he is even in the same room as a peanut product, his life could be in jeopardy. You send him to a public school, and expect literally hundreds of students, parents, and faculty members to adjust to his condition, because you can't bear the thought that he might "feel different" by having to eat at a separate table, or in a separate room for the sake of his own safety.
Who is being selfish here? The parents who think your kid should get special accommodation to enjoy his lunch in a safe environment, or the parent of the allergic kid that demands that the entire school become a "peanut free zone", affecting the lives of hundreds of others?
Mr. Peters, you inconsiderate, insolent wart. I'm sorry your child has an allergy that could kill them. I've been blessed with a very healthy immune system and so have my children. However to say that my child can't have a PB&J in their lunch because YOUR child has an allergy is overstepping your bounds. If your child REALLY DOES have that sever an allergy then perhaps you should consider home schooling or buying them a "boy in a bubble" suit. As to your analogy to firearms, I can only hope that your child has better critical thinking skills than you do. The reality is that firearms save no small number of lives and maybe even more than they take while the same can not be said of food allergies. Your comparison is one based solely on fear and intimidation and not on useful data.
As many have said, the number of kids with this condition is very small. It's small enough that it can be handled on an individual basis. It doesn't require a nationwide ban. We had a girl with this problem in our school system. The problem was explained to all the students, very early in elementary school, and a notice was sent home to the parents. There was never a problem, and the students were taught a small but valuable lesson.
The allergy persisted, and when it came time for the Senior Class Trip, the group arranged for the airplane to be nut-free for her flight. It was no problem until the return flight, when the airline suddenly reneged on the arrangement and refused to even provide a few rows of nut-free travel. She caught a flight the next day. (Yes, it was Delta. How did you guess?)
You see, a group of children and concerned parents can do a LOT better than any big government or company.
I grew up severly allergic from the age of three at a time there were no Epi-Pens, no inhalers, no nebulizers. School days were the worst as the triggers were mostly being in dusty classrooms or among kids with pet hair/dander all over them. Lack of proper medication sent me into status asthmaticus many times. The allergies were the problem of my family and of me- not of my school or my classmates. It is still a problem as I fear being on a plane near a dog (the airports have dogs roaming in them all the time now). Nothing I can or would do to stop others- I just have to be prepared and stay away from the triggers. The medication of today is our life saver – just have to be prepared to treat OUR problem.
Wow! I can't believe what a heated discussion this it. I feel for the children who are allergic, but at some point they need to be aware of what they are or aren't putting into their mouths. My neighbor's son is very allergic to ALL nuts and still comes into our PB and nut loving home. My girls still have PB went he's here. We do make a point of washing hands after they've eaten. But he knows what not to eat or touch. He's 9 and has been responsible about his allergy for years. His parents have done a great job educating him about it.
As far as the schools go, I think PB should possibly be banned in elementary school where children are more likely to swap lunches without knowing what they're getting in return. Jr. High and High schools should be allowed PB. That's my two cents!
@Michael. You accuse everyone of being selfish and what not, but in all honesty, everything you posted thus far seems hypocritical in that sense. You sit there and say this isnt and issue but right pages worth of comments. Seriously, if it wasnt an issue for you, then why waste time commenting. In the end it is the responsibility of the parents to educate their children on what they can and cannot eat. If that child is allergic to peanuts, bread, plants, or whatever they may be allergic to should not be catered to by the public. People say that it is not an issue, well maybe peanut butter is not the issue but the giving up of rights is. At what point do we draw the line. Lets ban all sugar problems because of the prevalency of diabetes; Lets cut out recess because of the number of kids who have asthma. I mean seriously where do you draw the line. I find it a bit ridiculous that people have allowed this to become an argument or an issue but apparently it was a popular enough topic that it is. I find it disheartening that people feel the need to have to cater to everyone in every regard. Just as much as it is disheartening at those who wish ill on children who had no control of such situations.
My sons both had allergies. one has/had a nut allergy. My youngest son ate some cake containing a nut oil and had allergic attack and had trouble breathing. Luckily, he recovered. For years we had an auto-injector in case of another allergy attack or bee sting. He seems to have finally outgrown it.
That said, we taught him to not to eat nuts and peanut butter. This is the best approach because parents cannot totally control where your child will be and what they might eat. This idea that banning peanut butter in school is totally ridiculous. Even in the best circumstances, an allergic reaction might happen. Some children might be hyper-allergic to peanuts or nuts, but that is a medical issue that must be addressed. It is impossible to have a peanut free world. If your child is hyper-allergic where even the smell of peanuts might cause a reaction, I wish you the best but you will need to teach him/her how to use an auto-injector.
I agree with Christine. Education is the key. What if the child goes to a friend's house where they might have PB. What if some kids bring their lunch to school and share. You can not cover all the bases by banning PB at school. Perhaps wearing a bracelet indicating the allergy would also be good.
This is absurd, a healthy protein that kids like and people want to ban it because of a few. If you know your kids have a peanut allergy then by all means MAKE a different choice for them or perhaps they might be able to do it themselves. WOW, this banning hoo hah is getting so old. Sensitivity about EVERYTHING is at an all time high. Life isn't fair and once people GO BACK to understanding that , we will continue to suffer as a society.
My daughter is allergic to peanuts and all peanut products. When she was in school I did not consider the school responsible for my childs allergy reactions. She knew what she could and couldn't have and how serious her allergies are.
My kids are all allergic to sunbutter! what are you going to do for me !!!?
Thirty years ago, we didn't have kids in my schools that had peanut butter allergies. This is the result of overprotective parents coddling their offspring until the kids have no immune systems. We don't need to punish all children and take away one of the most popular and healthy packed lunch ingredients just to appease the parents of the rare child who has a peanut allergy. These entitled brats, (and I mean the parents,) need to grow up and realize they are NOT the only people in the world! Soy is a top deadly allergen too and no one is whining to take it out of schools. In fact, propaganda has most idiots thinking it's actually good for them. Sad.
Duh! Most Canadian schools have banned eggs, fish, nuts and peanuts years ago... Not just peanut butter! Really! It's not that complicated... Children's lives are at stake.
It's not as simple as making sure the kid with allergies has no peanut products in his/her lunch... The smell alone can be enough to cause a reaction in some kids. And what if someone shares? Yes, children with allergies should be taught not to take food from ANYONE other than their parents... We're talking about children here. My kids forget they're not supposed to throw a ball in the house at least a dozen times a day! They would quickly forget not to eat the cookies or muffins being offered by their friend!
Fear not, one gets VERY creative making lunches that exclude these products.
Those of you who think kids with allergies should be locked un up their houses, got over yourselves! What if your child was deathly allergic to strawberries and my kid brought some to school everyday?? You'd be the first on the "ban strawberries" ban wagon...
if only we could send all the stupid selfish bleeding heart parents with allergic kids to Canaduh the problem would be solved!
This is ridiculous. Seriously? There's a food allergy for every food out there. What is next? Banning food from schools? Strawberry allergies equals banning strawberries from schools? What about stress? Stress can lead to health complications which, further down the road, could kill a person. Let's make sure there's no stress in school. In fact, why have school at all? Let's do away with the education system entirely.
I completely agree with what "joe" said in that we want to coddle everybody. This is only going to lead to debilitations in their future. Pretty soon, society will fall apart because everyone is being taught that the world has to stop and accomodate their every need. Well, it's not like that.
Ban peanut butter? Please. Ban ignorance.
Cmon i cant believe theres this many responses to this uninteresting topic that no one is really gonna care about after tomorrow, i mean cmon really?? people need to get a life, go out for a bike ride or something! why dont we talk about tomorrows weather instead....hey how many people are at work actually reading this bullshit?
I think that awareness and respect are key. I grew up with an allergy to peanut oil, which back in those days, nobody had ever heard of. I learned from a young age to always ask, always read labels, and if I asked and was dismissed, to either press for an answer or not eat whatever I had. One day, my lunch got switched with my brother's, and (I was in kindergarten at the time) I knew not to eat his PB&J sandwich. I had my snack instead of his sandwich. Also, snacks were generally peanut butter on crackers, but I always had cheese that I brought to school and my teachers knew to give that to me instead. I think that what needs to happen is for people to just be aware; to teach their children with allergies how to deal with them, to inform your child's teachers or whoever is responsible for your child during the day of the allergy (I'm not saying ban every allergen from the cafeteria – nobody could eat then!)... To say that it's "their problem, not mine!" is really selfish, and I hope that those people never develop a disability that might require them to rely upon the assistance and common courtesy of another person.
My mother has a corn allergy and my nephew has a peanut allergy. In both cases a pill can be taken to offset the effects of any unintended ingestion. But the doctor gave my sis-in-law an epi-pen anyway. I think this is all a case of overreaction. If the kids have medicine at school, epipens at school, and know not to touch anyone elses food then there is no need for all these restrictions on others. My mother's office isn't "Corn Free". There is a peanut allergy in my daughters class and we cannot send peanut butter for lunch. I wouldn't send it everyday but I do resent the option being taken away from my daughter because of someone else.
Can my son bring his pet rattlesnake to school? He is immune to its venom. What do you mean it is poisonous and could kill your kid? Well too bad – your kid's weakness to venom should not limit my son's choices of show-and-tell objects. Pets are expensive, and I can get rattlesnakes cheaply. I challenge anyone to show how a case where airborne venom killed anyone. You won't be around your kids all the time and you need to teach them to be self-sufficient and avoiding poisonous rattlesnakes is a good life skill.
Sound selfish? I took arguments from other commenters and substituted 'rattlesnake' for 'PB'. Nuts will kill my son and a lot of other kids – these allergies are not a rare thing today like they used to be and are growing. Yes, we used to allow teachers smoke in school too and we got past that inconvenience for the greater good.
I've been in the ambulance with my 5 year old son asking if he is still breathing and thinking he was gone: walk a mile in those shoes Mr Tough-Love.
I have a question (because I thankfully don't walk in the shoes of a parent whose child has a severe allergy).
Since few schools have put a ban on peanuts, there are lots of kids with a severe allergy that are going through their school days near peanuts but aren't having reactions.
What if the school had a separate table just for kids who HAVE peanut products in their lunch? Isolate the location of the peanuts. That way the residues wouldn't be all over every table. I get the airborne part. But how far away does the airborne risk travel? If kids with allergies know to sit far away from the "peanut table" then that would drastically reduce risk. Right?
Plus segregating kids who have peanut products would naturally cause the kids to WANT something else in thier lunches too.
Would that at least be a step in the right direction? Versus a full on ban?
Rattlesnake is not a reasonable substitute for peanut butter. Get real, please.
There is a collective groan on back to school night when parents here that a child has a nut allergy...it makes packing lunch for my extremely picky eater a nightmare. I don't think it's fair that no nut products be allowed in the lunch room or classroom. a table for those allergic should be fine. or have the children brush their teeth after lunch if the allergy is that severe.
The other parents should not be made to suffer b/c one child has a slight allergy to peanuts. put them all in the same classroom.
Right on!
The problem is public schools. If schools were free of state monopoly, there would be nut-free schools, nut-present schools, schools with prayer, schools with no prayer, liberal schools, conservative schools, etc. It would be based on parent/child needs, not a one-size-fits-all solution. Parents would be happier because they wouldn't have to fight against policies they didn't like. Just like how shoppers can go to different stores based on their needs: Costco, regular grocery store, farm stand, Whole Foods, etc.
Hey! I know... How about home schooling your kids. Oh wait!!! Then that means parents will have to be responsible for their children instead of everyone else. I guess that will not work.
LOL! that is funny! but true, seriously if i thought the smell of peanut butter or peanut product would kill my child.....I think i would invest in homeschooling and a bubble for them to live in
Nut free table seems like the most sensible course of actions. Those who want to bring peanut butter stuff can. Those who are allergic can sit at their own table limiting their exposure. Anything more than that would be ridiculous.
What if every child who is eating a lot of peanut butter NOW ends up having kids with peanut allergies? I just wonder if that isn't happening, is why we're seeing so much more of it these days. Any parent of a kid with peanut allergy will tell you that peanut contaminates SO MANY THINGS. Here's the deal: how would you live, if you knew that your child had killed my child because of something like peanut butter? How would you explain to your daughter that you had packed her lunch with a PBJ because it was "all she would eat," even if it meant that an accidental exposure to a peanut-allergic kid could kill the kid? Would you be able to sleep at night? Peanut doesn't just make some kids sick to their stomachs. It can kill them. I think a lot of parents don't really get that part. I know I didn't. I was one of those idiot parents who kept sending PBJs to school in spite of the ban. Then I had a peanut-allergic kid. I know where both sides are coming from. Kinda like growing old, you don't think it's going to happen to you. Then it does.
that is crazy to suggest someone "killed your kid" because of peanut butter. if the allergic reaction is that lethal then perhaps the parent and school can set something up where that child eats at a different table.
what happens when they grow up and are out in the world? are restaurants and co-workers goint ot be banned on what they can and cannot serve/eat??
this is crazy, it's peanutbutter......
ALL your peanut butter eatin, fat-assed, unsociable youngins are belong to us. And we WILL feed them whatever we wanna, so stop bitching about it, shut up & deal with it in the only way your puny, underdeveloped pea-brain can...........
Way to go CNN, now Islamic Extremists will know our major weakness. Iran and Pakistan are probably building peanut processing facilities as we speak. Thank you, weak-gened parents that shouldn't have reproduced, your tedious, weak little spawn will now be the downfall of the Greatest Nation on Earth.
However the good news is my DoD contracted company has a new Peanut Defense Suit that should go into production now, which will make me very wealthy. And I will use that wealth to fund peanut lobbyists and sue any school that bans peanuts out of existence. The circle of life is complete.
While peanut allegeries make up less than 1% of the total population I think it is absurd to have a peanut allergy ban in schools. However, many of you parents act as if your little ones do not have protection in schools. Elementary school kids 9 times out of 10 eat lunch with their teacher and a teacher knows the allergies and health risks of their students. So teachers can placed kids with peanut allergies in another section than kids that do not. In other words elmentary kids lunch time and interactions are monitored by their teachers and their assistants so to say that these kids already do not have accomadtions is not true. I think making accomadiations and taking responsibility are the two things that are going to prevent allergic reactions and outbreaks not a full flege ban on peanut butter and products.
As the parent of a brilliant boy with peanut and nuts allergies, I can say that banning pb&j products in schools would not fully protect my son. We have managed to raise him smart enough to avoid such products and approach foods that he is not familiar with carefully. Teachers are not always careful, he was actually served a hazelnut chocolate chip cookie by his teacher and he refused them because he had recognized hazelnut chunks. He loves chocolate chip cookies but he knew what the ramifications were so he decided to have his chocolate chip cookie at home. We tore the teacher to shreds because we had told her and the private school my son was attending about his allergies, but she claimed: “she did not think that could harm him”!? The point is that even if peanut products are banned from schools a kid with a peanut allergy is bound to encounter peanuts somewhere else. So, how about raising our kids smart enough to avoid them?
Gosh darnit! I so deparately need to ejaculate right now!
There are 3 good reasons to ban peanut butter from schools (particularly elementary schools). 1) It can kill children (on average 1% of all kids in the US). 2) Peanut butter may provide protien, but it is about as healthy and nutricious as soda, which has been banned from many schools. The amount of sugar in P.B. is very high. 3) Banning p.b. from schools would lower the number of deaths and acute medical events occuring in schools and therefore lower school systems' legal liabilities and insurance premiums. The only reason not to ban peanut butter schools is that it's a cheap lunch option.
In conclusion, peanut butter kills children, is as nutricious as soda, and adds to the financial and legal liability of school systems. This is a perfect venue for public policy to guide poor dietary decisions parents make every day.
Listen all producers....please invite me to come talk about this policy issue. I'm am the parent of a child with the peanut allergy, and I have thoughtful opinions to share. Put me on your panel.
Well, I see you are aptly named. 1) Peanuts/peanut butter does not kill kids. Period. Yes, there are some very few who are actually allergic, and yes, in a very very few instances there have been frightening reactions requiring hospitalization, but do some research – NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM PEANUTS. 2) Peanut butter is one of the healthiest foods going. A peanut butter and fruit preserves sandwich on whole wheat is better for you than any combination of deli meats and cheese. 3) There has NEVER been death by peanuts in any school on the planet.
The real no brainer is that we shouldn't even be discussing this, there is absolutely no reason to ban peanuts anywhere.
As a school food service provider, I can confidently say that there are many alternatives to peanut butter, including SunButter – a peanut-free, sunflower seed spread. It tastes great and is very similar to peanut butter; some students even like it better. Its texture and color is comparable and its nutritional content is even better for you. With one-third less saturated fat, higher iron and high protein, it is not only a comparable alternative but a smart one. Many school districts have revamped their breakfast and lunch menus to substitute PB with SunButter, thus introducing all children to a new concept as well as protecting those with severe allergies. Additionally, most school districts provide nut-free tables for students and most students with peanut allergies have been taught, by their parents and doctors, to identify potentially harmful circumstances during lunchtime. Together, these solutions work well for everyone. There is no need for and no room for insensitivity, potential physical harm, or forced segregation for our students...especially not at lunchtime, the one time they have to let loose and be themselves!
Agree – our nut allergic son lives Sun Butter. A healthier choice, too.
You do realize, don't you, that allergies to seeds of various kinds are also on the rise and while not as common as peanuts can be just as lethal? So that Sunbutter you are pushing, while a very good alternative for some children, can be just as deadly as the peanut butter you are trying to replace.
That is true. However, sunflower seed allergies are very rare, are much easier to control considering they are nowhere near as common or popular a food as peanuts are, and are less often used in regularly-served foods. Students are much less likely to run into other students bringing sunflower seeds from home than they are students bringing peanuts, candies, PB&J sandwiches, and other foods manufactured in peanut-present facilities. SunButter is better for you and it's backed by the USDA as an effective alternative for the overwhelming majority of the general public. Let's be realistic here...it's better to make the switch when you have maybe one out of a thousand kids allergic to sunflower seeds versus up to four out of a hundred kids allergic to peanuts in our overpopulated schools of up to 3,000.
I am neither a parent, nor do I suffer from a food allergy. But, with that caveat in mind, I don't think it's reasonable to ban peanut products in schools based on the allergies of some students.
I sympathize with parents who fear for their child's safety in lunchtime cafeterias if they are exposed to peanut products, but the question is what precedent introducing an allergy-based food ban in public schools would set. Peanut allergies are common, but they are not the only food allergies suffered by children. Some children have seafood allergies, some require a gluten-free diet. A woman above wrote about her daughter who is allergic to coconut. In fact, virtually anything that we eat that our body can develop antibodies for can form the basis for SOMEONE's allergy.
If we establish that kids with peanut allergies should be protected in public schools with a peanut ban (and yes, by the logic of this post, we're talking about a *PEANUT* ban, not a *PEANUT BUTTER* ban), than we must therefore ban all food products capable of producing a severe allergic reaction in any child; or we are at risk of saying that the safety of kids with peanut allergies is more important than the safety of kids with non-peanut allergies. That leaves us with the conundrum of banning pretty much all foods, save water, in public schools.
And, as has been repeatedly said above, such a solution would not prepare children with food allergies for a non-school setting where they may be exposed to dangerous allergens.
Bottom line, the solution, I think, is to educate children about the dangers of whatever food they are allergic to, and equip them with strategies to deal with those allergies. School administrators should be notified, so that food provided at school can be appropriately notified so that the child can make his or her own decisions; further, administrators will have the heads up in case of an emergency.
And, incidentally, for those who are trying to compare this issue to bans on high fat or sugary foods in public schools, it's not the same issue. Here, we're talking about banning a food because it is dangerous to some children, in the other issue, we're talking about banning a food because it is dangerous to the health of all children.
I would be more swayed by a peanut butter ban if the reasoning was because it's unhealthy for kids. But, unlike high fructose corn syrup, peanut butter in moderation can be healthy.
Well said.
parents should have to figure out a solution for their kid. Why should other kids be denied a PBJ sandwich because some other kid is allergic. Why is it that we make so many allowances for a select few? Schools do not allow sharing of food so why is this a problem in the first place??
As a preschool teacher, what I have observed is that children became protective of their friends with ANY allergy or disability. They had no issues with refraining from PB and actually watched out for their allergic friends. Some allergic children could get sick just from the smell in the room, I've seen it happen, and the children took it very seriously. It taught them compassion at a very young age.
The parents seemed to be the only people with the issues. Usually after sharing my observations, a new way of thinking emerged and they understood from a different perspective. There are so many things a child can eat for lunch. I think freedom of choice is important,, but compassion is too.
There is no such thing as an allergy to the smell of peanut butter, such reactions come from being paranoid because of such a big deal being made of the allergy. Research also shows that lack of exposure to an known allergen (just like lack of exposure to germs) creates and even greater sensitivity.What do we do..... these kids will have to deal with this sooner of later. Their workplace will not ban peanut butter for them. This is only going to create more fear and more paranoia.
The people on both ends of this spectrum are ridiculous. Banning peanut butter from school is going too far. Peanut free classrooms and peanut free tables or sections of the lunch room should be enough. If your child is really so allergic that being in the same cafeteria as a peanut can cause them harm, it may be time to consider some other school options for the sake of your child, especially if you read the comments from the morons at the other end of the spectrum. What kind of person says they would send their kid to school with peanut butter if they know that another kid in the class could die if exposed to it? I know most of the people saying it are just trolls looking for a response, but you have to figure that some percentage of them are actually serious about it.
There is no easy solution. Perhaps that will come the same time doctors figure out why this is happening. My son is off the charts allergic to nuts (not just peanuts.) He may not be able to speak or breath if in contact with nuts. At 6, he can not yet administer epinephrine to himself and should not according to the manufacture of his "pen" - many adults can not even do it properly. As the only child in his school last year with this allergy, he chose to sit with friends who were compassionate and not enjoying nut filled foods. It's all about education & cooperation. This new year we are faced with a teacher who is bothered that this awareness is added to her list of classroom issues. No one should be burdened by this, but I must raise awareness that one child's snack residue left on a desk (they eat in the classroom too) could kill my son. Yes, it sounds severe but it's the horrible truth - the food many of us enjoy can be that harmful. There are some that consider this a disability under the ADA and have special plans enacted with the school to ensure a safe learning environment. I've not taken that strong of an approach as I hope that together - parents, children & teachers - we can manage cooperative without harm to anyone.
Why don't we empower our kids with the knowledge of their own allergies so they know and can make choices to stay away from the food they're allergic to. Be proactive, not reactive!!
Is this empowering education within the cognitive skills of your average first grader? Second grader perhaps. First grader?
Do you really think children of this age are that stupid Hugo? They certainly can understand that they are allergic to something and how to avoid it.
i think peanut butter feels good. It makes you skinny. i dont know why everybody has to cry. Peanut butter feels great on your feet.
Here is a deal to all of the freedom loving Darwin winners on here.
OK – send your kid to school with PB and disregard that your neighbour's child could die if he/she ingests a small particle of it.
When I see you or your child drowning, dying from an avoidable accident related injury or simply in need of assistance due to some problem they got themselves into i will simply ignore their pleas for help. Why should they become my problem and a burden to me because of a bad decision they made. Natural selection applies to IQ too.
What a bunch of self-centred, self-serving, uncaring boors most Americans have become. It's a crying shame, but it's not too surprising given the political discouse we endure on a daily basis.
What if there was a kid allergic to water? Would we ban it from all the kids? No water during lunch, no water fountains, no washing hands with water, and no toilets that flush with water? If I were to have a kid allergic to peanut butter, I would make sure he or she was aware of what foods not to eat. A packed lunch would suffice for days when nothing, but food with peanuts is served. Also, a packed lunch would be a good idea for them when they are in there younger elementary years. There is no way I would punish all the other kids from having peanut butter OR WATER, lol! Seriously, parents need to be parents and take responsibility for there own kids! Why give the shools or government all control? I prefer freedom! That's why I live in America!
If a kid were allergic to water, they would die before birth. The human body is made of water, not peanuts. This isn't a crazy hypothetical impossible thing, real kids are really affected by this problem. We could discuss wild what-ifs all day long. What's so great about peanuts that you would risk killing a kid to feed them to your kid at school?
hey, speak for yourself Rbn, i've been genetically altered through the use of stem cells and i am currently made up of 90% peanust butter – keep your kids away from me, if they smell my BO they might die
I don't want kill a kid with peanut allergies. But I don't want to kill another kid, less directly, I'll grant, by denying peanut butter. There's no way I can explain this quickly. I've spent hundreds of hours researching this and I don't know a way to provide an "executive summary." But my failure to explain doesn't make the problem non-existent.
If you want to try yourself, learn about diabetes. Learn about brittle diabetes. Learn about celiac. Learn about the combination of brittle diabetes and celiac. Learn about the psychological impact of intrusive testing. Learn about magical thinking (psychology). Learn about economics.
It's not a simple problem to fully understand.
Of course, we don't need to understand. Perhaps we just need to separate the "incompatible diet" children during meals.
What about tree nuts? Those can kill, too.....almond butter, chashew butter, etc. If someone can die from being around a food item, and with limited cafeteria supervision at schools, parents can't be there every second. If there are kids at that school THAT allergic, ban it at that school and the others can eat it at home.
and looking at other comments....I understand the importance of freedom of speech but outlets like this show how really self-centered, ignorant and sad a portion of America truly is.....find something else to do with your time than post comments that make no sense.
I have had friends allergic to peanut butter. Better yet, I went out with a girl who was allergic to peanut butter. I remember going to Chick-fil-a and eating a chicken sandwich made with peanut oil. We ate at the same table across from each other. I remember kissing her afterwards. It took her breath away! HAHA!
I've had children with allergies, but these solutions are too simple.
There was a period when my son was allergic to a number of common foods (eggs, milk, seafood), but not to peanuts. Bans on peanuts were ironic for him, as peanut butter was one of the few good lunch foods he could easily bring. Banning everything that someone is commonly allergic too just doesn't work.
On the other hand, these allergies can life-threatening, an they're not the children's fault!
I believe the policy should be: take care of the problems that actually arise, and try to make it so all children can socialize at lunch. At some schools, that may mean banning peanuts, or asking that they be kept carefully away from certain areas of the lunchroom. In other schools, it may mean doing the same for other foods that cause problems for other children.
Don't do a heavy-handed: well, let's just ban peanuts, regardless of where the problems are.
Also, I'm not sure about this, but it seems to me that peanut butter is much less likely to cause airborne peanut dust than is, say, a peanut cookie. So, work with the parents and doctors to see where the issues really are in each case, and address those.
Good point. In addition to milk, eggs and seafood, how about if we ban wheat too? I'm sure we can find more things too. My point is that we need a measured and not a Draconian approach.
Is it just me or have the people of this nation all devolved into low life pathetic individuals who trash talk, ridicule, and generally show themselves to be the worst of humanity when online. Try to have an educated dialogue on this kind of post, rather than insult people with differing points of view. That said, the fact of the matter is that this issue is one that can simply be resolved with education and choice. People should educate their children on heat allergies they have and what foods they can eat. The right to choose the food you feed your children is a right that is inherent in this nation and that should not be taken away, limited, or regulated by the government or any other form of authority.
Shane: it is not just you. The number of hateful, mean people is growing.
But you also have to remember: posting allows people to be mean anonymously. It is like road rage (except nobody gets killed). So the vast number of vicious, idiotic posts do not necessarily reflect the country as a whole - just people who get caught up in being mean for the "fun of it."
I've got it! The perfect solution! Ban SCHOOL! Keep your children indoors. This way we don't ever have to worry about anything! That is reasonable, isn't it?!
I have a 3 year old diagnosed with a peanut allergy. Some of these posts are tough to read but I encourage other parents of food-allergy kids to not let the inflammatory and just plain ignorant comments here get to them.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter what others say or do, it's how we prepare ourselves, our children and their caretakers and teachers to recognize and respond to a problem. A peanut ban only works until it doesn't. Relying on bans to keep our children safe is not the answer.
On second thought, my kid isn't allergic, i just said that to hop on the bandwagon, anyone here can plainly see that at least 3/4 of the people claiming their kids can't even breathe nuts are just here to argue
The fact that you are dishonest does not make everyone else that way. You probably think most people are lying because that is the sort of people you deal with on a day to day basis.
I, on the other hand, think that most of the people who claim they have kids with peanut allergies are telling the truth. Why? Because a lot of people read CNN, but very few care enough to post on this article. Pretty much EVERY parent who has a kid with an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts probably cares enough. Thus, there are a lot of them posting.
And they SHOULD post. They are at the heart of this debate. Most of the rest of us are not really affected. Honestly, if your kid can't eat PB&J at school, what is the problem? If you are too poor to afford anything else, that IS a valid concern, and it SHOULD be addressed. Kids who refuse to eat anything else are a reasonable argument, too.
But being annoyed at inconvenience is simply not a valid reason to oppose this. I am very annoyed that my bags get searched twice when I fly - it is a great inconvenience. And honestly, the chance of a terrorist attacking my plane are virtually zero - not exactly zero, but virtually so. But I do not protest, because I know some people are (theoretically) being made safer.
This is very similar, except the Taliban are not involved.
Consider this: Of the roughly 3.3 million Americans who have nut allergies, about 150 die from allergy-related causes each year. Compare those figures with the 100 people who are killed yearly by lightning, the 45,000 who die in car crashes and the 1,300 who are killed in gun accidents. As a society, our priorities have become seriously skewed, and it's largely a result of fear. No one would disagree that children who suffer from life-threatening allergies need to be protected, but the growing trend of demonizing nuts only fuels anxiety. Instilling in the general public the idea that nuts are a "clear and present danger" does little beyond heightening panic. There are kids with severe allergies, and they need to be taken seriously, but the problem with a disproportionate response is that it feeds the epidemic. There's even some evidence to suggest that establishing nut-free zones or nut-free schools may be detrimental to children's health, and increases their risk of developing nut allergies. Still, on blogs run by moms of children with nut allergies, there is a consistent rallying cry for nut-free zones. The concern is airborne nut dust, which can be inhaled, or oily nut residues that can come into contact with children's skin. However, recent studies suggest these parents' worries may be exaggerated. The danger may depend on the severity of the allergy, but it has much more to do with the degree of contact, he says. Nut oils or the kinds of things that might be in a classroom — it's very rare for that exposure to cause anything more than a localized reaction. As for nut dust in the air, it can cause severe reactions — but only under specific circumstances, with high concentrations of nut dust in a confined space. At a baseball game, for example, where nut dust is quickly dispersed in the air, the risk of an allergic reaction is low. But if you linger in the small waiting room of a restaurant with a dish of nuts and servers who keep passing through with plates of nuts, your risk of an allergic reaction is higher.
Just some things to think about...
This is very good information! Research also has found the lack of peanut exposure in children also can make the allergy much more likely, so accommodating and making schools a peanut free zone actually will add to the problem not help it. There looks to be promising study results when people with peanut allergies are exposed to very small amounts of peanut and then this amount is increased to help build their immunity.
CNN:
Instead of writing an blurb to stir the pot, why not do some original research and journalism to uncover much needed facts about the actual prevalence and health risks of peanut butter allergies? Indeed, hard data seems to be difficult to uncover. The number that does seem to get thrown around – including by groups promoting allergy awareness – is 100-150 people die in the US each year from food allergies. That is ALL food allergies and at ALL ages.
According to the CDC, in the year 2005 about 700 kids (aged 0-14) died from drowning, and 2100 were hospitalized from near-fatal submersion. Among all kids who died between the ages of 1-4, about 25% of them died as a result of drowning. 20% of children who drown do so at a public pool with a certified lifeguard present. In other words, the same number of kids drown each year at public pools where a lifeguard is present as the number of ALL deaths at ALL ages from ALL food allergies.
On that note, why worry about teenage drivers...only 5000 are killed each year in accidents. Deaths only touch on a small portion of the issue. In 2004-2006, 9,537 children were hospitalized with food allergies (which is up from 2,615 in 1998-2000) (CDC's statistics). In addition, there are well over 30,000 ER visits each year due to food allergies (FDA's statistics). I wasn't able to find the number of Dr. appointments there are annually or the number EpiPens used. This is a terror for both the child and the parent. While the likelihood of death in any given day isn't very high, they live in fear of it day in and day out. And regretfully, it is a realistic fear.
Your statistics belie your final statement. If only 100-150 people die each year from food allergies, yet millions have a food allergy, and tens of thousands seek medical treatment of some kind, then I'd have to say the fear of death is hardly "realistic". Are allergic reactions scary? ABSOLUTELY.
I do agree, however, that just because something doesn't happen all that often it should be ignored, but the approach has to be sensible and based on facts. Banning peanuts will likely cause more peanut allergies and does not teach the children with the allergy to be vigilant for when they don't have teachers and administrators doing what they can to protect them.
I think banning Peanut Butter is a little harsh, but I do agree we need to be doing more to avoid exposing those students will allergies to peanut butter risks. Depending on the severity of the allergy and the number of students with the allergy, options from separate tables for those consuming peanut butter, with strict washing after the students are done (because they could expose someone with an allergy well after lunch) to separate lunch times or lunch rooms.
One thing the peanut butter supporters seem to forget is that schools have a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for all students, including those with allergies. Telling people to pack their kid's lunch themselves isn't going to protect the student who is severely allergic who comes into contact with the PB&J some other kid has on his hands and/or face, and it won't protect them if someone decides to throw it at them.
On the flip side, the anti peanut butter folks don't get that for many people the choice to send their children to school with a PB&J sandwich is largely an economic one. Many people who don't qualify for a "free or reduced cost lunch," or are too proud to accept one if they are, cannot afford a more extravagant lunch than a basic PB&J sandwich.
I know I am essentially living on PB&J since my wife lost her job, and if they banned peanut butter at schools, I might have to forgo my lunch or leave campus, as I am also a middle school teacher.
"About 10,000 children are hospitalized annually with traumatic brain injuries from sports, 2,000 children drown each year". I think kids should have to wear helmets and life jackets from the time they leave the house until they return.
I remember when I was on a military exercise and it was approaching the end of the fiscal year. The QM was trying to clear out 'old' rations, and everything we were provided with was Kosher/Halal...and most of them had peanuts or a warning that they may contain peanuts...I survived on beef jerky, freeze dried cheese and chocolate for 2 weeks! Rather difficult to avoid the scent of peanuts in that tent!
Directly related to the story? Not really...but it does illustrate that sometimes you can end up in a no win situation!
While peanut butter allergies are serious, other diseases are serious too. How do we balance the needs of PB allergy sufferers with the needs of a child with diabetes and celiac who comes from a medium to low income family? This question is directed at everyone who took a strong "ban peanut butter" position. I'd like your response to indicate you have a clue about diabetes and celiac. I have a clue about all 3 (as I know children with PB allergies, children with diabetes, children with celiac and children with both diabetes and celiac; I do not know children PB allergies combined with either of the other two).
If you can't make a good argument that indicates you understand the problems faced by children who have both diabetes and celiac, I respectfully ask that you back off a little bit until you do know more.
Perhaps the solution, even if this would be hard for the children (especially as the kid I know with diabetes and celiac and the one with PB allergies are really good friends) is to make sure they eat in different locations. But that's not the same as a ban (as has been proposed rather strongly by many).
I have 4 kids to feed on a limited budget, I'm sorry that your kid is allergic to panut butter, but PB is inexpensive and gives my kids protein. If you want PB banned then you will need to buy lunch for my kids. After all it isn't my kids with the issue, so why should I be out of pocket to protect YOUR kid? Either $$$ up or leave your kid at home if your that worried little jimmy can't control himself and has to play in other peoples lunch messes. How about being a good parent and letting your kid know what the risks are about thier OWN medical condition. After all, after you die these kids will have to look out for themselves anyways, so why not give them a head start? So what's it going to be? Buy lunches for 25 kids everyday? Or deal with your OWN issues by yourselves?
Maybe you should have put in some thinking before you popped out 4 if money is that tight. The problem isn't little jimmy stealing your kids lunch, the problem is your little angel smearing peanut butter on his hands, and hair, and pants, and then rubbing it all over the school. Get some government cheese. I feel sorry for your kids if peanut butter is all you can afford. My grocery store has other affordable options, it must be rough in whatever poverty stricken third world nation you live in.
Compromise is king. While there are a large number of kids with peanut allergies, there are also a large number of kids with OTHER food allergies. You can't possibly accomidate thousands and thousands of school children. If the children have a food allergy they are likely to know it. Schools should post the ingredients for foods, or at least post the ingredients if foods have possible allergens in them, so children can make decisions. This would, obviously, work better with older children.
I would love for the parents of the affected children to stop and ask the affected person for their opinions on what is fair and reasonable accomodations. It seems, from reading, that people who have had a history with this, or other, allergies, have learned to accomodate their own lifestyle without discriminating against the majority. This isn't a rights issue, this is a health issue. We need to be able to differentiate between them. I am sure that if we were to consider the thoughts of those affected, without influencing their decision, they would find a resolution wihout a ban.
Having been dealing with an allergic kid in my daughter's pre-school class for a month now this is a very raw topic for me. I have to say that I frankly DON'T CARE if your kid is allergic. That is their parent's job. I have enough on my plate without worrying about someone else's kid too. They need to accommodate NOT me. I also have to agree with those that have said this is a natural selection thing...those kids would have been de-selected for producing offspring (due to their weak genetic make-up).
Peanut Butter's nutritional profile is not bad really when you look at the protein content. And it is a cheap easily obtainable source of protein esp. for those with limited incomes. I only buy natural organic pb for my girls because I don't like the added sugar, however, I am aware that there are many parents that can't afford that as a rule.
I also refuse to be told what to feed my children and what we can and cannot eat. If your kid has a problem it's just that...HIS PROBLEM!!!! Not mine.
You know what? I hope your kid develops a food allergy. Than we'll see how you feel about this.
You poor little inconvenienced mama, whow now has to think of other's people instead of just yourself when packing your kid's lunch and snacks.
Try saying that again, only meaner. Maybe if you threaten to start force feeding peanut butter to the allergic kid people will finally listen to reason.
Ha! I laugh when reading Lis' post. The complete lack of compassion amazes me and quite frankly its a perfect example of why our country is on the decline. Is it THAT important that your child eat peanut butter for lunch? Your child can't have peanut butter for dinner at home? Have you failed your child so badly that without peanut butter he or she will starve to death? Natural selection doesn't always hold true because idiots like you are able to reproduce
Ok, i don't have kids, so temper my comments with that. However, IF i were a parent i KNOW i would want to "parent" my children and not allow or assume someone else could do a better job of it. Parents need to be parents and not expect someone else to raise their children for them. My parents taught me not to play in the street, therefore i lived to see each additional day –not that i didn't play in the street, i was just real careful. My parents explained to me what would happen if i played in the street -i would die... Guess what? they didn't pursue having vehicle traffic banned in my neighborhood. Now, that is not to say that Timmie next door was as fortunate me, but then he had a liberal aloof mother and father that acted like friends instead of parents. They didn't have the talk with him (not THE talk), but any talk about anything that restricted him from being him, strangely he didn't manage as well as i did. Poor Timmie. Did his unfortunate run-in with traffic manage to stop traffic on my street? Just long enough to scrape up the tattered remains. The same holds true for peanut butter. As a parent if you have a child that is allergic to certain substances it is your responsibility -as a parent, to educate your child (yes, you are supposed to do this) and you need to do the research as to the possible risk that they may face in life. Its not an option nor is it anyone else' responsibility. If you cant handle that then you should have had the sense to spent 50 cents on a condom. Now, if you want to relinquish all your other parental rights and allow someone else (stranger) to discipline your child by proxy, then so be it. But you can't pick and choose to be a parent in one instance or situation and not in another or one you find inconvenient.
Heck, i'm allergic to ex-wives, bullets, knives, taxes, morons, gold diggers, racists and trash. What are you doing about those for me?
I hope you found my opinion amusing. It is after all just that, an opinion. If this upsets you, get over yourself.
Comments like yours piss me off.
Believe me, I parent my kid. He knows he's allergic, he knows he's not allowed to eat food offered by classmates. I'm not a complete moron to expect his school to cater to him without teaching him all I can to prevent an allergic reaction.
But you, my friend, dont have children. Well here's the thing: do you seriously expect a 3 or 4 year old to fully comprehend the concept to the core? Do you expect a kid this young to have self-preservation instincts as to inquire "oh is there peanuts in this" at all times?
Kids are kids and until they reach a certain age, you cant expect a 4 year old to ALWAYS remember not to eat food offered. We are constantly reminding our son, but it's a work in progress. He knows he's allergic to peanut but still – if a friend offered him a cookie, I dont know if he's yet reached the point that his first instinct will be to remember his allergy. He'll get there. But until then, it is so hard to ask that his kindergarten class by peanut free?
For eff's sake, people's lack of compassion astounds me.
This is about peanuts and SCHOOL. 3 and 4 year-olds have nothing to do with this discussion. By the time your child is 5, if you haven't gotten through that cookies are poison for him you may just have to consider holding him back until he gets it. For now, he's irrelevant to the topic.
I do believe that nut allergies are a serious matter. Our school and the school board have already banned all nuts in addition to peanut butter. I'm okay with this. Children need a varied diet. What is an issue is that they have banned a number of other foods now as well due to children or teachers with allergies. We can't send fish, eggs (or egg derivative such as mayo) or chocolate. It is getting to the point that it is difficult to come up with any variety in my daughters lunch. It seems like they are going a bit overboard. It would be nice to give her a chocolate chip cookie once and a while as a treat.
Soon your daughter's school will be down to bread and water – but not wheat bread – gluten, y'know.
IF TOUR KID HAS ALLERGIES THEN TEACH THEM HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND NOT BURDEN THE REST OF SOCIETY
pERHAPS THIS WILL MAKE HIM SSTRONGER IN WILL AND MIND.. aMERICA WILL NO LONGER BE REMEMBERED AS THE HOME OF THE BRAVE AND BOLD BUT THE WEAK AND SHAMEFUL. ANTIBULLING LAWS INTERNET BULLYING LAWS. POLICE NOT BEING ABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST AN AGGRESSIVE DOG. MAN OR WOMAN UP. KEEP AMERICA STRONG
Some kids, as a "joke," spit chewed up peanut butter on kids they know are allergic to them. This happens in about 3.9% of the cases of kids with allergies (according to an article today on CNN). How do you suggest we teach kids to protect from that? Should they carry mace, or maybe a knife? It is not accidental events we need to worry about - it is the deliberate ones.
Oh please Edwin... such drama.... all kids get picked on and teased at some point, It is part of life, and the only way p-nut butter can cause a reaction is if it is eaten. Pieces of P-nuts themselves are the only known cause of the respiratory allergy to p-nuts. You don't breath p-nut butter into your lungs.Stick to facts and true harm done not DRAMA!
How about allowing the schools to discipline the spitters! Make it a memorable discipline. Oh, wait – we don't allow (meaningful and effective) punishment! Horrors, we might damage their self-esteem! How about this – make them clean the cafeteria floor with water and toothbrushes instead of having recess or study hall (if they still have that these days) every day for 2 weeks. Sore knees might make them less likely to behave like barbarians next time.
How about we make this interesting.
I will pay $50 to the first person who can post a link to a credible news story about a child who died from airborne peanut allergens at any bonafide school, anywhere in the world, at any time in history. (You have about an hour and a half, as I cannot keep checking back forever to see if anybody found one.)
Spoiler alert: I already googled it, so maybe you should try a bigger search engine.
The problem is this: I simply do not believe you would give me $50.
And why is it so important to you that a child ACTUALLY has died, in order to protect them? You sound like Toyota - 'we don't have documented evidence that a sticking accelerator killed anyone, so no big deal...'
My daughter's school does not allow any nuts at all, because they have a child with a serious allergy. I would so much rather she avoid nuts than have to watch a child die. I guess you don't have the same opinion though.
#1: I really do intend to pay of someone can meet the challenge. That's why I said $50 and not $5000.
#2: I'm only asking you to post a link. That costs you nothing. Even if I didn't pay (which I would) you would lose nothing while making a valid point.
#3: Have you read any of the other posts? Look how many of them are saying, "Oh my God! A kid might die from breathing the air in the cafeteria!" Well the fact is about 60 million kids are enrolled in elementary and high school this year alone in the US alone. The number of people who have gone through the system throughout previous years is practically incalculable. If there is not even one known death from airborne peanut allergens that is hughely important since it totally invalidates all the fears that it might happen to your kid.
I have a 5 year old girl that is smarter and stronger than any boy in her class, but she has an allergy to only peanuts and the only one in our family. If a ban is against your moral fiber then I would agree to have a peanut only table during lunch. Separate the kids that must bring nuts to school......make them eat alone. Win win.
My son brings nuts to school everyday, are you being sexist?
I like that idea...
Or you could teach your child how to deal with a PB allergy because guess what? When they are in the real world, nobody really cares. And since she is smarter and stronger than any boys in her class she should be capable of understanding what she needs to do to protect herself. If all else fails buy her a hazmat suit.
As I scan through these comments, I am not surprised. The best thing my son has learned from his "true anaphalactic" peanut allergy is compassion. I think more of these people should learn this lesson. I agree with the peanut free table. We have an amazing school district with peanut-free classrooms and a peanut-free table, however, I have taught my son to carry his epi-pen,how to read labels, not share food, wash hands before eating, and he wears batting gloves for gym and recess(his idea). He didn't ask for this allergy but he has it. It is just a part of his life. We do the best we can with it. He is only 7. As he gets older he will be even better adept at dealing with this in school or out. He says..."there are worse things I could have Mom..."
Hats off to Kim! Now she has the right idea! Your child will be ready to face the real world where there aren't separate tables etc. for people with allergies to pb.
Nicely said. Good luck!
I am horrified by most comments. Hopefully, like I was, you are uneducated on the subject. Since I know have a child with a severe (anaphylactic, stops breathing) allergy to peanuts I have grown more sensitive to this subject. A peanut will kill my son. To say too bad, let the parents deal with it, is sad, but we are trying to by keeping deadly items (peanuts) away from our kids. If I had something that would kill you child would you want it around? ! To peanut allergy sufferers this is similar to putting rat/mouse poison next to your child's food. This would potential kill your child, don't think you'd want that! Keep in mind it doesn't take ingesting a peanut to cause a reaction. Peanut residue alone can do the trick. I'm not talking about a stomach ache or a rash, I'm talking about death. Please get educated on the issue instead of thinking we are taking something away from your child, I'm trying to save my child's life.
You compared PB to rat poison. Does your son know not to eat rat poison? I agree with the poster about very young children, but that is it! The next thing will be milk, eggs, seafood, etc. CDC statistics show more people die from lightening strikes and bee stings. There is so much hysteria!
I believe the parents need to ensure that the child knows not to eat it. I have a peanut allergy and I was told that it could kill me if I ate any. The reaction to this caused me to pretty much despise the smell of peanuts and I would therefore not eat any if I smelled any in cookies, brownies, etc. I am now 22 and was tested to see whether I am still allergic and found out I grew out of mine. I had some peanuts and hated the taste. One night I had a ton of different products and my allergy flared up and I started getting whelps on my body and IN my mouth. It scared me to death that it would close up my throat and I couldn't breathe. Haven't had a peanut since.
I've definitely heard my allergy isn't too severe since there are kids with even peanut DUST allergies and even touching them will cause a reaction. I personally believe that peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and should not be left out of the school diets. I would say the parents need to get their kids Epinephrine Pens for the kid in case of a reaction. I also say that the school should have an alternative meal for those kids because I sure hated thinking I was missing such a tasty snack as peanut butter and crackers or peanut M&M's.
That "deadly item" is my kid's lunch. It's what he wants to eat. For him, it's healthy & nutritious.
Your kid doesn't want to sit at another table or in another room, or feel stigmatized. I get it. But my kid isn't the one whose life is in jeopardy. That's when you get to educate your kid that life isn't fair, and he's been dealt a crummy hand. This is an issue he will deal with for his entire life. It will create socially awkward situations. It will require him to read labels and ask what is in virtually everything he eats that wasn't prepared by himself or his family. It is going to be difficult, and he needs to learn early that there is a constant risk of exposure in the world.
Meanwhile, let the other 1000+ kids in the school without life-threatening allergic reactions have a normal healthy lunch. If other kids & parents want to modify their lunch so those kids can eat with your kid, so be it.
We will do everything we can to give your kid a way to enjoy a normal education, but you cannot demand for it to be both ways. You want to protect your kid? No problem. You want to protect your kid in such a way that everyone else has to adjust to accommodate them? Just to spare him from "feeling different"? No way. Your kid IS different. And he had better le better learn to deal with it now, because he's got a lifetime of this problem to look forward to.
Meanwhile, leave my kid and his sandwich alone.
This is some funny stuff!
Let's all argue over PB!
Kids who cannot consume or be near PB, should be aware of their surroundings, and the parents should teach them how to go about this.
I think the world has gone too far with the "poor me" attitude!
If you have problems, don't depend on others to make them better, take care of yourself.
Oh, this so reminds me of the "Fat Girls" suing McDonalds because it made them "FAT"!
Come on People this whole thing is a joke!
Parents with kids who have a PB allergy, teach your kids how to avoid contact.
Parents who don't care about another kid dying, What if it was your kid?
Where the hell has this countries common sense gone??
Wake up, and get a clue!
I am severely allergic to peanuts but as long as I do not eat peanut butter, I will not have an allergic reaction. Peanuts, on the other hand, are different. I went into anaphylactic shock last night because my roommate was eating peanuts and I inhaled the peanut dust. I could have died if I had not been taken to the hospital as well as if I had not used my epi-pen. Please educate younger children on all possible allergies.
I'm calling BS on your post.
I'm serious nick, and i just had another reaction just a few minutes ago...there was a commercial for a baseball team and they said "give me some peanuts and crackerjack", just hearing the word put me in a prohylactic shock, this is serious stuff, no jokes
I tend to agree. Anaphylactic reactions are not something trivial, so if she had one last night, she probably wouldn't be so blase' about it today. Most likely, she wouldn't feel up to posting or even reading the internet.
"The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimates that peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death.[14] However, there is an increasing body of medical opinion that, while there definitely are food sensitivities, the dramatic uptick in frequency of nut allergies and more particularly the measures taken in response to the threat show elements of mass psychogenic illness, hysterical reactions grossly out of proportion to the level of danger:[1] "Dr. Christakis points out that about 3.3 million Americans are allergic to nuts, and even more — 6.9 million — are allergic to seafood. But of 30 million hospitalizations each year, just 2,000 are due to food allergies, and about 150 people die annually from serious allergic food reactions. That’s the same number of people killed by bee stings and lightning strikes combined."
I think a ban is well nuts.
My family keeps kosher. PBJ, yougurt, fruit, and granola bars make up my child's favorite lunch. Why should he be denied this? I think that schools are able to carve out areas for those with allergies. These items will not be banned in the rest of world so people need to learn how to be in public and handle their allergies.
If a child bullies someone for an allergy or intentionally tries to cause an allergy attack that child should be punished, but we can just ban all allergens from schools.
The ironic thing is many studies show that allergies are on the rise because we no longer expose our children to foods as early as we once did and we don't expose them to enough dirt (yes dirt) we are almost too clean. Hand sanitizers may very well be our downfall.
My granddaughter who is just turning two is allergic to eggs and egg by products. I find it highly unlikely that schools would ban eggs. I sympathize with those children who have peanut allergies but schools do a great job of monitoring those children with allergies. As much as we want to protect our children we have to put our faith in God and the school administrators. All four of my children (two suffered with Asthma) made it through public schools.
As a parent of a child with a severe peanut allergy I think any classroom that has a child with a peanut allergy should have peanuts banned from the classroom.
Dr. Scientist, while Lars may have been abrasive, the question is sound and I'd like you to answer it. How does smelling of PB work unless there are PB particles in the air?
My kid is lactose intolerant...i don't want any chocolate, milk or cheese allowed in school...also none of those ice cream treats these kids like so much...everybody must bow to the needs of my kid damnit!
Lactose: I suspect you are just making things up. But in fact, many children do suffer from lactose intolerance. The difference is striking, however, in the number of deaths from environmental lactose ingestion (I believe it to be zero).
Peanut allergies can kill, even by accident. Lactose allergies cannot. Thus, your argument is inherently flawed.
well edwin, your face is flawed, how ya like me now fool?
I forgot to mention that I’m lactose intolerant and I do love the cow milk no the water colored from this country that is so expensive and flavor is like a glass of water with a tea spoon of cow milk… none has die from lactose intolerance… if u wan to try I could drink a glass of it and take the hell of pain that give me just to let the gas from rear near you… I’m sure u will never talk about lactose person again with out puke.
We all have allergies and conditions… we need to learn how to leave with them and adapt to the environment not because someone take u to a seafood restaurant for dinner on your birthday when you are SEA food allergic… Is like a cat on water… very scary!
I feel the pain that these kids are going true… Hold on there!, wait a minute I was one of them… If I learn what I could eat and what I was allergic to and no even my teacher know that I was and no need to tell her so I was not a Special or different… Why on the hell this kid today can’t learn it… do you guys need to send then to school with the helmet… if you have a kid with learning problems an is going to special school they I will agree to ban the peanuts… wait, wait, wait those schools have very stray up instructions and they do know what kid can eat what…. And don’t u there think that I have anything other than love and compassion for kids with special needs… If I could I would have a place to teach, care and help them since there are some bad parents that lost the patient and abandon then or mistreat them.
Until you are rushing to the hospital as your tiny little child is struggling to breath because you ate a peanut butter sandwich near her, not knowing she had an allergy, will you know what parents go through with a child with peanut allergy. Nut allergies are not genetic and there is no history of any type of allergy in our families. I am very fortunate to have my daughter in a public school where every parent shares my concern and cooperates to make sure my daughter is safe. What a wonderful community where parents are genuinely concerned about other people's children, who think it a small sacrifice to switch to almond butter so my daughter will not fight to breath because they had sneaked in peanut butter. They don't have to, they could very well have the attitude many of you have. But they choose to care. To all you parents who don't have a child with a peanut allergy and sacrifice for their safety anyway, my deepest gratitude and sincere respect.
Far more kids die every year in sports, riding the school bus, etc than die from a little peanut butter.
Why don't we just put kids inside a protective bubble and make them all attend school from home via a teleconferencing system.
Some people just need to take responsibility for themselves and stop forcing everyone to accommodate the needs of some minuscule percentage of the population.
As the mother of a 9 year old boy with a life-threatening peanut/tree nut allergy I have given this topic a lot of thought, and research, along with discussion with my son's allergist- since ingesting even a small amount of a nut product could send my son into anaphylaxis. I have to say that even though I am shocked and really horrified by the comments of some people on this discussion thread, I don't believe that peanut butter should be banned entirely from schools. I want my son to have as normal of a childhood as possible, and part of this means learning how to live with his allergy – with confidence. It has been a long road, and he has experienced the social isolation of both an allergy kids only-table and a nut-free table at his public school. Now he sits with everyone (regardless of if they have peanut butter sandwiches), and honestly couldn't be happier because he gets to sit with his friends. He knows to only eat HIS food, and if the kid sitting next to him is eating peanut butter, he is extra cautious. His allergist has disucssed with him what can and cannot cause him to have a severe reaction (ingesting a peanut/tree nut product can cause a severe reaction, touching it can cause a topical, but non life-threatening reaction), and he knows to only eat food he is sure is safe. He washes his hands if he thinks he may have touched a contaminated surface. I pack him a water bottle every day so he doesn't need to use the fountain, and supply nut-free treats for him for the teacher to keep in the classroom in case someone brings in birthday snacks that are not safe for him. Of course I still worry about him, but seeing how well-adjusted he is and how responsible he is with his allergy gives me reassurance that this is the right way to go.
Now, I have to say that I also think the answer to this poll depends on the age of the kids. Preschool and kindergarten kids don't have the same ability to manage their allergies that older kids have, and in this case banning peanut products or providing a nut-free table may be necessary – and hopefully parents of non-allergic kids will comply. I'm sure they would want the same courtesy if it were their child.
BRAVO TO THE MOST SANE POST ON THIS BOARD. I DON'T THINK A SINGLE PERSON COULD DISAGREE.
Obviously, a lot of people ARE disagreeing, and I find it absolutely appalling that people can be completely apathetic to the fact that children can DIE from exposure to peanuts. I know it's sheer ignorance (and I'm not denigrating them; I only mean they are unaware, ie ignorant, of the facts). At least, I hope it is ignorance and not meanness. These parents of children with allergies don't wish to dictate to other parents; they only wish to protect their children and keep them alive.
As I stated above, my son has a severe allergy to mold, which induces asthma. We had to move him to a different school because he attended a mold-infested one. I had to drive him across town. Oh well, I did what I had to do to keep him alive and healthy.
Some children are so severely allergic to nuts that breathing dust will kill them. Seriously, are people so self-absorbed that they would wish death on a child rather than make accommodations? I don't think banning peanut butter is the answer, but separate tables certainly doesn't hurt the non-allergic, and if the non-allergic parents have issue with that, their issues are much bigger than this discussion. If their children are bullying other children because of their health problems, then this forum points to the root of the whole bullying phenomenon!
PROBLEM SOLVED WE CAN HAVE A SCHOOL FOR THE ALLERGIC KIDS AND A SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF THE KIDS. WHEN DOES THE MINORITY TELL THE MAJORITY WHAT TO DO ? ONLY IN AMERICA
Stick your kid in a bubble, then they won't smell nuts or touch them either
You are a dickhead.
I think what we really need to do is spend a LOT of energy and resources finding out why there has been such an uptick in food allergies in recent history. I don't think it would be that hard to find out. Then do whatever is necessary to stop it! I know this doesn't resolve the problem with PB at the lunch table, but it will help in the longer term.
Meanwhile, I don't think banning it is the answer. That only creates resentment. Moms with these children know how to deal with it. If they don't, they are awful moms!! I have an asthmatic who is allergic to every animal on the planet. We deal with it. He's more allergic to mold, and he has learned to "sniff" it and avoid it (mostly). Some schools have PB-free tables. Those children make friends that aren't in their usual circles. What's wrong with that?
I've been guilty of sending an occasional PB sandwich myself. Either the braces were too sore for other types of food or we ran out of something and I wasn't aware until I was packing lunch. If my kids went to PB-free school, that would entail a trip to the store before school – and possibly a tardy.
Our schools/daycares have had a peanut/nut free policy for as long as I can remember. Every child has the right to be safe, and if that means banning something that could harm them, then do it. Peanut allergies are nothing to fool around with, they are very serious and often times deadly. I knew someone that if she came in contact with peanuts in any way, she would react. There are plenty of peanut free snacks/lunch foods that are out there to make up for not having peanut butter. My kids are the fussiest kids going, and I manage to feed them at school. Segregating the children with the allergies is not the answer, its cruel. Its not their fault that they have this allergy, and its not fair to separate them from the rest of the class because of it. Parents need to take the extra few minutes to make a lunch that has not nut products and just deal with it. Put yourself on the other side of it...What if it were your child with the deadly allergy?
Thank you. To bad not everyone could be as kind and thoughtful. You are teaching your kids how to care and be respectful of others who are unlucky not by choice.
First off, we have never had any schools in history ban peanuts butter or anything else that has to do with an allergy. In addition, for those of you who say it a poverty food, last time I check most those people get FOOD STAMPS, a family of five can get 958.00 per mount in food stamps. I am sure they are not buying peanut butter. Should we ban everything out side because one of your children is allergic to a bee? Peanut butter is a blue-collar food, and this will only strain the teachers due to irresponsible parents not making their kids a allergy friendly lunch.
damn kids be lame nowadays...maybe if mommy and daddy knew how to raise a kid right they wouldn't be such babaies, just saying
I have to agree that if your child has such a debilitating allergy that they can't even handle particles in the environment then they need to be home schooled. It's absolutely rediculous to ban a food for such a rare hyper-acute allergy.
First off I would like to say I am deathly allergic to peanuts. Second, I would like to state that I am also taking valuable time away from writing a college term paper in order to state my opinion (which many of you will regard as inept).
Yes, peanut allergies can be extremely deadly – I have almost died. The reaction was not because I am stupid and ate peanuts, it's usually because the waitress lied to me by saying she checked the ingredients or there was cross-contamination. I once had an issue in middle school with a boy who threw some peanuts at me as a joke for some friends. At the time I lost my cool, along with my friends, and let him have it. Now that I look back on it, the kid probably did not realize the extents of a possible reaction, but the that does not excuse his moronic behavior.
So do I feel that schools should ban peanut butter even when I have had a terrible first hand experience in the matter?
No.
There comes a time when kids with allergies begin to comprehend that no one else is watching out for them, so they must do it for themselves. And yes, certain precautions should be made ( like labeling food in the lunch line that contains nuts). I do not want anyone to surfer because I am the one with the allergy. Though it's nice when people around me don't order a peanut dish, it is and should remain there decision. I won't touch/kiss you and you won't touch my food. Younger children do not understand these concepts yet, so I can see how parents would be worried. There was a "peanut free area" at my elementary and middle school, but I believe I maybe sat at it twice. My friends were educated on the dangers of it and understood the consequences. Maybe instead of all you parents rambling on here about your kid's rights (which by the way, your kids have no rights once they step foot on school grounds – take a political science class and learn about your own government!) Sorry for the asides, but anyway... Instead of the arguments and blather, parents could be talking to their children about allergies and actually instructing their kids. Isn't that what being a parent is all about – teaching?
If you took the time to read and actually consider what I said, thank you. If you didn't, I hope you are not a worker at the next restaurant that tries to kill me.
Having grown up with severe, life-threatening food allergies, peanuts included, I believe it is the parent and allergic child who are responsibile for keeping the child safe. They should not burden a school, peers, teachers, etc., with prohibiting peanuts or peanut butter. They should inform all regarding the life-threatening issue and what proper procedures need to occur if one arises, but not banning. Banning is not a guarantee that somewhere, somehow peanuts, peanut butter or particles would not contaminate any surface. Just not going to happen – at school or anywhere else. I come across this everyday – whether it is jumping in a cab and the driver is munching on nuts, shopping at Costco and they're serving samples to all the shoppers, to the fill-in mailman who is eating peanuts while making her delivery, to an office mate ordering Pad Thai with extra peanut sauce. I make the choice to take responsibility for myself, avoid possible negative situations, have a plan to assess, create and maintain a safe environment, accept that I have limitations and may not be able to participate, attend or be involved in outings, projects, events, classes, etc. And you know what, sometimes it sucks – but that's life. And instead of making my allergies the burden for me or all those who come into or out of my life, I've taken the high road, stayed positive (trust me it is bumpy out there) and used my "limitation" to be a better person, keep a good attitude, seek other ways to enjoy life and the world around me, educate others about allergies and so much more. And I'm thankful for the allergies. Could be worse with some other type of disability, disease or heck, have lost a limb, sight or so many other things. But whom am I to say that those are worse? It is all in the eye of the beholder is it not? And not matter what burden you bear – allergy or blindness or alcoholism or chonic disease, etc., you take responsibility for yourself – and if a parent, for your child.
It is hysterically funny to me that so many ignorant individuals are so up in arms over peanut butter. Your kid only eats peanut butter therefore it's the peant allergic child's problem? I suggest perhaps you have a problem with an inability to get your child to eat anything.
I know it's hard for people to understand something that will not affect their child. It scares the crap out of me that so many can't put themselves in someone else's shoes. My son is peanut allergic. He knows it. He will not eat any cake, cupcakes or anthing else that anyone brings to school. He knows the epi pen/benedryl protocol. However, if it's so hard for you to imagine why you would ban something to protect only one child, I would suggest you think of peanut butter as a loaded gun. If I allowed my child to bring a loaded gun to school you would freak out b/c it could kill your child. But why is it that you can't understand why I might not want a loaded gun (in this case peanut butter) to not be waived in front of my child.
For the record, I don't feel that the PB should be banned, however, I would like a ban on the insane intolerance, selfishness and just plain mean comments that I've read here.
I wish we could ban intolerant, selfish people, too, but there are simply too many of them. I am reminded of the discussion about airlines possibly banning peanuts, and the sheer number of people who were up in arms about not having their special treat for two hours. In the case of airplanes, it truly makes sense - the inconvenience of not being able to eat peanuts is pretty minor compared to the inconvenience of sitting next to someone who is dying, while the plane makes an emergency landing.
Unfortunately, most of the posters were unable to think beyond their outrage. I suspect that will happen here, too. They are mad that there are restrictions on them, and they simply cannot imagine why they should care about other people at all.
The problem Edwin is that everyone thinks the world owes it to them to be accommodative to their particular needs. I would NEVER think of imposing my particular needs on every one else. If I accommodate everyone
no peanuts
no gluten
no perfums or body lotions
no politically incorrect statements
WHEN DO I GET TO LIVE MY OWN LIFE and MAKE MY OWN CHOICES? Im so sick of all of the WHINEY people that demand the world revolve around them because of their particular issues. Reasonable accommodations .. FINE... UNREASONABLE... PARANOID and HYSTERICAL demands.. NO. I have already lost enough of my freedoms from our over reaching / over regulating government.... I don't want other citizens making further restrictions and encroachments on my freedoms! I swear.. if it were up to some people... we would be living in NAZI GERMANY the way some people want to control others behaviors!
AMEN! Couldn't agree more!
The comment about natural selection is about as horrible as I've seen on posting boards. It boggles my mind that anyone can be 1) so ignorant, 2) so callous about the death of children, and 3) so rude as to say such monstrous things in public?
For many generations, measles and influenza were also methods of "natural selection." Does the author think anyone who got a measles shot, or went to the doctor about a flu, is also a weakling? If not, they are also a hypocrite.
My niece had a strong allergic reaction to PB smell from a trash can at school (unfinished PB sandwich from other kid). It doesn't take much. She knows to avoid PB and any nuts as a precaution. Accidents do happen, PB and peanuts are not essential to life. Ban it from school, an if lazy parents can't handle any lunch more complex than a PB sandwich, too bad for them.
Sounds to me like that was a psychsomatic reaction since peanut butter DOES NOT release particles into the air(peanuts do). So it sounds like she needs a psych consult.
I like to drink a beer out of a nice tall glass that has been filled to the brim with ice, and i add more ice as it melts
Watered down beer?!?! Are you nuts?!
This topic is no different than that of secondhand smoke. Smoke doesn't kill everyone either. Secondhand peanut butter should not be allowed.
Alternately, it is similar to bringing a weapon to school. So, your kid can bring peanut butter to school. But, if he spills one drip and kills someone, he should be guilty of reckless manslaughter. Right?
In many schools now, the bullies have upped the ante. They pick on the kids with allergies by chewing up part of a peanut butter sandwich and purposely spitting on the allergic kids. It is not an accident - it is deliberate. And given the situation in some schools, it may be very hard to catch.
Personally, I think such kids should be charged with assault - not necessarily with intent to kill, since the bullies may not have grasped that fact. But they are trying to cause purposeful injury, and should be in jail or in some other sort of controlled environment (just like the kids who kick other kids into unconsciousness or death, or set fire to them).
why can't kids with food allergies just avoid the foods that make them sick and potentially kill them? no one is advocating forcing them to eat peanuts or nothing at all, the child must simply elect to eat a turkey sandwich instead of a PB&J.
Seriously? Ban peanut butter? It is not the responsibility of the school, it is the responsibility of the parent. If your child has a peanut allergy, get a medical note from the doctor and bring it to your school if necessary. Pack your kids lunch so you know what is in there.
Isn't there some meidcal research suggesting that small amount of peanut protein injections over a certain period of time will significantly alleviate allergic reactions?
I wouldn't want to endanger another child's life just because my kids want to eaat peanut butter at school. Come on. there are so many other foods to choose from. Looking at some of the comments in the above just sickens me. CNN is totally wrong to even host a forum to discuss this. It will only further divide people. Use your common sense, CNN!
I have food allergies and legumes are one of them. Peanuts are legumes. I learned to watch what I eat. It is up to me, not the rest of the world, to moniter my intake. I warn people around me of my allergies but I don't expect everyone to remember. The daughte of a friend of ours was at a bnaquet at her college several years ago. Someone at the table asked the waiter if a certain food was in her meal (I don't remember what the food was – just the story). Anyway, the waiter said that he would check. By the time he got back she had eaten it and had an allergic reaction and died (true story). No one had impressed upon her how dangerous her allergy could be. Teach the child!
"Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food, our interestt is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring it's safety is the FDA's job" – says Phil Angell-Director of Corporate communications at Monsanto.
Michael Taylor – deputy commissioner for FDA – also a member of Monsanto senior council.
Linda Fisher – Former exec VP of Monsanto – deputy administrator of the EPA.
Justice Clarence Thomas..Monsanto attorney for regulatory affairs.
Micky Kantor – secretary of commerce – Board of directors at Monsanto.
Michael Friedman – acting commissioner of the FDA – former Senior Vp at GD Searle – a division of Monsanto.
Donald Rumsfeld – former secretary of defense and purveyor of that oh so healthy Aspartame (aka rat poison) – former President of GD Searle – subsidiary of Monsanto.
Are all in agreement that it's okay to eat GMO foods. Get pissed...get really really pissed.
You're railing against Aspartame, when it is among the most common sweeteners in sugar-free products today. You may as well start comparing high fructose corn syrup to raw sewage. But I've got some bad new for you, a diet that doesn't include one or the other is a challenge to maintain.
I like your tinfoil hat though, it's nice and shiny.
Ironically, it will likely be genetic modification of peanuts that will lead to a solution. That is, making them allergen-free with no compromise to taste or texture.
Could it be possible to have separate lunch menus offering mostly the same meals and snacks, but one that is allergy friendly? if the kid's have meal cards (our school district does) it can identify the student's need for allergy free meals and snacks and only allow for those to be purchased to ensure no safety issues. So if a snack has peanuts or may contain peanuts- perhaps the same snack can be made with a substitute ingredient for kids with the allergy.
If many districts use these same meal plans and share the same food service the cost may not be a big factor. I have to have a child feel discriminated against and I think 'banning" allergy threatening foods opens a huge can of worms-where do you stop? I have severe food/allergy issues but I don't want to ban others from having things they enjoy because I can't have them smell them or be around them. This is a tough issue to tackle but I think it can be resolved.
While I do not think that a total ban is necessary, there must be careful coordination between parents and schools. It is not possible for a parent of a 5 year old to simply "take responsibility for themselves." It has been my experience that parents of peanut allergic children are extrememly pro-active in taking responsibility for securing their children's environments. But the schools must help by providing a set of guidelines that everyone - parents, children, and teachers - can understand and follow. These guidelines can hopefully make an allergy related death at school all but impossible. The guidelines could perhaps look different for every school and eventually best-practices would inform how we all succeed.
I must say that while I do not support a total ban, I find the comments of most of the other "anti-banners" to be some of the most vile, reckless, and pernicious statements that I have seen in quite a long time. You will rue the day you've uttered such words when you find the life of your child hanging on the compassion of another human being. It is sad to see that for too many the rugged individualism that defined the early years of our country has been transformed into a shallow "every man for himself" mentality. Some of us still believe "E pluribus unum" is a motto worth aspiring to. Those for whom the concept is now bankrupt might want to check on some real estate in Somalia or Sudan - places on earth where they actually practice the "virtues" you aspire to with your words.
If the FDA has not banned the product from the foodchain or has not restricted it from the general population as unsafe below a certain age then it must be assumed to be safe. Until that happens i will continue to buy it and you run the risk of my child having had peanut butter toast for breakfast. If you are foolish enough to send you child into a public place with a severe allergy, you are responsible, not me.
Locally, our schools tried to "propmote" safe foods for luch. Guideline were established that tried to force consumers to buy "safe" foods. One of the guidelines was if a food did not specifically say it was made without peanut oil then you should assume it contained peanut or nut componant. Excuse me?
When our school system published it's recommendations, it appeared that the responsibility of keeping a child safe was shifted from the parents of the allergic child to everyone else. Sorry, but if i forget that someone is allegic and i throw a sandwich in a bag and someone dies, who's at fault? Or if i have a grandmother watching a child for the day and she's not aware of the rule and makes a deadly lunch? It's just too broad a shift of responsibility.
Let the responsibility lay where it makes sense: the parents of an allegic child, the FDA to ban the food if deemed unsafe for general use and the food service industry to stop using an ingredient if it is deemed unsafe.
For heaven sake... don't give the FDA any ideas on banning PEANUTS.... with the control freaks that are in charge of our government now.. this could be a REALITY!
We need to ban anything that might hurt us. That would include airplanes, cars, motorcycles, guns, knives, alcohol, drugs, all sports, crossing the street.....................
Gimme a break !
B: If you are tired of reading this, you should probably just stop.
If they ban peanut butter my child will starve to death for sure. No way is she eating that slop they serve up in the cafateria. That stuff is gross, food-like substances. I feel bad for the kids that have severe allergies that could kill them. What a terrible fear for a parent to have to face everyday. But what will they do when they go to college or the workplace? When they can't push to control the enviornment so hard?
My child has several different food allergies. Peanut Butter is one of the few things he can take for lunch. He has to bring his own lunch everyday, and never gets to have any of the snacks the other kids get. What about the kids who can't almost everything else?
Having peanut butter banned from schools would be like banning recess because of bee allergies. The world is not peanut butter-free, so the kids need to know how to take precautions so that they don't ingest peanut products.
I think peanut butter is only one of the things that may cause allergy. There are other foods that can cause allergy. In America, public schools provide meals for different children. It would be very chaotic for the school districts to consider all types of allergies. If you know your kid has an allergy- not necessarily peanut butter- it would be best for parents to educate him/ her what to eat, what not, what to share and when to be assertive, and pack a lunch for him/ her. It would require some good parenting- that's all! Children also need to sit at the same table at eat- so that they accept each other with or without allergies- and the child with the allergy can be assertive about his/ her condition, and other kids can learn to accept him/ her as he/ she is and children generally are Ok with it, if adults dont interfere too much, and make so much of ado about something. Ofcourse if there is a child who cant even tolerate the smell of allergen, then a separate table can be arranged, and parents need to inform the school about this condition, and it should be respected.
I also think that the doctors can help parents by helping the child to overcome allergies whenever possible- case by case basis- by allowing small amounts step by step, so some may eventually overcome an allergy as their bodies get used to the allergen- this may be something that could be tried out. My son used to thow up any yogurt product when he was a baby and even up to five years of age, but we kept giving him small amounts and now he can actually eat any yogurt product, without throwing up- though he still does not like it very much- so it may help...
sounds like parents of kids with food allergies need to drill in their heads that if they eat peanuts (or whatever they are allergic too) then they can die and will have to go see the doctor or to the hospital.
If you are looking to improve the human race by natural selection,( in the hope to create an idyllic world). Please eliminate these egocentric individuals, who totally lack compassion for other human beings, that may require some consideration.
Someone apparently didn't bother to learn how natural selection actually works. Compassion isn't a trait that contributes to your own survival. Way to go in wishing the death of everyone that agrees with you on this subject though. That's very compassionate of you.
I prefer to follow the thoughts of psychologist Dasher Keltner and sociologist Rob Willer (to mention a few) on the traits that govern natural selection. One thing you were right about, I was wrong to state anyone should be eliminated from the gene pool. I did not sound any better then those saying it about people with allergies.
for years this issue has been brought up over and over again...still there are many disagreements about it...i have heard that many schools simply take the easy way out so that nothing extra needs to be done, such as suggesting very strongly that no nut products whatsoever come to school with a child...i agree with one school that i heard about who simply has all children with nut allergies, or other allergies for that matter, sit in a controlled environment away and safe from all other students that may have a food they are allergic to...yes a supervisor is needed, but i feel that this is a better solution for a small number of children in one school atmosphere to be isolated instead of all children in the entire school have their freedom of choice taken away from them...peanut butter is also a cheap favorable choice for alot of parents to send to school and that choice is being taken away from them as well...if one school is brave enough to stand aside from others, then i think all schools should change accordingly...if i myself had an allergic child, i would not expect everyone else to teach them or hover over them to make sure that they know what to do...that would be my job and if i would choose not to do it, then it's up to me to understand the consequences not the rest of the world.
I'm shocked at the insensitive comments here. I am blessed to have two healthy children without allergies. I'm happy to comply with whatever policies a school puts in place to protect students with dangerous allergies – my kids can eat peanut butter at home... it's not such a burden.
I completely agree with you.
As a mother of a child with a penut allergy, thank you.
Judging from this borard, compassionate people like you are the minority.
Dominique
To RL-this is not an issue of logic-it's an issue of "Who cares if your kid dies?"
Welcome to the new reality-or maybe the old reality, and I'm behind the times.
I voted for the nut free table being enough to do the trick.
My daughter was able to be proactive about her allergies when she started school, able to ask about what is in something prior to touching it. OTOH I know not all parents are good about making sure their kids have the ability to ask the right questions.
Segregate all children based on allergies. One cafeteria for each.
uh, why can't kids are aren't allergic to peanut butter have the option of eating peanut butter, and kids who are allergic to peanut butter just not eat peanut butter?
Fun Fact: where I went to elemntary school, we were provided with government peanut butter (yes, government peanut butter. It was actually really good). A big tub of PB was sitting out at the end of the table where we recieved our hot lunches, and we could make our own PB sandwhiches if we wanted to to eat with our meals (remember this was K-4, so this was a big deal for us, and a treat). More importantly, this was only about a decade ago. Thought that was interesting when people whine about the school having/not having peanut butter.
More importantly, it is up to the PARENT to step up and be a parent instead of expecting the school to babysit their children for them. How to avoid foods when allergic or how to use an epi pen properly are not only the parent or guardian's responsibility, but should be the FIRST choice of action instead of immediately jumping to "make everyone else change everything for my one special little snowflake!"
. If your child has a serious health risk, it is important that they learn from an early age how to deal with that risk properly. Don't put this on the school systems to do YOUR job.
Alternatively, for those who believe Peanut Butter is unhealthy; yes, it can be if you eat gobs and gobs. But it also has a lot of health benefits, is quick and easy to make, and is delicious. As another commenter said, it's more important on HOW kids are exspending their energy rather than WHAT they're eating (within reason, of course. I'm not saying feed your kid candy bars and he'll be fine); if you want to take up a cause, rally to keep reccess and P.E. an important part of education.
Kill 'em all and let God give 'em haircuts.
BRETT
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE ALLERGIC TO WATER, SHOULD WE BAN WATER NEXT? WHERE DOES THIS STOP!!!
September 28, 2010 at 12:36 pm |
sorry everyone but i have to agree wiht him.. i like my nuts..should that be banned..i think not..and stop trolling poeple!
I understand how challenging it is to have a child with a severe food allergy. The problem is that there are other severe allergies besides peanut allergies. There are also children with multiple food issues (my neighbor, for example, keeps kosher; my daughter's best friend is Hindu and eats only vegetarian) so that removing a popular lunch choice (even if it may not be deemed the most nutritious by some)makes it even more difficult for families to feed their children at lunchtime.
A couple of things need to happen:
first, kids need to be educated over and over and over again about eating only the food that their parents packed for them–nothing else.
second, hand washing needs to be emphasized.
third, I do think that peanut-free areas would be a good idea. Peanut-allergic children would eat their every day, of course, but anyone else who wanted to eat there, could. I think this would teach other children how to be sensitive to their friends' needs.
I would support a total ban on peanuts in classroom spaces (birthday treats and whatnot), along with a ban on any other food item that a particular child in a room was allergic to. I think the classroom should accommodate all children, but the lunchroom needs to involve more give and take.
I have two elem school aged children with no food allergies. Our school is a nut-free school and I am proud of that. We know many families who experience challenges and scares because their children have food allergies. I would never want to endanger other children because of careless moment. It isn't a big deal for my kids to refrain from eating nuts (peanuts, almonds, whatever) while at school. We've also found that sunflower seed butter is a good substitute for kids who prefer a PB&J type sandwich.
Folks, you're missing the point here. It's not that people are opposed to banning PB in the hope of possibly saving an allergic child's life, it's where do we draw the line to accommodate the special needs of some to the detriment of others? For example, Child A is allergic to PB, so school bans PB. Child B is allergic to poultry, so school bans all poultry products. Child C is allergic to gluten, so school bans all foods containing gluten. What am I supposed to make my kid for lunch? Not a sandwich, PB, turkey or otherwise. Banning foods is not the answer. I think if there is a need, an allergy-free table for the impacted children is a reasonable solution.
Momofthree, A food allergy to eggs, dairy, turkey, etc is a problem when food is shared. But a nut allergy can be deadly when particulates are breathed. That is the crux of the nut-allergy problem.
How about requesting parents to use soy butter instead of PB. Children can hardly differentiate between soy and PB and everyone is happy and safe.
I must say that my son and husband have allergies. Not deadly ones but I have seen my husband wish he were. Not once have we considered asking people to change their behavior or food to make us more comfortable. He takes his medicine and learned what to look for. Having an area that is safe for those with allergies is a simple modification but honestly to outright ban a food? It is terrible to have a child with health issues, I know, but expecting, no demanding, that everyone change is not really right either. Face it your child cannot expect, for the rest of their life, for everyone around them to change. Teaching them that everyone will is unrealistic and unfair. How will they learn to function around people that eat it in everyday life?
How many of you who want it banned would still feel it should be if your child was not the one with the issue?
Ok so we ban peanut butter. So what if there is a child alergic to wheat? Ban bread? What if a child is lactose intollerant? Ban cheese and milk? Seriously, where does it end? And some people on here make a good point. How do you deal with your child when out in public? Ask anyone within 50 feet to discard their food if there is a slight hint of peanut butter in it?
Home school your kids if they are that allergic to something
My daughter had a kid in her kindergarten class with an eppi-pen in his backpack how safe is that
actually, it's extremely safe and best for everyone involved. I bet you a million dollars that this little girl knows how to use it in an emergency, and that the teacher is instructed on its use as well. If she keeps it in her backpack, this shouldn't be an issue. Or perhaps students who need insulin shots for diabetees should also stay at home?
I will make accomodations for all of your problems when you accomodate mine. My testicles are sticking to my legs when I walk outdoors on hot days making me very uncomfortable. It may even cause a rash or sore that could become infected causing a serious life-threatening bacterial infection. I think everyone without this problem should be kind enough to help me hold them up and out of the way as I walk.
When can I expect you?
My son is severely allergic and has to carry an epi-pen. In light of all the bullying in school a peanut free table just doesnt suffice. It excludes them from their peers and makes other people see them as different. I think it is cruel. I am happy that my sons elementary school has asked that parents do not send in peanut or nut products to the school because so many of the students are allergic. The parents who oppose the ban would think differently if THEIR child had to sit at a different table if they were eating peanut butter!
What do we do when we have a child allergic to bee-stings? Ban the playgound?
What about that pre-schooler with a peanut allergy who is offered "a sandwich" from his friend. Is he supposed to be 100% responsible for asking "actually, does it have peanuts in it?" Even if it is not a peanut butter sandwich, the sandwich may have traces of peanut butter from a knife that cut the sandwich or the contents of the sandwich was "made on the same equipment as peanuts" (like the food label should read). We need to protect those who can't 100% protect themselves!
Sorry, but your kid *is* different. Bullying, no matter what the reason, should *not* be tolerated in school.
One word as to why all these new 'food allergies'...GMO foods. Millions of years of meticulously crafted by nature, antigens/immunity that are now being taxed with all these franken foods. The 'pansy assed' kids arent to blamed, our pansy assed government(for not taking a stand for the people by the people) and big pharma/agri are to blae for this one.
My grand daughters school has banned peanut butter being part of kids lunches. I do understand the allergies of other children,but to tell a family who may be struggling financially,but makes the effort to send a lunch that thye cannot have this is going to far. What's really boggling is the amount of kids these days with allergies. Is it due to parents trying to be so danged germ free the kids have no resistance to anything? A little dirt eating is good for a kid!!! All I know is the lists of what you cannot send into schools is much bigger than what you can.
The problem in my school district is that parents don't want their "allergy" kids to know that they are special. They say their child feels "excluded" if we set up a "peanut" table for special events (although we HAVE this at lunch already). All birthday cupcakes must be store-bought, gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, milk-free, peanut-free, and tree-nut free. I guess we'll bring in white rice for snack...And now they want to require that all teachers and all bus drivers (including substitute bus drivers) to be epi-pen trained. When will this neurosis end? It's a PUBLIC school where you're sending your child.
In our public elementary school here in MA, children are not even ALLOWED to bring in ANY food for birthday parties, events, etc., for fear that there might be some far-off whisper of a peanut-oil ghost in it. No food is allowed in, period, because of this You can bring in pencils for birthday parties though! And balloons, as long as they are not latex. Good ol' "enlightened" Massachusetts, always showing the way...
While a ban would certainly create a safer environment for these afflicted kids, their parents would be neglegent if they assume that the risk has been removed. There will always be the chance that someone will forget or be unaware of the ban. And based on some of the posts here, there is a high likelyhood that one of these "peanut butter is a right" folks will send in a PBJ for spite.
To me, it's an issue of common respect. The parents of the afflicted children should shoulder the full responsiblity of keeping them safe and prepared and the rest of us should do what we reasonably can to help them.
Here we go again. So afraid of something that's been a stable for people for years. Children allergic to nuts know this probably from their parents in the first place. So, depriving one child for the sake of the others, is complete overkill.
Can we get back on track for the children ?
Banning peanut butter from schools would only prevent some students from having a decent lunch. A peanut free table or two should be sufficient. All of the children should be educated on the severity of peanut allergies and how important it is for some students to not come in contact with them. Parents should be made aware of any classroom allergies so they do not send in peanut containing snacks. Peanut butter, however, should not be banned. It is a nutritious and inexpensive lunch option – sometimes the only good choice some students have. Have we banned bread because of wheat or gluten allergies? Have we banned students from bringing penicillin into the nurse's office for a midday dose because of other student's allergies? What about peaches and strawberries? Why don;t we just ban all foods incase someone has an allergy to them? Also, you don't have to worry about a peanut butter sandwich spoiling before lunch time like you do with a turkey sandwich. Students don;t have the luxury of a refrigerator and sometimes classrooms can be hot.
To everyone (and thankfully there are few of you) on this board who is talking about Darwin and saying that children with peanut allergies should die, you all really are a pathetic sub-set of the human species. Do us all a favor and adhere to your own philosophies–in a decade, when you get cancer or whatever, don't seek out medical advice. Just remember what Darwin said and enjoy the afterlife.
This was always my plan. You see, I am not a hypocrit, and I believe all too well that the medicine we practice is above and beyond what is meant in our lives. As my body slowly deteriorates, I will look only for medications in which minimize my pain.
As I pass, I hope only that the delerium comes quickly so that I can forget about the nonsensical accomodations I once made to lessen the pain on everyone else so as not to hear their selfish whines.
By the way, can anyone explain why peanut allergies are on the rise? I'd like to understand this phenomenon before I take a position on what to do at schools. When I was a kid, I would guess that at least half of the kids in my elementary school on any given day had a PB&J sandwich in their lunchboxes. Eating PB&J was just part of being a kid. It was a staple food for an 8 year-old. So what happened? How did the world of being a schoolkid get turned on its head in the last few decades? And what's next?–milk allergies? This is really disturbing.
Allergies are a resistance built up over time to something. A kid that is allergic to PB usually has other things that he is allergic to. One guess is that we are over exposed to so many things that weren't even around when we were kids that there is a built up affect. And some people don't respond well.
Regardless of the nutritional content of PB, it is not right to ban the substance. That is for the parent to decide. But the safety issue is real, I have a child that could get life threatening asthma from smelling PB. They need to be in a different area is all.
Schools should ban hydrogenated oils.
I don't think that banning solves the problem. Once a child leaves school they go to the mall, grocery store etc. where there is a risk of exposure. Children need to learn how to live with the allergy along with sensible, reasonable accommodations by the school community. A nut free table makes sense. We need to learn how to accommodate the few without seriously infringing on the rights of the majority. This is just civility and a common sense approach – a rare commodity these days.
As a parent of a child who has type 1 diabetes, we went through something similar in our school. My son had a girl in his class who was extremely allergic to pb and we could not bring nut products for their snack. I have complete empathy for the parents of these kids and understand some of what they fight for, because your child can die from something at school and that in itself is frightening. Question becomes – what is a child's life worth? To me, banning it makes sense from a health standpoint, but doesn't help those from a financial standpoint. You can segregate the kids, but who likes to be singled out? At the very limit folks, have mutual respect for each other.
To those of you who obviously don't know what you are talking about from your comments (it's the kid's fault, send them with a different lunch, etc), educate yourselves before you make broadcast your uninformed and incorrect opinion.
A peanut free table could work if well ventilated. If the child is severely allergic, then other arrangements should be made for the kid. I have two kids allergic to peanuts, it's not your fault, but it's not theirs either. Most importantly, I think alternatives to peanut butter should be available. I've seen some school cafeterias where if the kids do not like the main course, all they get is PBJ sandwich. One of my kids is allergic to poultry as well as peanuts, so the choices are often limited to a sack lunch or no lunch. The other problem is segregation can interfere with socialization with kids who are not allergic to PB. Also, sometimes foods may have peanuts in them but it is not obvious. Examples: brownies; sushi; foods cooked in peanut oil. Bottom line for me is offering alternatives. Would you like your child to eat liver and onions every day? Maybe some. So why always default to PBJ?
I work at a boarding school which had a situation to the ones people have touched on previously. We had ONE student who was highly allergic to peanut butter, how did we handle the situation if a student wanted to have a PB and J they would simply have to move to another table and eat their sandwich. However, everyday every table gets a plate of dessert cookies and because of this one student we were never allowed to get cookies that contained peanut butter. Which unfortunately stunk! Think about all the great cookies that are made with peanut butter: the obvious peanut butter cookies, no bake cookies, peanut butter and chocalate chip cookies, and brownies with peanut butter flavored frosting. ONE student prevented an entire school from eating desirable desserts that are student favorites. I feel that its insane to think that public schools would outlaw peanut butter, often times it is a cost effective way for parents today to pack their lunches. Make those students sit at a different table or if the allergies are that severe have them eat in a different room. Its hard for me to believe that there are so many students in a school that we need to get rid of peanut butter.
I can't believe that parents aren't willing to sacrifice a PB and J sandwich for another child's safety!!! If your kid needs one that bad then just give it to them when they get home from school. No, my child doesn't have a Peanut allergy but I have seen a child who does and my heart goes out to him because he could die if he came in contact with it. This particular allergy is on the rise and what exactly is the big deal!?!?!
Interesting dilemma to say the least.
My child's school is a nut free school. My child who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a very picky eater like many kids with autism. He eats peanut butter sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches and salami sandwiches. That's it, when it comes to lunch. His school lunch consists of salami sandwiches day after day because a grilled cheese isn't something I can reasonably make for him where it will be warm and melted for him at lunch time. Although he has other choices in his lunch like fresh fruit, yogurt etc. he cannot have his favorite sandwich because of another child's allergy. So yes it is unfair.
My son's school also has at least one child with egg allergies. We have to make sure the teacher is aware of home baked items that contain egg so this child doesn't consume it.
The school he attended two years ago was not only nut free but was fragrance free. No perfumes, lotions, colognes or body products allowed that had any scent.
What is going to be next?
What is next? What will kill a student? That was an easy question. If it's lethal to a student, and can be airborne or deadly on surfaces, it makes sense to not have it i n that kids environment. Slippery slope is a terible arguement.
Just as all children must learn to look both ways before crossing the street, children with peanut allergies must learn to be cautious of food. To attend school all children must have basic skills; if a child has a problem with putting things in their mouths that might kill them, (lets call this the skill of self preservation) - they probably should not be in school, and their parents should be flogged.
Children waving allergy-inducing foods at allergic children is not a "food banning" problem. It's a bullying problem. If a child would do such a thing, what makes anyone think that that child would obey a food ban?
Weird...I'm 41 and have lived with this allergy since day 1.
I survived school...and the best survival strategy I had while growing up was to let the school administration know...but not other students. I saw other peanut allergic kids (this was the mid-70's) being chased by kids w/peanut butter sandwiches as a 'joke'. If the bullies and idiots don't know about your allergy, they can't try to 'innocently' harm you. (and yes, kids have died at school from this allergy...do a Google search)
As an adult, I read labels...I know which ethnic food uses peanut/peanut oil (Thai/Vietnameses/Chinese/etc...) and to avoid them. I don't eat sweets or baked goods unless they're labelled 'peanut free' or my wife has made them. If confronted with a situation which I have any concern about (ie/a barroom floor strewn with peanut shells) I leave or avoid the area. If I'm on a plane serving peanuts and I smell them, I hunker down, take 4 Benydryl and ask the stewardess for another seat away from the 'hot zone'.
There are times when I've come perilously close to dying due to a reaction (and ended up 'dead' once), but in almost all of those cases the reaction was avoidable. I subscribe to newsletters which warn of food products with unlisted peanuts in their ingredients. I'm aware of my problem...and take responsibility for dealing with it.
It comes down to personal responsibility – as an adult I am responsible for my own survival. As a child, my parents provided me with the tools to ensure I made it this far.
The intent of a ban may have the welfare of the few at heart, but a ban won't provide children with the tools they need to survive this potentially deadly condition.
Parents have to instill a 'survival mentality' in their children...and if some little joker chases their kid with a PB &J as a 'joke'...they parents have to teach their child to kick the living shit out of said little joker.
I'm just sayin' is all....
PS: I've done some checking, and the reported instance of peanut allergies is increasing...wonder why?
If you deny all the kids of peanutbutter to protect 1 child. You will more likely create more kids with allergies to PB. Let the child eat in a classroom or other room. School is supposed to be a preperation for the real world. They will need to learn to avoid unsafe eating situations once their parents are not there to protect them.
i think if your kid has that big of a prob with peanuts send them to a non peanut school not a regular one if they such special treatment, no kid should have to be banned from peanut butter when not necessary
Where were all of these kids and adults with DEADLY food allergies when we were in school more than 40 years ago?
I think most of these allergies are made-up excuses by the parents; 1 because there kid refuses to eat something and number 2, the parents want to bring undue attention to themselves and their bratty kids!
I'll admit I do remember hearing of a few strawberry allergy as a kid or fish allergy as an adult, but they were far rarer to even be concerned the remainder of use to be concerned about.
You parents are the ones making your kids sick and giving them allergies by not allowing them to be exposed to the real world at a young age where they have the chance to build-up their immunity to the world.
Stop babying your brat kids!
Hve been wondering the same thing. And I agree,these kids are "sterilized" from the minute they are born. People do not get,and the media has been a major part of the problem,that by constantly sanitizing things,you take away the ability for the body to build resistance to even the very day things of living.Like you I had only known of kids with either asthma,or strawberry allergies. Now it seems every susie and johnny has some sort of medical condition. Maybe the parents have taken so many "designer drugs" from Ritalin on down that they have passed these anomalies down to the kids. If peanut butter,egg produts,milk products today,what will the"ban" next????
Well said Phil , why are we only hearing about these lactose intolerent , nut allergy people this decade , we never heard about these 2 decades back , people are getting too picky and bubble wrapping the kids and themselves. one has to get used to the nature and build up immunity.
in the comming years there will be more medical enhancements and more allergies discovered . so lets start banning every thing .
You are quite ignorant
Where does the line get drawn? Okay, so a school (including ours) bans peanut butter. The morning bus arrives. My child has just had peanut butter on toast for breakfast, maybe washed her hands, maybe didn't, maybe did a poor job and smeared a bit on her clothes. She gets on the bus and touches several surfaces. Or her clothing, with traces of peanut butter, rubs up against the seat back or other surface and the next kid who comes along has a peanut allergy and touches the surface. So now what? Do we force grocery stores to ban the sale of peanut butter so it can't get into the environment our children inhabit, at all? What if 5% of the school population is highly allergic to bee stings? Does that mean the whole school must be on lockdown during the autumn when bees are numerous, with nobody allowed to have recess? As an allergy sufferer, myself, I am totally sympathetic to the peanut-allergy kids, but where does common sense end, and ridiculousness begin?
I agree...what next.everyone sends their kids to school in total bubble wrap? Seems we never had these issues before.
Peanut-butter kiss kills teenager
By Phil Couvrette in Montreal, and agencies
November 30, 2005
A tennager with an extreme nut allergy has died after kissing her boyfriend hours after he had eaten a peanut-butter sandwich.
Christina Desforges went into anaphylactic shock after the kiss. She was given an adrenaline shot and taken to a hospital in Quebec City but died four days later from acute respiratory failure.
Doctors said the reaction to the minute traces of peanut on the boy's lips was the cause of Christina's death last week. Her boyfriend has not been named.
Dr Karen Sigman, a Canadian allergy expert, said: "If peanuts are still in the mouth, or on the tongue or on the lips, they can cause a reaction.
"Teenagers with allergies have to let their friends know. If they are going to be dating somebody they have to tell the people they are close to that they are allergic to make sure they are not in contact with nuts or peanuts."
Two months ago the NSW Government advised schools to ban peanut butter sandwiches after the state coroner found that a Sydney student, Hamidur Rahman, 13, had died in 2002 as a result of eating peanut butter at a school camp.
Most allergic reactions to peanuts are mild. Hives, a scratchy throat, vomiting and a swollen face are common. However, some people can have a severe reaction, known as anaphylaxis, which includes difficulty breathing, throat swelling and a critical drop in blood pressure.
Christina, who lived in Saguenay, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City, is thought to have suffered a hyper-immune reaction. This causes the body to produce aggravated amounts of antibodies, leading to inflammatory hypersensitivity.
Peanut allergies afflict about1.5 per cent of Canadians and about one and 50 children in Australia. In North America peanut allergies account for 50 to 100 deaths each year.
Rhoda Kagan, a peanut allergist at Montreal Children's Hospital, said Christina's case was "very rare and worrisome".
Some patients had allergic reactions to even peanut dust, she said. "Some people have an extremely low threshold. This varies greatly from person to person and is highly unpredictable."
While a shot of adrenaline is recommended immediately following an attack, admission to hospital is usually required to monitor progress because patients can have a recurring attack in 20 to 30 per cent of cases.
Anecdotal reports and overseas studies suggest the prevalence of peanut allergies has increased greatly in Australia in the past 10 years.
Associated Press; The Telegraph, London
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/05/14/17942.aspx
"Peanut – kiss not the culprit in Canadian teens death
14. May 2006 20:04
According to a coroner in Quebec a severe asthma attack was responsible for the death of a 15 year old girl last November and not a peanut-contaminated kiss."
don't know about the boy in 2002, but the "peanut butter kiss" story has been debunked – it is an urban myth.
what many of you don't realize is that schools create a list of students with special needs, medical and otherwise. it is confidential and is only shared with teachers or staff who need to see it. so in our school system, lunch room monitors are aware of who has serious allergies. who is diabetic. so if there is some sort of medical issue, they can respond immediately.
still, i understand making accommodations for younger kids who simply don't know any better. a kid may have been told a million times at home that he should not eat peanut butter because of an allergy. but that kid may see his friends eating it and decide to try it because how bad could a reaction really be.
however, once you've reached middle school and older, i believe strongly that it's up to the student or individual with allergies to do the right thing. legislation has made it impossible to not know if a food has allergens in it. packaging is very clearly labeled to the point of the ridiculous (e.g., peanut packaging actually saying "this food contains peanuts"). and if you know that you have an allergy, you should be checking any food you buy or eat to make sure there's no forbidden ingredients in it. that's not my job or the government's job, that's your job.
I truly feel for parents who have to fear for their children's lives. However, peanut butter can be an important part of a healthy diet and for some of us with picky eaters, it is essential. I think the bigger question is why are peanut allergies on the rise? Why do children in Africa not suffer from this affliction? There have been some very promising studies showing that children can be "cured" of their allergy through exposure to the allergen. Banning peanuts is not the answer. Create nut-free zones in schools and let's put our energy into researching how to stop this alarming trend.
Article should've been titled "Should parents stop being so paranoid and overprotective and let their kids get out and dirty once in a while so they don't all grow up to be delicate little shells unprepared for the natural/outside world?"
Everyone is so scared of everything these days. Parenting ethics 100 years ago may have been a bit tougher, but they got the damn job done. Kids grew up tough and with half a sense of respect for authority and hard work. Not sure what happened since then, but parenting these days is ridiculous at times. And I say this as someone who grew up in the 80's/90's.
I can't say GOD in school because I might offend someone but I can offend (and mabye kill) a kid by eating peanut butter next to him because people are ignorant to the situation. Get your priorities straight.
You can't expect all young children to know the seriousness of a PB allergy, recently an ambulance was needed at my wife's school when a young student thought it would be funny and walked up to another child who was sitting at a peanut free lunch table and smeared a bit of peanut butter on the back of the child's neck. Child has a severe reaction! Eliminate PB from schools.
I like the option of providing a nut-free table. That is a great solution! So kids with allergies and their friends without allergies cannot eat lunch together – that is disappointing to the child with allergies but it's better than the consequences of eating around kids with peanuts. Banning peanuts from schools is a horrible idea. Like the single mother with a fixed income said above, peanut butter is a cheap, healthy source of protein. She should not have to spend more money to protect a very small percentage of the population.
Yes, I agree. The child and his/her family do have the responsiblity to teach him/her how to be safe; however, I do think that we as a community have a responsbiltiy to protect the child also.
If you think that we shouldn't try to protect the child, I would respond that I should be able drive my car as fast as I like by a school...it is my right. I think that parents should teach their child to look both ways before crossing the street. If a child is hit welll who cares. Evidently, that child hasn't learned that lesson well enough or his/her parents failed them. Some of the people would even go to the point of saying that the gene pool would be better without him/her.
Doesn't that sound stupid? We so does the arguement that a child should be responsible for protecting him/herself from peanut butter if it could cost a life. I like to drive 30...I like peanut butter. So where are MY rights?
I WANT TO SEE REPORTS OF CHILDREN DYING FROM BEING EXPOSED TO PEANUT BUTTER WHILE IN SCHOOL!!!! or at least hospitalized because of it...until you have proof I will keep sending my children to school with delicious PB sandwiches
I'm a young woman with no children, so perhaps some of your peanut-free parents won't respect my opinion, but I see it as this: if you really care about your child and their allergy, take the time to educate them about it. Children are smarter than you might think, and chances are they remember their bad experience with nuts (which is how I'm guessing you find out about it in the first place). If they don't have the memory or you found out through other means, still educate them and make sure they know what they can't eat. Then let the school know about their allergy and what to do in case of an emergency. But don't demand that the school go peanut-free just because of YOUR child. Why shouldn't other children be allowed to eat peanuts if their bodies let them?
Carolinago – You are absolutely right! But... The issue isn't so much the child with the allergy. It's educating the OTHER 100's of children in the school to not touch everything in the school after they have consumed nuts until they have washed their hands. Similar to the concept of cross contamination. Oh, but then the faucet and door to the restroom is probably contaminated. I say ban in preschool/elementary. Older children are better equiped to protect themselves. My friend's daughter at the age of 3 already knew to always asks if there were nuts in something.
I think you're right- after reading some of the other comments, maybe an early education ban would be best in some cases. Also including information about allergies in health classes for the other kids. But for me it's still about instilling personal responsibility in the allergic children. As DonK said eloquently above, there are ways for allergic people to cope with living in a peanut world. I understand it can be a serious allergy, but parents should be focused on teaching their children how they can best cope with the situation instead of trying to change everyone else's experience.
I think it makes sense to ban peanuts in elementary schools. Young kids might not understand or read the labels as thoroughly as older children. To people who say "deal with it", you try "dealing with it" when your throat has closed up, there are hives covering your entire body, and your face is swollen beyond recognition because of another person's food. I can tell you it is the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. Sure, people can be cavalier about it now but how would you feel if you or your child caused someone to have a potentially fatal reaction? Sorry that you can't pack your kid a Snickers bar in their lunch, but I think its worth someone else's life.
Peanut allergies is one of the most overstated epidemics out there.
It's something like 1.1% of the population has an allergy to peanuts... In fact the same amount of Americans die each year from lighting strikes as they do from peanut allergies... Look it up people....
This is a none issue really...Yes it is a deadly condition, but it only effects 1.1% of the population....Why should the other 98.9% be inconvenienced...People need to learn to watch out for themselves...
Absolutely – ban it all, peanut butter, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, and God... When there's nothing left we can start over with administrators who aren't afraid of their own intellect. Criminy – it's no wonder we're sliding down the evolutionary scale.
To all the peple who wants to ban PB – better they pay for my kids at lunch. I am not stopping my cooking for some one who has allergies. In our cooking at home we use lot of nuts , including coconut , peanuts in every day basis and thats wat my kids take to shoool for lunch too. I am not stopping it to send them . If the kids are alergeic better they sit at a diff table and not eat near my kids.
I can accomodate by sending or informing my kids that they have Peanuts in their food for making others aware.
Are we going to ban growing peanuts and other kids if nuts next becasue some one has allergies.
Are we going to stop driving on the roads becasue some kid may run into the road and becomes a saefty hazard?. are we going to stop flying because one of them had an accident. ?
The best answer to this is kids with allergies to some food need to sit seperately at the lunch table and take precaution.
I love nuts as much as you– they are in almost every meal for me. But to put your child in a situation where they would feel eternally responsible for the death of a classmate, just so you can make some kind of statement? You are a real piece of work.
You love peanuts so much that if your kids best friend is allergic to them, you'll kill him? Anyone who has a probelm with that better get out of your way because you are a nut loving killer?
Wow. How do you feel about coco puffs?
U nuthead , i did not say that i will not force the other kids to eat , as i said i will educate my kids that he should not be sharing his food with nuts who has allergies.
just for the luch time if my kid has nuts inhis food let the allergic kids sit in the non nuts lunch desk .
just becase some one has an allergy to omething it does not mandate that food has to be banned.
I have sever pollen allergies so should i ask my town to ban all the flowers in my county and ask my neighbours to kill all the plants?.
U nuthead , I did not mean i will force other kids to eat nuts which my kids has for lunch, All i said was the kids with allergies needs to use a non nut desk for lunch time.
Also I have educated my kids to be aware that there are kids around who are allergic to nuts and before they share they need to ask permission of them and the teacher. The kids do understand and yes my kids has freinds at school who are lactose intolerent. They know how to manage.
Just because i have severe pollen allergies should i ask my county and my neighbors to kill all the plants to accommodate my allergy . that would be pretty stupidity of me.
What are they gonna do, take the kids lunch away? When I worked at a summer camp we kept extreme precautions to protect the kids with any type of allergy, including carrying a personal epipen for each child and having them eat at a separate table. In five years no one ever had a problem. Just make the teachers and school aware of your kids needs, and problem solved.
You know why there is a problem with bullies in our schools today? It is because of parent's like what we see here today. This whole idea "that my kid comes first, and screw everybody else" - it is not surprising that we have developed into a nation of selfish, bullying pigs.
As for me– I would never let my child carry the lifelong burden of having accidentally killed another child. She can indulge in peanut butter at home.
The funny thing with your argument of "my kid comes first and screw everyone else" can be applied equally to both sides of the argument. From your post, I wasn't sure which side you were on (banning or not banning). Frankly, Im tired of everyone wanting to be 'accommodated' and "not be offended". I spend more time attempting to accommodate everyone else and make sure I dont offent anyone... than I do living my life. This is life.. YOU have to deal with the cards dealt to YOU. If you have to put the kid in a bubble.. then do it or keep them home and home school them... or have a separate lunch room for those with allergies. Again.. people seem to be getting hysterical about the peanut banning thing... and I think the media is making it a much bigger issue/problem than it really is. I have the government taking away enough of my rights to 'choose how I want to live'.. I don't need any more piled on.
Given that people have to be at polar opposites of one another, and yell and scream and shout and insult and degrade one another to feel understood in our society, it is no wonder you are not sure of which side I am on, as I (try) not to behave that way. Also– the "My kid first, screw yours" is not my argument by any means.
To be clear, we should regret the day where laws have to force us to look out for the well-being of a child other than our own. If humanity comes to that– we are nothing more than beasts.
My son has peanut allergies and I don't appreciate the ignorant comments about people that could care less about it. We're not asking you to care. Just don't get in the way of us taking care of our kids. Also, I assure you that although my child has allergies, he can kick your child's a## anytime. And to that Joe fool, I'd live to see if you're allergic to my fist.
Peanut butter should definitely be banned. If a family is unable to provide their child with a more nutrional lunch than the cheap peanut butter (I'm assuming they aren't willing to spend twice as much for the natural no sugar/salt added), the child probably qualifies for a free or reduced price lunch. Second, I know a child who has a peanut allergy and went to a school that did not allow peanuts. The school had a separate table for children with food allergies. One parent decided that it was fine to send their child with to school with a peanut butter sandwich. Peanut butter ended up on the child's hands and ended up on the allergy table and my friend's child must have touched it and nearly died. It is the adults in the community who are responsible for all the children, not just the parent. All the insensitive souless people on here, I think they would think twice if their child had a severe allergy. It's an medical condition that cannot be controlled. Should we tell the kid in the wheelchair there will be no ramps or elevators at the school and his family will have to figure out how he will get up and down stairs?
Let me get this straight. It's McDonald's fault for us being fat, although we are the ones who walk in and purchase the food. I can't smoke because it offends the person next to me. Romve the soda machines from schools because the sugar will lead to kids beingoverwieght – not the fact that parents buy kids video games and don't make them go outside (or the schools for cutting out recess) .But screw the KID with the peanut allegry. Yeah that makes sense.
My daughter's daycare has about 50 kids. There is one 4 year old and the parents maintain that he has a peanut allergy. As a result, the entire daycare is peanut free – even the rooms he doesn't visit and the field trips he doesn't go on. The ban is even enforced when the children are eating outside. (Fear that the kids will trade food and he will eat peanuts.) This has been going on for 3 years. I was speaking to the father a few months ago and it turns out the only reaction his kid has ever had to peanuts was when they voluntarily took him in to a doctor at at age 1 for an allergy profile. He showed some reaction to peanuts, but has never needed an epi pen and never visited the ER. It turns out these parents have a list of other allergies/food preferences that the daycare accommodates. For example, no sugar and no dairy. Even if the kid had a mild allergy to peanuts at age 1, he might have outgrown it. My opinion is that the parents need to bring in a doctor's/allergist note each year documenting the severity of the allergy.
A food allergy is very serious. Just because someone doesn't show signs of a serious complication the first time, does not mean the allergy has not become worse overtime. A food allergy becomes worse with exposure and this does not necessarily mean it needs to be injested.
Yes, food allergies, when encountered, are potentially serious. Consider that while 3 million children have food allergies, most everyone (including the awareness organizations) state that there are 100-150 deaths each year from ALL food allergies at ALL age groups. For all of the attention nut allergies receive, I have a heck of a time finding stories about confirmed deaths. (One of the most commonly cited cases involving a girl that had kissed her boyfriend after he ate peanut butter has been debunked.)
Regardless, do you disagree that the parents should have to bring in updated documentation showing that the allergy is not only still present, but also serious enough to warrant a complete and total ban on peanut products? Further, if you take the stance that peanut allergies can get worse or even newly develop in previously undiagnosed children at any time during childhood – and it can – then you must believe it would be worthwhile to completely ban nut products altogether for the sake of the children Yes?
IF A PERSON IS ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS HE OR SHE NEEDS TO SEPARATE THEIR SELVES FROM NUTS AND NOT HAVE OTHER PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT THEM. YOU TOOK THEM OFF PLANES MAYBE WE SHOULD OUTLAW THEM FROM THE PLANET FOR YOU, I DON'T THINK SO GO EAT SOMEWHERE ELSE-NEXT NO PEANUTS AT A SPORTING EVENT.
This is not the America I grew up believing in, the one reflected in the 'my kid is not at risk so yours is genetically defective' camp. The America I believed in and still believe in doesn't just look to the welfare of the majority, it does its best to take care of the less fortunate and the needs of children and the aged. The idea that people in this thread are willing to put other children's lives at risk to protect their God-given right to make peanut butter sandwiches for their kids is beyond my understanding, selfish, and soul-less. For those of you who deign to call yourself Christians, WWJD?
This is the biggest bunch of BS. The amount of people that actually have peanut allergies is small. The number is blown WAY out of proportion. Someone might be allergic to strawberries or eggs. LETS BAN THOSE TOO. Morons.
My favorite comments are the ones referring to natural selection and Darwin. It's sort of ironic, really, considering the amount of ignorance, if not stupidity, that fills these forums. If we still based society on Darwinistic views, it is nearly certain that the majority of you morons wouldn't be here to spread your lack of intelligence on this board.
As for the peanut butter, it's got to be a joint approach. Parents need to be sure that the school and their child are aware of the danger until the child is old enough to manage the allergy. Peanut butter and jelly is a staple for many families on a budget (not indicative that they are poor and useless as one idiot claimed). Lunch supervisors should especially be aware of the children with special dietary constraints, and know how to react to an emergency. Should PB be banned? Of course not. But with these special dietary needs on the rise, it is important for the parents and school to work together for the child's sake who, I might add, is innocent in this case. I find it hard to believe any first grader is intentionally trying to usurp the right to eat peanut butter that many of you so eloquently claim to have.
This has nothing to do with the government taking your freedoms, the contamination of the gene pool, or people being dredges on society by not buying meat. If anyone is contaminating anything, it's you idiots contaminating my brain with your nonsense.
The problem with banning peanuts from schools is where do you draw the line? So you ban peanuts and peanut butter. What about granola bars or trail mix? Plus, if you read the fine print on MANY pre-packaged foods and candies, you will usually see a warning label that says "May contain trace amounts of peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, soy, etc..." Do we ban all products that may contain traces of peanuts that could potentially harm a child?
Our town's elementary school not only bans peanuts, tree-nuts, and any other nuts, it also DOES ban ANY product that may contain trace elements. The teachers go through the kids' lunches and confiscate anything that might have peanuts or trace amounts of peanuts in it. The kid from whom this was taken then gets to go hungry. Of course, I live in Massachusetts, land of "enlightenment." (eye-roll)...
If people think that they can keep other kids from eating peanut butter at school, then their kids food allergy is the least of their problems.
So are we just going to ban everything that someone is allergic to? When does it end?
I really like "Mom"'s view. You don't want your child to become the boy/girl in the bubble as they need to learn to deal with their allergies as soon (young) as possible, as it may save their life. You cannot possibly recreate every scenario to avoid your allergen and you would do them a disservice if you tried. I have struggled with this question for a while as some of my children's friends have allergies and we have accomodated our firends for their safety. I was not sure if I was doing the correct thing, but now I feel more informed and enabled to assist children with allergies through awereness/reminders.
Reading the other comments, I get the sense (which I also share) that we all have our own problems to deal with and it can feel as an additional burden to have to think about someone else's issues. We just have to remember it is very scary for any parent to think that their child may be harmed or even worse killed. "Mom" was the only one to provide a sensible yet logical opinion to the issue.
While I want all children to be protected, I am quite interested in learning why this problem is so acute. I know I a few classmates who had any variety of allergies, but peanuts were not an issue. Considering the snacks and lunches we enjoyed as kids, that was a good thing. I have to wonder what has happened in less than 50 years to make peanuts (and other food stuffs) such an issue. There is no need to ban peanuts from school. But there is a need to determine the cause of the allergy, and address it.
Maybe these kids should wear facemasks at all times while at school, in addition to their medical bracelets. There are hundreds of food and other allergies, and it's both unrealistic and absurd to expect that all children should be forced to make accommodations for all of them (which is the extension of this debate). Parents of children with allergies should find their own solutions which protect their children without disrupting the lives of all the other children.
I think I've also heard that children who are not breast-fed normally and for the routine duration may end up with more allergies due to reduced immunities transferred from the mother. We could be seeing a rise in food and other allergies over the course of recent decades due to increased use of synthetic formula for babies instead of mothers' milk.
Yes, kids can start to learn at a young age but that's not the point, they are too young to protect themselves. When they are a grown up they have more means to stay away. They also don't play together like the kids do. I would not be comfortable giving them a bunch of epi pen. What if they play around with it? What if other kids got it and get hurt. Just imagine your kid being stick with the pen, how would you like that.
While I want all children to be protected, I am quite interested in learning why this problem is so acute. I had a few classmates who had any variety of allergies, but peanuts were not an issue. Considering the snacks and lunches we enjoyed as kids, that was a good thing. I have to wonder what has happened in less than 50 years to make peanuts (and other food stuffs) such an issue. There is no need to ban peanuts from school. But there is a need to determine the cause of the allergy, and address it.
As Dr. Michael Young notes in his 2006 book, The Peanut Allergy Answer Book, predicting who will have a life-threatening anaphylactic response to airborne allergy is very unpredictable and the likelihood of it is very, very small. Most exposures to airborne peanut protein result in itchy eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. There remains no evidence that exposure to airborne peanut protein worsens allergy or results in anaphylaxis for the majority of peanut allergic individuals. There always remains the possibility that someone who is exceptionally sensitive will experience a severe reaction, however, protecting them from all possible exposures to peanut protein is extremely difficult.
Parents want to protect their children and this desire extends into the school environment where they themselves are not present. Concerned parents communicate with the school frequently. They also educate their children about the importance of knowing what foods are near them. Children with peanut allergies have to be constantly aware of any potential hazards in their environment and should carry an Epi-pen injection to treat food-induced anaphylaxis.
School districts either have adopted a standardized policy for responding to life-threatening allergies or have instituted protocols to handle medical emergencies at individual schools. I googled incidents where students were given peanut butter in schools and the majority of the cases were if a teacher brought in peanut butter cookies/snacks and served it. I could not any related or recent cases where a child was actually served peanut butter in their lunches.
Maybe CNN should actually contact the DOE to see what their policy is on this instead of carelessly creating news articles that may not even be relevenat in today's society now.
I think we need to stop worring about to or not to ban beanut products and start working on looking into the reasoning as to WHY allergies are on a rise... it wuld not have something to do with the fact hat parents dont feed their kids raw, organic, from the earth healthy foods would it? Get rid of the damn processed foods and we might find that to be the reason why your kids have so many allergies.
I get it though... some allergies are deadly, but you can no expect other children, parents and rest of society to comply to you. If that was the case, then smoking needs banned not only in some places, but everywhere... even the sidewalks and streets. If you want to smoke, then do so only in your own home. See the issue there?
I agree that we should try to find out why, that will take years, or dcades. In the meantime, we have these kids who have the problem now, so we do have to deal with it. We aren't talking about an itch, we are talking about life threatening consequenses. And we aren't talking about adults, or even teens. We are talking about kids who may not be done with toilet training in K and 1st grade, kids who can't count or read and don't know what the ingredients in their lunch are.
"This is great, try it!"
"Does it have peanuts in it?"
"No, it's granola!"
I understand the severity of peanut allergies and that it can be dangerous for an alleric child to even touch where peanut butter is on the table, but some other allergies such as fish, bananas, kiwis, coconut can be just as severe. So I don't think banning the foods is the answer. So we ban peanut butter cause one kid is allergic. But then another kid is allergic to fish, so gotta ban that too. And then ban kiwis and bananas cause some kid is allergic. Then dairy cause some kids are allergic to that too. Exactly what WILL it be ok for kids to eat in school?
I could not agree more. Where does this idea stop? I went to school with a kid who was allergic to grass, I suppose the county should have come in a scraped all the grass off of school grounds. I empathize with the children with the allergies, however, banning one item obviously leads to the eventual banning of anything a single child is allergic to.
I feel bad for the children with peanut allergies or those that have to live with any allergies . At the same time its also hard to those that have children without peanut allergies. I am a vegetarian and so are my children it is very hard to come up with helathy lunch ideas that completly rule out nuts all together. The school that they attend encourage no nut have a nut free table established and would prefer that the parents stay away from nuts all together. I want my children to be able to eat a rounded meal and its hard to come up with protein substitues that taste good without involving nut products. It doesnt help that the schools idea of vegetarian lunch option is a salad... they are 5 and 7 and while they eat salads they still prefer variety.. I don't expect the school to accomodate vegetarians but there should be a better solution.
I'm a single mom on an extremely tight budget. Peanut butter is one of the cheapest forms of protein I can provide for my child. I make just enough money so that we're not elegible for the school lunch programs and I'd be in quite a bind if I had to find something else to put in her lunch. Meat/Cheese/Tofu are significantly more expensive than PB. I can't imagine what I would do if my child had an allergy. I feel terrible for the parents & kids in this position, however, right now I think the best thing they can do is segregate these children.
I guess it shouldn't surprise me that people don't see the irony when they say that I have a 'sense of entitlement' if I think that banning peanuts from schools is a good idea, whereas they don't have a 'sense of entitlement' about their kid eating peanut butter.
I have a severely peanut allergic child who has been near death after contact with peanut butter. Truly this changes your perspective on the world. We do everything we can to keep him safe and we certainly take responsibility for that. In fact I would not advocate a school-wide ban on peanut products, but a more judicious policy that limits the kinds of things that are eaten and where they are eaten depending on the child's sensitivity.
However, the bottom line is that my 'sense of entitlement' is literally a matter of life or death. Yours is a food preference for your child. Again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that people fail to see this distinction and show no compassion for their fellow man.
EXACTLY!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
If your child truly is that allergic, have you bothered to get desensitization imunotherapy? If not, then your child should be removed from your home. If you have, and it has not worked, then your child should be removed from your home because you insist on sending him/her out into an environment which could kill him/her. The rest of society doesn't have to stop just because your child is incapable of living in it.
To all of you who say we need to ban peanut butter cause little Johnny No-Brain is too dumb to avoid them, I say this: Grow up you commie, this is America and we don't take away people's rights because others can't be responsible for their own actions.
"Oh whah whah my child has a peanut allergy, if he even smells a peanut he will die!!!"
Back when I was in school, we would have found this kid and rubbed peanut butter in his freaking eyes. We have become a country of wimps and whiners.
And you would have been a murderer. This is not about "rights." This is life and death for some people.
my friends, I too have a peanut butter problem. I have an addiction to peanut butter and cannot live without it. I have tried PB Anonymous but to not avail. Please, for the sake of other children who might share my affliction, do not ban peanut butter. It is all that we have in life
Schools cannot restrict a food item, just because someone might be allergic. It is up to the child to know if they are allergic, and it is up to the parents of children with allergies, to send a compatible lunch with their child.
We have to stop punishing everyone, for the isolated case.
I find myself constantly amazed at the All-American response..."Your child's death has nothing to do with me or my family" What a heinous social statement! Unbelievable! Do the people who make such statements consider themselves funny...or what? Or do you plan to just never die? I find this mentality prevades American culture and I am at a loss to figure out where it came from in the first place. Your parents? Movies? Video games? What? And for the most part I find it is truly a uniquely American sickness.
We don't go around a second time. And if we fail to become human with human compassion I guess some of us can fool ouirselves into thinking we will never answer for it...or do you think compassion is a sign of weakness...some sort of non-alpha response? Your feigned hubris is a joke that only you can pretend to understand. But the understanding WILL eventually come to you... That's certain. And when it's your turn to face reality, who will you look to for help? Those who you now mock and denegrate? No excuse will be accepted.
For now, go back to your beer.
I don't consider that funny at all. But to be honest, if there were creamy and chunky versions of these kids, I would probably like them better. Instead, I'm siding with the peanut butter.
If your child has a nut allergy or any allergy for that mater they should educated and taught how to handle such an allergy. You may be able to remove the nuts from the school but you cannot remove it from the world in which they live and by banning it from the school you are doing them a disservice. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
I can't even believe those parents who said that they don't care about this and let the PB allergic kid and parent to take care of it. They can't because your selfishness may cause a severe allergic reaction to someone and may even cause death. How often will your kid eat PB? Will they eat it 3 times a day? Your healthy kid can eat it anytime just not lunch at school compare to those who not only can't eat it 24 hrs/day but may die from it. What do you teach your child? To be selfish? To careless for other people? If that's it then you should be ashame of yourself. A school is a controlled environment so don't tell the PB allergic kid to figure it out themselves. Can we just let our kids do whatever they like at school, no? What if they want to bring a guy to school, should we just let them because they can have all the freedom they want? We should protect our kids just as you wouldn't want other kids to bring a gun to class and shoot your kid.
Well put! As a mother of a 4 year old who has the allergy, I thank you. For a 4 year old he understands more about his allergy than most adults. I have done and will continue to do what I can to teach him how to best care for himself and others around him. I would hope other parents would only do the same, it is to bad most of the post have been about selfish people. This is not a lifestyle by choice, he will never enjoy going out for an ice cream or even eating some cakes at Birthday parites (for the fear of cross contamination). Why should he have to worry about the being normal and accepted in school because he has an allergy and a desire to live. I am greatful that he attends a preschool that does not allow peanut products ( 4 of the 16 have the allergy, just goes with the treand this allergy is on the rise) at such a young age they are learning how to respect everyone regardless of sex, color, religion, or allergy. DO I agree with the ban from the whole school? No. Even though I have witnessed my than 14 month old ballon up, hive, puke, and almost stop breathing , I belive it comes down to respect. I respect my child for doing his part and I respect the other children for wanting to keep my child safe. I do know there has to be a seperate area in the lunch room.. I love the schools that make that area for the kids who chose to eat peanut products. It is not my childs choice to have the allergy, just as children with disabilities do not chose it. Why seperate out my child for something he has no control over. Instead seperate out the ones who chose to bring the pb to school, they did not need to.
I feel sorry for the kids who do have the allergy but if schools do ban it, they r taking a cheap way to pack your kids lunch out of the already falling economy. and you will get alot of pissed off parents and could start a protest and make a huge scene over nothing. maybe there should be a lunch period just for the allergy or maybe a table away from all, or maybe a table just for kids who bring in a pb&j sandwich. but if your smart at all you will look hard into not banning a cheap way to back a kids sandwich.
I find it sad that our society is spiraling further down the path of "it's everyone else's problem not mine." Self-reliance is a rarity in our country. I feel sorry for those who have a peanut allergy because peanuts and peanut oil is used in so many products, but I'm sorry – if my kid ends up having a peanut allergy, then he has to deal with it.
When these kids become adults, what are we teaching them by banning PB? "Don't worry about it, just make everyone around you conform to your needs." They're not being taught – "You know what, it sucks that your allergic to peanuts, but it's what you're going to have to deal with it the rest of your life so you might as well start now." Are they going to not go to college because they can't find one with a strict "No Peanut Policy," or refuse to take a job because the management refuses to ban peanuts from the cafeteria? Where does it end?
Well it needs to begin when they're younger. They need to carry around an epi pen, they need to learn they're not like other kids and can just pick up whatever they want and munch on it. They need to be aware of the signs of an allergic reaction. But no – let's continue to coddle them, but don't start griping when you have a 38 year old still living at home.
Just imagine for a minute – its a new morning, you get your kid ready for school and send him/her off, smiling as you wave goodbye. What is your child going to learn about today? Something new in math, the planets, history, read a good book. No imagine your child suddenly cant breathe, can't speak, can't cry, and is just sitting their choking while the other kids look on. The heimlich maneuver won't work, nor does anything else. Someone calls 911. What did the child eat – the usual, just a ham sandwich that mom packed. The child didn't share any food. Wait a minute – there was that one boy who was playing with your child after lunch, he had a PB&J, but he didn't share it. But he also didn't wash his hands. As the ambulance pulls away with your little child on board, brought back to life in the nick of time by a shot of epinephrene, you finally get the call. How could this have happened, my kid knows what he/she is allergic too, he/she knows not to share anything? And on your way you think of the helpless condition your child must have faced. But you're glad the child is now ok. A few months later the ambulance/hospital bills start pouring in – $2500.
Or, the other parents could have packed something else for lunch.
Our economy is already in shambles, and a PB&J sandwich is a cheap way to make a lunch for a kid. Are you telling me that with what little money lower class has you want them to spend more. yes its sad that a kid has this allergy but there is better ways to deal with this than an all out ban. you are calling these parents ignorant, selfish, good for nothing, all because they are trying to keep a lil money in there pockets so they can pay bills and mortgage payments so they don't lose there house. instead of just thinking about the kid who has the allergy look at the kid who might not be able to afford anything but a PB&J sandwich. and like I said i do feel sorry for the kids who do have the allergy cause i do know a few and are friends with there parents, brother, sister, and even cousin. it just needs to be brought to the attention of parents and students that if they do bring the sandwich that they need to take every measure necessary to prevent the other student from have the allergic reaction
So should we ban eggs, wheat, milk, etc.? This is a slippery slope...we cannot keep our kids away from everything that could possibly harm them. Banning PB from schools altogether rather than a reaonable solution such as PB classes, tables, lunch rooms etc. is a bit much. I understand the concern of an allergy that is so bad that a kid could touch the other hand of a student that had PB and that it could possibly cause death. But, couldn't this also happen if your child is playing in their neighborhood in the evening and comes in contact with another kid that had PB for an after school snack? Or maybe they touch something in a department store that someone who had PB on their hands touched...so do we do a ban on PB for our neighborhoods and stores too? Again, arm your child with the knowledge and anything else they need to survive an attack. If that doesn't work, opt for the hazmat suit because outside of elementary and maybe highschool the rest of the world isn't going to coddle your child, they will need to protect themselves.
Or, you could have been a responsible parent and made sure your child wears a medic allert bracelet, has access to an epi-pen at school, and personally talked to all of his teachers to make them aware of his condition.
The world cannot be made peanut free. Those of us with allergies need to learn to live in the real world. If your kid has a peanut allergy, then you should make arrangements with your kid's school to keep him/her safe. My mom did so with my allergies and my teachers and my school just had to be careful...as did I. You cannot expect the sea to just automatically part for you every time something is unsafe. You will simply cause your kid to grow up unaware of his surroundings outside of school and that will end up being what kills him. Also, rules get broken by students a zillion times a day. A rule would not change the level of vigilance you would need to maintain, it would only make you complacent. If you have a lethal allergy, you must learn to be aware and prepared all day every day. Sucks, but that's what it is.
I have to post again. I decided to find out who many we are actually talking about and the REAL risk
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as many as 1.5 million people suffer from a peanut allergy. Annually, about 100 people die from a reaction.
If that were in ONE town I would stand up and short for restrictions. It is not. Individual awareness, administrative information and support and making sure appropriate medication is handy is all that is needed.
That statistic is basically a lie. The truth is eleven (11) people died in the U.S. from food allergies in 2005. That's 11 people TOTAL, mind you, not 11 kids. That is the straight up fact from all the actual death certificates in America. The 100-150 figure that is being thrown around is extrapolated from a small study in one county wherein one (1) person died from food allergies (while also exercising, but the way). They mathmatically equated this to about 100-150 deaths in the country, if the the population of the country were statistically identical to their sample, but it doesn't work.
I have an allergic to latex, even as a child- maybe we should ban condoms from safe-sex practices or switch to only lamb-skin.
The All-in or All-out approach does not work for every situation. I work for a school and we don't even serve anything with peanut butter in it so i don't know who even started this crazy discussion if noone can even name one school who actually is including peanut peanut in student's lunches.
I have a lot of sympathy for children with peanut allergies and their parents. However, I think banning peanut butter in schools is not an effective way of dealing with the issue. Children need to be taught and accommodations need to be made (peanut-free tables or classrooms). Banning all the possible triggers for allergies is ridiculous. The list could go on forever, what makes the life of the peanut-allergy child more important than that of the child with egg allergies. The reasons why children bring peanut butter to school for lunch (and how healthy or not) are irrelevent here, they should have the choice to bring what they and their parents deem is suitable for lunch, end of story.
Too many parents have not introduced foods to their children at an early age and that is what's causing the increase of allergies to otherwise benign foods. Rather than punish a VAST majority of children, the parents of allergic children should take it upon themselves to get their child treated for the allergy. If peanuts now, what's next? It's a slippery slope.
Treated? There isn't treatment for the allergy only avoidance. Antihistimines won't prevent a reaction, only help curb minor irritations. And desensitising studies are just that – studies in research/testing phases right now. So peanut allergic people avoid peanuts as best as possible. And inform themselves with accurate, factual information. Try it sometime.
There is no current treatment, but there has been at least one study that showed it was possible to build up a tolerance to peanuts in children who are allergic to them. Perhaps all of the parents of these kids who are allergic to peanuts should start asking why there isn't a treatment yet? We can treat ED but can't treat kids with peanut allergies. What's wrong with the medical community these days?
It's amazing how heated some parents are on the topic of providing a much safer school environment for children other than their own. If your child is fortunate enough to not have a peanut allergy then I'm very happy for you. If you are like my family that have a small child with a peanut allergy then you most likely understand the every day fear of your child having contact with something so simple as a peanut.
Too many people are losing sight of the fact that the peanut allergy is the most deadly food allergy. So, no, it is not like someone who is allergic to water per say, which I might add is a very hyperbolic parallel to try and draw. The reality is for some unknown reason there is a major rise in peanut allergies. It's not some overblown issue like banning the pledge of allegiance or calling it "the holidays" instead of Christmas. This is a real serious issue. Something so innocent as a PB&J sandwich can be a loaded gun for some children and I appreciate the efforts of our schools to help protect the rising number of unfortunate children and families that have to live with this daily fear.
so what? should we now accommodate all pathetic parents who want their child to eat a certain way? NO! What about those kids who are religious? Vegan? Vegetarian? Diabetic?
So let's just not serve lunch at all. ALL KIDS MUST BRING THEIR OWN LUNCHES.
Designate a "Peanut Table" not a peanut-free table! I've worked in a school with many kids who were deathly allergic to nuts. One was so severe that he could go into anaphylactic shock from just being too close to nuts if he breathed in any of the particles. This allergy was extremely dangerous and yet we didn't have a peanut butter ban and guess what–the kid survived! Part of his success was that his parents taught him how to be aware even at the age of 7. At lunch we chose to not separate the kids with allergies because they already felt "different" and making them sit at a different table would only make it worse. Instead, if someone had a PP&J, they sat at the "Peanut Table." The kids took to it really well because no one child was always separated from the group at every lunch. The kids with allergies were kept safe and it also taught the allergy-free kids how to be caring of others and their needs-a total win for everyone!
Personally I think it should be banned in all schools Infant – Kindergarten schools (daycares mostly).
(Most) Elementary School Aged children know better and know what will and wont make them sick- I do not see a need to "ban" it altogether. However in schools where such tiny tots are running around sticking everything in their mouth it may be a wise idea to take that extra precaution.
If someone is actually so allergic that they could die from sharing an elevator with someone who had eaten a Snickers bar, then it is feloniously irresponsible for the parents to even let them out of the house, much less send them to a public school.
The allergy thing is frustrating for parents of kids who don't deal with this, because it can get out of hand. If your kid can die of nut exposure, maybe s/he needs to be homeschooled. That's a huge risk to everyone at the school, and who's to say a well-meaning caregiver (like a grandparent) wouldn't accidentally send peanut products to school?
Plus, there are weird parents (yes, I think they're inventing) who insist on restrictions like "no lactose" in clasrooms. For God's sake, if your kid is going to be endangered by lactose products (in the air, mind you– not ingesting them), then they really need to be separated from the rest of the general population.
For those of you whose kids suffer from these allergies, I'm so sorry. But that's your burden, not mine. I can be careful and considerate, but I shouldn't have your kids' life or death in my hands.
First of all, Allerigic to Idiots, LOL! Now, you may have something there with the hazmat suit. In all seriousness though, we need a reasonable solution to a problem. It is just not reasonable to ban PB from school because some children are allergic. Perhaps separate classes with different lunch times and a different lunch room...just think reasonably. Parents should arm their kids with what they need to combat the allergy because lets face it, once they are out in the real world people just aren't going to care as much if your kid has a food allergy or not. Perhaps then would be a good time for them to get a hazmat suit...
EDUCATION...anybody remember that in America?? Educate kids, believe it or not, they can understand and retain info much better than adults. Anyway having a spouse with this type of allergy...we have spent way too much time in ER's because some idiot at a resturant cooks everything in the same oil to save money. but what money is saved by being sued? So to make the 'normal' people happy we don't go out to eat, the economy can survive without my money or the money of everyother person with a severe food allergy. Hey lets open a chain of resturants that cater to these people and forbid the 'normal' from spending their money.
This is not so simple as some people having an allergy and some people not. If that were the case we would also have to evaluate other items that people are often have issues with like eggs, milk, and a variety of nuts that are found in foods. Since we are not discussing removing common food allergies which would vitually eliminate the menu, you are targeting 1 specific item. This is biased and as such should not be removed from schools.
As usual, the media (and some people are happy to go right along) wants to polarize the issue, while some patience, logic and reason could solve it **where it needs to be solved** (which is not everywhere). My son eats PB&J regularly (is not fat despite it even .. amazing) and no one has died in his school due to it. Are we aware that there are folks who are allergic? Yeah. Would we be considerate if a request was made to be mindful of the situation? Sure. Do I think it would be overkill to declare PB off-limits in a school because a few kids have non-severe (i.e. as long as you don't eat it) allergies to peanuts? Definitely Overkill. But come on people! ...
Are we that pathetic in America now that everything has to be solved with yes/no legislation/rules?
I recently received a note from my son's school asking me not to pack any products with peanuts in my son's lunch. I was annoyed! Why should I deprive my son of something he enjoys for lunch because of another child's allergies? I'm sympathetic but it's not my problem. It is the parents' responsibility to figure out a way to keep the peanuts off their kids' diet. It should not be imposed on everyone else.
And by the way people, America's kids are not overweight because of peanut butter!!
I'm allergic to latex, please remove all latex gloves from your school. I'm allergic to aspirin, please remove all aspirin. I'm diabetic please remove all sweets. Too much homework causes me stress and is a health risk, please excuse me from all homework. I have a learning disability, please set all of your school standards lower to accommodate just me. K Thanks!
Do you eat aspirin for lunch? What are you some kind of stupid asshole?
You truly are a feeble minded, arrogant prick. If you are going to comment with such harsh critical words you should maybe know a little more about what you are talking about. First of all, latex deaths and the like are not a rising problems within our schools. The peanut allergy is the most deadly of all food allergies and I think it is smart to at least recognize it. No one is out to get your kids, but I think you should possibly be a little more empathetic to families who have to live with this every day. I'm not saying you should completely change your mealtime habits with your own children, but this is not just some overblown issue, it's a real problem and it's smart and responsible for schools to address this issue with educating children and families and parents educating their children as well.
Very few people with peanut allergies are so allergic that it is life threatening. And of those who are, 80% can be easily cured with immunotherapy. If you can't be cured, and are so deathly allergic, then you have no business being out and about in society, anyway.
Ahh, so those people stricken with peanut allergies are the new lepers of society? I didn't realize that there were Americans who didn't deserve to walk the same streets as you and me, well, at least without committing a criminal act first.
It has nothing to do with being a "leper", you TWIT. It has to do with YOU being responsible to protect your own life.
Your exact comment was "If you can't be cured, and are so deathly allergic, then you have no business being out and about in society, anyway." I shouldn't need to repost it since it is only one line up. I fail to see the 'responsibility' you are speaking of, other than, people should be responsible for not inconveniencing you. Thanks for calling me a TWIT, it makes you sound much more intelligent.
It was you who claimed that I was making those with peanut allergies into modern lepers. I was not, but you did succeed in proving your own twitness by claiming I did.
This post was a few days ago, so I'm not sure who is going to read it. But, I'm a medical professional. Any food allergy
can be anaphylactic and subsequently cause possible death. Stop arguing. If someone (being pig headed and selfish)
exposes someone (knowingly) to their allergen, they are ultimately responsible. It's not about parents not parenting. Its
about a (relatively more prevalent) and excelling problem with food allergies. It's not going away. Adjust and deal with it.
How would you like to live the rest of your life knowing you caused someone to die because you were too selfish? After
all, 92% of all anaphylactic deaths annually are from peanuts. Be compassionate, these people don't choose to be allergic..
Peanuts suck anyway. Only poor kids and kids with stupid, lazy parents eat that crap.
Why all of the pent up anger Charles? You must be a liberal elitist
Perhaps parents who have children with peanut allergies should look into desensitization studies which have been done on children with peanut allergies. Perhaps working towards a cure to this problem would be better than trying to force everyone else in society to avoid peanuts entirely.
My nut allergic 5 year old daughter is in public school for the first time this year. She sits at the nut-free table, has epi pens at the school clinic, and is educated the best a 5 yo can be about her allergy. She does need to learn how to care for herself in a world where clearly others are not going to be concerned about her allergy. But shouldn't we all put our own health as our priority? Her condition is scary for us as parents but we choose not live in fear. Instead we make informed decisions about where we eat, what professional sports games we attend, etc. Making a school peanut free will not protect my daughter. In my opinion at that point a culture of false security is created and when a rule is broken it can be tragic. Rather, I'll teach my daughter to care for herself as best as possible.
FINALLY an educated, intelligent person who takes PERSONAL sensible responsibility for self and family. Thank goodness! l If only the "I wants", "It's my way or no way", "My right is more important than yours", "I matter more than you" would wake up and realize we are ALL part of this life together– so lets all be responsible for ourselves without government interventions, do what we can for OURSELVES BY OURSELVES things would be so much better. The more Government and Governmental agencies (including school systems) become involved in the decision making of our daily lives, the less freedoms we all have. The rest of you :Stop asking politically entrenched entities who rule by what gets them the most votes, to change the world for you!
I have Celiac disease so make sure to ban bread, pasta, chips, anything out of a box, gum, hmmmmm lets see there are about 100 hundred other things too. Come on...if your kid has an allergy then inform the school and have your kid wear a medical bracelet...no need to ban peanut butter...
Food allergies in the modern world have been created by our obsession with cleanliness. People in 3rd world countries don't have allergies, it's virtually unheard of. Our kids need to spend a bit more time making mud pies and playing out doors. This would help some.
Yeah, send the 6-month old out in the mud. You f*cking ignorant asshole.
Your response makes it pretty clear who the asshole is.
Actually, yes. The 6-month old should be playing in the mud. If possible, the child should also have a couple pets. So sayeth the research.
While hygeine may be part of the problem, or a clue towards figuring all of this out, I an assure you that it has nothing to do with it in the case of my son's milik allergy. I have never been a good housekeeper. Dust and dirt are everywhere in my house. We had 6 cats when my son was born. He was born in the winter and we didn't hesitate, from day one, to bring him out into the cold, to family events where he was exposed to all kinds of germs. He was, most definitely, exposed to milk in utero and through his first diet of my breast milk.
And, yet, with his first mouthful of milk-based formula at about 4 months old, he broke out in hives and had restricted breathing.
Science is still trying to figure out what causes food allergies and whether or not there is a treatment that can cure them.
and food allergies are also caused by the crappy environment, food allergies are also caused by too many vaccinations, etc..its ALL speculation. There is no definitive answer to why allergies are on the rise..its all speculation. If it was cleanliness than by your standards, my 3 week old should have been eating bugs and rolling around in mud pies..because thats when we realized he was lactose intolerant, one of his very first allergies...so give me a break.
Some people are allergic to the sun, but we don't ban all daylight activities so that they can safely participate.
If someone truly is that allergic, it is their own family's responsibility to deal with that problem, not everyone else's.
Yes I am allergic to sun! I demand that shade be available everywhere! I have a right to shade.
:thumbs up:
...and it should not be my responsibility to afford such shade! It should be those whom I choose to be around! EVERYONE, now you must carry an umbrella to protect me! It is YOUR job as a compasionate individual!
Banning peanut butter from schools is just NUTS! Pun intended.
:)
What do you do when you have a private problem that needs to use a
public enclosure or atmosphere?
So far in this argument, it has boiled down into whether peanuts
should be allowed in school cafeterias or not. OK...fine. [waves
wand] No more peanut butter or nuts during school lunches. Done.
Does that eliminate the problem? If you REALLY put on your thinking
caps, you have to ask: what percentage of children had peanut butter
for BREAKFAST? Now take that thought and extrapolate it outward.
You will soon realize that you most likely have trace amounts of
peanut butter in the atmosphere of school buses, trace amounts on bus
seats, staircase rails in the school, on the students' desks and
seats, faucet handles in the boys and girls restrooms, plus a host of
other places on any given day.
What this means (to me at least), is that while the cafeteria is the
most likely location for most food allergy related reactions, it is
by no means the ONLY place it can happen. So it can be reasoned that
eliminating PB in the cafeteria will REDUCE (but not eliminate) the
number of food related allergy attacks. NOW what do you do? Forbid
anyone eating peanut butter at ANY time? Do we ban it like what
happened to smoking in public places?
The trouble with all this is that, as has been brought out by
contributers to this thread, there are MANY other allergies out there
that can be brought into the school by unsuspecting carriers. For
example, does your child have an allergy to dog/cat hair? Most
houses have pets where the dander gets on ALL clothing. If a child
from this household bumps into another child who IS allergic and gets
a reaction....what then? Will everyone be required to have an
aquarium? What about wool? Polyester? Sunlight (as someone said
earlier)?
Since this discussion is about food allergies, and in particular:
peanuts and peanut butter, in the end, I can see setting aside a
table (or even a classroom) where those children with food allergies
can enjoy their lunches. It's not that big a deal to set up. If
Johnny gets teased about it....well welcome to public schools. It's
part of growing up.
But what bothers me is the sense of entitlement some people have when
it comes to this issue. We had a discussion about a month or two ago
about eating peanuts on airplanes and there were those who felt
peanuts should be banned on airplanes (of course without mentioning
whether they should be banned on trains, buses and taxis). Don't get
me wrong. I have seen what the Disabilities Act has done for the
many people who couldn't get into many buildings (much less the
bathrooms). I don't want to see a child (or anyone else for that
matter) die because they accidently breathed in peanut vapors wafting
in the breeze. But I also do not believe that the answer lies in
telling the rest of the world that YOU have to accomodate US.
this is getting to be regoddamndiculous!!
I wonder how many people 'got this joke' Mr. Carver :-)
A lot of very intelligent – and some not so – points have been posted on this very sensitive subject. My big fear in how all this gets handled is that by controlling the environment in such a way that we accommodate the most fragile element in it, we open our species up to being wiped out with some otherwise inconsequential event. Imagine banning peanuts (and all other nuts, for that matter) and evolving to such an extent that most people have a built-in, latent allergy. Then someone gets the otherwise innocent-enough idea to introduce peanuts into something and half of us drop dead. Like it or not, humans are fragile biologic systems and managing our environment to eliminate the most benign threats will ensure our demise.
EXCELLENT POINT... and this is probably why so many have come to have these allergies in the first place... overly doding parents that dont allow their kids to have peanuts at a young age.... the fad of the day... according to 'nutritional experts'... kind of like the 'dont spank the kids.. give them a time out instead'... which has resulted in a lot of self centered little monsters running around. This coddling by the parents is not doing the kids any good... when they go out into the real world... who will be there to protect them?
And also should we ban peanuts everywhere?? Because i mean once out of the school its everywhere anyway...
I have come up with a compromise. A peanut butter sandwich cost roughly 25 cents per day per child. It has been the go-to for poor families for a while. If allergic kids parents want to ban the arguably cheapest way to get poor families kids protien and nutrition, I agree with banning all peanut products in school, under one stipulation. The parents of the allergic child has to front the rest of the cost for every non-allergic child for everything but 25 cents of a school lunch. School lunches were $1.75 a day where I was a decade or so ago, so the allergic parent can front out $1.50 per day to every family with a non-allergic child. In my high school, there were roughly 1000 people and only 1 kid with a peanut alergy. So, for the price of $1498.50 per day, distributed among the other 999 kids to pay for their lunch, I would support the ban. $1.50 per day may not seem like much to you, but to the poor families, an extra $270 per year (assuming 180 school days) to someone making only $13,000 ($250/wk) a year is a big deal. Because you do not want your kids "segregated" (even though it is just accomidated) for the, as someone posted early, 0.8% of them, you'd be ok with the kids of ~25% of the population that is below the poverty level to go malnurished. Malnurishment is deadly too, you know? Will it be a sudden death? No, it will be slow and painful, spreading over months and perhaps years. But clearly, because you don't want your "darling" to be "segregated", it's ok to let other people slowly become malnurished and perhaps slowly starve. Like I said, you fork up the cash to pay for them, I'm all for it. Otherwise, if the inhaling is so bad, wear a mask like during the SARS outbreak, have them wear plastic gloves, etc. Why should 250 kids in a school go hungry because 1 doesn't want to be "segregated"?
How about if your kid has a peanut allergy then you should be teaching them to avoid it as they would have to in their adult life. If schools are banning food products that children could potentially be allergic to then try getting rid of it all. (i.e. gluten products, milk, red dye #40 etc.) Not gonna happen.
Wake up people. This is exactly what has gone wrong in this country–demanding the majority give up something entirely for the minority, that one person's problems outweigh everyone elses. Yes, it's horrific that a child could die from a food allergic reaction and I fully sympathize with the fears of parents of these children. (I have never fully recovered from the loss of my younger daughter). However, reasonable accommodation is the only correct answer, not demanding an outright ban. The best solutions offered here are the ones with the allergy free tables at school for the susceptible children, and school officials who are aware of the allergies and watch over the younger children for such. Educating everyone is the best answer. And yes, our schools fall short here. And yes, our schools can do more to protect those that have life threatening conditions, but banning a food product is not the solution. All children , from the time they enter school, should be taught tolerance, acceptance of others limitations, disabilities and differences as an integral part of life. A child should not be singled out for a difference and bullied. Bullying at any age should be a criminal act...words do hurt and children have committed suicide from relentless, unchecked, tauntings. Educate–don't dictate though.
Bees kill people who are allergic. Banning bees would mean food crops cannot be pollinated (a problem already occurring due to decimated bee populations). It has been proven that the lungs of growing children who live within 1 mile of a freeway are stunted and don't fully mature to the correct size. Let's ban all autos and trucks to ensure a longer life span (never mind that our economy will further collapse at this time and more people will lose their jobs, their housing and go hungry). People have life threatening allergic reactions to many foods including fish, eggs, milk, other nuts–let's not allow our children to eat any of these at school...and the list will keep growing. Pretty soon children will be allowed only very specific food products (but these may include such with chemicals, pesticides. and food dyes that create cancers which eventually can kill them too). Children (and adults) can have life threatening asthmatic attacks due to many different things in our environment–food, pollution, plants, perfumes etc. We can't simply ban everything someone might die from, as anything in the right situation can kill any of us.
We are all selfish in that we want it "our way", but this never works. Angry reactions don't solve the problem. Thinking from just the heart of from just the brain doesn't create the best solution. People must co-exist, with give and take from all sides, a one-way street is all too often a wrong way street. We are all in this life together, we all a part of the fabric of our society, we all matter, so let's find ways to work together that do not take just from one side to give to the other. While a solution most often cannot equally satisfy all involved, it has to at least acknowledge, include and give something in it to all the . Otherwise a reasonable and peaceful existence together can't happen and that in turn means peace and happiness can never be achieved in our homes, our daily lives and the countries we live in.
So what you are saying is; if a disease does not affect the majority of us it should not be taken seriously. Those people should be ignored? Let them solve their own problems? With that argument then you are saying...people with cancer are just whiners because they are in the minority? Yes?
My boys don’t have food allergies, but I have friends whose children do. I know, from time spent with them, how frustrating it can be for them to feed their children (in cases of multiple allergies) and how frustrating it can be for them to send their children into unknown environments (in cases of severe allergies). The parents dealing with this issue didn’t ask for it and I know that I didn’t do anything special to have the good fortune to avoid it.
So about a month before my children started attending a peanut-free school (they both ate only PB&J for lunch at the time), I started “meat and cheese sandwich boot camp.” I considered it as an opportunity to expand their lunch options and to break the cycle of pickiness. I now am grateful that I am able to send them to school with a variety of different options for lunch. And I don’t feel at all put upon by peanut restrictions. On the contrary, I feel better knowing that it is less likely that something in my son’s lunchbox will cause another child to stop breathing.
The difficulty with these allergies, though, is that there is no way to guarantee parents of children with allergies that their children are safe at school. What if my son has peanut butter on toast for breakfast and has residual peanut butter on his hands or breath? What if he then sits next to a highly allergic kid on the bus? Clearly, the onus is on the parents of that kid to work with allergists and pediatricians to assess the risk and then to make decisions about how to manage that risk.
But peanut allergies are no longer cases of one or two kids in a school. It seems the problem is widespread enough that simply sending this group packing and telling them to home school their kids doesn’t seem like a solution.
Healthy discussion around this issue is important. Parents of kids with allergies need to assess the risks of sending their kids to school as well as understand the frustrations of other parents who are making accommodations for them. But parents of kids without allergies need to understand the very real fear behind the requests to manage peanut butter in school. Is my child’s right to a peanut butter sandwich really more important than my friend’s child’s right to live? It’s easy to get angry, make flippant comments, and demand the protection of our own rights until we have to look a friend in the eyes and dare to answer that question, “Yes.”
Peanut allergies are both preventable and curable. Virtually unknown in countries where babies are exposed to peanuts while happening more and more in countries like ours where for no good reason people are told to not give babies peanut products for the first 2 years of life. More science and less passion is needed in this and many other discussions like it.
Sorry allergy affected people, the world cannot and should not revolve around you. I say this as a person who as an extreme nut, some seed, celery and other allergies. I can't expect the world to bend to my challenges.
You bend over and take it up the ass a lot though, don't you?
You make retarded comments a lot, don't you Charles.
Yep! :)
Heck no, peanut butter is the best thing since sliced bread! However, I think there should be a happy medium solution so that allergic kids are kept safe.
I think the bigger issue here, after doing some more reading, is that the children are being forecefully exposed by the children that obviously lack discipline in their lives. I remember a time that children got punished for bad behavior!
More on the subject. I agree that children with allergies need not be forcefully introduced to such items as stated. However, why forcefully expell the item from other's lunch menu choices? If the case exists where one child torments another, the child must be disciplined, not take away opportunity for ALL children.
This country is going extreme in every direction but straight as of late. When is common sense going to kick back in?
What about severe allergies to mold, pollen, perfume, or other very strong odors? Shall we ban these as well?
Should we be concerned about the TRANSFATS in most peanut butter. About 4.5 Gms a day will increase heart attack risk by 50 percent – per the Nurses Health Study. IT is almost certainly one of the means through which atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is entering the arteries of our younger population.
If we cater to peanut allergies why not ALL allergies – that way none of the kids will be able to eat anything. If we ban peanut butter for the kids and the cafeteria what about the teachers and the faculty – are they banned as well?
I think it's sad that schools are saying you can't even have bake sales but you can sell stuff that's already prepackaged (NYC) so that the ingredients are listed – that's a terrible thing. I think that the parents should be able to police their own kids and if their kid is allergic to peanuts/peanut butter then by all means don't make them a PB&J sandwich but you shouldn't be able to tell my kid he can't have it just because some other kid is allergic – maybe my kid is allergic to wheat – now I'm telling you that no kid at school can bring or have any wheat product on campus – not even the teachers or cafeteria. Now what? Parents need to be responsible for their kids and if a kid has a life threatening allergy then a special accomodation should be made for him/her but it shouldn't be to the detriment of all the other kids.
Kids with learning disabilities have special classes or schools for them. We've come to accept that they should be taught differently from the other kids – this benefits them all. So why not have similar special classes, lunches or schools for the kids with severe allergies?
For the parents of kids with severe allergies, you must realize that your kid requires special attention, and you can't expect that all the other kids (or even adults) will treat them properly – just like parents of kids with other disabilities.
While I agree that my child should be allowed to pack a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and not be put at a special table when she packs her lunch on the off change there is a peanut product in her packed lunch. However in this country the school would be sued if something happened to a child with allergies they were aware of and did not do everything to protect. Lets not blame the school but the sue happy Americans.
I grew up with allergies to all nuts but cashews as well as wheat, diary, chocolate, and many pollens during the late 70s and very early 80s. Needless to say, my parents had a difficult time finding foods that I could eat back then.
I have to agree with many posts here that it is very difficult, when a child is very young, to teach them how dangerous these allergens can be. I also remember very vividly being taught not to eat the foods I was allergic to or I would get very sick. Age does play a factor when teaching a child about this. I strongly believe that it is the parents responsibility to educate their child their specific allergy and make them aware of foods he/she cannot eat. However, do not use just words to describe the food – show pictures. Teach them how to read food labeling. The school needs to be made aware of the allergies and parents should try to work with the school to address the issue. However, banning certain foods (i.e. peanuts) from an entire school is not the proper way to handle it.
Many children who end up developing allergies may never have a parent who had them. Neither of my parents had allergies yet I developed bad food allergies. My oldest daughter's first allergetic reaction was VERY scary. You never forget it. But parents must properly educate themselves on how to deal with the allergy both in and out of the home.
I do not believe in isolating these children. They will be teased like I used to be. However, the luch tables could be cleaned off, for example, in between each lunch period.
There is a lot of debate regarding airbourne food allergy reactions. I am not a believer in the airboure allergy reaction as I never had an issue of having a reaction when I smelled peanut butter. However, I do believe that a child can react to an airbourne peanut dust (for example, being in an enclosed space where people just throw peanut shells on the floor which are tramped on and crushed and circulated throughout a room via fans, A/C, etc.).
I survived my childhood with food allergies with less than what is available today. With the information available today, our children should have no problem getting through their childhood.
Based off what other people are saying. I'd have to think this. Don't ban PB at school. Teach teh kids to avoid it. They will have to learn for when they enter the adult world anyway so i don't see why you are teaching them to be selfish soooo early. I mean think about it. When people try this stuff in the adult world people don't go "ohh lets ban this and that" no... they go "ok it will help you avoid this but I will still eat it" ... that's how we should do it. Forcing accomodation just makes people irritated anyway.
I can understand the bans on bringing in treats for a class with nuts in them. However it is a bit extreme to ban it from a lunch packed by a parent for their child's consumption only. I don't see why if there are that many children that are highly allergic to a type of food that a table or another room couldn't be dedicated to providing a safe place for the children to eat. Even if it is just one or two I am sure that arrangements could be made where friends could sit with them provided that they didn't bring nuts or peanut butter products in their lunch that day
My children fortunately do not have food allergies, however they do have quite definite likes and dislikes. One loves peanut butter and has a sandwich every day. He doesn't like lunch meat of any type so that's out. The other doesn't like PB& , he likes just the J part, as long as it's strawberry. I also know a number of other children with texture sensitivity issues and PB is all they can tolerate. If your peanut allergic child cannot be accommodated by a separate lunch table or perhaps a separate room (although not many schools have the ability to supply a separate room), perhaps you should consider home schooling or online schooling. Our school has several students with various food allergies. The teachers send home notes asking not to supply treats with specific allergens and there is a special table in the cafeteria for students with food allergies.
I do NOT agree with a ban on nut products or peanut butter. To ban a staple such as nuts is not realistic nor is it fair to the rest of the students who do not have allergies and happen to LIKE these foods.
The "Americans with Disabilities" act requires ACCOMMODATIONS to be made, it does not require a total ban. An accommodation would be to have nut free areas in the cafeteria or ask parents not to supply treats with specific allergens. If you start banning specific foods due to allergens, where does it stop? You can't stop just with nuts, what about allergies to eggs, milk, wheat, strawberries, etc? Each parent of a child with food allergies will want their particular food banned. At some point you are going to have a cafeteria full of children looking at a glass of water 'cause thats all thats left of the banned foods
NOPE.. you cannot have the glass of water either... as some kids will be extremely allergic to the chlorine in the water.... and some of the chlorine may become airborne triggering the allergy. So.. we will jus thave kids go and SIT in the lunch room looking at each other. Better not let the kids breath either because they may have eaten some peanuts at home... and their peanut breath will kill someone! Seriously.. yes... have a separate room to accommodate the children with the allergies.. BANNING foods to which some MAY have an allergy is not a reasonable solution!
A peanut allergy can be triggered by whole peanuts or peanut particles and/or oils. 3 in 500 kids have a severe peanut allergy. So, there is at least 2 kids in an average sized elementary school that can potentially die from a peanut allergy. The number of people with this allergy has tripled since 97 with studies showing it still is on the rise.
Banning peanut butter wouldn't be such a big deal. It's just peanut butter.
P.S.
Those making the "thinning the herd" comments need to do a bit more reading. Lets just hope there fit and healthy kid is "thinned" by a TBI playing the sport their kid is so good at. Just see what kind of opinion they afterwards.
a black man made peanut butter and thats why you want to get reed of it
If a kid was born with gills, would we put him in an aquarium or flood all of our schools? Sorry, but your little Jaydens and Brooklyns will just have to adapt.
GET RID OF RUNNING BECAUSE FAT KIDS CAN'T RUN WELL.
I am allergic to grass. I can't sit in it (itchy, hives) can't smell it when it has just been cut, but have I asked the planet at large to get rid of it? Nope. I just stay out of it, wear a mask if it's recently been cut, and carry meds with me. A child can be taught how to avoid/accomodate for themselves. If they are too young, their parent can inform the school nurse of what will happen and what is needed.
My kindergartener loves PB, but is not allowed to take it to school because a child in her class is allergic. Fair? Nope. I think seperate "peanut tables" are a good idea. Will it make the allergic children "stick out?" Yep. Too bad...the parent needs to do the teaching that there are differences in people, and this is just one way that the child is different.
OK, I get it, someone else's kid, not my problem. So when your kid gets hit by a car, not my problem. When your kid gets abducted and a$$raped, not my problem. Oh, is that your kid who slammed into a tree on their sled? That's your problem.
I try to keep up with current events and have not heard of a rash of K-6 children dropping dead from being exposed to peanuts. I don't remember it from when i was in school, my parent's don't remember it from when they were in school. Yet, all of a sudden, the peanut is a biological weapon and should be banned?
Writing as someone who grew up with food allergies, my parents taught me, in a non-hysterical manner, which foods to eat and which to avoid. NEVER did my mom tell me i could DIE if a peanut particle entered my lung. If we could all take a deep breath and teach children how to live with their allergies instead of continuing to take items away from others, we may just be able to get through this.
If the kid is allergic to peanuts, then pack your own lunch. Period.
It's not fair and not realistic to have to completely ban peanut butter over "peanut dust" fears.
There's always a choice – why should the rest of the school population be denied of having a choice
just because a couple of kids cant consume the product? It's not fair. I would never support this.
If you parents are so worried about your kid having an allergic reaction of ending up in the hospital, PACK HIS LUNCH.
The end.
From 1986 – 1992 I worked for a caterer. We served school lunches to 350 kids a day at 5 different private schools and day care centers. We seved peanut butter sandwiches once or twice a month. There was not one allergic child in any of our schools. The fear of peanuts is making our kids allergic. Children should be exposed to peanuts early, and keeping peanuts away from them increases allergy risk. By eliminating peanuts from the schools, we will increase the number of allergic kids.
Flat out false. Early exposure to peanuts does nothing to prevent these allergies. It's how I found out my daughter was allergic. At one year old, she ate peanut butter and had hives all over her body.
Check with an allergist or professional and youll be amazed at what you don't know.
Actually, recent studies have shown that withholding the food DOES cause allergies. The early reaction your child had was a good thing. After allowing her system to return to baseline, the correct course of action would be to provide the offending item in a smaller quantity. If there is another reaction, wait, and repeat. Eventually the sensitivity goes away. This is true of MANY food items. Babies have hives or a rash the first few times they are exposed, and then they are desensitized. When you withhold the food entirely, they are not adapted to it, and when exposed at a later age can have a dangerous reaction.
I have egg allergy. Peanut butter is a major food source for me as I avoid contact of foods with eggs. If schools had ban pb, I would have had troubles eating lunchs at school. If pb is not allowed, then lets be fair eggs and foods containing eggs must go too. When I was in school, I just had to be careful about what I eat or had contact with. No body did special meals for me or gave me an egg free table. It would have been nice. No one protects me in the adult world. I am the one who needs to look after me. The pb allergy children need to learn how to avoid contact.
It is the parent's responsibility while in the parent's care and it's the school's when the child is in school to keep our kid's safe within the normal standards. Dealing with a life threatening food allergy is difficult and is made more difficult with ignorant people that don't understand or attempt to. Could you simply use Sunbutter, (sunflower seed spread), tastier and healthier than PB? I pray that you that or so negative or living in full ignorance don't have to ever deal with this with your loved ones. Remember, it could happen to you or someone you love:) We have a son in Kindergarten so he doesn't eat in the lunch room yet....next year he will. They have peanut -free tables and I support that..I am not sure how I feel about PB/Nut free schools, I guess until I have to come face to face with it, I can't state my opinion..next year, I'll let you know.
My best friend's brother had a severe peanut allergy when he was younger. So much so that, if I had consumed peanut butter before I went over their house, I would have to brush my teeth (and tongue) twice, be chewing gum, and let them know once I walked in the house. His allergy was so bad that if someone who had peanut butter on their breath breathed on him, his throat would close up. But they still had peanut butter in their house. He was protected and looked after, but not coddled. He is now a senior in high school and his allergy had somewhat faded in severity. I would not want any child to die because of an allergy from something, but my thought is, if we take peanut butter out of schools, is this really helping the situation, or is it enabling it? Back in the day, children were exposed to many things to help build their immunities up. These days, we might as well put our children in bubbles the second that their born. When I was younger, my best friends brother was the only person I knew with a peanut allergy. I'm now 25 and work in a preschool and it seems like every child is allergic to at least three different things. I think when the child is younger, and really doesn't know any better (like in preschool), we need to look after our children and help them (also teaching consideration would be a great thing too...). But once they get older, teaching them to be responsible about their allergy is smart parenting. I do not believe peanut butter should be taken out of schools, but teaching awareness, responsibility, and consideration should be more prevalent.
So what you are saying is that you had to brush your teeth and tongue twice and chew gum to be around this kid – but yet you see nothing wrong with letting kids eat pb in school.
I think what I'd love to see in our schools (and every day life) is just a little bit more concern for others. Yes, I did all that before I went over their house, and I also do not see a problem with it in schools. I did all that because I cared for him like my own brother. I'm just hoping, one of these days, we might care for people we may hardly know (or not know at all). Let's teach consideration and compassion.
Our son has a pretty severe peanut allergy as well as an allergy to various other nuts. Fortunately, we live in Loudoun County, VA, where the public school system has already had the good sense to ban PB from the school. It's not served in the cafeterias and kids are not allowed to bring treats or snacks containing peanuts. This provides a relatively safe environment for my son to attend school. But it's not just our son. Many of the kids at our schools are allergic to nuts and most of us keep epipens in the nurses office as well as Benadryl, just to be on the safe side. It's unfortunate that the nuts have to be banned from the school, but burying one's child is a pretty substantial risk that would have to be taken just so that somebody else's child can eat PB sandwiches or crackers or cookies at school. Kids who can't afford the $2.40 for a healthy complete meal can get their lunches subsidized. No one needs to go hungry just because their families can't afford the lunches. And it's not practical to have the kids with food allergies eat at a separate time because those kids come form every classroom at every grade level in the school. Currently, kids eat by classroom at designated times. You couldn't pull a couple kids out of every classroom during their study times for them to eat nut-free. There may be areas of the country, though, that only have a couple kids in the whole school with allergies and it may be a better solution in those schools to setup a nut-free table or other accomodation. It really depends upon the school system and the number of affected students.
I have a severe peanut allergy. I am 25 so I of course went to school before any of this talk of a PB ban. I have never had a problem (at school) and I knew to be careful what I ate. We can not change the world to make it safe for everyone. As one poster pointed out their child has a coconut allergy do we need to ban coconuts? One of my best friend was very very allergic to poultry do we need to ban poultry? It is much easier for the individual to take care of themselves then enforce rules on others. For children of a very young ages the teachers just need to be made aware of allergies and vigilante of those children. After that the children need to be aware of their allergy. The idea of banning PB is absurd and really not practical. I obviously do not want children to die and I am very sympathetic to the issue. But frankly by the time I was 5 I did not even need to think about being safe it was so ingrained in my brain it was second nature. Oh and for those saying this is the democrats I am also a democrat!
The parents and the respective boards of Education must work together. Having worked for a Board of
Ed in Md. our parents and Bd of Edu. worked with parents on all food allergies. seperate tables that were cleaned and sanatized after each group of kids came in. From what I have read in these responses, the I, I, I, me, me, me, generation hasn't ended.... Put yourself in these peoples places.... Cafeteria workers aren't paid enough, everyone should have to work a meanial job like in a school for at least one week. Then you would know how difficult it is for the system to have to cope with all of their children......
If Joe's (the original commenter) reasoning was actually followed, schools would look drastically different. Classes would have no honors or non-honors classes because every class would be honors – they wouldn't have to accommodate for the slower kids. According to Joe's rationale, the slower children should be locked up at home for all he cares, if they can't keep up with the smarter kids in class.
The truth of the matter is, there is always some sort of accommodation existent in schools. So, the thought that survival of the fittest should apply here is nonsensical since it would follow that the majority of the kids would have to drop out since they can't keep up with the top of the class. But it may be true that at some point, such accommodation can't be expected, and the line perhaps should be drawn in instances like this, when it comes to school lunches.
Peanut butter was my staple as a child. I'd hate to see it banned from schools.
You'd rather see dead kids?
Where are all these supposed dead kids? If kids are as allergic as people say, they'd be dropping dead all over the place. It isn't happening. Ever wonder why?
That's a tad over the top (re: hysterical). MANY more kids die in car accidents...why don't you give up your car?
I think that a peanut butter allergy should be accomodated. It's one of the few allergies that people can suffer a reaction from merely breathing peanut butter. A child still has the right to go to a public school, and a right not to be at risk of death while doing so. An accomodation could be as simple as a separate location for a child to eat. I don't think a ban would be necessary, but definately an accomodation.
Finally.. somone with some common sense... yes... a separate area (small lunch room) for those with allergies would be a good accommodation.
Can someone tell me honestly, if there has ever been a case where a child died from being exposed to peanutbutter at school?
Weird...I'm 41 and have lived with this allergy since day 1.
I survived school...and the best survival strategy I had while growing up was to let the school administration know...but not other students. I saw other peanut allergic kids (this was the mid-70's) being chased by kids w/peanut butter sandwiches as a 'joke'. If the bullies and idiots don't know about your allergy, they can't try to 'innocently' harm you. (and yes, kids have died at school from this allergy...do a Google search)
As an adult, I read labels...I know which ethnic food uses peanut/peanut oil (Thai/Vietnameses/Chinese/etc...) and to avoid them. I don't eat sweets or baked goods unless they're labelled 'peanut free' or my wife has made them. If confronted with a situation which I have any concern about (ie/a barroom floor strewn with peanut shells) I leave or avoid the area. If I'm on a plane serving peanuts and I smell them, I hunker down, take 4 Benydryl and ask the stewardess for another seat away from the 'hot zone'.
There are times when I've come perilously close to dying due to a reaction (and ended up 'dead' once), but in almost all of those cases the reaction was avoidable. I subscribe to newsletters which warn of food products with unlisted peanuts in their ingredients. I'm aware of my problem...and take responsibility for dealing with it.
It comes down to personal responsibility – as an adult I am responsible for my own survival. As a child, my parents provided me with the tools to ensure I made it this far.
The intent of a ban may have the welfare of the few at heart, but a ban won't provide children with the tools they need to survive this potentially deadly condition.
Parents have to instill a 'survival mentality' in their children...and if some little joker chases their kid with a PB &J as a 'joke'...they parents have to teach their child to kick the living shit out of said little joker.
I'm just sayin' is all....
That's also something I'd like to know. Has a child in school ever been harmed by someone else's peanut butter sandwich?
The other thing that needs to be addressed is the research showing that peanut allergies are overdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Lots of parents say their kids are "allergic" to things that just don't agree with them. My son went to a preschool where one mom claimed her son was allergic to ice cream (but not milk or any other dairy!).
They are finding ways to treat peanut allergies now and the method is to give these kids peanuts. Under a doctor's care, the child is given teeny bits of peanut, and gradually works up to larger amounts, The peanut allergy can sometimes be eliminated. So maybe taking all peanut products out of schools is actually going to make things worse for the kids with allergies. Perhaps the nut-allergic kids actually benefit from being exposed to microscopic bits of peanuts here and there. It's very possible that keeping your nut-allergic child in a nut-free bubble is actually the wrong approach.
Keep in mind, there are a lot of alt-med Jenny McCarthy types out there who think gluten and casein make your child autistic. These kids are kept on GF/CF diets, even though there is no actual medical need in 90% of cases. So look out–once peanuts are banned from schools, next will be wheat and dairy products.
Hey people most of the other allergies you are listing are ingestion allergys. Nut allergies are serious and a child can die if they touch someone's hand or accept something from another child that ate peanuts or peanut butter and didn't wash their hands first!
I think the kids with allergies should be protected, but the ONLY thing my son will eat for lunch is a PBJ sandwich, so completely banning peanuts would not be fair either. The peanut-free table works just fine at our schoool.
I think there is a lot of over-reaction regarding peanut allergies, based on fear. If a kid could truly die from these trace levels of peanuts, we'd be seeing kids dropping everywhere. There are traces of peanuts on every door and desk in a school, and it hasn't caused a single death. Parents with allergic kids are understandably afraid, but they need to be more realistic about the actual threats, as opposed to the hypothetical/theoretical ones.
Kids are not allowed to bring guns to school, despite the fact that some kids have been taken by their parents to the shooting range and know exactly how to handle a gun safely.
In this case, chances are kids who are eating peanut butter do *not* understand the risks of a peanut allergy and that their lunch is a deadly weapon if used on some other kids. Kids do not need peanut butter. They may like it, but that's not enough of a reason to put other kids' lives at risk.
Personally, I have a peanut allergy, and was exposed to it at day care (by the teachers, not another student), had a major allergic reaction, and luckily didn't die. I knew enough by elementary school age to keep away from it, but if a kid had decided to use it maliciously against me, say shoving a peanut butter sandwich down my throat, or even accidentally exposed me to it (say, offering me a bite of something and not realizing there were peanuts in it or that I had an allergy) I might have died.
My daughter's in daycare now, and as far as we know she doesn't have a peanut allergy, but we don't want her to develop one. There are no peanut or nut products allowed at her school. And honestly, it's really not a big deal to work around that. There are plenty of foods to send her with that are nut-free.
can be used to cause blunt force trauma – get rid of them. Shoe laces can be used to choke someone – slip on shoes only. Belts can be used to whip another person – leave them at home. Some kids are allergic to flour – sorry pasta, bread, cookies, cake, crackers, and chicken nuggets, but you have to go. where does it stop? Does everyone link to the classroom from home on a computer? Oh wait, computers have been used to convince other kids to kill themselves. One again, TEACH YOUR KIDS!
Well put Snowman. While we're on the subject, carbon monoxide is deadly as well, let's all give our kids piggyback rides to school, so that we don't have to put them on that murderous school bus!
LOL... you forgot to say that they cannot use the computer because they are probably allergic to the chemicals in the plastic... Gosh.. I'm just so tired of the whiners... buck up... and if you need to keep your kid in a plastic bubble because of allergies.. then do so... this P-C crap is getting absurd!
You can take my kid's peanute butter.....FROM MY COLD DEAD HAND!! Love those gun analogies.
You can take my kid's peanut butter.....FROM MY COLD DEAD HAND!! Love those gun analogies.
Your comment is full of ignorant remarks, i'll address them one by one. First off, comparing a gun to peanut butter is stupid! A gun cannot be brought into school because it is ILLEGAL to be in the possession of a minor and secondly a gun is also kills 100% of the population, everyone can die from a well placed gunshot wound. Peanuts on the other hand while deadly (i'm not doubting that) only affects less than 1% of the population. It is easier to have 'peanut-free' lunch rooms than monitor the entire school.
Note to parents: Raising children is inconvenient! Some parents, believe it or not, have to make changes in their lifestyle to accommodate their kids needs. Perhaps home schooling children with potentially fatal allergies would be the best way to protect them, instead of passing the burden onto EVERYONE!! This socially correct crap is "pussifying" the nation!! It's time we take a stand! It's time to keep score at the Little League games! Teaching our children that everyone is a winner is doing them a disservice! A parents job is to prepare their children for the real world, and guess what? THERE ARE PEANUTS IN THE REAL WORLD, AND NOT EVERYONE GETS A TROPHY FOR SHOWING UP!!!!!!
Yeah. Big burden. Put bologna on your sandwich instead of PB. Your idiotic rant makes me much more afraid of the a-hole-ification of society than the "pussification" you seem so acutely afraid of. The stupidification is already here.
Bottom line: YOUR kids medical issues are YOUR problem. I'm not an insensitive prick, and I couldn't imagine being allergic to nuts, but to expect everyone to change, because of less than 0.01% of the population is absurd! It is yet another instance where parents are trying to pass their responsibilities on to others
...spoken by the lady who doesn't understand why making accomodations for 1 in 100 is more simplistic than making accomodations for 99...
Your kids are YOUR responsibility, not mine. If you can't take care of them, then put them up for adoption. Someone else will see to their medical needs.
Its obvious that you or anyone you love dearly does not have a peanut allergy. children with peanut allergies can die even if airbourne. Why should a child with an allergy be different? I think you need to read up on allergies and understand that its life threatening and not just something that causes them to sneeze. every child's peanut allergy is different. We should keep children safe. I suggest you get educated on this subject before making such comments. Its people like you I would never want my children to be around. people like you who don't care. its a shame "Mr Peanut is my homeboy"
That's one thing i'm confused about..if peanut particles in the air causes a severe allergic reaction how do these kids even get transported to schools? I mean I'm sure in the communal air we breathe (the good ol' regular air outside) their has to be some peanut particles-think of all the people walking around munching on candy bars! So shouldn't they be inside anyway??
Right on Mr. Peanut! I couldn't have said it better myself!
A boy in my Cub Scout pack is allergic to flour. Can you believe his parents actually taught him what he could and could not eat and why. I have seen him offerred cookies and and he just replies "no thanks, i'm allergic to flour" and everyone just carries on. This is the right answer – parents protect your kids by educating them on what they can and can not do. I know my kids don't run across the street before looking both ways because it could kill them if they don't. TEACH YOUR KIDS! It's your responsibility, not someone else's.
I don't have children yet. After reading all of the comments on this topic, I think I may consider homeschooling when I do have them.
I hope all these awholes who think they have the right to do whatever wherever and whenever they feel like it because "they live in America" are first one's sued by somebody who is hurt by their callous attitude.
You mean like the people that Want peanut butter removed from schools, Now, because They have a unique situation? Great point. They are A-holes, Tom. Couldn't have said it better myself.
I'm a high school student hoping to get her college minor in nutrition.
Considering this article was primarily about the nutritional content, I am not going to egg on your antics anymore.
Peanut butter, smooth style, without salt has 188 calories in 2 tablespoons, 16 g of fat (25%), 8% of DV fiber. Niacin is used with diet changes (restriction of cholesterol and fat intake) to reduce the amount of cholesterol and certain fatty substances in your blood. You get all of the niacin you need for a meal with only 2 tablespoons.
This is a pretty ridiculous discussion. Peanut Butter allergies only happen to a relatively small group of people. Catering to this group is not the answer. There are kids who are lactose intolerant in the schools as well, does this mean we should ban milk and cheese?
lactose intolerant people don't DIE from being exposed to lactose. Try again
That's not a good comparison. Lactose intolerance and peanut allergies are very different. The worst possible thing that can happen to a lactose intolerant kid who eats dairy is he gets sick. Without any medical intervention, he will be fine. The worst thing that can happen to a peanut-allergic kid who is exposed to peanuts is that he dies. Additionally, lactose intolerance only affects people when they eat or drink dairy products. Peanut allergies can be triggered simply by exposure, in the air or on the skin.
I really don't understand what the big deal is giving up peanut products at school. The kids aren't allowed to have guns or knives, either, and there are plenty of nutritious foods without nuts or peanuts in them.
Judging by the comments posted here, at least 50% of Americans are complete a-holes. And yes, I'm talking about the people who think their child's cheap and non-nutritious pb&j sandwich supersedes the life of another child. You people are morally damaged, completely lacking in compassion and are soulless to boot. You deserve to be deselected from the gene pool on the basis of stupidity. I'll bet you're all teabaggers too. Gawd, America has become a cesspool.
you are contradicting yourself...survival of the fittest. And don't be afraid to use the word "God"
Unfortunately, if natural selection means that people survive by doing things that kill everyone else, the human race will die off in entirety. Our first instinct is survival, yes, but our second instinct is supposed to be survival of the species. That means taking care not only of yourself but of the people around you. And these two things aren't mutually exclusive: it is possible to eat a nutritious and wholesome diet entirely without any peanut products.
So what if your kid was lactose intolerant, should they ban milk? A parents job it to prepare their children for the real world. The real world contains peanuts. Just because I pack a PB&J in my kids lunches doesn't make me a murderer! I like the way you label everyone who dissagrees with you, that's cute. REAL MATURE!!
If my child is deathly allergic to wheat, gluten, or yeast would you stop sending any bread product (crackers, bread etc...) to school with your child? I wouldn't expect you too. I also don't expect you to accommodate any of my other allergies. Oh just a thought, would you advocate a ban on drinking in public because of an allergy to any of those three things either?
Umm.... shouldn't those allergic to PB be removed from the gene pool? Or do I not understand the theory of natural selection, Darwin? From the “Darwinist” point of view, wouldn’t it be immoral to propogate this disadvantage in the human population?
And you would be at the top of that 50%.
^ "Gawd". Laugh out Loud! This person wishes to speak about stupidity and can't spell "God" correctly! Should this indicate a need for a ban on texting? I don't feel my children need to be exposed to this type of education due to the likelyhood of early death by care of a physician that can't read or write.
It would be interesting to try to determine why peanut allergies are up. I am 62 and I do not remember when I was a child of other children who were allergic to peanuts, or anything else for that matter. I wonder how peanuts in other places would ave to be handled, e.g., baseball games, carnivals, circus, etc.
If we are worried about "second hand" Peanut Butter then I think you need to ban smoking from the US. I am very allergic to cigarette smoke and so are my kids. I know there shouldn't be smoking in a school any how, but what about my poor kids when they have to walk with me on a street, or be in an environment where your second hand smoke can really effect them? Are you worried that my kid can die? Are you worried that my kid will get bullied by a smoker? I think PARENTS should teach their kids about being responsible rather then have another simple freedom taken away cause some kids are raised poorly.
While I sympathize with children who have allergies to peanuts/peanut butter or anything else for that matter, why should my child have to be banned from having a PB&J sandwich or anything with peanuts in it for lunch. We're becoming a society that's coddling or accommodating EVERY little thing that someone either likes/dislikes, believes in/doesn't believe in or has problems with. The needs/wants of the many have to do without or change thier lifestyles to accommodate the wants/needs of the few.
You are just plain ignorant. A peanut butter allergy isn't a like or dislike. It's a life or death situation. Not like asthma – chronic, and with a whole host of potential triggers. One single item that can be easily controlled, but can kill someone's otherwise healthy child almost immediately. Ask your doctor. It's fact.
One big problem is that peanut allergies are often diagnosed in the absence of symptoms. The blood test given to kids who may have hay fever or another allergy includes peanuts, too. If the kid tests positive for peanuts, parents worry that he will suddenly develop life-threatening allergies in the future, even if he ate a Reese's on the way to the test with no problem whatsoever. Tests for food allergies are unreliable, and even where a genuine sensitivity exists, severe symptoms may never develop. In the past these allergies would have remained unknown, but now parents worry.
I have one child who would only eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and who was also at the 25th percentile of the growth curve.. She wouldn't eat pizza or any meat or any other known lunch. She preferred peanut butter to steak. Had we been told she couldn't eat peanut butter, our lives would have become incredibly complicated, and her weight issues would have worsened. It wasn't a luxury for her Her sister tested positive for peanut allergies (both blood and skin test). She really has the allergy, but she also doesn't exhibit the slightest symptoms after eating peanuts. With her allergists blessing, we limit her exposure to peanuts to be prudent, but we do not obsess in the way we would have to if she had ever had true allergy symptoms (hives, throat swelling, trouble breathing, etc.) or even symptoms of food intolerance (vomiting).
If parents were better informed about food allergies some of the hysteria would diminish. In the meantime, I think it makes far more sense to isolate the allergic than to try to corral the kids who have peanuts in their lunches. To the argument that isolating the allergic stigmatizes them, I say "what rationale person cares?" If my kid could have a horrible reaction I would definitely want him seated with other kids whose parents are just as worried as I am, not at the mercy of kids with nuts remembering to go to a nut table.
This is probably outside the scope of this argument but for parents who make their kid pbj sandwiches for lunch it might be a good idea to read up on aflatoxin in peanut butter. Aflatoxin is a naturally occuring fungus. The stuff is nasty and small amounts of it is in most peanut butter and large amounts in some. And while I'm with those who say, 'whatever, anything will give you cancer', this stuff is just about as bad as you can get. Aflatoxins are among the most carcinogenic substances known to man. So for all of you 'survival of the fittest' people out there - i'm right there with you, except it might end up that your peanut butter eating kid is a lot worse off than those 'fitter' kids who avoid it alltogether as a result of their allergy.
Anyway just wanted to raise awareness. Research it for yourselves, a ridiculous amount of studies on the subject exist.
Have a kid that is so finicky, if Peanut Butter is banned from school, his education would be severely impacted by not getting adequate nutrition. Would that intrude on my 'rights' as a parent to serve food he'll eat?
Where would a PB ban lead? A ban on gluten (sorry kids-can't have bread). Basic common sense would be next.
As someone has state before a LOT of things contain trace amounts of peanuts, should those be banned?? Almost 50% of my high school suffered from Asthma (including myself) did they ban air for us? No. Yes Peanuts are a superficial thing but its the PRINCIPLE! I don't want to explain to my child that they can't have not ONLY peanut butter but puddings, rice crispy treats, jello, anything chocolate (because of the may contain traces of peanut butter) in their lunch. Sidenote: People are talking about giving kids healthy options no child is going to eat a salad for lunch-be realistic from about 5-11 lunch is all about the treats! I deal w/ my asthma and allergy to bees pretty damn well, think of all the things that may have be subjected to peanut/nut products and realize you'd be taking away a lot from schools!
stop your whining! if you child has a nut allergy, then they should have to wear a surgeon's mask...
get back to work!
I have served in Submarines for about 15 years. I have had guys on board with all sorts of really bad food allergies...with Shellfish and Peanuts being the two that are the most dominant. Being that we are in an enclosed atmosphere for days, weeks on ends, we do try to help these people along but we do not outright ban any of these food items. And yes, at least two of these individuals had it so bad that it could possibly kill them. I think that by properly educating not only the people who have the allergies but also the kids that are around them, I believe that you could eliminate the need to outright ban something. However, that would probably only happen in a perfect society and not one as broken as the one we currently live in...
When I was a kid (70's/80's) no one had a peanut allergy. Where did this come from???
I am a bit confused at the argument here on whether we should ban peanuts and peanut products from SCHOOL. If peanuts and peanut "dust" (as mentioned many times here) is so dangerous than why isn't anyone screaming how we need to ban peanuts EVERYWHERE? Or is that next? Aren't there peanut products at Ball Games, Movie Theaters, Playgrounds, Amusement Parks, etc etc etc. So how do all the parents deal with this? I do have sympathy for those with allergies. However, it seems that the SCHOOL argument falls short of the big picture. If the threat of peanuts is that bad at school, why isn't it that bad anywhere else?
It is that bad elsewhere. We tried to go to a ball game, and had to leave. That's ok, we can watch baseball on tv- not a big deal. But I think the issue about schools is that kids have to go to school. They don't have to go to a baseball game or other optional places. Many parents with allergic kids do choose to homeschool. That is a decision that each parent has to make, based on what is best for their child. .
Unfortunately.. some people with allergies feel that the items they are allergic to be banned from EVERY place they may decide to go. Airplanes was one place that this has been coming up recently. People have been advocating to ban peanuts on airplanes for this very reason. The anti-peanut activists are screaming that it is not sufficient to have a few peanut-free rows... you need an outright ban from airplanes of all peanut material. Again.. if you do this for peanuts.. then you have do the same for those allergic to tree nuts too... IT QUICKLY spirals out of control and you cannot bring anything on the plane. The solution is to provide a special lunch room for those children allergic... away from the general population... Again.. it is not that I do not have compassion or feel bad for the people with the allergies, however, limiting / encroaching on other people rights is the issue here. Those with the allergies need to take whatever precautions they need to ... and avoid places where they may be at risk...
If you have never witnessed a child experiencing anaphylaxic shock, it is hard to believe that a small amount of a food can be so threatening. I do sympathize with parents whose children are permitted to be so picky that they only eat peanut butter. I also sympathize with those children for being raised with such a sense of entitlement. Some might say that my child also has a sense of entitlement, she is entitled to live. Have we really come to this as a nation that we can not look out for eachother? I
As someone who recently developed a peanut allergy (non-life threatening) I see the reasoning behind the concern, but unfortunately I dont think banning peanuts outright makes any sense. It's unfortunate if your specific child has severe allergies, but that ultimately shouldnt be the problem of everyone else. I LOVED all things peanut before, so having an allergy to peanuts is frustrating – it's everywhere. I get severe migraines from them, and subsequently – i've stopped going to places that have peanuts to the degree that I could inhale particles (such as roadhouse restraunts that have peanuts all over the floor, or baseball games). Does it bum me out, of course...but I dont see the logic in forcing everyone else to adjust, because I now have an allergy.
The parents and families of these kids are the ones who must figure out how to adjust – perhaps home schooling makes the most sense? Or maybe finding a school in your area that already bans peanuts because of a large attendance of kids with allergies. Ultimately, your child is going to have to learn how to live in a world with peanuts...if you cant start at school, what hope does that kid have?
You people are stupid you think its the same as having a phobia to the color red. It peanut butter kills kids that are allergic.
Most people (incluing children) with food allergies should check into exposure therapy. The exposure is carefully controlled in a medical facility, and many, if not most, food allergies can be alleviated (including peanuts). We have a freind whose child was allergic to pretty much everything. Eggs, flour, nuts, fruit... They opted for exposure therapy, and the child can eat pretty much everything now. His quality of life and his happiness have improved immensely.
Our child's school has a peanut free area in the cafeteria where children with allergies can eat. It works quite well, and the only "banning" that has to be done is in the classroom itself for parties.
Until PB is banned in the entire US (which, obviously will not happen), then PB should not be banned from schools since children need to learn how to aoid allergens they will face in the real world. However, schools should create PB free zones at the cafeteria, make sure all snacks in classrooms (outside the cafeteria) are PB free, and also provide education on how PB can make allergic people sick. This compromise allows the allergic children to learn how to deal with real world situations and for non-allergic children to be educated on the subject as well. That way we both protect and educate our children, while providing a reasonably safe atmosphere for all.
We might as well ban peanut butter all together and make it illegal. Then the Mexican cartels can diversify into the PB black market and jack up the price to $20 an ounce. We'll have to can get our fix from Rat-tailed Jimmy dealing PB and crack on the corner. The DEA will have to change its name to the D&PBEA.
I think we have to all calm down and face the one truism here: Food allergies can kill. Let me repeat that. Food. Allergies. Can. Kill. So, for all those parents who feel aggrieved at having to "accommodate" those of us with allergic children, think about how you (and your child) might feel if said child inadvertently causes a severe reaction in a classmate, or friend, or 'crush' due to your indignation at making a simple adjustment in when/where you serve nuts,etc.
That said, I tend to agree that a ban is not the fix-all it is touted to be. As a mother with a peanut/tree nut allergic child, I think it is more than reasonable to ask for a ban for schools with children under age 8 or so (perhaps all levels before middle school). Toddlers and elementary school kids are not 'equipped' to manage something as life-thretening as a food allergy. While they can be taught and do understand, I think it is absurd to expect tiny children to ask during lunch time or recess 'hey, did you read the label on that cookie?' or 'have you had peanuts on your hands?'
Adults need to take more responsibility for children (in every way, not just with food allergies). Singling out the kids as weird, unworthy, weak or nuisances is juvenile and pointless. The fact remains that children with life threatening food allergies exist and have a right to an education. They come from all racial and socio-economic backgrounds, and many of them attend public schools.
Many private schools have already instituted a nut-free policy, as they recognize that having a child die on their premises is not only bad for the school, but likely very traumatic for the other 'non-allergic' children in attendance. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford private, nut-free schools, so we must try to strike a balance at the public school in hopes that others will understand the need for compromise.
No one is saying don't feed your kid nuts or whatever food you like. We are only asking that during school time nuts be avoided. Is that really a big deal? There are 24 hours in a day, let your non-allergic child gorge on it to their heart's content during non-school hours.
Indeed, it's only nuts. Is avoiding them for a few hours each day really such an inconvenience if it means a safer environment for all?
With all the other dangers in this world that are unavoidable for our kids, why not bond together and avoid a danger that we can protect against?
According to a 2009 study by Mayo Clinic, only 100-200 people die each year due to peanut or other tree nut allergies. I read a report about two months ago stating that the percentage of children with lethal tree nut allergies is not nearly as high as what the media tries to portray it. Think about it. Out of over 307 million people, 100-200 die. That is 0.00006515% at most. That is hardly a large percentage. You cannot tell me schools should take peanut butter out all together for that percentage, and yes, I do have a child with a peanut allergy. An average of 43,000 car accidents kill people yearly, or 0.00014%, as well as 1,300 people die falling down stairs yearly, 400 falling off a ladder, 350 from drowning in a bath tub, just to name a few. Should we ban all of those things? The majority of the hype is because the pharmaceutical companies can make hundreds of millions, if not billions each year because people are so fearful off this peanut allergy.
Long story short, don't be ridiculous. The numbers are hardly staggering.
I can understand why parents would want to ban peanut butter and products like that but I don’t hear is them trying to ban wheat. Last year, there was a child in my daughter’s class who was allergic to wheat. I was still allowed to bring in cupcakes.
My daughter is allergic to fish, the school still serves fish.
My son has a dairy allergy. Many cold cuts are out because of dairy proteins used as fillers. A standard cheese sandwich is out too. I could send him with a zip lock bag of black beans but don't want him to be permanently scarred by the ridicule. Most nine year olds won't do hummus. What am I to do? Should my kid starve or simply projectile vomit across the lunch table? Please realize I don't wish any harm to your child, far from it. I think the schools will have to come up with a separate table, for either my kid or yours.
Where does this stop? Im sorry your kids are allergic. You have to come up wth your own solution. Maybe a secluded room where the children allergic to peanuts can go that will not allow any peanut products there. But NO BANNING for all of the other kids! This same argument was made for airplane travellers.. they want to ban peanuts from the planes. Im sorry.. but the entire reason people are becoming allergic to peanuts is because of these nutty over protective parents that try and 'shield' their kids from everything... Your children's allergies (an infentismally small percentage of people) should not be able to disallow something that other children love. Again.. sorry for your allergies.. but... you cannot tell everyone else that they cannot have something... as others have stated.. soon.. we will not be able to have any food because someone is going to be allergic to something. You have to be reasonable!
My son has a Peanut Allergy, and he is also allergic to Sesame- an allergen that is growing but not as fast as Peanut allergies. He started kindergarten this year, and things are going well- a few rough patches, one incident of bullying. It is giving him an opportunity to learn under the supervision of responsible teachers and adults. to manage something he will probably deal with all his life.
I do not think that banning peanut butter is a good idea for anyone. It provides allergic kids with a false sense of security.It is unrealistic to think that even if it was banned it would not show up, and if their guard was down they would probably be at more risk.
Instead, providing a table that is free from nuts, a knowledgeable supervising adult to help them stay safe at school, and an epipen helps them learn to be aware of how to keep themselves safe. It also mirrors their risk out in the world from a shopping cart handle in the grocery store, to a swing at a playground.
Since all different kids have all different allergies, there is no way you could ban enough things to keep everyone safe, and it would be unfair to single out peanut allergies.
It is difficult and scary to trust them in someone elses care, but I choose to view it as an opportunity to teach him to start managing it. And he does amazingly well.
speaking as a person who was a HORRENDOUSLY picky eater as a child, i would have had NOTHING but "snacks" to eat for lunch had it not been for peanut butter. Should kids like me have to forgo their lunch in order to accommodate the few with an allergy to one of the few things they'll eat? What's next, banning milk because some kids are lactose intolerant? How 'bout banning bread to protect kids with gluten allergies?
It has and always will be the parents respionsibility in these matters. Deal with it. I don't believe in "accomodation" in that A. The one asking for it is being rude to others who don't need it. B. The one being asked is being rude to the one asking if they don't. C. It just makes things more complicated for everyone involved. I get that you don't want your kid to die because of a PB allergy, but how hard is it to NOT touch the peanut butter? really? Is that asking so much? It is just so much easier for a few kids to avoid the problem rather than the whole school have to suffer (I say suffer because I am talking generally and not just about peanut butter) because of a few people. I know they weren't asked if they wanted to be allergic to peanut butter but you gotta live life with the cards your dealt. once again. deal. with. it.
It amazes me how ignorant people on this site are…..but, I was just as ignorant until someone close to me had a severe peanut allergy. There are difference between slight reactions (e.g. a rash) and the chance of killing someone. There are people allergic to a lot of different things, but allergies to peanut butter affect a large amount of the population. I’d bet every school has more than just a few kids who could be severely injured by a pb&j sandwich.
To accommodate these people are we going to have to give up a little convenience? Yes. What a terrible thing to actually do an act of service for someone else. What a great lesson it would be for our kids, who don’t have allergies, to learn to put someone else ahead of themselves. I’m appalled at the “me, me, me” attitude of many of these posts. You are sound like 3 year olds! And if you don’t care about severely harming or even killing someone else’s child, think of the effect it would have on your child if their peanut butter sandwich ended up killing someone. That would scar them for life.
Statistically speaking, you're dead wrong. Peanut allergy rates are under 1%, and those extreme enough to be life-threatening due to airborne particles are far more rare. But I'll humor you...
The NYC Department of Education is the nation's largest school district, with over 1 million students. Even if we assumed that every kid with a peanut allergy is at risk of death due to particles, that'd be about 10,000 kids. The NYCDOE covers 1600 schools...which is an average of about 6-7 kids per school.
It's not right for those 7 kids to dictate the menu for all 600+ kids in their school. Give them a separate area, even isolated and ventilated if needed, where they can eat lunch together and with other friends that are peanut-free.
And if at the same school they have 3 kids with egg allergies, 2 kids with wheat allergies, 1 kid with a milk allergy, and 2 kids with gluten intolerance? Do you ban all these food groups?
I always viewed the public schools as a place where students not only learned, but where students were also exposed to a broad spectrum of different individuals and situations the same as they would encounter in the real world. So some questions come to mind: What if a child is allergic to pollen? Does the school have to provide a special air filtered room? And, how is this student supposed to get home? What about egg allergies? No serving of egg products or anything with egg in it? The number of allergies is endless. If parents won't take responsibility for the health of their children, are they asking for the government to step in?
I recall a court case involving a teacher with a wheelchair bound student whose catheter had come out. The teacher insisted a nurse be called to reinsert the catheter, since the teacher had no medical training. The case went to court. The court ruled that the teacher must learn to catheterize her student.
I think as a people we are catering too much to the minorities. Because 2 or 3% of people scream realy loud we give them their way. As far as this allergy thing, it should be settled on a school district level. I don't think any food should be banned in schools. If a child has such a sever reaction that air particles will cause a reaction, precautions can be taken. Just telling the other kids in the class that one of their classmates could die if they bring a pb&j sandwich would probably be enough to keep them from bringing it. Shile they might happily beat each other up, they don't want to kill one another. Let it be handled by those who live in it, not someone who lives on the other side of the country, in a seperate different situation.
When I was in high school the vending machines were banned and the soda machines were replaced with gatorade and water. I didn't think it was right that I wasn't allowed to bring candy if I wanted because some of my classmates were obese. I exercised, ate relatively healthy and kept my snack intake low.
And before anyone gets mad it me, I know food allergys arn't a choice someone makes, but that isn't the point.
All this talk about peanut butter makes me want a good old pbj sandwich for lunch.
Let's just ban ALL food. That's right. Nobody gets to eat at school.
Listen people, banning certain things isn't the solution. It is not going to work. The list of banned food items is getting longer and longer and there is no end in sight. Consider this list of banned food items at my daugher's public school-
BANNED:
all foods containing peanut products
all foods containing any tree nut products
mustard
dairy
That's right. DAIRY. I cannot send my daughter to school with cheese, yogurt, or even MILK.
The list is actually longer but I can't remember everything. The list is that crazy.
Try reading the ingredient list of any random condiement or packaged food and you'll find all these items are in everything.
This is rapidly getting out of hand. And we are not solving the problem by banning everything. We must find a different solution.
I know people with celiac disease and so they can't eat anything with gluten, which is in a lot of stuff. (bread, pasta, cereal, etc). Basically anything with wheat. But they know what to avoid and so they avoid it. They're not calling on schools to ban BREAD. But I fear that it will happen one day.
If that happens what is left for me to feed my daughter?
I think the solution is to educate all children AND PARENTS on how to keep the allergic children safe while still allowing others to consume these foods. IT CAN BE DONE.
So at your daughters school there is a person who has a contact allergy to dairy? They touch the milk with their finger and can die in 10 min? Nuts are a horrble allery both by touch and ingestion. The others listed are if the child eats it!
You're missing the point. Whether it's a contact allergy or ingestion allergy, her point was that ALL of those foods are BANNED from her child's school. What are we supposed to feed our children if we start banning all of the foods that somebody is allergic to? There won't be many, if any, non-offending foods left!
Great post and I agree 100%. It is absurd that the school is banning all of those things. Just round up all the allergic children at lunch time and put them in a separate space... and bring in their 'special diets'. Let the other more hearty children go on their way and enjoy peanut butter, cheese, milk and nuts!
It is so sad that people don't have any compassion for the poor child that could actually die or break out badly from just touching a table of peanuts. My nephew is highly allergic to peanuts and my child loves them well when it is time for my nephew to come over even my little child says oh we can't have any peanuts around because we might make my cousin really sick. It is called empathy and compassion. You people making comments about it is your problem not mine is just plain sad. Walk in another person's shoes just for one day.
It's too bad that this has to be turned into yet another us/them 'don't tread on my rights' conflict. I am a working class stiff that mistakenly gave my 1-1/2 year old son a PB&J sandwich for lunch a year ago. It is not fun getting that call from the school nurse that your child has been given an emergency shot of epinepherine, loaded into an ambulance, and shipped off to an ER...all without a parent present. My son is a rough-and-tumble gritty kid (just like his dad) who just happens to have a very big vulnerability. Trust me, he has no intention of stealing away the God-given rights of other children to eat peanut butter...so please silence the inalienable rights alarms. I would recommend only that peanuts be limited in pre-school (and maybe early elementary) where kids tend to pick up (off the floor) or share other kids' sandwiches. Please don't turn this into another form of class warfare. It isn't.
Life is dangerous. There are a million ways out there to be killed. If your kid doesn't learn how to deal with their peanut allergy and expects everyone else to be peanut free, they are DEAD the moment they go out on their own. Kids gotta learn how to deal with the dangerous world, and that includes peanut, milk, bee sting, pollen and other allergies. Prepare them for LIFE, mommy ain't gonna be there forever!
Seriously, is this peanut allergy thing a relatively recent malady? Because growing up during the 60's and 70's, I really do not recal a single kid suffering with this, or at least it was never openly discussed. Which means that no specific accomodations were EVER made for this, by the school or in the neighborhood. I recall no one getting ill or dying from PBJ. And we had days where the school lunch WAS a peanut butter sandwich with soup or with chili. In fact, the very first time I ever heard of this, I thought someone was pulling my leg, since it was almost a given that PBJ was standard kid fare. Now, for this to appear and supposedly be as serious as is stated is mind-boggling. Now, I even had to quit putting our peanuts for the birds as my neighbor's kid apparently has this allergy, and it would affect him if he came across a discarded shell in his yard. ??? Sounds like peanut butter is more lethal than cyanide. Enlighten me; forgive my 'ignorance' on this.
Peanut allergy is much more common now than it was in the 60s, and becoming more common every year. The pediatricians recommend not giving peanut butter to kids until they are at least 3 years old, although most people let their kids eat it much earlier than that.
Keep those kids home or get them an air filter mask to wear.
I'm sorry. Banning peanut butter from schools is like banning children from schools. Stupid.
If a child is so sensitive that a kid's peanut butter and jelly sandwich five feet from him is going to set him off... then anything in the air could cause a reaction. What's next? Cookies? Nutter butter bars? Watch out for that bake sale, kiddies!
I think a child that sickly should be home schooled. Peanut butter is a great, inexpensive source of protien. It's not fair to families because someone drew the black card of the peanut lottery.
Brian it isnt the air! it is the fact that thae child eating that pb&j could touch that child after eating that sandwich and could kill that child if they didnt wash their hands after eating it! GROW UP!
There are other choices like SunButter and SoyButter for a substitute. I'm a father of a 17 month old who was just diagnosed due to his daycare accidentally giving him some. He broke out in hives and we brought him in for testing. My wife and I had put in a request for no peanut butter specifically from his Pediatrician but he was still exposed due to someone not knowing due to someone new in the room.
Now he has to deal with this for the rest of his life due to the early exposure. It's not fair, but life isn't fair. Now I have to scour through grocery isles and tell him that he can't have chocolate bars for the rest of his life. (If you don't believe me check out the allergy warning below the ingredient list on any common candy bar.)
Long story short there are other options and please people have the decency to care about the other kids your child goes to school with. My 17 month old doesn't know he can't have it so we've had to have peanut butter removed from his daycare due to it. It's harsh but much safer for him.
I totally agree! It isn't that big of a deal to leave peanuts out of a childs day at school. they can have as much as they want when they get to their own home!
Ban peanut butter? Are you crazy? Parents have been sending their kids to school with PB&J sandwiches for generations, probably longer. I have a peanut allergy and I still suffer through making my kids PB sandwiches for lunch because it's cheap, semi-nutritious, and simple; some days you just don't have the time for anything else. Not to be insensitive to kids with peanut allergies, but I think banning something that's so advantageous for so many for the sake of such a small number is the wrong answer. This just opens the door to ban milk, eggs and any other food with a higher allergic reaction rate.
It is the law that all schools MUST accomodate all children no matter what! School is suposed to be a safe place for ALL children. The school my children go to is a peanut free zone, along with other things. It isn't that big of a deal. If my children want to eat something with peanut butter, nuts, or anything else that is band from the school then they can have it when they get home. It's not like they are going to faint from not getting that product at their lunch time! Also I would rather have it be that way then for the poor child who is deathly allergic if he comes in contact with peanuts or a peanut product to die. Look at it this way from a parents point of view... If it was your child that had something wrong with them and you wanted the best for them wouldn't you want your child's school to feel and do the same? Come on people! They are KIDS for DARN sake HAVE SOME COMPASSION FOR THEM!!!!
Ohhhh come on.. this is NOT about people not being compassionate. If you accommodate everyone... then you will end up accommodating NO ONE because NO foods will be allowed. They should simply setup a separate lunch room for the children with allergies where they will not be exposed to any 'particulate' matter from offending materials. Parents or the school should supply the approprate types of food for these children. I'm compassionate, however, at some point things get unmanageable... and downright absurd trying to accommodate every person. Maybe there should be a 'allergy aware' school that should be setup where all of the kids with allergies go... but then you would be screaming about 'discrimination' because they arent allowed with the other children. People are just getting ridiculous with their 'demands' on society. Again.. im compassionate.. I feel for the children with these types of conditions.. but you cannot expect everyone else to suffer because of the small percentage that suffer from these conditions!
really wake up lady i guess when they get older and go to work your kids should get you to go to there boss to have them ban PB there too so they can be safe you are whats wrong with this country
That is they would tell a differemt story, its easier to type without an ad infront of it. My child goes to day care with a child with a peanut allergy, and I read labels and make sure she doesnt bring any thing that could have been contaminated to school. Its that easy, But if you want natural selection to take out anyone with an allergy your really just to stupid to talk to or argue with.
Well citizens,this looks like an Homeland Security problem. I will get Janet Nincompoop to appoint a Peanut Czar and then hold Congressional hearings. I will sign an executive order to have George Washington Carvers Body exhumed so that he may appear before this panel. No worrys citizens. Do Not Panic. Do Not be afraid!
Clearly a touch subject to many. I think a combination of the seriousness of a peanut allergy plus the fact that it is more commonplace does warrant a deeper look into providing an appropriate solution. I think banning peanut butter at the very young ages (nursery school for example) is a good idea since more often than not, 3yr olds with peanut allergies probably are unable to say No to their friends offering them a cookie, or cake that may have peanuts in them, even if coached at home. However, I think in the long-term, banning peanuts in schools creates a social bubble that is inconsistent with real life and probably ends up hurting the child. Parents need to prepare their children early on so that "taking care" of themselves is routine... i.e., not accepting food from other people, washing hands consistently, keeping an eppi pen on them at all times, researching restaurants with peanut free foods etc... While we want to make sure that there are no inadvertent hospitalizations or worse (i.e. why I think it may be necessary to ban peanut butter from Nursery schools), I think out right bans at school in grades where the child can learn to protect themselves does more harm than good. I've seen a few comments about peanut free tables and how that totally works. However, I've not heard from a parent with a peanut allergy who thinks a nut free table is a great solution. I don't agree with a nut-free table since I think it can ostracize and alienate those with allergies.
This ridiculous coddling of children needs to stop. Peanut butter bans? What's next, bans on tuna fish because the smell of the fish oils makes some rare freak case of a child break out in hives and go into shock? This is natural selection and people need to come to grips with the fact that if their child is experiencing these issues that they need to separate themselves from the herd during times they might be exposed to these hazards. It's the responsibility of the child to stay away from things he is allergic to, not for everyone else to try and avoid exposing him or her to it. Now if the child is being intentionally exposed to the hazard (is chased after with people waving PB sandwiches at them, then that's another thing entirely... but if people are going about in their daily routine and not actively attempting to inflict the hazard on the person, then it's the child's responsibility to know his or her limitations and not use those limitations to infringe on everyone else.
Imagine if we were talking about someone who has a crippling phobia of the color red. Would we expect everyone around them to suddenly stop using red things? Would we expect the state to ban red lights, stop signs, red emergency flares, change the colors of a police car's lights, repaint fire trucks and fire stations.... all because someone has a reaction to red that sends them into a panic? No, we wouldn't. So the same logic should be applied here. If the child can't handle PB, then keep him informed of what he can and can't do, and inform the teachers about the issue so that medical aid can be applied IF an allergic reaction takes place.
As a Parent of a severe Peanut allergy child, please understand a few basic issues. Children will be children without concern of what they are doing. One misplaced sandwich, smudged peanut butter under the table in the cafeteria, can KILL. As of now, My child knows to sit away from other childrem, but in elemtary school, you do have children who through peanuts at my son. Yes. It has happened! They don't really know the consequences of their actions, they are only kids. You don't see parents telling their children as they walk out to the school bus, Hey, don't forget your knife or gun while they exit the front door. The knife or gun isnt going to kill someone on their own, Its the ignorant child with the knive or gun. Parents who have healthy children, you are truly blessed. I do understand that it is impossible to ban peanuts from all schools. With candy and such, there is no way to win this fight. There should be a peanut free area in school where the children can feel safe that there next trip out of school will be on the bus home and not the ambulance to the hospital. Just my 2 cents.
Kudos, that has been the most well written, non-accusatory way an opinion has been given. You didn't call anyone a name, just explained what can be.
Where will we draw the line? Ban peanuts, and parents/activists for those with allergies to other things will immediately demand that their students be accommodated. Isn't part of the purpose of school to prepare students for life? Will their workplace ban other workers from bringing peanut butter? I think not. Therefore, parents/schools need to educate students with allergies on how to avoid the contaminate or how to react when exposure occurs. Also, maybe educate other students too about the dangers of food allergies, so that there is no pranking exposure.
This is indicative of all the problems we have in publis schools already. We educate to the lowest common denominator.
See Dean over there is not keeping up with the class. We need to slow down to his level so he stay up with the class.
Ohh wait now look all the other students are now bored and unruley. Lets call them ADD and give them pills to sedate them while we work with poor Dean...
Wait now look, the kids we are educating are not as smart as they once where. We need to standardize and have a test to make sure we are all being educated at the same level...
Wait Dean does not understand what is needed for the test? Lets all stop what we are doing and teach for this test so Dean can pass it... DOH!!
Yes I concure that a food alergy cost of failure could be more devistating than that of a failed education (at least in the short term). But we rally need to stop catering to the least common denominator and look at the big picture. And for a parent of a child with a food alergy, or even the parent of Dean this may not be possible.
I think need to see a bigger picture, why are more and more people becoming allergic to nuts... it is a healthy natural product. Maybe there is more to it than arguing the mute point of banning it. We should put more money into research to find out the root cause of these allergies. Maybe Mc donalds diet has caused this shift in genes.. humans adapting to chemical food making them allergic to natural foods?... I dont know but I am ok with not having PB in schools. My kids love PB and bread... but we as a family are co conscious when packing lunch for school. to all the nay sayers can you sleep with knowing that your lunch with peanuts killed your child's classmate?
wow.... I've read about a 100 of these things and I have yet to hear from a kid who is allrgic to penut butter!
Well, I am. I'm deadly allrigic to penuts and I am fully agest banning it from schools. Saying to someone you can not take this sandwitch to school is taking away their freedom of choice. And that in itself is wrong.
I agree with Collin, I think that it has become all too common that if someone brings a small issue to light like I don’t think it is safe to have PB in school that we all should bend over and wipe there a$$ so that they can be comfortable just like we do with everything else in this country. So because of individuals like the ones crying about PB in school which are more than likely the same people that had us take the pledge of allegiance out of our school because we might offend someone because of their religion . I am so sick of everyone in this country bending to some one else’s agenda this is supposed to be the land of the free and we are slowly making this country into a bunch of pansies that are so scared to do or say anything because someone might get there feel bad’s hurt and go cry to a lawyer to try and sue them, that we as Americans are being overrun by the people that are migrating into the country and b!tch!ing about how they don’t like something well I say if you don’t like the way it is here then go back to where you came, or if you don’t like what someone is doing next to you, you can always walk away. Quit making us change our country to what you think it should be if it was really that bad you would or should not have come here to begin with cause believe me we do not need you here. And for the parents that want to cry about the whole PB thing. My son has a deadly reaction to PB but I am not asking the parents of all the other kids at my sons school to no longer give their kids PB because if one of their kids is allergic to milk I sure as he!! am not going to stop giving my kids milk because little Joe two seats down from him gets a rash his parents should do like I did and explain to their child that it’s a good idea to stay away from whatever it is that makes them sick or can kill them because weird it can make them sick and kill them. I mean Really what’s next we going to take gym out of school because my kid might get a cut on his need and he doesn’t clot well there for all the other kids should not have fun too GET REAL AMERICA WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Setlle down, folks. There is absolutely no need to ban peanut-butter or even be having discourse regarding the matter. I'm a special education teacher – I teach children with Autism, one of my students has a peanut allergy, and I completely respect (though I don't agree with) glueten, chemical, dairy, wheay, lactose free diets. We accommodate in my classroom as necessary – one of my students is a very finicky eater and his main meal of choice is a good ol' PBJ. It does not affect my student with the allergy and we work in very close quarters. We wash our hands on the hour, brush our teeth after lunch, and once a month eat out at a restaurant in public. No worries – no troubles. For the parents of children with severe allergies, my apologies and condolences. But, with all due respect, the needs of the few do not outweigh those of the common many.
Schools should absolutely be safe environments, but, if you're sincerely concerned about your child having an allergic reaction by coming into contact with a foreign source, simply send your child to school – or everytime you leave your home – grab an Epy (Epinephrin) Pen, tuck it in your backpocket or purse, and think nothing of it. You can get the pens from Walgreens for about $15. I know – we have 2 in my classroom.
Thank you – next topic.
This is a very difficult topic. I am a mom so I can understand that of course parents want to protect their children. The problem is that there are very picky children out there. Some refuse to eat anything but peanutbutter and jelly. I was one of them at one time. And as others have said some parents can't afford to pack sandwiches with lunchmeat everyday. So I think people need to start looking at both sides of the subject before they start judging and arguing about it.
This is unbelievable. So many many people are talking about survival of the fittest, etc. I had no idea there were so many people that are heartless. ?These are children we are talking about, real people. I keep seeing posts saying that it's the child's problem. If the child just broke out in a rash, probably would't be much of a problem. But it KILLS them. I don't care what any of you heartless people say about this, if it was your child you would THINK differently. So the people that are uneducated in peanuts/tree nuts. Yes, it can get in the air and KILL. Yes, they can come into contact and it can KILL. Kids with Peanut allergies do have EPI's for the most part, however the use of the EPI itself is dangerous. Our school just created a nut free table and it's seems to work very well.
Oddly enough the kids with allergies are careful because they know what happends when they come into contact with it. It's the kids that eat peanut butter that are not careful when they have it on there close, on there hands when they open a door, eating in class rooms as a snack not washing there hands after they eat peanut is the problem. As far as having there own lunch tables in our state it was illegal
due to segergations laws, and disability acts. so our school became peanut free. People complained for about a month then after that everyone seemed to be ok with it.
once again shocked by the amount of selfish folk outt here, believe me, if it was their child they ould tell a differnt story. But most people simply can not beyond themselvs. P.S. I.m typing blind what is with this box infornt of what I'm writing?
Pot & kettle... what is actually selfish is unnecessarily imposing an all out ban on peanuts instead of making accommodations that are less intrusive on the lives of all the non-allergic kids. Peanut butter sandwiches are cheap and nutritious; other similarly nutritious options simply aren't always financially viable for every family. It is selfish to keep peanuts out when it would be just as easy and probably safer to just have allergic kids not eat in the cafeteria, but rather in a room free from the harms of peanuts or eggs or berries or whatever else.
My child is autistic and peanut butter is one of a very few foods that she will eat, and certainly the most healthy. If her school began refusing to let her eat it for lunch, I would consider a lawsuit.
It is the parents' responsibility to provide an allergic child with desensitization immunotherapy, rather than demand that the rest of society shield their child because of their refusal to provide proper medical care for their child.
In such a case, the state should remove the child from the home, and place him/her with foster parents that will actually look out for the medical needs of that child.
Want to protect your kid from peanuts at school. Keep it home = homeschool It's not everybodys responsibility to protect YOUR kid.
It seems like instead of banning we should be thinking of alternatives. Perhaps these kids can eat their lunch in a special room or table? There are peanuts in a lot more things then Peanut Butter. Or perhaps the answer is to make special arrangements for young students only. I would think that Middle or HS students would know and understand the severity of their allergies and know how to handle/avoid dangerous situations...these students are educated enough to handle themselves is they visit a friend or if they are at a food court.
Every year in the US–10,000 children are hospitalized for brain injuries obtained participating in school sports–2000 children drown–1300 children die from gun accidents. Meanwhile, 150 people (children and adults) die from all food allergies combined. "increasing hysteria over nut allergies in kids bears the hallmarks of mass psychogenic illness (MPI)"–Harvard
There are so many more people alergic to bee sting than peanut butter (check the CDC website, the actual number of people with catastophic peanut allergies is minimal)and yet in every public school in Pennsylvania, as well as most others, kids can't carry thier epi-pen. It is a drug and under the ignorant, weak zero-tolerence cop-outs in public schools, they must be secured in the nurses office.
If a child with a catastrophic bee allergy is stun at recess a middle-aged overwieght teacher has to run to the nurses office, get the middle aged overwieght nurse, to run the epi pen to the child who very well may be dead by then.
Life is dangerous, you can't keep your kids safe. Be happy to have them while you do, and hope for the best. Oh and stop bugging everyone around you. If your kid is that much of a genetic mutant, and you are that scared-home school them.
My kid is allergic to bees. Can we have them eliminate all flowers, shrubs and coat primary nesting sites of buildings and other campus architecture with chemical deterrents to dissuade them? Would everyone like to chip in on that? No? But why?
As several posters above have stated, peanut allergies are a disability. Most (if not all) states require public schools to make resonable accomodations for children w/ disabilities. So, the obvious solution would be to lump those children w/ peanut allergies (or other serious food alergies) in with all those other kids w/ MS, down syndrome, developmental delay or other disabilities. That way they have their own room during lunch period that has constant adult supervision and little to no risk of peanut contamination. Also during classes they can be sure another student doesn't bring in a reese's peanut butter cup or something else that could trigger a reaction. If the parents would rather their child eat and go to class and with the general population, then they run the risk and accept the full responsibility that their child may at sometime be exposed to peanuts.
Schools need to pay attention to what matters the most – education. Let allergies, eating, etc. be mom and dad's problem.
Maybe we should just send everyone home to eat lunch and snack. There are way too many alergies out there to say ban this partucular ingredient. If allergies are that deadly to your child then perhaps home schooling is a good idea.
It would be an over reaction to make kids not bring peanut butter for lunch. A better approach would be to have a seperate eating area for kids with food alergies where the types of foods allowed in that space can be controlled.
– There is no 100% way to prevent peanut butter from getting into schools –
It is a ridiculous precaution. It should fall on the family whose child has the allergy. KIds have peanut butter on toast/ at breakfast and can just as easily carry it to school. (Kids "always" wash their hands!) Schools that deem themselves peanut/ peanut butter-free cannot stop this from happening. It creates a false sense of security. If my kid was alergic, I would assume that peanut butter will inevitably end up in the school and then do what I have to to protect my child.
Your argument is equivalent to saying we can't prevent all car accidents so what's the point of seat belts. An intelligent person understands that even though you cannot remove 100% of the threat, it's certainly worth it to remove, say, 80% of it if that's doable. But you're another of the millions of morons with their heads up their asses, part of the problem rather than the solution.
Tim – Hillarious. Under your logic nobody should drive cars because a few pepole get killed. I think you are the one with their head up their ar$e (or allergic to peanuts!) LOL!
Ive had a peanut allergy my whole life but I haven't had a serious reaction since I was 5. It's not severe to the point where I can't be in a room with peanuts but if someone touches me or I eat it, I will have a reaction. Elementary school is the only place that should consider banning peanuts. The children are young enough where they might not be able to make the proper decision and know what they are eating. Kids can also be cruel and put peanut butter on you without thinking about the consequences. After the 5th grade, your child should be competent enough to check what they are eating.
Airplanes need a ban of peanuts. They did for a while and now they're back for some reason. There are way to many chances for an accidental reaction. You can breath it in the air, get coughed on or even touch an infected arm rest.
Stay off airplanes, then. I might have smuggled a jar of Skippy on board.
Stupid response. The AIRLINES should stop serving peanuts as a snack, it makes no sense. If you sneak a bunch of peanut butter through security as a carry on, then hats of to you.
I can buy all sorts of peanut products after going through security. I'm likely to bring some on board. Even more likely now, after all this whining.
I don't care that the airport sells it. If you buy nuts and bring it on the plane, that is my problem to deal with. Airlines constantly give away peanuts as their inflight snack and 90% of the time they never have anything else. At the very least, they should have another option. Being in a confined space like that when EVERYONE is eating nuts can be extremely dangerous.
I want peanuts when I fly.
I don't care that you might die.
You're a nudnik and a pain.
So just stay off my freakin' plane.
First the school, than the airlines, then your homes, than counties and sates will outlaw peanuts, whats next milk/eggs? Sorry but society can not and should not conform to the few. I know that's not political correctness but it does not make sense to me.
My wife has a Sun Allergy... can we put out the sun or put a giant umbrella around the planet please!!!!! This sounds ridiculous right... I may be ignorant to the PB issue and didn't see the original article, but doens't the child have to eat it or come into physical contact with the product to be dangerous? Just like with all other allergies or conditions, be aware of your surroundings and avoid what you know is going to harm you.
Joe:
By the way, re: installing ramps on public buildings... this might sound harsh, but other people's weaklings aren't our problem. Until the last 50 years, this would've been part of natural selection. Now we want to coddle everyone. If your kid can't handle stairs because he's in a wheelchair, keep them locked up in the house for all I care... but don't expect everyone else to have to "accomodate".
I was shocked that my childs new school allows peanut products because of the increasingly popular peanut allergy... However I learned to appreciate the schools efforts to accomdate for both parties. It is the parent/teacher/school and at a certain age, the childs responsibility to make sure that a child with allergies does not consume said food that may or may not result in an allergic reaction. Peanuts are not the only allergy out there – lets throw in cherries and milk while we're at it. Fight for the lactose intolerant children. At my sons new school, all food must be labled and the teachers have a chart posted with any allergies cooresponding to the child afflicted. Sooner or later as the child gets older they will be in a social situation where they will need to differentiate on their own what foods they can and cannot eat to avoid health issues. Educate and practice rather than simply non exposure. I believe the risk is higher for a child who is simply never allowed to consume peanut products who is allergic rather than one who has RESPECT for the fact that other people can consume things such as peanutbutter. It also promotes self control rather than having them be dependant on someone else to simply make sure they are never exposed.
-AMEN!
If we continue to make exception to, as we regularly do, the few sensitivities of minorities, it infringes upon the rights of the "normal" population. If we let these issues overcome our lives we will eventually ban everything that is not inside the confines of our homes. Do we ban milk due to persons lacking tolerance to lactose? Come on people. Start taking responsibility for your own children. Stuff happens, kids get sick... The idealist theory would be that no one ever does anything that adversly affects someone else. That is not realistic.
Parents that have children with allergies: take the proper procautions and educate your child accordingly. Don't lay burden on EVERYONE else because of your fears. "We often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it."
Parents with unaffected children: be sensitive to those childrens needs when it is absolutely necessary, ie; if you are feeding those children... otherwise, treat your children as you always have and pay no attention to the screaming mother in the corner.
Wow. You people who can be so cavalier about letting a child die because it would inconvenience you not to have access to your junk food. I'd say it looks like we need a class on health education more than a ban, but as they say, you can't fix stupid.
Those of you ignoring your school's ban, when your child sends someone to the hospital, I hope you get hit with a multimillion dollar civil suit that will leave you in debt for the rest of your life. And if by some tragedy, someone dies, add in a prison sentence for manslaughter. People like you fully justify the need for more lawyers and more police.
Sanctimonious git.
Sean sounds sue-happy. "people like you"? You mean "normal" humans?
You gave a great example of what is wrong with our judicial system, when one person may sue another based on an incident of indifference. I should not be responsible for others allergies. If someone is THAT allergic to anything, proper precautions should be taken by that person and/or family. If those precautions are not taken, those parents should be held accountable. Period.
Not only that, many of them say my kid should be charged with attempted murder if he exposes their kids to peanuts. A six-year-old treated like an adult because some adults act like kids, demanding things to be all their way.
Not at all sue-happy. I just have this thing about seeing people get punished when they do something that causes someone else to die, self defense and state mandated executions excepted. I'm funny that way.
Sometimes, I don't like the way people smell, and it makes me sick. I think we should ban everyone from being smelly in addition to the peanut butter.
the way people smell can't harm children
however, i do agree that people should shower
I also agree with your conclusion: PB shouldn't be banned from schools. But your reasoning is absurd, and only serves to piss those off with legitimate concerns for children with food allergies.
Ride a New York subway in August.
Ok so i dont have time to sit here and read all these comments but i do have one thing to say to any of you who are throwing a fit about possible bans of pb and saying y should my child suffer because your kid is a weakling and so on all i have to say is i bet your children are allergic to bullets and would die from one of them so y not let those into schools also and hell while were at it lets go ahead and let sexual predators in also so that the survival of the fittest really comes into action. I know what i say may seem extremely harsh and 10 yrs ago i would have been one of the people saying that its tough luck for those who are allergic. but my fiance is allergic and who knows i might have kids who are allergic and i dont need some egotistical parent who thinks theyre better then everyone else to put my child in danger that is all.
Mitch, how do I say this,....you're an idiot. No, no.. I'm afraid that it's medically true. Sad, but (sigh) all to frighteningly true. unfortunately it's not treatable without either invasive surgery or a blind-folded stroll across a busy highway during rush hour. It's not a reasonable comparison for you sake of argument. Do you think before you type? Were you drinking this morning?
What happens after high school? Do you expect your child's university to ban peanuts? Do you expect them to ever hold a job where they must work 8 hours and eat a meal while at work, or will you continue to coddle them by having them live at home, unemployed as adults and still eat Mommy's food?
I'm severly allergic to coffee. I demand that it be removed from restaurants, workplaces, airplanes and anywhere that I may come into contact with it. It's everyone elses responsibility to make sure that I will never have the remote chance of contacting coffee. Seriously folks, If we ban peanut butter where does it stop? Eggs, Dairy, Glutton, MSG, coffee? I know people that are allergic to all these things. And Yes, I really am severly allergic to coffee and am looking forward to that coffee-free section on my next flight. NOT!
Simply, I do not give a f|_|ck about your child. Your child is not the next Einstein or Carl Lewis. If your child was found face up dead in a pond I don't give a good godd@mn. It is the parent's responsibility to protect their creation. Were I a parent of a genetically inferior child I would take every reasonable measure to assure their safety and not push control of their survival onto others. Parents of defective children need to accept that it is they who gave their child these sh!tty genes. You have sh!tty genes. Let them eat peanut butter you f|_|cking @ssholes.
Ja! Death to the genetically inferior subhuman children!
Hey, if the shoe fits...
Can't ban p'nut butter unless they're ready to ban eggs, bread, seafood, milk based products, etc. – or any other food that is known to cause allergic reastions.
"BRETT
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE ALLERGIC TO WATER, SHOULD WE BAN WATER NEXT? WHERE DOES THIS STOP!!!"
Hey Brett got an idea, Lets ban you.
The problem with a nut-free table is that it stigmatizes the kids with allergies who already feel terrible that they are different (and are fearful about their allergies). Instead, the better way would be to have peanut-only tables. In this way, parents who send kids with peanut butter still can, and those kids can sit together so there is no harm or stigma to the kids with allergies. Peanut-free tables only force kids with allergies to choose between being afraid or being singled out as different (and feeling badly about it). An ounce of compassion for kids with health issues should not be too much to ask.
Schools must accommodate any disability or special need a student may have unless it cannot be accommodated for and then the district must provide an alternate setting suitable to that child's needs. So if the ignorant people of the world who say that kids with allergies to peanuts should suck it up, well I say, you pay. First of all it's a ridiculous thing to say. Joe's kid is going to need or want an accommodation from a government run system at some point so it's selfish to say, "hey, I don't care about your kid's welfare but my kid sure as hell better be able to play sports for the school or get a free education". It sounds like Joe might have an infallible genius as a child, but the person with a middle of the road child might argue Joe's kid shouldn't be able to get into the Challenge Program because it's an extra service and if he really wants his kid to have it to improve himself he should do it outside of school. But, hey, maybe Joe can't afford tutor's or special programs for his accelerated child so he can't participate. We all benefit from the changes that schools have made through different programing and simple humanity. Kids who use peanut butter as a weapon should be put in juvenile hall. Why? Because if they were adults running around with an object they knew to be deadly to a specific human being whom they sought out then they would be put in jail for attacking someone with a deadly weapon. And if that person then died, they would be charged with murder, probably premeditated. So, we can say to our kids that people with allergies are weaklings and should have been wiped out 60 years ago. Or we can could say people with freckles are the devil and we should kill them all, or whatever other insane reasoning you want to come up with. Oct. 30th Rally for Tolerance/Sanity. Joe should come.
Laura,
While I agree that schools making accomodations around special needs is a necessity, don't you feel this is going a bit far?
How about a compromise for all... How about seperate rooms with accomodations for children with this allergy? ... but then again, what happens when a child with peanut allergies touches a door handle to the classroom that has peanut residue from another student!!!! AHHHHHH
As you said, restore sanity. Jon will be there.
I'd say take your "bubble child" and home school them. According to to your (lack of) logic next would be no latex, no cotton, no perfume, make-up, cologne, wheat products or various fruits in lunches, no child who has played with a pet in the previous month and has not been thoroughly sanitized against all possible dander contamination, all indoor recess without windows to accommodate children who suffer from Rosacea or who might be in severe danger of sun exposure due to a genetic condition or lack of sweat glands or children with deadly vespid allergies. Please, do have a whole jar of peanuts and stow them up in your aft quarters as hard as you can. It might give you an idea of what a pain in the, um... 'aft quarters', most people think that you are.
Speaking as one of, if not the first, student with an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts in my elementary school, I whole heartedly oppose an outright ban on peanut butter in school cafeterias. I learned, by trial and error, what I had to do and what precautions I had to take when I was eating out of my home, where certain death was literally feet away from me in the form of peanut butter. I have my mother and father to thank for their early 'training', but what I learned in those crowded lunchrooms has lasted me my entire life. If this opportunity to experiment and learn is taken away, and allergic students grow up in completely sterile environments, they are in for a rude awakening when they get into the real world and discover that allergens are in fact in ALL real life environments. Making a completely allergen free elementary school will only provide a false sense of security; real skills have to be acquired through trial and error.
Thank you for sharing your experience and looking at the argument of peanuts in schools with a dose of sensibility.
While I appreciate your attitude, I think you are doing yourself a disservice by continuing to believe the myth that peanuts could hurt you. Get tested for the IgE protein after ingesting the food in the presence of a doctor. Only then can you actually be sure that you have an allergy, and your early reaction was not a fluke.
When I was a baby I had my first reaction to peanut butter ice cream, my parents had me blood tested and I scored very high on the scale, and since then have had subsequent reactions to peanut protein in a number of places, in addition to the protein in egg whites. Let me assure you it was not a fluke.
Great comment from a voice of reason. Children need to learn how to live with their allergies...it's called precaution and an Epi pen!
Good to see there's at least some reason on this crowded page with everyone just yelling "I want my way and I want it now"
I understand that parents want to protect their children, but let's look at the numbers. In 1998 CDC stated that 10 people died in the US from food allergies. There were around 250,000,000 people in the US at that time. 40-50 died from bee, hornet, wasp stings that year. Is there really a solvable problem here? I don't know the numbers, but I'm willing to bet that driving the child home from the "let's ban PB from schools" rally is statistically way more of a risk than the Peanut Butter "problem".
I get really uncomfortable reading news reports which use exciting phrases like "could/might/in some cases lead to death" and don't actually report hard data.
If the PB problem was as dire and large as some would have us believe, we'd be stepping over bodies outside of every hamburger and steak house that offers peanuts.
I'm with Joe. Bring back Natural Selection. There are too many people anyway.
How bout we worry less bout what is served at school and more bout our PE Programs. I had a couple friends that had servre reactions to peanuts. One I watched break out and get rushed to the hospital. But for some people he never had this issue at school. How bout if you want we put allergens on a card, that a kid must have on them and present before they buy their lunch. How bout we keep Pizza, Burgers and all that stuff on the menu too. The people that are coming up with this BS, needs to STFU. Most this talk is crazy talk, and if you dont want your kid buying pizza or having peanuts for lunch, the parents need ot stand up and pack their kids a damn lunch. I'm tired of reading all this nonsense everyday..WTF Is wrong with all of you?
@ Mandrake – have you ever actually had your child undergo a direct oral challenge to accurately diagnose the supposed allergy? Didn't think so. The truth of the matter is, no one has ever died from eating peanuts. You are causing whatever symptoms your child is having by constantly telling them that the nuts can kill them. Its called a stress reaction and has nothing to do with allergies. Oh, by the way, peanut butter is actually VERY good for you, pound for pound it is more nutritious and full of protein than just about any other food.
But it is also full of saturated fats! And most name brand peanut butter is made with high fructose corn syrup now. Best option is a nice, natural Almond Butter. Doesn't get much simpler than almonds and salt.
Nice idea, except many schools are moving towards banning all nut products. My daughter's school has banned nuts, anything with nut oils, and anything that may have come in contact with nuts during production. It's absurd, not to mention unenforceable, since that covers about 95% of the foods found in any grocery store. Where does it end?
I have a friend whose neighbor sued her to make her cut down 3 nut trees on the corner of her property, because the neiighbor's grandchild was allergic to nuts. the nut trees were planted by her grandfather and she harvested the nuts every year. the neighbor's grandchild visited infrequently. admitedly this is an extreme case, but how much do we restrict the rest of the population because of the allergies of a few?
This is silly. Take personal responsibility. Enough of blanket bans or “no tolerance policy.” Both ways of handling situations dumb down people and fail to teach some of the most important lessons that a school can teach – TO THINK AND REASON OUT A PERSONALY RESPONCIBLE DECISION, THEN ACT ON IT. As someone who has a severe fish/shellfish allergy, fish Friday was the day I had to be careful and bring my own lunch. Knowing fish would be around I was careful about handling my food. For me and my personal health, this is what I had to do.
they gona ban pizza and milk next?
Should schools ban peanut butter? No, ban all the OCD mothers that have kids with allergies.
Can we ban the mothers who have douchebags for children?
My daughter is allergic to soy and peanuts, she knows exactly what she an and can't eat and would never eat food someone else gave her, and she's 5. If they have an allergy, do something about it and teach your kid about themselves. By requesting the school to change its policy is asking them to do a parenting shortcut for you. Because of the hormones and chemicals added to our foods over the years is the reason allergies are more common but we cannot ask all of this from school systems that are bleeding as it is. I want schools to focus on teaching my children the education everyone needs and I will focus on the education only my child needs.
I don't think the ban in schools is to do the job of lazy parents. I think the ban is to protect the school staff from having to deal with the allergic reactions. Teachers and principals do not want the added responsibility of monitoring allergic reactions and don't want deaths on their hands.
It is very disheartening to read some of these angry and rude comments... especially those that claim our allergic children are genetically inferior. I bet your children are best friends with some these "weaklings" and love having them in their lives.
After my first child was born I was with the "tough luck" camp, then a friend's daughter had an allergic reaction to peanuts at our house. Later my second child was diagnosed with celiac disease and I've become aware of just how little it takes to make someone sick. Now I'm not so sure. The thing with nut allergies is that kids can die, from a particle. Teaching a kid to say "No thank you" when someone offers them peanuts will not protect someone who is taunted by bullies waiving products in their face. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I do think people need to not consider it suffering to not have a peanut snack at certain events. Suffering is taking your kid to the ER, or finding out that your kid inadvertenly hurt another kid because they didn't realize that the food shared contained traces of nuts.
Your scenario of bullies waving peanuts in allergic kids' faces is totally outside the point. That's a discipline problem that the school faculty and staff should be aware of and be able to handle. If intentional peanut bullying is the problem, and you have to have an outright ban on peanuts to stop it, that says more about a failure of the school in controlling bullies than it does anything else. Again, this argument proves unpersuasive for a peanut ban.
Guemra, you didn't read my post correctly. I did not say I was for a ban, all I said is that I have shifted from the "it's their problem" to uncertain about what the best approach is. Also, my point was that people are over emphasizing the inconvenience of no peanut butter by calling it "suffering." Frankly I'm not sure what the right solution is. In the year since my daughter's diagnosis I've been diligently reading labels on all food, and the thing is A LOT of food is made on equipment shared with nuts, so I"m not sure that a peanut butter ban completely protects kids with peanut allergies. Hand washing and separate tables would seem important.
My grandson has someone in his kindergarten class with the peanut allergy....a note was sent home stating no peanut products are to be brought into the classroom....what a small request to save one child's life....and I applaud the school for protecting the child's identity from small minded individuals who are fortunate enough not to know the risk and consequences associated with food allergies.
Yes. thank you. The voice of compassion.
Note: asked to not be brought into the CLASSROOM, it wasn't banned from the whole school – that is within reason & compromise, something I could consider compassionate as well as reasonable.
Hey SDK, guess again. More and more major league and prfessional sports arenas around the country now offer "nut free days" so people with severe allergies can attend without fear that someone will throw peanuts or shells and hit them. And very severe allergies are considered a disability covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act so people with these types of issues can be protected from fools.
I think it is ultimately the Parent's responsibility to make sure their child is not eating peanut products if they are allergic. Should milk, cheese, yogurt, or any dairy product be banned from school just because a child is lactose intollerent? People need to start taking responsibility for themselves instead of relying on others to change to accodimate them. If I had a child that was allergic to something I would ensure that they know they can not eat, come in contact or whatever with what they are allergic to. That would be MY responsibility as a parent.
Of COURSE it's our responsibility and we take it very seriously. The problem is that this is DEADLY and children without allergies don't understand that. All children are unpredictable. See the problem here?
If your kid gets run over in a hit and run, and I drive past your kid in a pool of blood, that's your problem. You call 911 for your stupid kid who got hit by a car.
Just don't have kids.
Then you won't have to worry about any of this.
Done and done.
whats next,,,"peanut butter shake down"? peanut dectors? hall way peanut monitors? smuggling p-b sandwiches into school? i think their trying to teach my kids that she has no rights at a early age.. this way she'l really be stripped of all her rights when shes 18.. very sad.... very sad....
First they came for the peanuts, and I didn't object, because I was cowed by a few parents.
By the time I realized they'd be coming to take much more later, I was already conditioned.
Why is intolerance spreading to the realm of school lunches? Why is this even an issue?
A simple solution is to create an alternative non-peanut dish to accompany the peanut dish. It is no different than creating an alternative vegetarian dish.
I tell you what, you people that say let the kids fend for themselves and why should MY kid be inconvenienced... you make me sick! I have a peanut-allergic son who is FOUR years old. I have tried to teach him to not eat peanuts, but heck if his friends know what has peanuts in them and what doesn't! How DARE you call my kid a victim of genetic selection or insinuate that I was overprotective and didn't actually ENCOURAGE him to play in the dirt when he was younger. YOU selfish "PARENTS" are the reason I am terrified to send my kid to school. You don't give a WHIT about my kid and because of that attitude, YOUR KID won't give a whit about my kid. What ever happened to looking out for others? Yes, he can eat at a separate table, but an accidental exposure (or intentional exposure from your MEAN kids) will undoubtedly occur at some point
Don't you think that if we could help it, we'd change it? God, the peace of mind I would gain if he weren't allergic. But he is, through no fault of his own.
Listen to me, I PAY my taxes, I have never ONCE taken a governmental benefit, I have not been disabled a day in my life, I am thankful my kids don't have any other health issues and the ONE issue that I need support with is this. And this is the attitude of my kids' classmates parents. I've just had enough! (obviously)
If YOUR kid could die from exposure to a blue backpack, you know what color backpack my kid and I would pick for him to bring to school every day? ANY COLOR BUT BLUE. You selfish, selfish people. Shame on you!
Sorry for your problems...I have my own that you probably can't relate to either. Life ain't easy. He never promised that the Cross would not be heavy.
Ah, but he did encourage us to look out for each other, didn't he?
Yes...Look out for each other. But look to Him first and foremost. He is the only one you can count on 100% of the time. Not your teacher, not your brother, not your parents, not your BFFL. But yes, you should look out for each other.
Well said....thank you.
I had a hernia once. I didn't expect everybody else to wear a truss.
No, but you probably asked other people to pick up the heavy objects for a while? Or wore that truss so that you could and still be your tough-guy self. Good for you.
I send my kid to school, and expect the school to act in loco parentis (look it up). I educate my kid on his allergies, and don't have any in the house. I expect the school (that gets my tax money) to make reasonable effort at same.
Reasonable accommodation does not include forbidding every other child from bring to school a nutritious, child-friendly food just because of your kid. If your kid is so messed up that touching my kid, who has a spot of peanut on his shirt, can kill him then you're negligent if he dies, not me. I'm not sterilizing my kid every morning, and I'm not trolling through the ingredient lists of all his food, looking for hidden peanuts. It's not my problem. It's yours. Man up and deal with it.
Your ignorance is the real problem here. Just because your child has a mild allergic reaction to a food early in life does not mean that food is dangerous to them. Go to an actual doctor, submit your child to a direct oral challenge – ingest the suspected food in the presence of a doctor, and get tested for the IgE protein. Then and ONLY then you can actually say whether or not an allergy exists. Your doctor can quantify how dangerous said allergy may or may not be. The fact of the matter is, no one has ever died from eating peanuts. It is an urban myth, eagerly bought into by hysterical parents like yourself.
Howie, I am a doctor. True, a veterinarian, but still, a doctor, I KNOW how this works. He has BEEN to a PEDIATRIC ALLERGIST and they caNOT tell me how bad it is because it could be mild hives the first time, then full-blown anaphylaxis the next, then no reaction the next time. That is from one of the leading padiatric allergists in the country, Dr. Jay Portnoy. Maybe YOU should get your facts straight first.
Howie – do kids that HAVE had an anaphylaxis response (at school, or a restaurant) get a pass on the Doctor witnessed ingestion challenge? Or don't you trust us parents that have accompanied our children to emergency rooms?
I don't trust you at all, no. You've got a big chip on your shoulder because you have a disabled child. Unlike most parents with disabled children, you want to use force to make my child act as if he's got the same disability. Down's Syndrome parents don't expect my child act retarded, what's your problem?
PS - Home schooling is not a financial option for us. YOU wanna pay for it? Believe me, I would homeschool if I could. But not because of the allergies, because of how many flat-out uncaring, rude parents are out there, apparently. And I am not over-hyping his allergies. He has been diagnosed by a pediatric allergist.
You're right, we simply don't care. Everybody has problems, but most of us don't go around hounding the state into trying to make everybody else pretend to have them too. Tourette's Syndrome parents don't expect my kid to yell out nonsense all day long, what's your problem?
TexasJohn, Did you even READ my original post? I said that my entire LIFE I tried my darnest NOT to inconvenience anyone else and I see other people asking for special assistance all the time and I don't begrudge them that. The ONE time I need some special consideration, I get this NASTY attitude from people about something that could KILL my CHILD! Be nice.
I can only speak from my own experience, but I completely understand your fear – especially if you're assuming that most parents and staff (did you see the comment from the supposed teacher, above!?) at your child's school are going to be as heartless and ignorant as the people taking the time to post here.
They aren't.
Most people in the world are mostly kind and reasonable, or they try to be, anyway. In my experience, I've had a core group of parents and staff members in my child's classroom, each school year, who go above and beyond to make sure that classroom parties and environment are safe and enjoyable not only for my milk-allergic son, but for all of the kids in the classroom, no matter what their cultural or dietetic needs. Not surprisingly, the children of those parents are, for the most part, are growing into kind, thoughtful, responsible young people – the kind that my son and all of the other kids enjoy spending time with. The demonstration of parental reasonableness and thoughtfulness is a pretty good indicator of the direction the children will be taking in their own lives.
For the times when there are classroom treats that are not safe for my child, I've sent some non-perishable treats in for the teacher to keep on hand and give to my son, so that he can join in on the fun.
And, with the ADA laws and the threat of potential legal liability, even if they might not have otherwise been sympathetic or accomodating, your school district is going to have policies in place to work towards keeping your child safe.
Worry is good, if it helps you to recognize and solve problems. Keep on teaching your child that food is a dangerous thing for him. Until he's old enough to take on the responsibility himself, make him afraid to put anythng in his mouth that mom or dad has no approved. I felt horrible doing it, but as soon as he had that first full anaphylactic reaction at 18 months (followed up by annual IgE testing, for the guy who thinks that's important), we have told our son that he can *die* if he eats something that we don't check first. And, even at 18 months, we explained 'dying' to him – not breathing, never seeing mom and dad again, body not working anymore forever.
You and your child will do just fine.
Thank you, Maureen, for the comforting words. I TRY to trust in the goodness of people, sending my little guy out into the world, but I just get so worked up when I see all these people that don't seem to care that he could actually be taken from this world because of a stupid, preventable accident... because of their God-given right to send their kid to school with peanut butter.
And no, after much thought, I don't think peanuts should be banned at schools because that would give him a false sense of security. It would make him think that other people were actually looking OUT for his welfare. There may be lots of good, caring people out there, but there are (obviously) plenty of jerks, too. I want him to know that. Sigh. Such a heavy burden sometimes.
Anyway, thanks again.
Your Mom, If you have read EVERY comment you will see that most people do care, only a few are being truly insensitive but many have made an innocent comment & then have been thrashed by "that parent" that has a child with an allergy. So many of you have mentioned that your child is too young to fully understand what his/her allergy means so how do you expect their classmate to fully understand why they can't have something at a school. It's all about education and once you educate those around your child a lot of the risk will be resolved but even banning PB is no guarantee that the risk is gone. My son has gone to school w/a child that has Brittle Bone disease since Kgarten, and yes, this can be deadly for the child, all kids each year were educated on what that meant for the boy. he had a special asst teacher, stayed inside during recess, didn't go to gym class & is one of the most popular boys (now in 8th grade). There was no banning of any games or sports & all the kids respected him & actually felt honored when they were chosen to stay in at lunch or sit out gym class to hang with him.
While I appreciate the severity of some kid's allergies, if it was left up to some of these parents we'd have a War on Peanuts.
If your child has allergies so severe that a whiff of peanut dust in the air can kill them, then your child needs to be living in an isolation booth. However, I suspect the histrionics from some parents don't jive with the reality of their child's allergy. In other words, they're being overly dramatic – even hysterical – and unjustifiably so.
The reality is, peanuts aren't going anywhere, and some kids have major allergies to them. Kids with allergies that severe simply can't be out in the public. A trip to the supermarket would be a death sentence for them, as would a ball park, a sporting arena, or driving down the highway past a food production plant.
Enough of the hysterics already. It's time for rational discussion – the drama queens have had the podium for far too long.
I have the majority of the top 10 food allergens a person can have. I am now in my 50's. I always have Benadryl and an Epi-Pen with me. The knowledge of food allergies is a fairly new science and this push to be enablers for people with food allergies is getting so out of hand it is ridiculous. I learned what foods to stay away from, what restaurants not to go to. I ask how something is prepared before I order something new. It really is not that hard. Yes, you get some weird looks and some chefs get really nasty when they think you are asking for their creations secrets, but they get over it, or I leave the restaurant. It really is quite simple. To make it plain and simple. It is my allergies, I have to deal with them and learn how to avoid them. Sorry parents, your kids have got to own their allergies too and learn how to live with them. They need to understand the World does not center around them, they are just one of millions.
Lizzie,
I agree. I have allergies. To almost everything. I – and I alone – am responsible for making sure I don't ingest something that could kill me. I – and I alone – take precautions....even if it means calling the chef over to ask how something is prepared. I don't eat ANYTHING that I don't know exactly the ingredients. The world does not revolve around us and I expect no one to accommodate me.
Parent's whose children have PB allergies need to get a grip, take responsibility, educate their child, and prepare them for situations. They need to learn how to be AWARE of their allergy.....its the equivalent to always standing over your child to make sure they do their homework. If they don't learn how to do it by themselves, and understand the importance, they will blow it off once they are out from under that supervision. There is a thing called OVER Parenting.
I understand severe food allergies, I do. I have a family member who is allergic to tree nuts. All tree nuts (of which peanuts are not, actually). But that means anything with almonds, coconut, coconut oil (Powerade contains it), chocolates, some candies, some cookies, some breads, etc. would all have to be banned. Knowing this was impossible, she spoke with his teachers at the beginning of every year and instructed them that he was not to be given ANY snacks or treats that were not brought by him. So, when everyone else was having birthday cupcakes or something, he ate something different his mom sent. He was warned early and often to only EVER eat what he was given and even at the young age of 4 or 5 would bring things up to his mom and me and ask "is this safe for me?" He always carried his meds, his teachers worked with his parents, etc. Guess what? He survived elementary school and is now in junior high! gasp! shocking, i know. As to the person concerned about a bully throwing peanut butter? really? come now. There are plenty of ways to bully and if that kid is that much of a bully, you really think the ban is going to stop that kid from bringing some peanut butter just to be a brat? And nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats and proteins. Natural peanut butter without added sugar is not any worse for your kid than a roast beef or ham sandwich.
Here is the problem with banning PB or anything that a student is allergic to- Parents will assume that their child is safe from allergic reactions when in school. Maybe they wont bring in their epi pen, take medication, or whatever. Now what happens when some child's stepmom or father forgets about this rule? Their kid eats a PB&J at school, and another child has an allergic reaction and dies. Whose fault is it? Who takes responsibility? Is the school now the PB police and has to check every childs lunch? Is the family going to sue the school for not enforcing the rule? I understand the problem that these kids have with peanut allergies, but this it not the correct way to fix this problem. Educate and prepare your child, after all, it is not everyone elses problem, its your childs.
Here's a thought...let's address the bullying that started this. Seriously? Ban peanut butter completely because some kids are allergic? I understand it could kill them, which is why they, more than anyone else, need to learn to be careful.
This series of articles was sparked by one about bullying with PB. RIGHT THERE, that's the issue. But no, it went on to denounce PB and the benefits it has for those who can eat it.
I have a child with very severe nut allergies, so until you've walked a mile in either of our shoes, you should keep your mouths shut. Who are you to tell me to "deal" with my "weakling"? He has almost died twice becuase of morons like you. And just banning peanuts solves nothing for kids who are allergic to all nuts - which are insidious little critters that appear in 90% of breakfast cereals, granola bars, snacks, etc. My child has been bullied and made fun of over the years because of his allergies and come home hysterical and terrified. That could be considered a criminal offense in these cases because the allergy sufferer can die so it's clearly attempted murder as far as I'm concerned. Nut-free tables help, but when people like those posting negative comments here teach the same hatred and lack of compassion to their children, it sets up the allergic kids for major bullying. How are they supposed to learn when they are just worried about staying alive all day?
Yeah, I get it. My six-year-old flings a peanut at your kid, and you want him to be charged like an adult. Because of course he understands the situation. You get off scot-free, despite knowingly putting your child in a potentially-life threatening situation of contact with my kid, because boohoohoo, we just don't get it. Hypocrite
I am sorry your child has such a severe allergy, but banning really doesn't make sense. You do realize that in the rest of your child's life there will not be bans on nuts. They will encounter them throughout their lives. The better plan is for you to teach them how to avoid what they are allergic to. While they are young you work with the school so there is a safe place for them, but to think that the entire world is going to give up eating nuts is not logical.
There has been a ban on peanut butter in our schools at lease since my now 7th grader was in kindergarten...what is really over the top is parents cannot send in any type of cookies, cupcakes or anything unless it is STORE BOUGHT with a LABEL naming the ingredients...So much for a homemade birthday cake or cupcakes to share for your kids birthday or warm chocolate chip cookies. If I say it doesn't have any nuts in it that should be good enough...it's really getting out of hand...what happens when these kids want to play baseball (oh, no peanuts @ baseball???) Or go to a professional sporting event?? I doubt they'll stay home and I don't think the Yankees are going to ban peanuts @ Yankee Stadium~
The parents should at least show enough brains to work out the problem. I lost a son to Leukemia, and there were times when we had a tutor come to the house because he could not attend school for concern if him catching something. I'm fed up with these whining 30-somethings trying to change everyone else because they can't be inconvenienced to change their plans. Try growing up.
Personally I have two daughters in school that are very picky eaters and do not eat school lunch. The also do not like any lunch meats so the only option for them to have an even half way healthy lunch that I know they will eat is peanut butter. While I agree that the safety of children or people in general is very important anywhere in society, I also feel my child should not be basically punished to starve because another child is allergic to a specific food. I think that in cases where someone is allergic, special precautions should be taken so that everyone can eat and be safe.
Here's something you mothers of peanut-allergic kids should think of. The world is full of peanuts. The only way your kid will survive is to get into the habit of constant attention to that risk. Say we ban peanut products fron schools. Aren't you afraid they will relax and become less vigilant? Maybe not think to mention to that boy/girl they date not to eat anything with peanuts before that good-night kiss (don't laugh, it's happened)? Maybe go off to college and attend a party where peanut snacks are served.
The only way these kids will survive is the habit – daily reinforced – to look for and avoid peanuts. And learning to deal with a world full of peanuts. Making schools 'safe' for them will not address the life-long risk they will face out in the world. Think about it.
The school should provide a separate setting such as an unoccupied classroom for these children to have a comfortable lunch free from peanuts. I've seen first hand what peanuts when exposed to the open air can do to someone who has such a disorder. There is no magic medicine for this that can be given to a child which can protect them from a peanut allergy attack. Unattended such a situation can become deadly. To say to a child or parent – tough luck it's your problem is in fact cruel and unsensitive to the child. This is a simple solution and it costs nothing to anybody and it allows everyone to enjoy their school day with the freedom of personal choice intact and continue their day in peaceful harmony.
I’m sick and tired of liberals banning everything every time they turn around. Yes make provisions to keep the kids safe from it, but don’t make everybody suffer because of a few allergies. The liberals keeping taking and taking your freedoms.
Detroit – City workers cannot wear anti-perspirant or cologne now because of one libtard and her lawsuit and the “appease everybody at all cost attitude”.
Where does is end? My daughter is very allergic to tomato – should the schools ban them too? Also I have several allergies. Should I have to schools ban all the stuff I am allergic to so my kids don't expose me to what some other kids had for lunch.
I think there is a shared responsiblity between the school system and the parents of children with any type of allergy. The school has to provide reasonable accommodations which are commensurate with the severity of the allergy and the parents have to educate their child and the school on requirements. It needs to be collaborative. I have seen the school where my children attend, and the parents of children with allergies use common sense to solve problems – in some cases the nut free lunch table for all kids so as not to ostracize the child, severe allergies where the child eats iin the classroom and five to six kids join to form a special lunch bunch, and parents of kids with multiple allergies providing the snacks for the entire year (other parents can chip in money) to ensure snacks will not have allergens, etc. This is not rocket science – you work together as a community to come up with solutions that may not please everyone all of the time, but in the end you achieve what is important – protecting the child who has allergies and hopefully everyone learns a little about what the word "acceptance" really means.
Prime example of the minority affecting the majority.
Why is the discussion only about PB? There are tons of other allergies out there in all the different food groups. If you are going to ban PB, then why not consider banning all the other foods as well. Also, what about all those kids who are allergic to grass. Does that mean that within 100 yards of a school, you shouldn't grow grass? But that would mean that either we cover the dirt with AstroTurf or risk putting all the kids with dust allergies at risk. I think the best solution would be to shut down all the schools or segregate them into allergy, political and religious groups to make sure that nobody gets offended and no one dies. Then we can throw them all back together in college when they are supposed to be able to deal with all these things for themselves. Of course, by then it will be too late and the students will not know how to integrate into campus life and just forget about life in genera.
Come on, I all for being considerate and I certainly wouldn't intentionally try to put anyone's kid in harms way. But wouldn't it be a much better policy to educate your kid as to what they can and cannot eat and then let the school officials know if there is anything that they need to watch out for. If your kid has such bad allergies that even smelling peanut butter will send them to the hospital, then there are not many places they will be able to go safely. Including the mall, park, grocery store or anyplace that food in general might be. As a general rule, you should not count on the world accommodating you. You should learn to live in the world allowing for reasonable expectations. When do I get to say that I am being discriminated against for not being allowed to do or say anything because someone else is offended by it. Consideration and compassion are what's needed not legislation. Grow up people.
Food allergies can be scary especially for a parent of a very young child going to school for the first time. The reality is the parents need to take control from day one. They need to educate all the caretakers and even the classmates on the dangers of food allergies. In the early grades it might make a good topic for a show & tell day. If parents are that concerned about cross contamination in the kitchen then they need to provide their child their own meal. Stop trying to force everyone else to living by your restrictions.
Thanks Brian...That is a very good interpretation of what I meant in my rant.
Disclaimer: I don't have any kids,I do not have any allergies, I was not bullied at school nor have I ever been a vegetarian and I was raised in a moderate household with a moderate income.
Peanut butter is neither good nor bad; it is food. Unfortunately for those allergic they need to take precautions. The truth is peanut butter is cheap, kids like it and it won't spoil when you pack their lunch. There is value to the product. For those with special needs the schools should and actively do make specific accommodations. Extreme perspectives offer little in terms of real solutions that may potentially be implemented. What's next? If the school population was limited to radically accommodating every child who should bare the burden most? Having both parents who worked in the education system I know it is a balancing act meeting the needs of students, the concerns of parents and the requests of teachers all while keeping within a budget. Keeping things balanced is hardest when those involved are unwilling to compromise. It is just as wrong in my opinion to force the diet of one student to change as it is to say the other child's needs are unimportant to consider. Please find peace.
I don't think that peanut butter should be banned from schools, if we take into consideration every child's allery and ban then from the school's lunch then there will not be anything for the kids to eat. I think that parents should receive a menu of what will be served for the month and they will have the option of sending their child an alternate lunch to eat at a table for those with the allergy.
You have a total lack of understanding of the issue. Only a few foods actually have significant allergies associated with them. Even fewer are life threatening. There is only one food that causes life threatening reactions AND can be airborn or dangerous when smeared on a surface. But people love peanuts too much to give them up. Just the idea of giving up peanuts for a little while is so terrifying that it set off this huge discussion.
It's not peanut allergies that our enemies will use against us. They will threaten to take away our peanuts. Clearly the need is too strong for us to be deprived.
In 20 years France will come over here and kill us all by throwing peanuts. Nothing more.
This is yet another volley in the attempt to run a society by forcing the Whole down to the lowest common denominator but that's a pretty horrible way to run a Free Society, don't you think? If the population of severe food allergies is on the rise, then we should be spending our time coming up with solutions to assist those with allergies to assimilate at the highest level they can, rather than forcing those with no allergies to give up their level and retreat to a much lower one, one with a lot less freedom. In a way, yes, it is heartless but it's also for the best, for All.
Children are required to go to school to learn. When you revoke life skill learning from school I believe you are doing an injustice. If a child has a condition which can be life threatening the child should learn how to protect his or herself from said situation. If you create a system in which you are not allowed to learn these skills what hope do they have when they must go out on their own?
It's interesting how a simple thing like PB can cause such an uproar on the internet. Here's a thought I have: We don't want to isolate of allergic kids by having them eat at a different table, a different room, a different lunch period, even though it would reduce the chance of a deadly allergic reaction, because it would single our kids out for bullying? Death or bullying? On the same note, how do you think an entire school full of children are going to treat little billy when they learn they can't have PB for lunch because he's allergic? How many kids will sneak in PB or peanuts just to torture little billy? I don't believe a school wide ban is the solution, not because it's wrong, but because it wouldn't work and it would actually make little billy's social situation even worse. My allergic kid is isolated at lunch time. He never shakes hands unless he is absolutely sure they have been washed. He wears a medic alert necklace and carries an epipen. Hard to believe, but he has adjusted to the world, rather than ask the world to adjust to him.
My children's school has a nut free table. No problem. If you want to outright ban peanut butter – you've got to be kidding me, how about y'all teach your children how to watch their own butts. One of my kids has an egg allergy – I don't call for a banning of mayonaise or anything with eggs in it. My kid knows what to avoid and what could be hazardous. If a kid does not know how to watch their own butts and understand their allergies – why does everyone else have to suffer? Please folks – educate them. It's not like the other kids try to force peanut products on to them.
Well said.
Having experienced a child in school with a peanut allergy attack (and after immediate treatment with epinephrine, an ambulance ride to the hospital), I knew "A nut-free table should do the trick" isn't the answer. Neither would have been my second choice in the poll: "It should be on a case by case basis – perhaps one lunch period and not another." The student had walked into a classroom where peanuts *had been* within the last hour and the residual peanut in the air set off the attack. What should work: A separate lunch room–or a lunch room with a built-in glass wall section that's at the door and sealed off from the rest of the room. That not only helps students with peanut allergies–which have increased three-fold in the past 10 years–but also those with asthma, environmental allergies, and other breathing conditions.
I don't get the posters who state students will breathing issues should stay home from school. We don't keep home bullies, and that's a bigger issue.
Kids have been allergic to peanut butter for a long time, if it wasnt a problem in schools before then its not a problem now. If kids were dying and being sent to the hospital all the time then it would have been banned already, but they arent and the only problems that arise can be attributed to freak accidents.
So how exactly does PB create airborne particles? Exactly what part of the protein/oil/sugar combination is lighter than air?
Apparently, as nearly everything in a school lunch program could potentially kill a child with violent allergies, the only reasonable thing to do is to ban the school lunch program altogether. The money from the lunch program should go to making individual tubes that children should be encased in at all times while at schools. Not only would this prevent allergies, but it also goes a long way to preventing other childhood problems, such as bullying, hanky panky, playground accidents, etc... Within these tubes, a child could eat their lunch from home, or have an IV continually feeding them essential nutrients throughout the day, so parents can be insured that their child is not overeating and able to be healthy.
PEANUT particles, not peanut BUTTER particles, please!! I am not against a ban. As a medical provider, I have seen the severe reactions some kids have had, and there is not always a staff member close enough to take of something quickly. I am mainly speaking of little kids, elementary school, etc. If high school kids want peanut butter... they are nearly adults, they should have some things figured out by then. But please, people are allergic to PEANUT particles, not particles of peanut butter. Having an opinion is great, but don't throw it out there without facts. And parents, you should know the specifics of your child's condition. Otherwise, you are in no position to stand one way or another on this.
Parents should make their children who are allergic more aware on how to be careful. As unhealthy as peanut butter actually is its one of the healthy alternatives then what the school serves.
Actually, some peanut butters are ridiculously nutritious. Skippy Natural is one of them, and it is every bit as tasty as Jif (which is a landmine of terrible ingredients)
Peanuts are actually part of the legume family, and as such, contain good quality protein, vitamin-E rich fats, and minerals such as iron, selenium, and manganese. One serving also contains 20% of the DV of niacin. I would hate to see it replaced with bologna, if it doesn't have to be!
Peanut butter is a fairly healty and pretty inexpensive lunch option for many kids. Sorry parents, but a simple peanut free table(s) is the only fair way to go.
Take out the cafeteria's and let the parents (if the child has any) be responsible for all meals. What's that? You don't have time to pack a lunch?
Um, I pack my kids lunches most days & guess what? They still eat in a common room called a cafeteria. That was kinda a useless comment.
I'm allergic to the leftist agenda, so we should ban that oo. It makes me throw up.
Jeff, I'm allergic to stupidity. You should be banned.
What you folks clearly don't understand is the severity of many peanut allergies. And children don't understand the consequences of eating a sandwich, not washing their hands and subsequently killing a classmate/friend. That is something a parent should grasp and teach the child. Grow up, set an example, and don't endanger other children at your kid's school.
While there is evidence of some mild allergy symptoms from exposure to peanuts, the fact of the matter is, there is NO EVIDENCE of actual life threatening reactions – anywhere. NO ONE has EVER DIED from a peanut allergy. Stories to the contrary have been proven to be urban myths. The whole debate is based on hysteria and misinformation. Just because a child has hives, scratchy throat, rash, or stuffy nose after eating peanuts does not mean that the nuts are dangerous to them. Unfortunately peanut allergies are the parental hysteria du jour, and people who enjoy this truly wonderful food are being victimized. There ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BE A BAN ON PEANUTS ANYWHERE! If a child has a suspected allergy, the only way to accurately diagnose said allergy is a direct oral challenge – ingesting the suspect item in the presence of a doctor, followed by testing for the IgE protein. The severity of the allergy then can be independently documented by the attending physician. What happens in most of these cases, is a parent reads an overblown media story of a possible allergic reaction, remembers that time little Jimmy had a hive, and freaks out – assuming that the next time he so much as smells peanuts he will die. Its just foolishness. In the INCREDIBLY RARE case that someone is actually dangerously allergic, it is up to that person to protect themselves, not the responsibility of those around them.
What? WHERE do you get your facts Howie? Yes, people have died from peanut allergies, just as people have died from dairy allergies and bee stings. Wow.
Don't be so hard on Howie. He was obvioulsy a PKU baby. (It's an allergy to a specific protein that causes children to become permanently mentally retarded.)
Check the CDC website guys. I don't make this stuff up. Per the CDC – approx. 10 – 20 people die in the US each year from all food allergies combined. Not one has ever been attributed to peanuts. This is the primary reason why the DOT recently declined a request to ban peanuts on airplanes – there is no evidence of any actual harm due to peanut ingestion. There is a propaganda organization called the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) that has been spreading the hysteria about peanuts. The head of that organization also happens to be the CEO of the company that manufactures the Epi-Pen. There is a definite financial motive in play.
We should be talking about getting to the route of the problem. Why are there more allergies? Pesticides? Chemicals? Our immune systems are telling us and we ignore it and try to get around it. We need to get to the route and not just put a band aid on it.
Oddly enough, at the school I work at. We've just have a "No Peanut" designated table for the kids with allergies, and nobody has died or even had an allergic reaction to the peanut butter particles from the other couple hundred kids in the cafeteria. It's really a non-issue.
I say we keep the peanut butter and ban people.
I am allergic to scallops, but that does not mean everyone should stop eating them. My child was allergic to dairy products for a few years (outgrew the allergy), but we did not request that every birthday party banned cakes or cheese pizza, we just dealt with it.
If a child is allergic to peanuts, it is up to the parents to teach the child how not to eat or come in contact with other people's food and peanuts!
Peanuts are good for you, schools should not punish all kids because of the allergies of some. So what are you going to do at the park, etc? Request the banning of such products too? And what about chinese food which is cooked with peanut oil?
Parents: take responsibility for your own kids!
I would like to see some stats on how many allergic kids have been harmed by another student's PB&J before I commit an opinion either way. Don't most allergic kids know they are allergic before they begin school? I always thought that was something that was determined pretty early on. I can't imagine that just being near a peanut butter sandwich (no peanut dust in this situation) could harm an allergic child. If anybody knows of any instances in which a child has been hurt or killed by just such a situation- could you please speak up about it? I could be wrong– but it seems like an over-reaction. Many types of peanut butters (especially organic) are densely nutritious– providing good quality protein and the healthy fats. I would hate to see it banned unecessarily.
Actually children are forced to abstain from eating peanut butter and other related peanut products for 48 Hr prior to returning to school in the province of Quebec, meaning that the only time they are allowed to eat a peanut based product would be the Friday night of a long weekend. Back in the 70's when I attended primary school there weren't any people allergic to peanuts, because they were already dead from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, after their loving parents fed them PB for the first time. Since when has society changed from " what's good for the many outweights the good for the one" to "the good for the many will need to be superseeded for the good of one". I really hate all the rhetoric about "well my child is special" then send them to a special school for special people cause all of us non-special/normal slugs, are sick of your little games. Quit your job, stay home and teach your child yourself, if you can't afford to quit your job to do so, then you should NOT be having kids in the first place; child bearing is not a right, but a choice to be made between the two people considering making the offspring, taking into consideration monetary, social and societal resposibilities that come with raising a child. p.s. I have two children who aren't special, just normal everyday kids.
already dead from SIDS because of peanuts? Is this speculation or scientific finding? Generally, anaphalactic shock occurs so fast that the child would be dead before nap-time.
Don't really know what to say about your opinion that only people of a certain income should have children. Your opinion, I guess.
approx 100 ppl a year die from FOOD allergies, not even peanut.
Unless their is a majority of the population at the school or an abnormally high percentage of kids allergic to peanuts, their is no way this should be banned. This is one of the most inane things ive ever hear i cant believe this is an actual discussion. If your kids allergic to peanuts, u give them their medicine, notify the school nurse and give them medicine in case of an emergency and thats it. Unless its a case of extreme extreme allergic reaction, which in that case you as a parent need to reconsider either getting some kind of treatment or homeschooling them until they grow out of it b/c their at risk every second their not in an ultra controlled environment.
If we tried to accommodate every child with food allergies, our children would be eating lunch intravenously. My child is allergic to all milk products. Whey, cheese, milk, butter.... any milk product or anything that derives from milk. If any of that touches her skin, her allergic reaction is rapid suffocation due to closure of her throat. Yet, she's managed to survive 7 grades. Just use common sense people. Teach your children with allergies to be careful, not accept food from other kids, and they should be fine.
I am truly sorry to hear about your daughter's allergy... but thank you for your insight. It is people like you who really see the big picture.
Awesome post, Kim! :)
Peanut Butter is one of the items that are given out by WIC. I guess we don't want our poor kids to eat anymore.
Here's a solution: have the parents of kids with allergies BUY lunch for all the kids who don't have allergies. That way they can make sure it's safe.
Again, the majority is always being asked to give up something for the extreme minority. I'm sick and tired that the rights of the majority are constantly eroded, while "problem people" are being cow-towed to. Society is trying to appease to lowest common denominator in every facet of our lives. If you have a peanut butter allergy, too bad! That's your lot in life, live with it. Keep your kid home. After all it's only public education. Home school your child if you do not want them around peanut butter. Or better yet DON'T HAVE KIDS!! It's a clear and conscious choice. Wake up people. Nazi America is marching right into your homes under the guise of freedom, democracy and personal rights! You can probably tell, I'm over 50. An age where personal responsibility runs high and was instilled at an early age. Coddle waddle your kids if you want. You do them no justice.
Hey Cappy – last time I looked, safe public education was a right...
Well then, go get yourself some of that really safe public education that you're entitled to. If you're allergic to peanut butter, I'm going to exercise my right to sit next to you and eat it. If you don't like my right to eat peanut butter then move or die from the reaction. While you're swelling up , I'll be on my second PB & J sandwich.
You won't hear me saying that Wikipedia is the best source of accurate or unbiased information out there, but at least this gives a few stats (albeit unverified ones).
Directly quoted from the "Peanut Allergy" article on Wikipedia:
"The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimates that peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death.[14] However, there is an increasing body of medical opinion that, while there definitely are food sensitivities, the dramatic uptick in frequency of nut allergies and more particularly the measures taken in response to the threat show elements of mass psychogenic illness, hysterical reactions grossly out of proportion to the level of danger:[1] "Dr. Christakis points out that about 3.3 million Americans are allergic to nuts, and even more — 6.9 million — are allergic to seafood. But of 30 million hospitalizations each year, just 2,000 are due to food allergies, and about 150 people die annually from serious allergic food reactions. That’s the same number of people killed by bee stings and lightning strikes combined. About 10,000 children are hospitalized annually with traumatic brain injuries from sports, 2,000 children drown each year, and about 1,300 die in gun accidents, he writes." Media sensationalism has also been blamed.[15]
Prevalence among adults and children is similar—around 1%—but at least one study shows it to be on the rise in children in the United States.[16] The number of young children affected doubled between 1997 and 2002.[17] 25% of children with a peanut allergy outgrow it.[18] In America, about 100 people per year die from peanut allergies.[19]"
I think you make a good point. Banning peanut butter from an entire school because of the possiblity that 1% might be allergic is hysteria. I like Jennifer's comment too and think her child's school found the better answer – help parents and children track and manage all allergies. Peanut butter is healthy food and does not deserve to be demonized.
I also don't think it is good to teach kids that other people always needs accomodate them. Just because you have an allergy, doesnt mean others do, and the person with the allergy doesnt need to inconvenience the entire class because of their problem. Instead the child needs to learn to be responsible to himself (stay away from peanuts) and not dwell on minor difference (let kids that like peanut butter eat at next table).
If stupidity were banned, I'd have reached the bottom of this page sooner.
How about we leave some loaded guns on the lunch table, and see how responsible kids are with them? Anyone willing to do that? Peanuts are JUST as lethal to my children. Parents of children that don't have a severe allergy don't get it. I'm a step-parent, and didn't get it until I saw my stepson have a reaction at age 5.
So? Would you want YOUR kid to sit down at a lunch table where the other kids have guns? Or would you opt for the "gun-free" table. Or push for the school to be a "gun-free" zone? Are you going to count on their parents to have trained them, taught them, trust them with a lethal weapon?
More importantly – what would you do if your child had a fatal allergy. Oh wait. Your kids don't. You just don't get it.
i know you just didnt compare having guns on a lunch table to some kid eating a pbj. for your kids sake i hope hes smarter then you or they'd already be dead from looking up in while it rains and drowning or something.
Just the fact that you attempted to compare peanuts to guns makes anything you say completely devoid of credibility. It takes an incredible abundance of stupidity to actually think that is a valid comparison.
I'll have you know that my child is a picky eater and won't eat anything except guns. You can take my peanut butter....FROM MY COLD DEAD HAND!!
My kid is allergic to kids with peanut allergies . Keep them retards out of the school so my kid is safe
My "kid"? Keep "THEM RETARDS".......who are YOU to be calling children with allergies RETARDS? At least learn the facts about this condition and learn to use proper English because your stupidity is showing!
If you put yourself in other's shoes, you might be amazed at how you would respond.
Would you have the same response if your beautiful nephew, niece, grandson, granddaughter, godson or whomever close to you was diagnosed with a peanut allergy?
I guarantee you that if someone you love is diagnosed with a peanut allergy, or worst, actually goes through and lives through an instance of anaphylactic shock, you would reconsider the importance of peanuts in your life.
Unfortunately for my family, we have gone through this ourselves. Fortunately we are surrounded by wonderful friends and family who understand this.
Do some research, you might be amazed at just how horrible this is for anyone diagnosed with this and unfortunately we are surrounded by children and adults who can die within minutes of touching a peanut….
Put yourself in their shoes and look at yourself.
Don't ban the stuff, but make parent's aware.
I have several family members and close friends who are allergic to peanuts, and PB wasn't banned from their classrooms 30 years ago, and they survived.
It is not the school's responsibility. My youngest child had cancer, a cold could have killed him. I did not expect anyone to accommodate him. His health was not their responsibility, it was mine. I did not send him to preschool, he did not start school with his classmates. We homeschooled him. I am not sure when we as a society started expecting other people to bend over backwards for us, but this has gotten out of hand.
As a student, I can say that I rarely come across another student with such horrible allergies. The majority of people in this world don't have severe allergies to peanut butter, so why should any other person be banned from this food? I can see that peanut butter may be a threat to some students, but not all. If they have such bad allergies, they should work with the school to find a way to ensure they are in an allergy safe environment.
As for myself and many other students, peanut butter is a part of at least two meals a day. Being a vegetarian, peanut butter is my source of protien. Peanut butter gives me the nutrition that I lack from not eating meat. If I don't eat peanut butter or sometimes almond butter, I am missing out on my daily protien.
I truly do understand the importance of having a safe, healthy environment for students with severe allergies, but we have to take the demographics of allergies into consideration and not let the minority override the majority.
For those who would like to know. I never knew my son had a peanut allergy until he was fed peanut butter at school and he had to be rushed to the emergency room because he swelled up and couldn't breathe. So your child may not have the allergy but could develop it at any time regardless of how often they have eaten or been exposed to a peanut product. This is the reason why most restaraunts have stopped cooking with peanut oil. So I don't think wanting a ban on peanut products at school is at all a selfish thing. It could benefit every child with a known allergy and prevent an emergency situation for children with an unknown allergy.
I am sorry to hear about your son, but aren't you glad it happened in a place where they were able to assist him and get him the emergency help that he needed, and not out on a playground where a child just handed him half of his sandwich? There are two sides to every story.
thats because selfish people usually don't realize they are being selfish.
Why don't we just wrap our kids in padded environmental suits all the time so they can't get hurt. Then give them ribbons and trophies for getting up and going to school, playing games or whatever so that they grow up thinking the world is a wonderful safe place without criticism or disappointment..... That will insure that they are well balanced hardy adults that can deal with adversity....
Even if it is banned from schools you will have to enforce it some how. If one kid sneaks in something with peanuts, the ban becomes noneffective. Worse yet the school may not be able to react to the allergic reaction if they think it will not happen. The situation needs to be looked at on a case by case to find the most effective solution for that case. Same goes for all other items kids are allergic too.
WE NEED TO BAN EVERYTHING! SOMEONE MIGHT DIE IF THEY BREATHE!
I suggest we put all kids in special suits and make sure they are fed hypoallergenic mush through a feeding tube. That'll keep them safe.
Best idea yet!!! Bravo.
I've got an idea. If your kid could die from coming into contact with airborne peanut particles .......... HOME SCHOOL THEM!!!!!! There are "particles" everywhere!!! If your kid has an allergy, that's YOUR problem, not every other parents, period! There are plenty of kids who are home schooled for medical reasons, and this is no different! If there was a kid who was allergic to cotton, would all the other kids have to wear polyester?! When does it stop?
My daughter had a friend in her preschool class who was allergic to peanuts. She knew that she could not sit next to this friend if she brought pb&j to school. SHE asked ME to only give her jelly sandwiches or ham and cheese so that she could sit next to her friend. In most cases, we as adults make this a much bigger deal than it has to be. I do not feel that banning a food is the answer. If we ban food from schools, what happens to these children when they are in the workplace and items are not banned? What about the kids who never learn that there is such a thing as a peanut allergy and are not sympathetic to those who suffer from it? My 5 year old is now more aware and has learned from her situation. Peanuts were not banned, rather moved to another table away from the child with the allergy. And now, at only 5 years old, my daughter is alert to this allergy and what needs to be done if a student has an attack.
It's amazing to me how insensitive some of you are being. I'm not a mom, but I can put myself in the shoes of parents whose children are allergic and I don't think what they're asking is so bad. Are your "healthy" children really suffering so much by skipping the peanut butter? I keep seeing terms like "imposing your will on us" like someone is asking you to put your child on some gluten-free vegan diet or join a cult. It's just peanut butter, get over it! How can you sit there and complain about something like this, that your child might miss a little Skippy during the day, at the risk of killing his or her classmate. You can still serve peanut butter at home, right?
But when does it end? If you allow them to ban peanut butter now... what about students who are allergic to other foods? I sympathize with the students with peanut allergies, just as I sympathize with those with any allergies. I lived with a roommate for 3 years who was allergic to peanuts... I had to be cautious, but he didn't make me stop eating peanut butter.
Here here! It's not even so much the thought of making accommodations that bothers me, it's the total arrogance of these parents who believe that only the most intrusive solution will protect their kids with special needs. How about just a separate place for allergic kids to eat? The idea of an all out peanut ban is unnecessary and selfish.
The fact is, it is not the school's responsibility. The parents are asking for the school to solve their personal problems. They need to take responsibility for the fact that their child has a unique and specialized situation and they have to adjust accordingly. The world shouldn't adjust for them. It's easier to complain than actually do something—that's why this is an issue.
I'm allergic to stupidity. Can we ban that as well?
I believe Kurt Vonnegut (sp?) was the one who pointed out the silliness of aiming for the lowest common denominator in public life. Sometimes things are simply unequal. Parents of those with defect X for all X should be well-versed in how to handle it; expecting everyone ELSE to handle it is unreasonable.
I understand how severe and devastating food and other allergies can be. My youngest daughter almost died when she was a year old from a severe milk (casien) allergy. Thankfully, by the time she was three she grew out of it. We were truly blessed. I am deathy allergic to bee stings. I carry an epi pen. Where are these childrens epi pens??? I have not seen this mentioned in any of these posts. When you have a severe allergy, the kind that is death inducing, you are trained early on how to use an epi pen. Why are these children who are so deathy allergic to peanuts carrying epi pens, instead of imposing a ban of staple lunch food from the majority? So that is my first point. My second, peanut butter is a nutritous food. It does not need to be refridgerated and is resonably economical. I can pack my kids a peanut butter sandwich and know they are getting a good lunch, that is not going to go bad, if I couldn't find an ice pack that morning. It can be prepared in a hurry and they love it. Packing turkey, ham or tuna fish requires an ice pack or insulated bag:some mornings I just can't find the ice packs or they haven't been re-frozen. Speaking of tuna fish....many people are allergic to shell fish and fish, so is that what's next on the ban list? When is it going to stop. We are a country of punishing the majority because of the minority. Allergy table, fine, great idea. But don't ban completely.
the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. if you can't deal with something don't do it/don't go there/don't eat it/ don't drink it/don't read it/ don't watch it/ don't listen to it.....AND stop making everybody else adjust to your life.
So... who gets to decide what's banned and what isn't? What do we do about kids who are allergic to wheat? Or shellfish? Or what about those kids who are allergic to light? Or the bubble boy?
@ Confused: Good questions. Good thing somebody is trying to figure out answers instead of sitting on their ass doing nothing, like you.
And you.
Eric, no "Reply" button on your post so I'll reply to mine. I'm not doing nothing. I have a kid with a peanut allergy. Contact sensitivity, meaning he can have a deadly reaction if he touches a peanut or peanut butter or whatever. I'm not sitting on my ass, I'm learning and doing. My comment is addressed at those who flail about with rhetorical questions whose real meaning is, "I don't have any problems and I can't be bothered with yours."
I feel bad for any kid with a food allergy .... but you certainly can't ban a product like peanut butter from a school lunch room. There are too many people that can't afford to feed their kids other than PB&J these days...if that. What are you going to do...tell THOSE kids they can't eat? I would have to suggest that if your child has a peanut allergy then you should ask for a special place for your child to eat away from those kids.
Well said man....well said.
You must be kidding me! My 7-year-old loves peanut butter and gets it frequently in her lunch. She's under strict instruction to share her lunch with NO ONE and to eat NO ONE else's lunch. The issue here is that kids steal other kids' lunch. Teach your child not to steal and to eat only his/her lunch. Problem no more. No one wants to take responsibility for their kids. My children and whatever issues they have are my problem.....and no one else's. If your child is allergic to particular matter in the air, get him/her a bio suit.
Well I do have a child with a peanut allergy. He isn't in school yet, but at my daughters elementary school, they don't allow peanut/tree nuts in the classroom. Snack is supposed to be a fruit or a vegetable. In the lunch room they have a table for kids who choose to bring a lunch with peanuts or tree nuts so that the allergic children aren't singled out. Seems fair to me. I was always a person who didn't understand why a whole school would go peanut/tree nut free for only a few kids. Now I am a parent of a child with allergies. Some of these people who are so angry about kids with allergies, just remember these kids didn't ask for this. There are no allergies on either side of my family, so why he has them I don't know, but I will do everything I can to educate him on how to protect himself because I know not everyone he meets or every where he goes will.
The problem isn't with banning peanuts – it's just the thin edge of the wedge. I work with an individual with a deadly allergy to apples!! (I had never heard that before) – If we take EVERYTHING out that SOMEONE might be deathly allergic too – what's left?
So what i wanna know is this. If schools should ban peanut butter because kids are allergic, then shouldn't they ban all foods that kids can have allergies to. Should they ban milk for the lactose intolerant? Should they ban chocolate? should they ban fruits and vegetables because some kids are allergic to it? No!! that's dumb. If you kid has an allergy to something then it is up to the parents to make sure that their child isn't eating that certain food. Pack their lunch. Like that is sooooo hard to do. If your kid gets free lunch, then just tell them to stay away from peanut butter. I don't know about you, but most schools serve more than one choice for lunch. If peanut butter and jelly is one choice, gee, i don't know, maybe choose something else. This world is becoming way too soft in thinking we need to cater to everyones needs. Toughen up!!!!
If you are lactose intolerant, you can't get sick if someone else is drinking it – it's not airborne. Peanut dust is airborne and can be DEADLY.
You know what else is airborne and deadly? My dog's farts. Now that I think about it... so are my roommates. I guess I should put them both down huh? That's a bummer.
Katie, I get your sentiment. I have a son who is allergic to peanuts and I actually am not sure banning peanuts is the best answer. That said, it's not enough for us to just not send our kid with peanut butter. David had a reaction once to peanut butter that was on the underside of the table he ate lunch on that wasn't cleaned up FROM THE DAY BEFORE. Your argument and those of others saying "if it's so bad then just stay away from it" just don't hold water. Your frustration is of course justified. I don't experience frustration about this whole thing though: I experience terror at the thought of my kid dying. Irrational yes, but hey, do you have kids? If so you should be able to relate. (And I'm the Dad with these feelings - imagine how the Mom feels....)
I'm violently allergic to grass. Can we ban grass from all schools too? Or can we at least implement grass free patches of dirt on the playground so I can play at recess?
A nut free table or area should be fine. If this is still not safe according to the parents of the children with allergies, then a separate room should be sufficient. Children without nut allergies should not be banned from eating nuts because of some with allergies. Peanut butter is a staple product for many children and a great source of protein for them. Protect the children with allergies by removing them from the situation.
My son has had milk allergies since he was born. At an early age he did ingest a product that had milk and ended up in the ER. Its not a peanut allergy but it was very serious. But there is no way Im going to tell the school they cant serve milk!!! He knows what he can and cant have. Better than most adults. He has grown up knowing what he can and cant eat. Why make a big deal out of it. Its time for parents to stop acting like their children are still six months old. Cut the cord!! Social correctness is what is killing this country.
I agree with everyone who has posted that dealing with allergies is part of dealing with life. We protect and coddle children so much that once they go out into the real world, they cannot cope.
Where does this go? Do we ban tall buildings because of some folks absolute fear of heights, get rid of elevators because some are claustrophobic, ban darkness because of people fear of the dark, or how about air travel because some people fear flying? These fears are real for these few, and can cause sufficient tension and stress to impact their health, possibility leading to heart attack and death. NO!!! Although I don't agree with some of the anger in some of the comments, the early statement that this is part of the selection process is absolutely true. The reason that issues like this are on the rise in our society is that we continue to increase the protections that allow them to perpetuate.
My child is lactose intolerant and I want special treatment, too! And I don't care what impact it has on other people whatsoever! I'm entitled to this special treatment and I'm going to complain loudly until I get it! And everyone who disagrees with me is hateful and mean-spirited! I will get my way! Now, now now! Me, me, me!
This response is rather appropriate summary of just about every pro-ban comment in here.
Posters are leaving out a large part of this story. Peanut allergies may exist in about 1% of kids, but only a very small percent of them are allergic to the extreme extent that airborne exposure is a problem. IT IS TOTALLY UNTRUE that everyone (or even a lot of them) with a peanut allergy will react severely to exposure other than actually consuming it.
So banning peanuts at school is for the benefit of an even smaller number of kids than most of the advocates are trying to lead you to believe.
Peanut allergies although deadly can be minimized with a doctors assistance(a tolerance can be built up to make them less harmful). Parents that fail to work with their healthcare professionals and insist that society change to protect their child are delusional. It is a parents responsibility to teach their child what is dangerous to them it is also reasonable to expect that school personnel are made aware of the allergies and assist in minimizing exposure without banning peanut products, but if your child is so sensitive to peanuts that airborne particles can kill them you should home school them until you and your doctor can reduce their reaction to the peanut protein. The world is a harsh place and you can’t expect a peanut free bubble to always be placed around your child. To not prepare your child and expect the world to change is to, yourself, sign your own child’s death certificate.
Scientific studies suggests that peanut allergies affect under 1% of the population, and nearly a quarter of those affected will outgrow it. So just how many kids are we talking about with an allergy so severe that they are vulnerable to a life-threatening reaction to airborne particles? 1 in 1000, if that? You're talking about maybe a handful of kids, even in the largest schools. If their reaction is that severe, give them a separate lunch area, with the right to invite their friends that do not have peanut products with them. Make it a separate room if needed.
Maybe you feel we should ban peanut butter & peanut products from schools so that your precious snowflake can each lunch with everybody else. The rest of us feel like you should teach your kid not to eat anything but what you have given him. If he's in danger of dropping dead from one kid across the lunchroom eating a PB&J sandwich, then maybe you need to realize that your kid has a freakshow-level disability and will have a hard time living anything resembling a normal life. Forget airplanes, forget baseball games, and forget your precious snowflake being able to eat lunch anywhere he chooses.
Every year 100 Americans die to peanut allergies. Not just kids, that's all ages. The type of allergy people are describing is pretty rare. Your kid that can't even hear the word peanut without going into a coma is the exception to the rule. We will make special accommodations for the precious snowflakes, but there is no reason to ban a lunchtime staple due to the special needs of 0.01% of the population.
Eric you are right on point, but even your reasonable post exaggerates the extent of the problem. Per the CDC, not one confirmed death from a peanut allergy has ever been recorded. 10 – 20 people die in the US each year from all food allergies combined, and none have ever been attributed to peanuts.
By the way, I'm having a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich for lunch....with roasted peanuts! TAKE THAT! :D
DON'T BAN A GOOD HEALTHY FOOD LIKE PEANUT BUTTER FROM THE LARGE MAJORITY BECAUSE ONE OR TWO KIDS CAN'T EAT IT. BY THE TIME THE ALLERGIC KIDS ARE OLD ENOUGH FOR SCHOOL THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF WHAT NOT TO EAT THAT COULD MAKE THEM SICK OR KILL THEM. THEY ARE WELL DRILLED ON THIS AHEAD OF TIME. I HAVE A SEVERE ALLERGY TO ALMONDS BUT DON'T EXPECT OTHERS TO GIVE UP WHAT THEY LIKE BECAUSE OF IT. THIS PEANUT BUTTER CIRCUS SHOULD NEVER BEEN BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION. JUST DON'T EAT IT IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO IT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE........SOMETIMES THE PARENTS DON'T HELP BY GETTING BENT OUT OF SHAPE OVER IT, THEY WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR KIDS ALLERGY AND THEY CAUSE A PANIC OVER A .....NUT!!!
THERE ARE PEOPLE ALLERGIC TO WATER, SHOULD WE BAN WATER NEXT? WHERE DOES THIS STOP!!!
People who are allergic to water don't make it to kindergarten.
Isn't it true that most kids with peanut allergies got those allergies because their parents gave them peanut butter BEFORE the recommended age? That is the precise reason WHY there is an age restriction on when to first introduce peanut butter to children, to reduce the possibility of allergy to it later on in life. Most, not all, parents that have children with PB allergies brought it on themselves. The rest of the world should not have to be inconvenienced by your ignorance.
No, that isn't true. Next stupid question?
First ban all types of "Ban". Anything is harmful to someone should be ban is very bad way of dealing with problems. My son love PB and he should be allowed. Mine and school's responsibility is to make him aware of issue so that he can be careful and do not hurt others.
You ever eard about peanut butter killing kids 5 years ago!!! Why all of a sudden are people saying, their kids will die if they smell peanut butter?!?! In my opinon, I think the lunch ladys are trying to kill the kids because of thier behavior. Nuff said.
My son came awfully close to death with his first reaction. Probably minutes. Scared the crap out of us. OK, so he was only 2 at the time... right at the age the doctor recommended we give peanut butter a try.
Believe me, I hate the fact that my kid is the "peanut allergy" kid, but I don't want him to die from something avoidable.
I have a "peanut allergy kid," too. He's 3, not yet in school. I have no idea what to think about this issue. I certainly don't think that schools should be in the business of banning something that is benign to most of the population. But any direct or indirect contact with peanuts, especially peanut butter, could kill my kid. Common sense tells me that a public school, paid for with public money, should make accommodations for kids who could easily die in their care. My kid shouldn't be responsible for avoiding school altogether... it's a PUBLIC school, for chrissakes. My kid is surprisingly vigilent for a 3-year-old, but I'm not going to put all of the onus on him at 5 or 6 years-old to not make any mistakes.
What's the problem? Peanut butter cannot get airborne. You have to physically injest it. Unless kids or teachers are shoving peanut butter down kids' throats, there is no problem here.
Kids with peanut allergies should be bringing their own lunch to school anyways.
Are you serious? Do you read anything? Peanuts are an extremely airborn allergen. Ever smell peanut butter from a mile away? What do you think your nose is picking up?
You're clearly neurotic about your severely-disabled child. Better you should wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him at home. You'll feel better, and we won't have to be put out by little Andy Wussgenes.
If he's the severely neurotic one, why are you following him around posting minimally insulting nicknames after each comment he makes?
It isn't up to the school to ban peanut butter. The kids who are bullying and physically attack a child who is allergic to peanuts with peanut butter are obviously not raised right at all. When I was a child I would have never thought to do that to another person.
And isn't causing someone to go into shock due to an allergy when you know that they have the allergy ILLEGAL. Lock up the damn brat, I don't care if he/she is 5. They should know better. Its called MANSLAUGHTER if the child dies and maybe if we did something about the bullying first then people wouldn't have to worry.
I have allergies. And If someone were to physically try to harm me because of them, I would press charges. Please and thank you.
Banning Peanut butter is ridiculous when there are COUNTLESS products out there made with peanuts. If you ban PB, then your're also going to have to ban all products that contain peanuts, or is made with equipment that is exposed to peanuts. So most Granola Bars are out. Check a food label sometime. many foods that you wouldn't associate with peanuts bear peanut warnings for various reasons.
Have a peanut free lunch table if necessary, and be done with it.
By that reasoning,since my kid is allergic to wheat products, no more sandwiches of any kind in schools!!!!
If the world were designed to accommodate every single individual's risks—be those health or otherwise—not only would it be incredibly boring, it would simply not function. It is impractical, and in many ways, unfair to the majority. The fact is, no matter what, there will always be someone who benefits and someone who doesn't from any decision.
Every person on the planet has to deal with difficulties and drawbacks, and that's part of life. Everyone has a responsibility to look out for each other, but the ultimate responsibility is to look out for yourself. If you're a parent, that ultimate responsibility is to look out for your child.
However, I am a firm believer in a majority-rules social Darwinism. Obviously I don't think that children with peanut allergies should be shipped off to an island somewhere. But I don't think that the school at large should have to accommodate individuals. It just doesn't make practical sense. If your child is so allergic to peanuts that even particles in the air could be catastrophic, then they should eat in an isolated area, and they should learn, early on, what their allergy means for the rest of their life. Extrapolate it out into adulthood. Imagine an adult with a severe peanut allergy demanding that all the bars in his or her neighborhood stop serving nuts because he could die just by walking into the bar. Everyone would laugh, and rightfully so. It's unreasonable because rather than take responsibility and find a solution that works within the society at large, that person is asking society to accommodate them without making any effort.
And this is the problem. Parents who ask schools to ban peanut butter to protect their children are simply taking the responsibility off their shoulders and handing it to someone else. LEMomma is absolutely right—it's all about teaching your children to be careful, if they have the allergy, or teaching your children to be mindful of others, if they don't. It's that simple. Banning peanut butter because kids are allergic is like banning cars because accidents happen. We don't ban cars because it's totally impractical. Rather, we accept a certain level of risk, and teach ourselves and others how to avoid that risk. That's life.
A very reasonable thought. Good to see that there can be a logical process.
After working for a school system in which several children had peanut allergies, I learned very quickly how dangerous having peanuts (and byproducts) around. There were several children who could have become very sick (and possibly die) after being exposed.... you need to have an Epi-pen available for each child.... Then, my grandson was born and we just found out that he has a high allergy to peanuts...and we have to be extremely careful.... his allergy would cause his throat to close up and he could DIE...so, I agree, to not have peanut products in the school system.
Ok what about other allergies?? i have a tree nut allergy but not a Peanut allergy.. Which means I can get seriously sick from walnuts, pecans, pistachios but not peanuts..
What if you're the parent of a child who is a severely picky eater (or autistic, or with other sensory issues) and will ONLY eat a PB&J sandwich for lunch? Should that child have to skip lunch every day?
Severely picky – smack him with a piece of ham and tell him to deal with it. He's lucky he has options.
Autistic – put him in a special school just like everyone seems to want to do with the 'allergics'.
Yeah, the rest of us have to suck it up and deal with it, whatever "it" is. But for your little Andy Wussgenes, we all have to bend over backwards, and told by a hypocritical crybaby like you to be glad about it.
Wow, reading this comments just shows how people can get worked up over anything! My son's school is a nut free zone. My son does not have any allergies which I count myself lucky for. And, of course, his favorite lunch is peanut butter and honey sandwiches. So, he still gets his peanut butter at home, just not at school. Yes, it is a little annoying to have to make turkey sandwiches instead of pb&j, just because it takes three times as long, but if it means keeping other kiddies safe, I am happy to do my part. But, I do agree that we have to draw the line somewhere. There are kids with allergies to gluten – we can't ban all bread and crackers, etc. If there's quite a few kids allergic to nuts, then, I don't see a problem in having one lunch period nut free and not the other.
How does a turkey sandwich take you 3 times as long?
PB&J: Put peanut butter on bread, put jelly on bread, combine.
Turkey sandwich: Put turkey on bread, put cheese on turkey, squirt mustard on cheese, combine.
You're wasting your time if you're loading the thing up with lettuce, tomato, & mayo. Ten bucks says that tomato gets tossed out anyway, and the benefit of the negative calorie lettuce is more than negated by that fat-laden mayonnaise.
I'm allergic to silver. You don't hear me complaining.
Has anyone ever done a comprehensive study of how many kids have died in the lunchroom from a food allergy? Before we start banning or not banning across the country, let's get some empirical data to make an informed decision.
Try ZERO. That's right, exactly zero. Not just kids in lunchrooms either, people of all ages everywhere. Zero have ever died from peanut exposure. Per the CDC, 10 – 20 people die per year from all food allergies combined – mostly shellfish. Not one has ever been attributed to peanuts. That is why so many angry reactions appear on this forum. It is one thing to infringe on others rights if an actual harm can be demonstrated, but in this case no such harm exists. This is simply the result of a mass hysteria.
i am severely allergic to acrylic and almost 995 of winter wear is made with some sort of acrylic fabric. this being said, i don't walk around telling everyone to take of their scarves, coats, gloves, etc. because i can't be in contact with it.
if your child is allergic to peanuts, acrylic, water, or whatever it may be, educate them on how to stay away instead of putting the burden on the rest of the population...
i am severely allergic to acrylic and almost 99% of winter wear is made with some sort of acrylic fabric. this being said, i don't walk around telling everyone to take of their scarves, coats, gloves, etc. because i can't be in contact with it.
if your child is allergic to peanuts, acrylic, water, or whatever it may be, educate them on how to stay away instead of putting the burden on the rest of the population...
It really sad when everyone thinks that everyone else should bend over for them.
Let one things get banned and see what else happens.
let's ban bees and sunshine and everything else while your at it.
When A kid takes a banned peanut butter sandwich is that attempted murder?
Does it fall under a weapon with zero tolerance?
This is getting way way out of control.
Your child's health is YOUR responsibility. If your child is "deathly" allergic to something as a myriad of people posting claim, then guess what, you should notify the school's administration and he should be carrying an EPI pen. If he isn't, then guess what, you're an irresponsible parent. Try teaching your children something and taking some personal responsibility. It isn't society's job to protect everyone from their own stupidity.
One thing that everyone seems to be missing.....the real question should be WHY are so many kids developing food allergies ? We need to do something about reducing the number of allergy victims.......but I think parents need to take the responsibility, not the schools......
OKay, here is my thing..... let's take this to it's logical conclusion.....
Must we then ban all peanut products from restaurants because you may take your child there? Should we have special stores that sell peanut products and ban them from normal markets for fear of cross contamination?
Ridiculous, yes. But, this an an allergy that everyone must be informed on – but it is up to individuals to take responisbility for. When my child has a student in his class who has a nut allergy, we talk about it. He is aware when he has it in his lunch and knows he cannot sit with that student at lunch, open his lunch around them and must wash his hands immediately after lunch to avoid contact with that student.
Now, my child is educated and yours is necessarily on alert. We should be good.
I have an allergy to ignorance, but we obviously are not allowed to nationally ban that even from this site, much less from schools, public gatherings, social settings and politics. I have learned to adapt.
Yes, now you may all ignore my point and tell me "I won't die from other peoples ignorance, you idiot!" But, that may not be accurate either!
What about kids that are allergic to jelly? They're special too.
Nuff said.
What many people don't understand about peanut allergies is that even the slightest amount of airborne peanut in a large vicinity can be deadly. So, a child entering a lunchroom where someone has a pb&j sandwich can trigger a serious reaction. If the school has to call an EMT to rescue a child, it is disruptive and can take the children away from their learning environment. There is nothing wrong with asking parents to keep peanut butter out of the school...there are other healthy foods a child can eat. If they want peanut butter, give it to them as an afternoon snack. The moral of the story is, everyone will survive without peanut butter!
It will be traumatic for my young, normal child to be exposed to too early to the fact there are people in the world who can be killed by food.
Any child with an allergy THAT severe can not be out in public. Wake up – your example is extreme and ludicrous.
And indicative of the hysterics that many parents seem to bring to this issue. Precisely why their "facts" have to be checked.
peanut butter has been here since the earth was still cooling down!! an its gonna be in my kids lunch box..!
My child is severly allergic to soy products; should those be banned from school? No, it would be insane to say hecould die from someone else at the table eating it. Just smelling peanut butter doesn't put it in anyone else's body. I can understand cracking peanuts would get dust in the air, but peanut butter not being dusty, that is just absurd
If George Washington Carver were still around he would develop a peanut derived solution to this problem. I think people are going about this the wrong way. Why don't we research a cure to peanut allergy rather than try to rid the world of peanuts?
I think if the schools are going to ban peanut butter then they need to come up with more lunch choices, IE: the regular hot lunch along with a full salad bar and maybe a sandwich bar.. different breads, cheeses, meats, veggies.. The schools have to help along with the parents.
what do these kids do if the have to get on a subway or taxi really, any uncontrolled public place? I sympathize with parents of allergic kids and I wonder how it is that there can be an expectation that a person never comes in contact with something as ubiquitous as peanuts (or any nut for that matter). Where is the line drawn as to what we would ban, for example do we lump all nut allergies together to bring parity to those who are allergic to almonds vs those allergic to peanuts? Someone upthread mentioned coconuts – what about that? Things that are harmful to the majority of the population (ie smoking) would be logical to ban but if a reasonable accommodation that a child will not interact with nut residue and that there is an epi available in the case of inadvertent contact could help and is in place for the most part. Sadly, on a numbers basis we cannot possibly ban every substance that hurts a small number of people, we can create reasonable barriers to protect them and have available treatment.
Why is that people are having more and more defective children?
Because the bleeding hearts in this country encourage and enable them.
I think peanuts should be banned for the younger grades (nursery, pre-k, kindergarten), for example. But not the older grades. If a child has an allergy that is life threatening vs. hives, then the school should make accomadations for that child with as minimal disruption to the rest of the school. It must be very frightening for parents of young children w/ life threatening allergies. But hives, sorry. No bans should be in place.
My daughter's school district has banned peanut butter in all elementary schools. PB sandwiches are the only thing, other than fruit and vegies, she will eat. She will not eat in the school cafeteria. Since PBs have been banned, she eats only fruit and vegies. Her weight is not increasing as it should for a child of 12. Last year her teacher allowed her to eat a PB sandwich in the classroom, by herself. After eating she had to clean her desk and wash her hands. The year before, the school principal allowed her to eat PB sandwiches as long as we took her outside to eat them and then she had to thoroughly wash her hands and we had to take her lunch box home. Maybe schools should set aside a place for PB eaters.
Perhaps you should tell your 12-year-old to suck it up and eat something other than peanut butter. You're the parent, YOU make the decisions! I could understand if she were two, but 12? Come on!!
I failed to mention that she also has food allergies, that is why I pack her a lunch. I, not her, make the decision what goes in her lunch box. She also does not have access to a microwave. She is not a picky eater, she just likes PB sandwhiches. She probably eats better than your or your child.
Also, what a disruptive process she has to go through just so she can eat peanut butter! The teacher has to allow her to eat it in the classroom or outside and you have to take home the lunchbox. What, do you go take the food to her at lunch and then take it back when she's done? What a hassle!
So when someone's child dies from food-induced anaphylaxis, it's OK? Shrug your shoulders & chalk it up to natural selection, right?
Pathetic.
Food allergies in schools are a danger to more children than what is realized, and not just nuts. I believe the schools and parents are responsible cooperatively. Parents first, make your child highly aware of their allergy. Teach them that the material they are allergic to is hazardous the same way you teach them that a hot stove is not to be touched. Most children are quite smart and through deductive reasoning can make the decision to not consume or come in contact with something thats going to harm them. Thats self-preservation and (most) children adhear naturally to instincts that tell them to avoid something that causes them pain or scares them. Schools, train your dietary staff! Keeps sets of tools and work surfaces that are deemed "NUT FREE" Allow them to see what happens to a child that comes in contact with and allergen. It's not horrifying for most, but its not very pretty amd most adults that care for children would be very willing to do their very best to prevent the anguish and pain it causes. Seriously people, allergies don't make you weak. Shame on you that declare they do. Do some research you ingnorant jerks.
So I once heard about this person who was allergic to water. Yes, water. Should we ban water from schools?
@Garren: Nuh-uh, sorry. Check your facts. Maybe something IN the water, but do you seriously believe somebody is allergic to something that is the primary constituent of their body? That person would have died in their first month anyway.
My child is diabetic and peanut butter is essential to his health. He eats it for snacks and it is one thing that can be sent to school without worrying about having to keep it cold. I will not jeopardize my child's health by not sending peanut butter to school with him. He has already been told not to give it to anyone else, since other kids are allergic to it.
If it's essential to his health, then give it to him as a snack after school...Diabetics can eat other things than peanut butter and should because it is very fattening, esp. if you eat it everyday and aren't diabetics supposed to keep a certain weight? I'm not trying to be insensitive to your son's special need, but that's not all he can eat.
Soy nut butter is an alternative that we eat due to my child's life threatening allergy.
I would not support eliminating PB in the schools entirely – maybe for pre-school/K – until they know how to manage their allergy. We have taught our child how to inject herself with her Epi-Pen, however, if by chance she eats something accidentally we know the end result could be death.
Those who are so opposed to to the idea...
If it were your child, you would not be such narrow minded individuals.... take a minute and really think about this allergy of our times. It is affecting Americans predominately.
I am sorry if your child is allergic. But, it is the same with allergies to bees, do you keep your child from going outside? Allergies are something that you must learn to deal with. Don't deprieve one child to compensate for another.
no they shouldnt ban penout butter for allergies becouse there are seople that can only get meds down with peanut butter
My daughter eats peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch. Should her school ban peanut butter, I will gladly oblige. I'd hate to think if she had allergies and people weren't willing to accomodate her health. Peanut allergies can be incredibly deadly and I'd sacrafice my child's taste for peanut butter to keep another child safe.
or!! wrap up the sick in a bubble, like john travolta did....
Absolutely, It should be banned. When someone can die from someone else eating it a table over then there needs to be a ban. Some people just don't understand how deadly a nut allergy can be. Find something else to give your kids to take to school.
I have more than 5 food allergies that can potentially be deadly – should everyone have to stop eating all the foods that I am allergic to because of that or should I be required to take responsibility for myself, educate myself and be aware? Banning peanuts is ridiculous because then it will start a trend of banning all foods that cause allergies and in my case peanuts are safe. The world should not have to accommodate the minority to the detriment of the majority.
Given the particular circumstances described in the article stating that the bullied child was part of a group of kids removed from the general population during meal times as to avoid contact with the allergens and the severity of this child's particular reactions, if the child had suffered a reaction due to this instance of bullying I would push the local DA to charge the bully with assault and possibly attempted murder. That said, removing children with allergies from the general population promotes discrimination among the children and hampers social development. What is needed is continued education for both the parents and students about the dangers of these types of allergies. These kids already know who they are, they know what they can and cannot have, and by educating those around them (without singling out the allergic kids) you can reduce the risk of exposure and the risk of bullying.
Banning peanut butter in the school is a drastic step, and a lazy one. It does not increase awareness, promote understanding, or even guarantee that peanut products will not make it into the school. How many teachers are going to check kids' lunches to make sure they don't have a PB&J or granola bar with them everyday? How many parents are going to disregard the ban, either through forgetfulness, laziness (have to make a quick lunch for the kid so throw a PB&J in their lunchbox), or out of deliberate protest? Teach the kids early about the more common allergens how and dangerous they can be. If there is a kid in your class with that allergy notify the other parents about the allergy and how dangerous it can be (above all let the student remain anonymous). Discourage their children from bringing in peanut products, but don't ban them. Yes, accidental exposure may occur from time to time, but with proper education that rate should be tremendously low. I would much rather risk those lower odds than have my child be bullied, discriminated against, or risk malevolent purposeful exposure.
Drew, no one would know who the child is with the allergen if all the kids weren't allowed to bring it to school. How does a 8-year-old have the insight and maturity to avoid peanuts, if the airborne substance is what is causing the reaction? Are children allowed to bring toys to school? No. Should children be allowed to ignore clothing uniforms because they don't like the color? No. Schools have rules and children are not entitled to always get what they want.
The problem with the banning it completely, as is with all bans is that they are not completely effective. Banning it outright doesn't solve any of the problems. As I mentioned in my post, just because a substance is banned does not mean that it will not make it into the school, either purposefully or accidentally. Doing a full ban means you would have to ban it across all age groups. The risk of exposure does not decline with age. While it may be easier to control and enforce the ban in smaller schools or with younger students, as students get older and schools become larger it becomes near impossible. Ipods and cell phones are banned in a large amount of schools, yet plenty of students still carry them on them. Are you going to be able to guarantee that some child won't have a candy bar that contains peanuts in it in his backpack? If you really wish to push it to the extreme, are you going to be able to guarantee a student didn't have a granola bar, or toast with peanut butter, or Reese's Puffs cereal for breakfast at home and has it on his/her breath, or crumbs on their clothes? No, you cannot.
What you can do is educate people to the risk of these allergies, discourage the use of that product in areas where the allergy is common, and teach them what to do if their is an emergency. I would much rather have the people around my child understand the risks and know what to do than blindly trust that the school administration will be able to enforce a ban on a very common product. Education promotes understanding and prevention for exposure to multiple dangerous allergies (not just peanuts). A plain ban may be ineffective, cause resentment (look at this thread for proof), and is not a viable answer to multiple dangerous allergies.
Twenty years ago this would have never been an issue. Parents took responsibility for their own child, and it was their responsibility to worry about that child; not the schools, not another parent and certainly not other children. I grew up with a cousin that was highly allergic to all dairy, starting at birth. There was no such thing as a dairy-free school, but my aunt made sure to pack his lunch, teach him what he could eat, check the party goodies before he ate them, and sent him special treats when others were celebrating events with dairy food. Of course there was scares if he touched an egg shell or ate a hot dog that suddenly had a new recipe, but it was on the parents to deal with and keep their child informed.
Should it be??? It HAS been banned here in SW Ontario, Canada for years. My children's school and every school I know here have complete bans on peanut butter and nut products. No baking, snacks, crackers, bread, ANYTHING with nuts. It's annoying at 1st but I am so accustomed to it now it doesn't even phase me. My oldest son's favourite sandwich is PB n J and he can still eat them, just has to be at home. My youngest has a child in his class this year who is allergic to kiwi & strawberries so I can't send his favourite, cut strawberries. Can't send strawberry jam sandwiches (as an alternate to PB n J), can't send strawberry yogurt. After 3 weeks of school now I have gotten over the inconvenience. I have an uncle who is so allergic to peanut butter a jar can't even be opened with him in the room. When it's something that can potentially kill someone I can have respect for a ban being in place. And if was your child wouldn't you want the same respect?
We don't care how you do it in Canada.
spoken like a true Redneck!!!
The only thing I would eat, most days, for school lunch until 7th grade was peanut butter sandwiches (sometimes with jelly), carrot sticks and two cookies. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would only eat peanut butter sandwiches as a kid. I would not have been a happy camper if I had been told I could no longer eat my favorite lunch. I would have been very stubborn about it, too.
I'm sure there are accommodations that can be made at schools for children allergic to peanuts. Perhaps a they can eat their lunch before the other kids or they can have their own lunch room. Make sure the parents of the children in their classes know not to send peanut treats for the entire class to school. It just seems to me more options can and should be explored.
I realize there are some people so allergic to peanuts that just being in the same room with them can cause a problem. Those cases are the exception not the rule. It seems extreme to completely ban peanut products unless there is a child in the school with a documented allergy that severe. In that case it would make sense. And the school should know how to administer the child's epi pen just in case.
I know several kids who have been in car accidents because of cell phones. Therefor, we should ban all cell phones. I have known several kids who have been seriously hurt falling out of trees. Therefor we should cut down all trees. Several children I know have celiac disiease. Therefor, we should ban all wheat, barely and rye products.
I could go on but where do I stop?
Cigarettes, people should be forced to pay their own cancer bills, not me with higher premiums
Where the hell did this peanut allergy come from? I'm 41 years old and can't remember 1 child in any of my schools having this allergy or even hearing about anybody having an allergic reaction. I'm a parent of 2 girls that don't have peanut allergies but can relate to the ban. The bottom line is that we, as adults should do what ever it takes to protect the children, if that means some children don't get peanut products for one meal, so be it, the alternative is deathly ill or dead kids. Common sense!
I agree, Ryan. I too am 41 and I honestly don't recall ever having known anyone with a nut allergy when I was growing up.
I've been an elementary school teacher for the past 7 years, and we've always been vigilant about snacks that are sent into the classroom to be shared with the class. All teachers who have students with food allergies are required to attend yearly epipen training. We provide a nut free table in the cafeteria where students may choose to sit if they have an allergy, and they may also bring a friend. I feel these accommodations are appropriate and sufficient as long as the child does not have such a severe allergy that smelling it could cause a reaction. I think those severe situations could require banning peanuts at those schools, not ALL schools.
My biggest concern, however, is what is going to happen when these individuals reach college and the work force? Will we be required to ban peanut butter everywhere because we already did in schools? Where does it stop?
pure logic...tell your kid not to eat it and make him a lunch without it and educate the child to wash his hands after lunch. I worked in a daycare with a 3 year old that had a peanut allergy and we just kept all products with peanuts out of his mouth and kept an eye on him, that simple. And he was 3! I think we dont give kids enough credit these days on how smart they are.
That won't work with someone who can't breathe in the particles without having a reaction. Or for some people just touching a doorknob that someone else touched hours earlier with peanut oil on their hands can cause their throats to swell closed. Each sufferer has a different level of allergic reaction.
This also seems to me to be a pretty easy-pickings teaching subject. Those parents with allergic children should be able to teach (older?) children to be aware of what is going on around them and take responsibility of informing his or her peers that he cannot eat or come in contact with peanut butter products. Parents of kids without allergies should similarly teach their children to be sensitive to the needs of others, to wash hands and be clean (a lesson many people could stand to learn!) and generally be courteous to their peers.
This kid is a big jerk. Come on. So all the kids who have peanut allergies should just be kicked out of school and left on the streets to become hobo's. This is stupid and this guy should feel like a real loser right now. My friend is allergic to peanuts and he has a pretty miserable life. When we get milkshakes he can't get anything with peanuts in it which is a real letdown because that knocks out a lot. This guy is a jerk.
This should absolutely be on a case by case basis. I certainly understand the fear that parents of a child that is allergic to peanut butter have about things like this, but what about those children with other food allergies? If we're going to ban peanut butter shouldn't we ban those other food products also, or are those allergies not as important?
Banning one food item because of allergies is a slippery slope to go down. It's the parents' responsibility to inform the school if their child is allergic to peanut butter, so it should absolutely be dealt with on a case by case basis.
totally agree...great response
Wait a minute. If they can have a reaction to ANY amount of PB, that means we have to ban ALL foods that were processed in plants that might also process peanuts. This is getting entirely out of hand. If my kid had a condition that could kill them from something so common and seemingly benign, I would find a way to home school rather than asking everyone in the world to take ridiculous precautions.
Actually, that is entirely correct. People with life-threatening allergies to peanuts have to make absolutely sure that the plant their food was processed in didn't have peanuts there. They have to check all labels very carefully, and they tend to have a severely restricted diet simply because so much out there is processed with peanuts.
That's why, if you check labels, you'll see a small warning that says something like "processed in a plant that also processes peanuts and shellfish" or "not processed with peanuts or shellfish.
Why does it seem that more and more children are developing allergies to foods that have been around for generations? Could it be from all the chemicals, hormones, artificial additives. etc. that have become common place in our food supply? Granted some child do have food allergies and necessary precautions should be taken. However when you look at the government run school lunch program and the kind of foods they allow. It's no wonder our children have the health problems they have.
It is none of the business of the school to tell a parent what they may or may not send for school lunch. My daughter is allergic to oranges, did I go to the school and tell them that they should band oranges, of course not. It would be unthoughtful to force a policy on to a vast majority when one or two students may have this allergy. I understand the concern for those with the peanut allergy and that it may be lethal. However better solutions need to be brought up, a PBJ is a very popular and inexpensive lunch item. Banning peanuts and alienating those with the allergy (but giving them a separate table) are not the answers. Education to those with the allergies and others who may be eating around them would be a better approach. Teach the students to be extra careful when eating peanut based products, ensure peanut messes are cleaned up in a prompt manner, and of course those with the allergy need to pay attention to what is being eaten around them and make adjustments as needed.
There is no cut and dry solution to this problem. Years ago there was not as big of an issue with food allergies. So why are we trying to alleviate the effect and not the cause? We all need to look at what we eat, how we eat it and how we are preparing it. Everyone blames and puts that responsibility on others, growers, producers, sellers. The only way we can take control of our health and the health of our children is if we take responsibility ourselves. I'm not saying that the schools shouldn't have a part in this because schools and parents have to work together to educate our children.
Are you going to ban restaurants and bakeries from using peanut butter, too? Ban grocery stores from selling it? How will your kid possibly survive, if you can't ban it everywhere else? Does your kid just transport "star trek" style from school to home every day, never exposed to anything else?
So, let's ban peanut butter from society as a whole. As well as dairy, sweets, strawberries, soy, wheat, etc. etc. I guess we can all just eat sand.
Seriously, I've read that serious peanut butter allergies are extremely rare, and 95% of the parents who claim their kid has one are just making it up.
I feal bad for teh kids who are allergic to peanut butter. However, I thin it is the responsibility of the partents to provide different meals for thier kids. The kids know when they are allergic to something, give them credit for that. I don't think peanut butter should be removed from schools. If I read it correctly someone above said their child had a reaction to peanuts for particles in the air?!? If this is true then that child should not be allowed in the caffeteria as you cannot control what other partents put in their kids lunch pails regardless of whether the school does or does not serve peanut containing foods.
I grew up on pb – had it every day for lunch all the way through high school. I actually eat a pb sandwich about 4 days a week at work too. If I figure it costs me $1/lunch (which is probably way too high), then I am easily saving $5/day vs buying lunch. Multiply this by 208 (52 weeks x 4), and I am saving around $1k/yr by eating pb for lunch. Obviously a peanut allergy is a very serious issue, but hopefully school's can come up with an alternative idea so they don't take away such an economical option.
Well, i am allergic to dust & ragweed & plaintain (a type of weed), so i think that the schools should NEVER open their windows and should keep the air conditioning on and also should make sure that the schools are very clean from dust at all times... Lets get real folks, I don't hear anyone talking about these allergy accommodations .. because as we knnow hundreds of thousands of people suffer these allergies which are just as deadly. Where do you draw the line? Accomodations that should be offered are a nut-free table in each lunch room. It's not segregation, is simple fact. Do children with poor vision who need glasses who sit at the front of the classroom feel segregated?...no they are accommodated.
Yeah and on that note lets ban recess, jack up the energy bill, and make kids wear a bubble to school!
First of all, to the person who referred to children with food allergies as weaklings: We discovered that my daughter had a peanut allergy after she took one bite of one Reese's Pieces. One bite. Roughly half the size of one M&M. That one bite sent her to the ER and she almost died. My daughter is my world. If you referred to her as a weakling for something over which she has absolutely no control and you did so in my presence, I assure you that I would see to it that you would no longer have the physical capability of spewing your ignorance. Secondly, peanut butter is not a requirement for survival like water or air. In fact, it's not even all that healthy because it is full of sugar and saturated fat. That being said, I actually don't think peanut butter should be banned from schools. I love peanut butter. I especially love peanuts. Before we discovered my daughter's allergy, I ate peanuts all the time. So no, she didn't grow up in too "sterile" of an environment. Now I don't eat them at all. So I have experience on both sides of this issue. My wife, daughter and I have to constantly be vigilant when it comes to peanuts because so much of our food these days contains traces of nuts or is made on the same equipment or fried in the same oil as other products containing nuts, which actually contradicts the sterility argument. It's a never-ending battle. Also, I have to remind my daughter not to eat or drink after anyone in case they have eaten peanuts. I just bought my daughter a harmonica, which she loves, but again I had to remind her not to let anyone else play it because it could kill her. Yes, KILL her. So parents of children with no food allergies, you are blessed indeed. But try to do unto others as you would have them do unto you if the situation were reversed.
I'm happy to hear you are teaching your child and don't agree with the insensitive 'survival of the fittest' mentality that is in a few of theses posts.
Man, now I'm craving some heavily salted peanuts. :-(
Easy solution, kids with life-threatening peanut allergies can wear bubbles at lunch time if they must be around kids with peanut butter sandwiches. Otherwise, we have to segregate them, for their own good. Parents have to foot the cost, it is not the school's responsibility. Just like kids who are deathly allergic to germs.
How bout you tell your kid, ' Johnny- you are allergic to peanuts, so don't eat any or you can die. Not to worry son because I PACK YOUR LUNCH EVERYDAY SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT'......jezus H christ ppl it's that easy. You guys are raising alot of wussie kids. I can prove this because the last generations wussies are now 'raising' the next generation of wussies. Of course, I question the terms 'raise' and 'parent' .
There are so many intelligent arguments that could be made for why kids should be allowed their peanut butter sandwiches at school. Too bad you couldn't find one and had to resort to petty insults.
It's only insulting to wussy parents I'm assuming. There is no argument for my childs right to eat peanuts. What if we took out all the cafeteria's and the parents actually had to be responsible for what their kids ate EVERYDAY.. omfg... the horror!
FIGHT FOR PEANUT EATING RIGHTS! WITHOUT THEM WE WILL DIE!
Oh... right... They're non-essential for life... and can be deadly to others.
There's a lot of reasons why you could argue that banning peanut butter is a bad idea. I've seen many of them presented here. Economical, for instance. Many people don't qualify for free lunches, but can't afford school lunches. Peanut butter is sort of a cheap option. Picky children, some children refuse to eat much else but their favorites, which could be peanut butter. ETC., ETC.
Instead of presenting a logical argument, all he did was insult those who have to deal with a life threatening allergy. These parents are not the "wussies." They have to make some pretty severe changes to their lives, and they have to be constantly on guard and aware of what's going on around them. The real "wussies" are the people who are determined to remain ignorant and uncaring and possibly lazy. If it doesn't affect them, it must be nothing, and therefore, everyone else is weak and stupid.
Oops, I misread your name and assumed you were a second person. My above comments apply to what you've said, then.
First, I think it's appalling that CNN would even give above-the-fold air time to "Joe" for such a vitriolic, distasteful comment. Second, as the parent of a child that has to cope with a serious, life-threatening allergy, I would pose a question for others to help put it into context. Put yourself in my shoes...if your child were to have have an allergy to peanuts where the smallest trace could potentially trigger shock, suffocation or death, would you continue to serve peanuts around your dinner table? Peanut butter and toast for breakfast; peanut and fluff for lunch, chicken satay for dinner, and a big bowl of Reese's for dessert? Tell your 9-year-old, "it stinks to be you, suck it up"? Or maybe you would ask your child to sit a a different table in the kitchen, apart from the rest of the family, to be safe? Would you knowingly put your child in harm's way? Seems preposterous, yes? It's exactly what we, as allergy parents contend with...the fear and concern we feel knowing full well that when we drop our kids at school in the morning that without careful precautions, we might not see them come home. For what, to fulfill a third-graders' birth-given right to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwichfor lunch? Instead, rather than viewing it as making my child 'go without', use it as a parenting opportunity. Teach the kids about differences, help them understand the challenging concepts of empathy, compassion and sacrifice. You'll be surprised what these kids are capable of when given the chance to help a classmate. Opens minds versus narrow minds, these kids are the next generation.
It's not everybody else's fault, or our problem. You had a kid who is allergic to the environment. Did you get sipped thereafter, or do you consider it your "right" to produce more critically disabled children and then expect the rest of us to change our lives because of it? At least the parents of Down's Syndrome kids don't expect the rest of us to act retarded.
Teaching your nine year old that life is unfair – so suck it up and that there is something commonly found in his environment that he needs to avoid is exactly what you should be doing. Are you raising a wuss?
OK, so the schools are able to protect all those with peanut allergies by banning peanut butter, products containing peanuts, food cooked with peanut oil. My question: what happens when children with a peanut allergy leave the protective confines of the public school system? Who will watch out for them and make sure they don't come into contact with peanuts or peanut products? The short answer? No one will. They'll have to fend for themselves when it comes to their allergy.
They'll ask the proper questions, and go somewhere else. Were you allowed to just get up and leave the cafeteria when you were in elementary school? Were you even allowed to leave the table to sit somehwhere else?
It's startling how angry and ugly people get over peanut allergies. It's an immune dysfunction same as the seasonal allergies many of us suffer from. The difference is it causes your airways to constrict. It's a disease, not a preference. The idea that this would be natural selection pressure on children is like saying we should withhold medical treatment to sick babies. It's so cruel and unreal that it's discounted immediately. My family of vegetarians relies on peanut butter as a source of protein. We have other options but this is an important one in our kids lunches. However, my nephew is severely allergic so we have taught all of the young children how to be careful. He's never had an attack around us or at school. We don't ban buckeyes at Christmas but we keep them out of his reach. I think a combination of training and isolation should allow kids like mine to take their pb sandwiches to school while protecting children like my nephew from exposure.
I am glad that you have taught your kids to be careful around their allergic cousin, but who is teaching the cousin to be careful about his behavior? That is where the real responsibility lies.
Knowing how deadly a peanut allergy can be, on a personal level, I'd avoid sending nuts/peanut butter to school – especially if there's a known allergic there.
But I'm actually in favor of taking it on a case by case basis. Schools get some medical history of their students. They should ask for parents of severely allergic children to submit allergy test results to them at the beginning of their tenure at the school. Then, based on exactly how allergic the child is, they could adjust their policy. If there's a child in an elementary school who is so allergic to peanuts that it could kill him, they could ask parents in his particular class not to send peanut products for snacks or lunches.
In middle/high schools, if there's a known deadly allergy, they could request parents not allow their children to have that product in school, but they should also consider creating a safe space for that child to eat without worrying about other people's lunches. For instance a small room, or a closed off portion of the cafeteria could be designated allergy free, and those children with severe food allergies could eat in those areas.
Peanut Butter is one of the most economical way to get calories, nutrients and protein into children. In addition, even picky children will eat it. By banning peanut butter in school lunches, you are seriously harming the ability of poor families to properly feed their children.
so....if my child is diabetic, all sugar should be banned from schools?
it's not my responsibility to teach my child about the consequences of eating something that could make him/her sick? it's not up to me to make sure s/he avoids those things? sweet. another responsible parenting moment i don't have to take part in!!
While I sympathize with parents of children with nut allergies, what really aggravates me is that peanut butter for those children who aren't allergic are one of the cheapest and most nutritious foods you can give a young child who can be finicky about foods. If you ask parents to stop feeding their kids peanut butter for the sake of a relative minority, you're basically cutting out a very economical option for families who may not be able to afford much else. Not everyone can afford to pay for school lunches for their children.
This argument can be projected onto any other such conflict: a small minority of people want to make the large majority of people change to suit their specific needs. If peanut allergies we incredibly prevalent, so much that there was a relatively significant population in most schools, then yes, ban it. On my way up through elementary school there were kids with peanut allergies, probably less than 10 in a school of 400, and I had peanut butter almost everyday and we ate at communal tables. My best friend was incredibly allergic and I would eat peanuts next to him and he was completely fine and as far as I know not dead. Come to think of it, how often do you hear of children dying from peanuts at school anyway?
Seriously, if being in vicinity of a peanut is going to literally kill you, you need to not be going out in public. You need to be in a plastic bubble. What are these kids going to do when they grow up and have to get jobs and walk around in public? Enact peanut bans everywhere they go? Good luck with that.
Perhaps the fact that so many people think having to wait until you get home to have peanut butter is "suffering" or that every kid should have the "right" to have whatever they want, whenever they want says more about the direction our culture is going than any rise in food allergies does. What is wrong with us that so many people are angry that they might have to teach their children to look out for other people? How selfish do you have to be to become outraged over not taking a peanut butter sandwich to school? No one ever died from NOT eating peanut butter.
except for that family that could only afford peanut butter for lunches - since the school lunch program said mom makes too much money to qualify for discounted or free lunches, that's all they can afford to take. so no, they didn't die...but they certainly didn't get to sit an enjoy a nice peanut butter sandwich for lunch, either. and before people get all uppity, YES, this is how it REALLY IS for some families in the US, and this is how it's ALWAYS been for at least SOME families here. the hunger problem in THIS country is far more prevalent than anyone is willing to admit.
Correct, no has died from having to wait to eat a pbj sandwich, but as another said for some of us thats all we can afford to feed our kids. Also, my kids elementary school-if you dont have lunch money or owe the school money for lunches-know what they are fed for lunch-yep, a Peanut Butter Sandwich! Thats here in Orlando, Fl
I agree PB should be banned. While were at it lets ban all playground equipment since more children get hurt playing on that than eating peanut butter. And dodgeball, dodgeball should also be banned. I got really hurt from a dodgeball hit when I was a kid. It really messed me up.There are alot of strawberry allergies out there too so lets ban them.. Also, asthmatics should be banned from running outside because more children die from asthmatic attacks than allergic reactions. You know I think we should just keep our kids in plastic bubbles while they are at school to be absolutely safe. PLASTIC BUBBLE MOVEMENT!
Dodgeball was banned in public schools years ago in many places.
You must really love peanuts. Why go out of your way to put someone else's kid at risk? I like peanuts, sure, but not that much. Is it the principle of the thing? You demand your right to put peanuts before other people's life? Channel that energy into something a little less selfish.
i feel like i see typos in every document that CNN produces these days. get some more editors.
Furthermore, if someone is having a reaction, you can't just take an 'oh crap I ate a peanut' pill and be all better.
Peanut allergies are quite different than other food allergies, partially because of the allergen itself, but also because of the number of ways that peanuts are processed (powder/dust, sticky butter, candy, etc) and that the material spreads all over.
my kid loves peanut butter an wants it at least twice a week..( at school ) what makes these other kids so special? i say give the sick kids one peanut at a time an build up their immune system an at the end of the week they will be as strong an healthy as my princess....
You do realize that there's not really a way to "build up" the immunity of sever peanut allergy sufferers, right?
What you just suggested is the equivalent to having someone stab "your princess" every day with a knife to build up her immunity to knife attacks.
Your ignorance is staggering. One peanut is thousands of times the amount required to trigger a life threatening reaction in some of these kids. there is an experimental process to desensitize them. It involves administering peanuts in minute quantities, milligrams per dose, and then monitoring the kid for hours, each time. Over months the dosage is ramped up, with each increase in dosage having a risk that the kid will stop breathing and require hospitalization. Every kid it's been tried on has had multiple life threatening reactions as part of the process. It works, but it's life threatening along the way.
Hey, anything so your princess doesn't have to wait till after school to enjoy her peanuts. A little time in the hospital is good for a kid.
~1.3% of the population is allergic to nuts.
~0.8% of the population has AIDS.
Think before you speak.
So you think peanut allergies are a bigger problem than AIDS?
While I am sympathetic to those with peanut allergies, it bothers me somewhat that EVERYONE has to accommodate the few who are allergic to nuts. I remember growing up that I and many other students often brought peanut butter and jam sandwiches to school. I am a diabetic (and no, not from being overweight – I have Type I diabetes which means it's an autoimmune disease) as are many other kids and adults – does that mean no candies, treats, or other snacks with sugar are allowed in schools? I am sure that peanut allergies are not a new trend and that we all went to school with such kids.
We just received a letter from parents of a peanut-allergic kid from my kid's class, asking that if we feed our kids anything with peanuts, we need to brush their teeth again, wash their face/hands/etc. and inspect them again to make sure no remnants remain. Well, what if a little smear happen to have landed on their shirt or chest/body, am I expected to give my kid a bath before sending to school? God forbid, what if I actually miss a small dot of peanut butter – shall I buy a microscope to make sure?? Sorry, the parents and doctors should be responsible for coming up with their own solution to prevent the allergic kid from being able to inhale or come in contact with peanuts, or treatment of the allergy should accidental contact occur. Just like any other medical condition or disease – the whole world cannot be expected to dodge around what is your own personal issue.
One last thing, have you also noticed how so many suggestions for kids' healthy lunches include nut and nut products, such as peanut butter, almonds, etc.? I'd love to pack some lunches with these healthy suggestions, only problem is, it is not allowed anywhere anymore – can't bring it for sports team events, schools, daycares, camps, etc., etc., etc. ...
Wow, arguing about peanut butter. And people wonder why this country is in turmoil.
I completely understand the need to make sure those children with allergies are kept safe! But, my question would be if they start with banning peanut butter in schools, then they next group with allergies will ask for the exact same consideration-citrus allergies, people are allergic to wool-wintertime up north some kids wear wool coats, nitrates as someone posting said, allergies to certain dyes in food. If we ban one thing then someone else steps up and wants their allergy banned. When does it stop-when we are too afraid to live much less breathe cause we are afraid to hurt someones feelings or afraid we may cause harm to someone. There has to be a way to kids our kids safe without so many things being banned. It actually just starts a vicious cycle that will never stop. I truly feel for those with these allergies-NO child should have to grow up looking over their shoulder making sure no ones has food that may harm them, that in itself is sad
is that poll option supposed to say "...My kids shouldN'T have to go without because of your allergies."?
as a teacher and a parent I fully support schools limiting PB in lunches. While my child does not have an allergy, several of the students in his school do (some are mild but some are severe enough that PB on your breathe can invoke an attack). He my love PB but it is limited to weekends at home. The last thing I would want is for my child, in his rush to head out and play to forget to wash his hands, touch a door knob and inadvertanly transfer pb to another "safe" surface. As a teacher, I appreciate not having to do an epi jab while waiting for the ambulance, not having to perform CPR on a student and not having to debrief a classroom of children who have just watched a classmate struggle for air. When you consider what the parent of a child with an allergy goes through (look in your cupboard at the number of items that may have come in contact with peanuts/nuts), sending cheese and crackers for lunch, buying peanut free granola bars is an easy feat. If you are so adimant to send your child with PB, maybe then the school should have a PB room where your child can eat, wash up and brush their teeth after wards...
Not that there's any useful point in bringing facts into the discussion, given the bloviating from posters defending their god-given right to cheap protein, but peanuts are an exceptionally troublesome allergen in that they are A) potentially lethal through anaphylaxis, and B) not caused strictly by consumption, but also by contact and even airborne inhalation. (So feel free to disregard the more ridiculous comments like Donna's "If your [sic] allergic, don't eat it–pretty simple" and Mark's ridiculous slippery slope argument that schools should just ban everything but rice and beans–vegans colon's don't involuntarily vent their contents and their throats don't cut off oxygen supply at the mere presence of meat.) There's really a simple solution: Create a peanut table (or tables, or cafeteria wing if need be) instead of a peanut-free table. Let those people whose arrogance and entitlement allow them a choice to suffer the potential isolation and indignity, and grant those people cursed with a congenital defect a modicum of security that premature death isn't hiding in a brown paper bag nearby.
Before we go banning PB in schools, we need evidence. How many cases are documented where a kid who was allergic to peanut butter went into anaphylactic shock because of accidental exposure to peanut butter in a lunchroom? If your kid is allergic, they should not eat it and if they do, you have not done your job in telling them it could KILL them. I can empathize with people who fear for their kids' lives. But if it's that bad, maybe you should home school.
Amen Janet. Home school the little darlings. That would be the perfect answer to all the scared parents.
To Joe and the others who say tough luck, how would you feel if my child sat at your child's lunch table with arsnic, anthrax or a loadloaded gun. I bet you would feel like I do when I send my severely allergic child to school each day.
We teach our kids not to eat poison and what to do when they feel sick. Don't you do the same thing?
Yes, of course I realize that the best way to ensure my child's wellbeing is to educate her to dealing with the allergy. By the way, I don't even advocate for a nut free facility as I believe it gives a false sense of security. My point – dramatic as it may have been – was to hopefully have others appreciate the depth of fear and concern. Peanuts are poison to my child.
I'd say your kid was a terrorist and call Prez. Obama and the FBI.
Yep, I think you get my point though I realize you didn't intend to. My child's safety or lack of safey could be in someone else's hands.
What about kids being allergic to other things (i.e. chocolate, class pet, whatever)...we can't have kids living in bubbles.
Also though, PB & J sandwiches are an inexpensive lunch to provide to children. Eliminating PB can be economically bad for those who can't afford more expensive lunch options for their kids
It amazes me (not really) that so many of you don't understand the allergy that you are talking about. Simply telling people to teach their kids ot 'not eat peanuts' doesn't cut it. It's in the air, it's smeared on the cafeteria table, it's all over the hands of the kid that sits next to you. Peanut allergies don't require you to EAT the stuff. Breathing it, touching it, rubbing your eye if you have some residue on your finger – ALL of these things can and do trigger very serious reactions. Combie that with the fact that so many schools don't even allow parents to be there during school hours and you've got no control over what happens to your kid.
I understand perfectly. You suffer, so everybody else should, too. I'm sorry, but if just being exposed to the freaking environment might kill your kid, then maybe this world just wasn't meant for one as beautiful as he.
Do me a favor John. Pop out a kid with a peanut allergy, then kill him because you don't want to bother inconveniencing other people. And by 'inconvenience' of course I mean tell them they can't have peanut butter for one meal of the day.
No need to kill him. Just keep him at home until he can epi-pen himself when he needs to. Then tell him to stay away from my kid, who will be eating peanut butter. Also, get a vasectomy, so you don't create another problem child.
My daughter attends a Catholic school in Moundsville WV. Peanut butter and peanut related products, or products produced within 500 miles of a peanut have been banned from this school for several years now. This is all due to one family that has 1 confirmed peanut allergic child and 2 that "might" be allergic. So the minority rules, right? the other 197 students may not bring any of these products to school in their lunch. If they do bring one of the banned items they are permitted to eat them in a separate area away from the rest of the student body as if they were the leper who would dare enjoy a PB&J for lunch. Now there is talk of banning eggs due to a child with an egg allergy. I bet if my daughter would develop a sudden allergy to paper and chalk dust those items would not be banned from the school. Just some thoughts from a parent of a NORMAL child sick of this mambie pambie, coddleing world we live in. P.S. I bet we can figure out a way to pin this on Obama.
I know the family that is referred to above. They eat out at public restaurants, and public events ie: picnics, festivals, sporting events etc. and the people at the next table could be eating nothing but peanut products and this doesn't seem to be an issue. I wonder if in this case its a matter of control by an overbearing loud mouth mother? At the last school sports banquet held in the same gym as the students eat their lunch and using the same tables there was candy treats on every table that were clearly labled "manufactured in the presence of peanuts". The peanut family was in attendance and their was not an issue. Every Friday night in the same gym using the same tables they hold bingo and sell peanut M&Ms and Snickers bars amongst other peanut related products. Also the patrons are permitted to bring in any food stuffs they choose. The peanut kids eat lunch in this gym on Monday on the same tables with no problems. Just some info to make you go "HUMMM".
we should ban bees, milk, cheese, all glutin, grapes, fish, brown people, black people,Irish, Italians,women, and then tax all peanut items. That should take care of everything. Retards.
I used to teach a child with alergies to peanuts, dairy, and eggs. If I had eaten a sandwich that contained mayonaisse, or had I drank a glass of milk, I needed to wash my hands thoroughly before coming in contact with this child. More than once, after casual contact from others, he was rushed to the hospital. His parents did not remove him from the school, nor did they demand that the allergens be banned, but those of us who had daily contact with him had to be very careful. I don't believe banning the food is the answer. You can't ban everything that anyone might be allergic to. You just have to find a way to make it safe for the child with the allergy. If that means having a "clean" area to eat, then it's that simple. Also making sure that the students are strongly encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating, which they should be doing anyway. Allergies are not made up, or exaggerated by most, but they are a part of our lives for whatever reason. If it were your child you would ask for the same due diligence, and hopefully, you wouldn't expect others to ban foods they enjoy.
You are obviously sane. What are you doing on this forum? You should go find one for other sane people.
Tell your kids what they can eat and what they can't eat – they're not dogs, they'll understand it.
Banning peanut butter altogether is a terrible solution. If I was in that school I would bring it anyway
I'd have been more likely to bring peanuts once the principal said I couldn't. Lots of kids are that way. Either that, or just waylay Jimmy Wussgenes on the way home and shove peanut butter up his nose.
I am lactose intolerant. That means, I get intense stomach cramps and paint peeling gas if I eat cheese. It's uncomfortable. For me and for everyone around me. So what do I do? I don't eat cheese or drink dairy products. I don't impose a "no cheese" rule on everyone around me, as I am an intelligent, selfless human being. Yes, I love pizza, I wish I could actually eat it. But I can't, so I don't.
The argument of "banning" a food (and we're talking about fricking peanut butter here) due to the reactions of a few is preposterous. It's like cutting off a head to get rid of a headache. Parents: If you want to help your children grow up and mature in this world, teach them how to live with their ailments. Tell them it's ok for most people, just not for you. And you have to be able to trust your children NOT to eat peanut butter. And if they're dumb enough to eat peanuts afterwards, f*** 'em.
There again, your allergy is limited to yourself only. If someone else eats pizza and you inhale the scent of the pizza, your throat doesn't close and your body doesn't go into anaphylactic shock.
Never mind, it's entirely the same thing.
Correct me if I'm wrong... I thought peanut butter allergies were limited to people with the allergy who EAT peanuts/peanut butter, etc. I've never heard of the allergy being air borne. I mean, if it's that severe, should we not ban peanuts in grocery stores, too? Wouldn't people go into anaphalactic (sp?) shock when walking down the peanut section? Would this not be a much more common occurrence? What about baseball games? Should we ban "buy me some peanuts and cracker jack" from "Take me out to the ballgame"? Really, people need to be responsible for THEMSELVES.
Yes, peanut particles are airborne. You know how peanut butter has a distinct smell? Airborne particles. And because of the nature of the peanut and the allergy, that smell can be serious. Also serious, peanut oil on someone's hands. They open a door or touch a desk and the allergy sufferer touches after them and has to go to the hospital.
It's sad, but that's what happens. So yes, that allergy is much different in nature and much more severe than a dairy allergy.
As far as the other things you mentioned, here's the deal. Allergy sufferers and their parents are the most responsible people on the planet. Should they ban peanuts from baseball games? No, because the simple answer is that allergy sufferers just don't go to baseball games.
Supermarkets? Those are problems for allergy sufferers, and some go to extreme measures to stay healthy – going at times when it's unlikely that people will be opening peanut jars, avoiding that aisle, shopping with gloves or a dust mask on... all of those things can help, but it takes a lot more effort on their part than you or I going into the store and grabbing what we want and leaving.
I'm not saying that we all have to just destroy peanuts for all time because a few people have allergies. But the fact is that the allergy IS airborne and the severely allergic can die. So in SOME situations, it would behoove us to make some concessions for them; for instance in planes, where they can't get away from the allergen, or in schools where they could be provided with safe options to make it through the day, or even in the office when we know an allergy sufferer works with us.
Peanut Butter is one of the most economical way to get calories, nutrients and protein into children. In addition, even picky children will eat it. By banning peanut butter in school lunches, you are seriously harming the ability of poor families to properly feed their children.
We're talking about less than 1% of the population here. Deaths from nut allergies occur no more often than deaths from beestings. This is all media hype.
Creationism, School prayer ... might as well get rid of peanut butter too. Apple Pie and the Stars and Stripes will be next. You just wait and see.
Enough with nanny state BS!!! Just tell the allergic kids to avoid the stuff and keep a few epi-pens on hand. Next!
Has anyone stopped to ask WHY the instances of allergies (all types) has climbed from just under 3% of the population in the 1970's to over 12% currently? Just a thought!
Once my 2 year old son was walking along with me in the school hallway eating a peanut butter sandwich when the nurse reprimanded me for allowing this. Another time I sent cupcakes with hershey's kisses on top for my son's birthday party at school in a peanut free classroom. The teacher threw the kisses in the trash because they are made in a factory that manufactures tree nuts. My son watched 25 chocolate kisses get thrown away by his teacher. I still don't understand why they couldn't have just thrown away the chocolate kiss on the allergic child's cupcake or given this one child a different dessert. These reactions seem so outlandish to me.
There definitely is a growing number of people that are allergic to peanuts. I was unaware of my allergy until being allergy tested. After finding this out I cut peanuts out of my diet and have noticed a large decrease in my asthma symptoms. Now that I eat almond butter and other nuts that aren't legumes I don't have to shell out as much money for inhalers. Being an uninsured college student it really helps with the budget.
Natural selection eh? It's really a shame that that doesn't keep us safe from the dangers of stupidity and ignorance (and I'm referring to the people using it as a defense in this argument, not the children). Considering stupid people breed so much more than smart people, I'd actually say it works against us. We're just too far gone for natural selection my friends.
My son's friend has a tree nut allergy. His parents printed notes and gave them out to the class explaining the problem and suggestions for snacks that are free of nuts for the class room. In the cafeteria the kids with allergies have designated tables. So far there has been no ban on peanut butter from the school and no parents have suggested it. The kids seem to be more understanding about this than some of the parents, but it's usually the parents who complain the most are the ones who can't stand anyone telling their "precious" little children no.
Far more children die each year from shellfish allergies and approximate two times as many children have a shellfish allergy. Are we going to ban that school cafeteria staple of fried shrimp? (I know the issue is a little because kids don't bring shrimp to school as their lunch), but it is often served in cafeterias. We cannot ban everything that is dangerous for our children. We have to teach our kinds to live in a dangerous world.
Most shellfish allergic reactions occur when a child ingests shellfish. Therefore, shellfish in the same room is not a medical threat to a shellfish allergic child.
Peanut allergic reactions can occur when a child inhales peanut particles in the air around them. Therefore, peanuts in the same room are a potential medical threat to a peanut allergic child (or adult)
Sorry if reality is potentially fatal for your kid. Better keep him away from it.
If the child's allergy is that severe, i would think simply banning PB wouldn't be enough as there are peanuts in quite a few things that you wouldn't expect peanuts to be in. And what happens if my child has PB for breakfast at home and then somehow accidently takes some on clothing or an unwashed finger to school? Mistakes like this happen with children. Maybe if your childs allergy is that severe, you should consider alternate means of educating them. If the allergy is manageable, a peanut free table or lunch room should be available. If the allergy is so severe that just a small whiff of peanut particles could cause the child to sufficate, i think it would be in the childs best interest to be in a controlled environment. Maybe not a public school where there are too many oppurtunities for accidental exposure.
i fly Southwest Airlines because they still serve peanuts... oh, and bags fly free :)
I think that we, as a society, schools and families together, should teach our children to be considerate of the needs of others. I think we should teach them to recognize problems and work together to find solutions that leave everyone safe and happy. I think that we should teach them that if they come across someone in their life who has a need and they can help, then they should do so.
As a parent of a child with a milk allergy, we don't have to worry about a life-threatening allergic reaction when exposed to the scent of milk. We have always worked with the classroom teacher and taken the time to get to know the parents of the children in the classroom. We have asked to be notified if a treat is being sent in, so that we can provide our child with a safe alternative treat on that day. In the lunchroom, we have experimented with a 'no-milk' table, where his friends joined him on days when they did not drink liquid milk, but, this year, in 5th grade, we have opted for eating, carefully, with the general population.
Of course, we can do this with a milk allergy. A peanut allergy is completely different as those who are allergic can have a life threatening reaction to peanut particles in the air around them. Life-threatening.
As a kind person, who is teaching my children to be considerate of others, I have absolutely no problem with being asked to try not to bring food items into school that may kill another person's child. It's not all that difficult to do. There are millions of other food choices available to us for those few hours that they spend in school each day. It boggles my mind that people would take offense at being asked to make a simple change that may save another persons life.
As a parent of a food allergic child, I know that it's not always easy to read ingredient labels. And, I would never trust another person to do it properly, with regards to the safety of my child. Even with parents being requested to keep it peanut-free, and assuming that all are doing so with the best of intentions, a peanut-allergic child is still likely to accidentally be exposed to peanuts at school and in their lives. But, if I can help to lessen that risk by making simple changes -and- if doing so teaches my child a lesson about people helping other people, then I can't imagine being upset about being asked to do so.
I agree with that. We should be working together as a community to help each other instead of staunchly insisting on the rights of one over the life of another.
I love your comment. Especially the first paragraph.
maybe i missed it... but how does 1 kids peanut butter sandwich effect another kid? unless your like protecting those lunch time bullies who steal kids meals... i dont get it
Many peanut-allergic people can have a life-threatening reaction if simply exposed to peanut particles in the air around them. Some don't. Every allergic reaction is different, person to person and reaction to reaction. But, with a peanut allergy, that possibility exists.
All though it is tragic that some children are allergic to peanut I dont think all the children of a school should suffer. Peanut butter is a great lunchtime sandwich! Whats next hair? so children are allerigic to hair so I guess hair is not allowed?? I dont understand what with all the allergies lately I dont remember on single kid being allergic to anything when I went to school. I think the alot of parents are so protective the make there children sick. Its good to get out in the mud and dirt and play! Let them get dirty! Nothing wrong the washing hands but come on some parents are turing their kids in OCD patients!!
You think not being able to eat peanut butter constitutes "suffering"? There have been times in our history when nearly the whole population was starving, and yet someone who was blessed with just enough for one sandwich per DAY would share that sandwich with his neighbor so his neighbor could survive another day. And you can bet that a decade later, when BOTH men were still alive, and the guy who shared his sandwich needed help to survive, his neighbor would be there for him.
You never know when the tables will turn. Look out for your fellow man, and you too may reap the benefits of his generosity when it is you who are in need.
Let's develop a vaccine for peanut allergies. So important????
Wow, isn't it so easy to say, "it's not my problem, it's yours." It's interesting that people who don't have kids with allergies seem to think it's so easy to address this issue. My daughter has a peanut allergy, and I have taught her that she's not supposed to eat things with peanuts in them. But, she's only 4 so, she can't read labels yet. What is she supposed to do if a friend offers her a cracker and she doesn't know it's made with peanuts? What about Chex Mix, for example? Did you know it contains peanuts in it? I didn't, until I read the label. Of course, as I mentioned, my daughter can't read yet so if she was offered such a benign looking snack and ate it, it could kill her. Why is that okay to you? Would it be so okay to you if it were YOUR daughter at risk? It's also not fair to the children with allergies to segregate them in a different lunch period just because they have an allergy. It's not their fault that they have allergies. If your child was different in some way, would you want them sent off to a separate lunch period? What's the harm in banning peanut butter from school anyway? So, some parents who "lived off PB&J" as kids won't get to feed their kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day. No offense, but not getting to have peanut butter at school is a much more reasonable alternative than risking the lives of other children. I'm not saying a ban is necessary, but we do have to look at this issue from all perspectives. And no, this is not an evolution or survival of the fittest issue because let me tell you, my 4 year old is about as fit as they get, and smart as a whip to boot. That doesn't mean I can control everything she does at school, or that she's old enough yet to control this issue on her own – which is why parental intervention and involvement is necessary, at least until kids are old enough to be able to manage this issue on their own.
While I completely sympathize with your child's allergy, and I have actually taught children with peanut and other food allergies, how can you expect anyone to be as dilligent as you are with regard to your child's food restrictions. As you said, there are peanuts in things you would never imagine contained peanuts. Even if we ban peanut butter in schools, how do we ban crackers that may contain peanuts, and chex mix and other assorted things that may contain peanuts that even the most caring of people missed? Someone who doesn't have to worry about these things on a daily basis may be willing to forego a little peanut butter sandwich, but may completely miss the peanuts in the trail mix they send their kids as a snack. As much as it may seem harsh, you can't expect anyone else to take the same care with packing food for their children without allergies as you do for yours with allergies. You still have to caution your child to stay away from other people's food. Banning peanut butter won't remove the risk of peanuts in school.
How are these children going to survive when they go out into the world? Seriously!
I'm amazed by the lack of compassion and abundance of ignorance in some of these posts. I do understand that some of you have nothing else to do all day but entice a comment war between people that do care about the issue. In case you all actually believe in what you just wrote, here are some facts. Most kids with peanut allergy are very well aware of what they can and cannot eat. Most kids with peanut allergy understand that other kids can and will eat peanuts. What they cannot control is cross contamination from a dirty table or a dirty finger at the playground. So, for the parents that do not care about other kids, I can guarantee you that my kid will not touch your kid's peanut butter sandwich and she can only hope that your kid is educated and compassionate enough that he/she will try their best not to make some kid sick..possibly fatally sick.
We prohibit guns from school, because guns can kill. We remove asbestos from schools, because asbestos can kill. We keep video games out of school, because video games are distracting. We keep soda out of school, because soda is fattening. But peanut butter, which can kill, is ok? Please watch a child nearly die from an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter, and then tell me if you still think we should have peanut butter in school.
Ms. Salvatore – All of the things you mentioned are good points but there are slight differences. Guns and video games do not belong in a school because they are dangerous and distracting. There are better alternatives for asbestos. Soda has no nutritional value (i think this decision should have been left to the parents but it is understandable). But PB is a food item with a nutritional value, assuming you use real peanut butter and not the over processed and sweetened stuff. It is not the same as guns or asbestos.
Peanut butter sandwiches are the only thing my 9 year old will eat. If they were to ban peanut butter, he would starve. He does have a child in his class who is highly allergic to a lot of things, and peanuts is one of them. He ate in a classroms, with a group of his friends, as long as they didn't have peanut butter or peanut products. There are ways around this without banning anything.
My guess is that if peanut butter were to suddenly become unavailable, your 9-year-old would NOT starve. The rumbling in his stomach would lead him to try other foods. And really, shame on you if you allow him to be so picky. Peanut butter sandwiches do not offer complete nutrition for a growing child. He needs to eat fruits, vegetables, dairy (or other calcium sources). If my kid only liked ONE food I would ban it from their diet immediately until they learned to like a variety of other things.
People need to be more informed about this. Peanuts and peanut butter is a FOOD allergy, but depending on the severity, it can be much different then most food allergies. For some people they only get a reaction if the eat it. For some people it is just if they touch it. And for some it is actually airborne, and it can give them a reaction just by breathing it.
For people with the allergy so severe that it is airborne, this would extend up to high school. Mostly though this is a problem for early childhood and elementary education. A separate table is likely not enough to keep your rug-rats and their messy fingers from infecting the entire classroom, all the toys, etc. In other words, this is not a problem that is easily contained within the lunch room.
After reading most of the comments above, it amazes me at how self-centered our society can be.
It is selfish and conceited to want to keep your child alive? If you believe in survival of the fittest then half the children in school would have been dead by school age, because their lives are full of precautions taken due to a small percentage at risk.
While banning all peanut products is extreme, there are ways for parents blessed with child without this increasingly wide spread allergies to work with those suffering from it.
While there are some children who have legitimate serious allergies to peanuts, many parents will list a peanut allergy on their child's school health form without getting a diagnosis from a doctor. That is the real problem. In a class of 18 kids, 10 kids shouldn't have peanut allergy. We have to help the kids who have a real problem.
If the allergy is so serious that a child's life is in danger, they might have to be home schooled. The needs/wants of the vast majority should not be limited by the needs of a small few.
Not trying to be insensitive, just practical.
If 10 out of 18 kids in a class even CLAIM to have a peanut allergy, that means that only 8 are even going to want the option of eating peanuts. That makes them the minority.
My daughter has a deadly dairy allergy, but I don't expect her school to not use milk or bring in products that she can't have. She has epi pens just like the peanut kids. I understand how scary it is to have these allergies in our children, and I have been told by a specialist that she will never grow out of it. Am I going to expect her high school and college and place of work as an adult to go dairy free because she can't have it? No. I'm teaching her to live in the real world with this disability.
Amen. You are teaching your daughter to manager her issue. No babying her. This is great!
As others have pointed out, there are plenty of allergies that kids experience. The only way to be completely sure that nobody has a food allergy is to ban food in school. Also, you need to ban latex, sunlight, pollen, bees, etc. Or kids could just be taught how to use their epipen, teachers allerted to which kids have those allergies, if it's a severe allergy, have them sit at a different table, and teach those without the severe (like the simple smell of peanut butter) allergies to not eat the stuff that hurts them. Also, if the kid is allergic, as someone else pointed out, there are treatments where they are slowly exposed to the item and build a tolerance for it. I actually had a friend decide to do it for himself (lactose intolerant) and now the man can out eat anyone on ice cream because his body built a tolerance and he no longer gets ill from it.
Teach the kids who die from the smell not to eat it? Even if they're not eating it, they can smell when their friend is eating it.
As for the rest of your argument, allergies and intolerances are very different. Getting sick will not cause someone to die. While it *has* been proven that peanut-allergic kids can be desensitized through exposure, it is ONLY done over a long period of time, in a medical facility, under the close supervision of a doctor. One slight overdose and the kid dies.
Why the special treatment for peanut butter allergies? Some people are seriously allergic to shellfish, others to strawberries, or pineapple. Are you going to ban sweets because of diabetics? Are you going to ban wheat products because some have celiac disease? Why are those kids expected to look out for themselves, but those with peanut butter allergies are everyone else's problem?
Let us put some dress code for children and school teacher first .
QuiT ur inbreeding liberals, love the peanut butter :)
Quit your inbreeding conservatives, and learn how to spell.
Schools can offer acceptable alternatives at lunches and educate parents to do the same out of courtesy to others. A high school I TA'd at while in graduate school had an interesting solution tot he rise in tree nut allergies. Instead of serving PB&J sandwiches, all peanutbutter was replaced with sunflower seed butter. It had about the same consistency, a slightly different taste, and was actually a lot healthier overall. And guess what? No allergy issues! Instead of being so polarized in the "Yay or Nay" course of action, if people are creative enough everyone could be satisfied.
My son is a picky eater. Besides a certian kind of chicken nugget, peanut butter is the only other thing he will eat that has protien in it. I pack him a peanut butter sandwhich (No Jelly!) everyday for lunch because there is nothing else I can make for him that doesn't requiring cooking. If peanut butter were banned in schools my son would starve. I'm quite sure that parents and schools can work together to come up with ways to keep the allergic kids safe. All people with allerigies learn to protect themselves their whole lives from their allergen...school is just one place they will go for only 13 years of their lives...They have to protect themselves all the time, everywhere they go.
I'm curious, do you think your son would actually starve TO DEATH if he missed out on a protein serving one time per day?
What a dumb idea...
No. That would be tyranny by a very small minority, denying a healthy food to a vast majority of kids. Those allergic to peanut butter simply have to take necessary precautions.
"Necessary precautions" – - yes you dumb donkey, that is exactly what we are discussing. What are the necessary precautions? If a child were to die, or become disabled (through lack of oxygen to the brain after the airways swelled up), who do you think is going to get sued? The school, the principal, the school board, the teacher. Do you get it now why schools want to ban them?
Any person with a food allergy must be taught from an early age to identify and avoid suspect food ingrediants. Attempting to provide a "shotgun" diet that eliminates common food allergens would simply lull a child into ignorance. Best to teach kids how to be vigilant early while they are in a controlled environment, rather than allow them to enter an uncontrolled world unprepared.
My son had dairy allergy. Milk products were not banned from the school lunch room or even his table. Some children can not tolerate wheat products but bread has never been banned. Parents such as my self have a teach their children not to share foods, drinks,forks or napkins. Children can be placed differnt table for the own good. Freinds who wish to eat with them would them be expected to follow the "table rules".
Hell No. Thsi is just stupid.
While the bias in the poll obvious, I still think that we should not outlaw peanut butter in schools. I worked at a camp that banned all peanut products as well, and really all it did was exacerbate the problem as we were forced to punish kids with peanut butter products and constantly live in fear of bringing some peanut particles back with us from our day off.
Peanut allergies, and allergies in general, are clearly on the rise but just like with different skin color, intelligence, nationality, or glasses, the way to stop bullying is through education. Not one-sided policies that serve to highlight the issue and aggravate people not directly hurt by the issue.
We should not ban peanut butter, just raise awareness the allergic kids are people too.
Two words...HOME SCHOOL.
I find it hysterical that people have more to say about taking peanut butter out of the schools than being forced to have health insurance. You people crack me up, really, CNN where do your readers come from. I love to come on here for pure entertainment value.
This is well said. There are so many things that are so much more important. So many things that are more deadly (read: to a larger percentage of the population) than stupid-a55 peanut butter. And yet, I'm sure, this article has more comments than any article under the political ticker, any Sanjay Gupta article, etc... maybe even combined! Grow up, people? Stop worrying so much about so little.
I sympathize with the parents. Truly, I do. But sometimes, sad as it is, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. In some families peanut butter is a cheap way to feed your kids. So if we ban peanut butter, should those families now get some special lunch stipend? In other cases peanut butter sandwiches are all a kid will eat. Kids are stubborn. They WILL boycott lunch for days at a time if you they don't like the food. That's just a bad situation for everyone. Peanuts are an extremely prevelant food in our society. It's in a million things. If your child is that allergic then other arrangements need to be made.
I agree that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. But the key word here is NEED. Peanut butter is not a need. Your kid will only eat PBJ for lunch? Well, give him something else for a few days and my guess is, between eating something else and starving, he'll choose to eat. Breathing, on the other hand, is definitely a NEED. And peanut butter in the room can prevent a peanut-allergic child from breathing.
So...in this case, it is the NEEDS (to breathe) of the few against the DESIRES (to eat PB) of the many. Needs win, sorry.
I think what those who are being harsh towards the kids with peanut allergies don't understand (and I certainly didn't when my kids were younger and peanut butter was banned from preschool) is that some kids have peanut allergies that are life threatening and it takes very little to trigger it. My son has a peanut allergy but luckily it is not life threatening and not that sensitive (he just gets hives). So my toddler could be sitting next to someone eating peanut butter and there is no effect on him unless he actually eats it. But there are some children who can have an anaphylactic reaction just be being in the room with peanut products (ie a small amount in the air). Usually it is only the younger classrooms (preschool through early elementary) that are banning peanut butter as it is harder to teach a child of that age to avoid peanut butter and all the possible foods that peanuts could be in. I think those who are being so harsh need to be exposed to a young child in anaphylactic shock and then see if they can stomach "natural selection" taking it's course.
Well said! Everyone is using outrageous and stupid analogies. Lots of other allergies aren't air born as much as PB. People are getting intolerance and allergies mixed up. But I think taking precautions and banning something that can kill ONE child is FINE with me!
What kind of poll is this? What happened to 'yes', 'no', 'I don't know'. Bite me CNN. As for what I think about peanut butter. I don't see banning it. Grow up people. That's not really a fair option. Some kids will only eat peanut butter, especially in younger grades. Peanut butter is cheap and some people can't afford other options for their children's lunch. My kid, of course would freak out if there wasn't a chicken option, but I can remember a time when he felt that way about peanut butter, so I don't agree with banning it. I really don't agree with banning anything though.
Ban peanut butter because some people have allergies? Where's the logic? That would be like banning beaches because some people can't swim. We need common sense, not knee-jerk thinking.
Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm catfish fried in peanut oil....good stuff!
A. This is not that big of a deal. People who can't cut back on peanut butter which may hurt someone else's child is a dick. B. To those that say that PB should only be banned if 51% of kids are allergic, I believe in the majority's responsibility to protect the rights of the minority (the RIGHT of public education without fear of PB related death). Then again, I also don't have slaves, and let Blacks eat at my lunch counter, so I'm pretty radical. C. Maybe most importantly. PB is making your kids FAT! Look at the nutritional content, stuff is TERRIBLE for you. You are lazy if you can't take 2 min to make your kid a healthier lunch. They should not be "living off PB", esp. at school. Childhood obesity is a major issue, and PB is as bad as candy.
A) No, it is parents who don't educate their children on how to avoid allergies whoa re the dicks. Expecting everyone else to cater to your problem is selfish and rude. I have pistachio allergies, so I avoid them and foods that might come in contact with them. I even let my roommate have them in the apartment as long as they never come in contact with food I eat. The fact is, parents are expected to teach their kids how to avoid potential dangers, and this is no different. Should we start yelling at our neighbors for having a lawn if we are allergic to grass? What about kids with cat allergies? Those can be serious-should we ban kids with cats at home (who might have cat hair on their clothes) from coming to school? Where in your pea-sized brain do you draw the line?
You would feel differently if dust in the air from your roommate's pistachio allergy could trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction. Would you let your roommate have them in your room then?
Actually, all-natural peanut butter without added sugar and hydrogenated fat is a nutritious food. If you believe peanut oil makes you fat, you have been brainwashed by the food industry into believing fat in food makes you fat.
No the dicks are the ones expecting the planet to revolve around their issues and problems.
don't forget to ban bees, too ;)
Well said!
Yeah, because a LOT of kids bring bees to school to eat every day at lunch.
I voted nut free table, but I do think that kids may be a target for harassment there. They should expel kids that threaten the allergic kids with peanut products. If the kids arent' mature enough for this, then a discrete approach will be needed. Regardless, it may be better that the good kids know who is allergic so that they can be cautious near their friends.
If they're going to ban peanut butter, let's not forget about gluten, dairy, soy, and all other tree nuts.
Give me a break.
Those allergies are not life-threatening and not triggered by breathing in small particles in the air. There is NO danger to someone with those allergies if someone else in the room is eating something they can't. A peanut-allergic child can stop breathing and die simply because they inhale a whiff of their friend's PBJ sandwich.
If a schools wants to help out, I certainly wouldn't hold that against them. But there shouldn't be a requirement to accomodate a child with special needs.
Actually, there is such a requirement. It's called the Americans with Disabilities Act. It requires us to give everyone – regardless of their abilities – the same opportunities as everyone else. In this case, the opportunity is to go to an ordinary, public school with their friends, get a state-provided education (which is not free, by the way: it's paid for by property taxes which these kids' parents pay just like you do), without being in constant mortal danger.
@dx2718, you are correct to bring up the Americans with Disabilities Act.
However, twice in this thread you've asserted that ADA requires schools to make "accommodations" for disabilities, while omitting the crucial qualifier that the accommodations be *reasonable*. The school doesn't have to accommodate everything.
Imagine that some kids had an incredible tolerance to food borne illnesses and actually liked the taste of rotten food. Their parents then send them to school with items that will expose other children to Salmonella and Staphylococcus. If these kids eat their lunch and then touch other children the other children run the risk of death.
Should the kids with the high tolerance be allowed to bring any lunch they want to school?
my daughter has a very bad reaction to bug bites does that mean the entire school shouldn't be able to go outside for recess? That would be ridiculous and as a responsible parent I wouldn't want hundreds of other kids to suffer because my daughter is the one with the problem. It is my responsibility as a parent to figure out what to do about the reaction not the school's. So, that's a big NO to banning peanut butter!
Agreed Christie. But I am sure you would be concerned and upset if the kids were brought out to play near an area that was known to have a nest of the specific bugs your child is allergic too. Right?
can't you see the similarity? the bug bite might not kill your child but it would be painful so you would try to avoid it from happening if possible, right? does that make you selfish? No. just a competant parent.
That's why a peanut-free table is the correct compromise in the peanut argument.
ce
I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but kids need to grow up learning how to eventually fend for themselves and deal with whatever situations they come across. Don't expect the world to bow to your problems; learn how to cope with the hand you've been dealt. This lesson should come from the parents. Unfortunately, many people have abdicated their roles as parents and role models and expect others (like a school) to raise their kids for them. (BTW, I'm a parent and a teacher.)
And, I just had peanut butter for lunch...in my classroom. Oh, the scandal!!
Thank god you are not my sons teacher. You should be ashamed of yourself. I have read some other comments from ignorant people and have to ignor them as it is obivous they lack any inteligence... you however, should be an educated women to be a teacher, but by your comments, it just goes to show you even idoits can be teachers and parents
Fend for themselves – - at what age? If it wasn't a LIFE AND DEATH matter I might think you have a point, for older kids. I have read an account of Sabrina Shannon, a girl who died of her food allergies because she had to walk a few minutes across her middle school campus to get her epi-pen (kept in her locker). Too bad she couldn't "fend for herself"!
Cheer up Kristin, maybe your kids will have a life-and-death allergy and then you will have a little more sympathy!
Why should everyones children loose out on healthy food for their children, just because some parents who have children with peanut allergies are too damn lazy to teach their children not to eat any peanut products.those parents are abusing and neglecting their kids. by not doing what is best for the child in teaching them to stay totally clear of the allergen.their idiotic ideas of taking away all food that effects their children is nutz. no pun intended
To the losers like Joe and Homer who talk about natural selection, and seem happy to have children die if they have a food allergy: you can go straight to someplace where the sun won't shine. Give me a break. My children don't have food allergies, but to say that a child who does is a weakling and should be a part of the natural selection process is so pathetic. It saddens me that our wonderful country is full of narrow-minded fools such as you. I wish we could give your a island somewhere; a colony for morons who add absolutely nothing of value to our society.
Why do you think we have overpopulation and shortage of resources with unemployed and homeless people everywhere. We are too busy "fixing" everything rather than have nature take care of it. Am I sad when a relative or child or friend dies suddenly or at a young age? Most definitely, but unfortunately tragedies happen.
If you have an allergy, stay away from triggers. The kid doesn't have to sit in the cafeteria where peanut butter is going to be eaten. Just like if a kid is allergic to bees and the class is eating outside, he doesn't have to. These kids are picked on at school because it's just one person and he's forcing everyone else in the school to conform to him. There are plenty of people with plenty of different allergies, and banning everything is silly.
Let the kid eat by himself so nobody is bothered. If he has friends, they'll likely stay to eat with him. If he has to eat alone, oh well. Welcome to what nerds in high school have had to do every single day for the past several years.
People are allergic to so many things bees, peanuts, nuts, strawberries, eggs, wheat....what's left to eat? They can have their own table or eat elsewhere.
Enough already. I'm tired of even the discussion on banning this, banning that. If you or your kid can't deal with it, it's up to you to take responsibility for it. Not society. I can't stand the smell of women that load on tons of perfume, let's ban that. I mean come on, learn to deal with things. If peanut allergies are a life threatening issue for you or your child, then walk around with a mask. There is no way to avoid everything, sometimes you just have to suck it up and figure out how to deal with it on your own. No, my child should not have to have his food choices limited due to an issue your child has. Are we going to just keep banning every little thing that might cause a problem? If you don't like how your school handles it, find one that does. Stop asking everyone else to accommodate your needs no matter how important they may be to you.
So what about parents whose child has a disability that causes them to eat only specific foods. I have an autistic child who will only eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. Whose disability gets precedence? I think it is a major issue when others expect everyone else to accomodate their child. The schools can setup a separate space for the children with allergies to eat.
Is your autistic child mainstreamed in a classroom? Or is he/she in a separate classroom?
How about we ban all sugar too (and you would be amazed at what sugar can be in)? As that can kill a diabetic child.
honestly, do you think that peanuts (or anything else) just disappears everywhere b/c you ban it at school? What happens when they go to a friend's house or simply out of their own house. Teaching a child to deal with their issue and how to identify foods tehy cannot eat or touch is a much better solution. This will only make it worse as they will never learn to be aware of their issue at all times if we make "safe" zones at random places outside their homes for them.
Do we Ban peanuts from sporting events, restaurants, grocery stores, ? Goobers., Reeses from movie theatres? I guess kids with allergies don't attend anything but school.....
The problem with that argument Jack is that those instances/places are not government funded entities that are controlled by a head federal organization that can do something like this.
It is a law however for food companies, and for restruants to warn customers of what foods are made with, near, and around nuts. Not necessarily Banned but regulated nonetheless. Ergo your argument has little to stand on.
There are kids out there that are allergic to dairy, should dairy be banned too? There are kids out there that are allergic to wheat, should things like pasta be banned too? There are kids out there that are allergic to all types of things, banning them is not the solution. Next thing you will see they will want dairy banned because they know they have the power (if peanut butter goes the way of the dinosaurs). I will forever allow my kids to bring peanut butter to school. If the schools don't like it they can have one less pupil that another school would love to have.
People with those other allerigies can't die from simply breathing near the substance. That's a fundemental difference in how severe some nut allergies are to pretty much all other allergies.
Keep your freak kids at home, then.
Children do not die from breathing p-nut butter either ... it is only p-nuts that can have broken off pieces that can be breathed. P-nut smell DOES NOT cause allergies; it is the p-nut itself (or pieces of it) entering the body through the mouth of nose that can cause a reaction.
Does the ADA require the immune system challenged be provided with a taxpayer funded clean environment?
We should bring back the bomb shelters like in the 50’s and rebuild the schools with protection from bio & chemical attacks as well. Our children should be taught how to deal with hazmat situations. Duck and cover! There are things out there much more heinous than a 7 year old with a PB&J. Kids should be taught to fear them too.
I am a parent of a child allergic to Peanet, Egg and Dairy. She almost 5 and she knows what she can and cannot eat. I do not think a ban of peanut butter is necessary, but does need to be controlled in our public schools that my tax dollars help pay for. My daughter does not need to eat foods containing the allergens to have a reaction. The allergen only needs to touch her skin for her to break out in hives. This is the kind of sensitivity that becomes such a problem in our schools where we expect and hope for our children to learn and be safe doing so.
If you are liable to be killed by exposure to what is for most people just food, then really, it's your problem. You need to avoid the substance, not tell us we can't have any of it.
I remember when I was in primary school, there was a kid in my class who was lactose intolerant and during lunchtime he got a juice box instead of a carton of milk. I think it should be the same way for children with peanut allergies. If the school doesn't even make an effort to make that student feel comfortable than what's the point in sending them to school? Why not home school. My point is schools should really try to go out of their way to make everyone feel comfortable and put every student in the school on the same level.
The person that has the allergy is the one that has to deal with it, not everybody else in the world. Sorry you either have bad genes or you overprotected your child at a young age, thats just the breaks.
so does this mean we should stop serving milk in schools because of dairy allergies. my daughter is in a class with a girl who i allergic to nuts ( which is not the same as peanuts) and they seem to have it worked out okay. i think the bulling issue is what needs to be addressed not he allergy.
Should we ban wheat as well? That's also a common allergy, yet find me a single cafeteria food that doesn't have it.
There are lots of potential allergens out there (eggs, bananas, peanuts, other types of nuts, wheat etc.) and I think it would be foolish to try and ban all of these from a school. This would be like not allowing kids to ride in motor vehicles, which poses a huge risk. What we need to do is educate kids and parents alike, and set up systems in schools to lower the risks of people being exposed.
When your child gets peanut butter on his hands and touches a kid's arm that has a severe peanut allergy, his lungs will start to swell and he will die from affixation unless someone sticks an epi-pen into his leg and goes to the emergencey room. I agree that it's the parents' responsibility to teach their kids but are you telling me that kids in Kindergarten know how to use epi-pens and can spot the signs of affixation to save their own lives? I know adults that don't.
Well said, Mutt.
Nice job Mutt, spread a little more hysteria why don't you. Have you ever actually seen a child die from peanut exposure? No, you haven't. Why? Because IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED!!! Mild reactions do occur in an extremely small subset of people. No one has EVER died from peanut exposure.
Each year in the US, 2,000 kids drown in pools; 1,300 are killed by guns and 0ver 10,000 have serious brain injuries. We are over-reacting about peanut allergies that kill less than 100 adults and children combined. None of these come close to auto-related deaths. We cannot protect everyone from everything dangerous in society. What is next? Banning peanuts at baseball games? "Buy me some gluten-free crackers and cracker jack"?
It is much more important to educate people about the risks. Many of the children will spend their entire lives with this allergy. It is more important to educate them about how to avoid the peanuts and what to do when exposure happens rather than create a peanut-free environment. Learning life skills is an important part of what the school experience is about.
Thank you Tim. Putting this in perspective is exactly what we need! Over-reaction to anything is derisive and fails to bring sympathy to those who suffer disability. A sensible approach encourages co-operation and support for the school's policy.
Excellent point Tim. Don't Cracker Jacks have peanuts in them though? Better remove those too.
Actually, Tim, it may interest you to learn that there are widespread laws requiring people to put fences around their backyard pools and also to wear seatbelts!
God forbid taking away a Peanut butter sandwich from a Spoiled American who can pretty much eat whatever they want but chose not to. Let the poor kid who could easily die if exposed deal with it. Are we really that cruel? It is so easy to be ignorant when it's not your kid who is affected. Where is the compasion? These kids will never get to enjoy a peanut butter sandwich or a Reese's peanut butter cup, that sucks.
I believe there was research recently in the UK with a simple solution of incremental introduction of the allergen- under doctor's supervision. Not sure if it is ready for widespread application, but they massively reduced the danger for participants.
Thomas,
There are multiple studies like this occuring right now. Unfortunately, it will be a few years before the final results are in and have FDA approval for widespread use.
I'm not sure what's most disturbing, the complete and total lack of humanity by some posters, or the supreme scientific confidence of posters who clearly have no idea what they're talking about. As a parent of a peanut-allegic son, I don't think for a second that peanuts should be eliminated from schools. But I can assure trolls like "Joe" and "Jdizzle", if you got that call I did that your 4-year-old had just gotten an epipen shot and was now headed to the emergency room in an ambulance (after another child dropped his PBJ on the ground) you wouldn't be so cavalier. And if you made that 'natural selection' argument in my presence, a peanut allergy would seem like a picnic, you punks.
Rob, I have relatives with severe peanut allergies. They also oppose banning peanuts. One thing that they have done is educate their kids about how to avoid peanuts and what to do when exposure happens. They did this at a very early age; I was astonished at how skilled and knowledgeable they became about what they needed to avoid and do at 3 and 4 years old. Isn't teaching these life skills more important than creating a protected environment?
Tell Your kid not to eat food he found on the ground-Dumba$$!
Tim – absolutely right. Even at that age, he knew he he couldn't be around peanut butter. Horrible luck – a small blob of the PB landed on my son's shoe, he didn't even realize what it was. Wiped it off (still no big deal) and then a bit later, we think he rubbed his eye.
RichardHead – you must have a truly sad existence.
Deadly allergies are every where. From children to adults 100 percent prevention is not possible. Bee can be just as deadly should schools ban recess? No, because that would be an over reaction. A lesson in awareness and responsibility is all that is needed in this matter. This is the action which is lacking in situations like this children are taught at a young age of danger around them but there is never any continuance in up keeping knowledge. It is taught and expected to be something that is held on to but it should be revisited yearly to make sure kids don't lack the knowledge to protect themselves and those around them.
Opposed. Where do we draw the line?
Here are some options if you a for banning this/that/whatever: Home school. Your home, do what you want. Private school. Start one of your own. You can attract all of the other hyper-regulators. Those PTO meetings will be a blast....
At my daughters school the administrator let us know that peanuts weren't allowed. My wife and I then did a little research, shopped at our neighborhood Whole Foods Market and found sunflower seed butter sweetened with cane sugar. It tastes great, my daughter gave it a thumbs up, she was sent to school with a sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwich! She eats peanut butter at home. Problem solved. Easy.
Parents and schools should work together to ensure the safety of every child in the school.
Can you imagine the psych damage a child could get watching a fellow student or best friend die or have to go to the hospital because some numb-nut didn't give a darn about other children at school and sent an allergen into the lunchroom?
I keep recommending Almond butter but Sunflower seed butter is also just as good!
Robby, you're wonderful. Nice to see comments like yours. ☺
and if your kid won't eat almond or sunflower seed butter?
How about a nice piece of fruit? or some veggies & dip? Maybe cheese and crackers? Last night's leftovers in a thermos? Soup & bagel? A ham, turkey, chicken or tuna sandwich? Hot dogs or hamburgers (I wamr them up in the morning & wrap them in foil to keep them warm until lunchtime)?
I could go on & on – there are so many other foods that are not peanuts!
You cannot ban something due to a few kids. I have a daughter with allergies to pet hair. Should I say that people cannot walk thier dog past my house on the sidewalk beause of it. No I can not. I am tired of the "I have to change things because my little snowflake might get sick or get thier feelings hurt". Matt and Mark you hit the nail on the head.
Blessings Jhubb, would your child die a violent death if they breathed in pet hair dander. No probably not. Do some children die a violent death due to peanut butter allergy, yes, sadly, yes. A different scenario with peanut butter. Nice to see such caring and tolerant individuals on here.
Do some research before commenting. Kids are not dying from peanut butter. Check with the CDC, 10 – 20 people die each year of food allergies. NOT ONE is from peanuts. So you understand I will repeat – NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM PEANUTS!
Some more socialistic thoughts. Just because 4 out of 100 or so kids has an allergy, the rest have to pay the price. I'm sick and tired of everyone feeling like the world should revolve around them. Ridiculous!
Peanut butter is unhealthy. Ban it.
and Almond butter is healthier! Replace the peanut butter with Almond butter!
I'm allergic to almonds ):
A peanut butter and fruit preserve sandwich on whole wheat is one of the healthiest meals you can get. sugars and fats not withstanding. The oils and fats are perfectly healthy if you are an active individual (most children are). Its only sedentary, diabetic adults who need to avoid this type of food.
How can schools possibly enforce a ban on peanut butter? I sincerely hope no one expects school officials to examine sandwiches. And what shall the punishment be for offenders? Let's be realistic. Sorry if a peanut free table makes you feel like a loser, but when the alternative is death, seems like an easy choice...
Just have a special table or section that is peanut butter free. Don't push a ban on peanut butter because of a few children with alergies. That's dumb.
YES YES YES! We live on peanut butter in our home, with four kids. However, when an airborn allergy can send a child to the hospital, or even the morgue, the item really should be banned. You just cannot take a chance with that kind of allergy. Rashes and sneezing are one thing but dying is a whole other issue
Considering the high levels of rodent excreta already present within peanut butter, I'm surprised its lasted this long!
Have your kid read "Fast Food Nation" and they'll never eat peanut butter again.
I think Peanut Butter, the junk-food type typically purchased by school and government, the type that is filled with sugar, hydrogenated oils, and other fillers, should definitely be banned.
Nut allergies are just another fantasy invented by helicopter parents as an excuse to rush little Susie to the ER in the middle of the night and get attention. We NEVER heard of nut allergies until the first lawsuit was won, and now it's a big cash cow.
If a child is allergic to peanuts, have them eat somewhere else. Have them eat at a peanut free table or in the classroom; somewhere other than the cafeteria if need be. They're children with special conditions that require special solutions. Why punish the masses for the convenience the few? They'd might as well get used to it in school. The real world isn't going to handle them with kid gloves and aren't going to look out for his or her best special interests. It's up to the parents to educate them about their condition, what they can do and what to do if something bad happens.
I am allergic to stupid people...can we ban them?
There's more to consider than just the needs of the food-allergic. On the one hand, yes, food allergies can be potentially lethal and we cannot simply say "tough" and expect them to brave their way through it- that would be insensitive. On the other, it is reactionary to enforce a ban on anything because of the needs of a very few, and it doesn't take much to send us down a very slippery slope. Today, we ban peanut butter for allergies. Tomorrow, we remove water fountains out of worries of mono and flu. The next day, we water down PE out of concerns for injuries or asthmatic episodes. It's not hard to imagine this backfiring, as kids who like peanut butter, are thirsty, or enjoy playing outside vent their frustrations on the small group of kids we set out to protect.
I'm not going to agree with the "natural selection" sentiment, but we have to decide that there's a point at which we set boundaries. Kids with special needs get accommodations, and that's reasonable, but we do it in such a way as to make it as unobtrusive as possible. Excuse kids from eating in the cafeteria if their allergies prevent them from being in the same room as peanut products. If they can be around nuts but not eat them, then just have nut-free alternatives in the school lunches. If they pack a lunch from home, then it's up to parents to teach their kids and inform their teachers about what to avoid and what to do just in case. Simple as that. That way we've taken appropriate steps to prevent problems but we know what to do in case there is one, and nobody gets beaten up because they caused a peanut butter ban.
My kids elementary school banned recess football because one kid got hurt. Kids play. They get hurt. Stupid, stupid schools.
I think peanut butter and nuts should be banned from the school. In some instances, these allergies are life threatening. If your child isn't allergic, they can have all the peanut butter they want at home! So what if they go without for a few hours during the day. They can deal with it. The child with the life threatening allergy, cannot. The schools need to teach other children what these allergy are and what they can do to someone. If the children know and understand what allergies are, they will be less likely to tease and bully other children who have allergies. It won't be that hard. And it wont' take away valuable time and money from the school system. They can make it into a learning experience for the kids. Just like learning the alphabet. In this case, the needs of the one, or the few, should out weight the needs of the many. Do you want your kid who has the PB and J to kill, or sicken, another kid?
Karen said: "The schools need to teach other children what these allergy are and what they can do to someone. If the children know and understand what allergies are, they will be less likely to tease and bully other children who have allergies. It won't be that hard."
Actually, parents should teach their allergic children what they can and can't have, rather than force hundreds, maybe thousands, of other children to make do without food items they like.
ONE meal a day? Really? PB and J isn't the end all of food for kids these days. I know there is something for everyone. I have many food allergies and I find lots of different options. There are lots of wheat/gluten free foods, nitrate free foods, egg free, nut free, etc. I could go on and on. They are harder to find, but if it is for your kid, I think you'll look for it. Going without PB for ONE meal of the day will not kill you. It might, however, kill someone else. Yes, you should educate your child about their allergies and how to handle them. They will learn, I can't eat that. But what if it is air born? What if they can't even be in the same ROOM as a jar or PB? What then? Teaching other kids about allergies is not wasting time. They need to know. Chances are, they'll be friends with someone who has an allergy. Or they may develop an allergy over time. I did. I was allergy free until 18.
And while my child is having her peanut butter at home, she accidently gets some on her book bag. Which goes to school and gets on her desk. Which your allergic kid touches.
This could happen. Educate your kids and the teachers and hope for the best. Banning it won't solve the problem, it just covers it up.
Won't take away time and money, huh? So is this happening after school hours, or is this replacing the lesson on Johnny having two dads? The schools are so overburdened teaching things that have no business in the school system and you want to add a lesson on allergies to protect your child? So now teachers need to be trained on giving allergy lessons too? Here's an idea – YOU volunteer to go in and teach the kids about allergies. You want it done and you're the beneficiary, so you do it. Stop pushing your problems off on the school system.
When I went to school, you never heard of peanut allergies. Why the sudden increase in the last 15 years? I have college friends that have extreme peanut allergies. The rest of the world should not beamde to suffer because of them. The allergy is theirs to deal with. My children should not be made to go without something because of someone elses health problems.
Need more information. I can smell peanut butter if it's in the room (opened container, spread on toast etc). If I had a peanut allergy, would being able to smell it trigger the allergy? If the answer is yes, then of course, ban it.
Every allergic reaction is different, even in the same person – one exposure can trigger hives – the next one can close the throat & speed the heart.
But, yes, with peanut allergies, an allergic reaction *can be* triggered by simple exposure to peanut particles in the air.
No, odors cannot cause an allergic reaction. Peanut butter cannot become airborne. there is a very slight chance that dry peanuts can be pulverized to the point that they can become airborne, but massive amounts of this dust would have to be inhaled to trigger a reaction. This whole debate is the result of mass hysteria. Maureen you are completely incorrect.
I'll walk into a lunch room and start lobbing peanut butter at your allergic children.
My three boys love peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, ect. Love PB&J and the school they go to has just about banned it because there are a few kids in a few thousand that can't be near it. They have a peanut free, strawberry free, egg free, table....We are told not to send peanut or peanut products....I send them anyway. Once or twice I've gotten a note, I chunk it...these kids are old enough to KNOW not to get next to whatever makes them dead....how on Earth can you take out a whole family with a peanut and a strawberry? I'm so lucky to have 3 healthy, strapping boys...one hasn't been to the doctor in over 5 years! Not even a cold.
Oh, and I let them play in the dirt and eat bugs and roll in the grass...when they were younger. I didn't have them constantly wash their hands or even take a bath....great grandma called it good dirt and kids don't need to be sanitized...they need to play in the dirt when young to build up an immune system. When they notice girls they will start to bath regular and fix their hair, until then, no smell, no cavities, no problems. They are busy being outside and playing capture the flag.
How wonderful that you are blessed with 3 happy, healthy kids. I am happy for you. I am also a proud mother to 3 beautiful, happy kids. You see, when my youngest (who is now 2) was born, it was immediately clear that he was different from my older children. He screamed a lot, he had terrible skin eczema, he had reflux while he slept...and it was eventually determined that he suffered from a milk allergy. Luckily for us, they were also able to tell us due to blood testing and skin prick testing, he was also allergic to egg, peanut and cats and dogs. Peanut being the most severe and most threatening.
I'm just clarifying, but according to your theory, if I would have taken my youngest, a newborn at that point and fed him some bugs and rolled him around in the dirt a little..maybe sneezed on him, had my older 2 stick their fingers in his mouths..you know, gotten him sick to build up his immune system...he wouldn't have the allergies? I guess I did it all wrong...
You are ignorant in all ways: You have no idea of what you are speaking of AND you show a complete disrespect and disregard for others..and furthermore, you should refrain from speaking to people and spreading your idiotic theories around. I pray that whoever is on the receiving end of your malicious ( i.e. knowingly disobeying school rules) actions doesn't end up in the hospital...or in a grave.
@ Steph – the skin prick test you mention is not an accurate diagnostic tool. the ONLY way to correctly diagnose a food allergy is a direct oral challenge followed by testing for the IgE protein. Any "doctor" who told you peanuts could harm your child should have his or her license to practice medicine revoked (if they ever had one to begin with).
@Howie. I specifically mentioned blood testing was done. An allergin specific IgE antibody test. So you can take your little comments, and stick them where the sun doesn't shine because you also, are ignorant.
As someone who practically lived off PB&J sandwiches as a kid, I can tell you that your kids allergies are not my problem. My kid should not have to do without because your kid is allergic. I'm allergic to many things, but I don't expect the entire world to be changed to accomodate me.
Not saying that peanut butter should be banned from someone's LIFE, just during the one meal they have at school. I don't see the ban as a big deal.
Well, MY kids have dietary restrictions, too. And the removal of peanut butter would make them all but starve for lunch. Keep the kids who have allergies separate, but don't take my kids food away.
dietary restricitions, as a medical condition?
Or because they refuse to eat fruits and veggies?
World of difference here.
@LLLLLLLLLLl,
Really your kid only eats PB and NOTHING else????o you are trying to say he/she only survives on PB, interesting.
I wonder what happened to the wayward caveman that suffered from nut allergies? I mean, come on people! You can't have nuts, lactose, glucose and God knows what else. A weakened nation is what they are creating. The next thing you know they will all be walking around with oxygen tanks because the air isn't pure enough. I feel like brushinf my teeth with peanut butter right now.. just because I can!
I meant: brushing
It's so easy. Replace your peanut butter with Almond butter. It tastes the same, it smells the same, its consistency is the same. But its not peanut butter, no peanuts no peanut allergy.
THE WHOLE ISSUE = OVER.
Almond butter is more expensive, harder to find, and some people have almond allergies. Problem not even close to solved.
I think if they have a peanut allergy, that means they are allergic to all nuts unfortunately.
Not necessarly. My son is allergic to peanuts, but not to any other nuts.
You are right. Most people that are allergic to one type of nut are allergic to nuts in general.
Nut free tables may be isolating, but ti's better than banning peanut butter. Growing up my parents didn't make very much, but they made to much for the free lunch. The only thing they could afford to send us to school with was PB and J. I may not have had anything to eat if it was banned.
I grew up on PB&J, Planters Peanut, and all else peanut. I'm also a product of public school systems. We just found out that our 17 month old daughter has a 'severe' peanut allergy for some unknown reason. To those against making schools safer regarding allergies, how would you feel if you received a call from your child's school or EMS that your child had some allergy reaction while in their care and couldn't be saved despite all efforts to reverse the reaction?
You should home school your kid if their allergies are that bad. Why is it my responsibility to take care of YOUR kid? I didn't choose to bring them into this world. You did. Now you have to deal with your kids problems.
WEIRD! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been around and in schools since their invention and are JUST NOW killing kids?!?!?
Baseless fears and irrational hysteria are killing kids. Peanuts are perfectly safe for EVERYONE.
As the mother of a child with a severe (life-threatening) peanut allergy, I would endorse the banning of peanut butter in schools. Many schools here in TN now have latex bans in place that accomodate people with these sensitivities and actually mean that special school supplies have to be purchased. If the school system can support this measure, then there shouldn't be a problem limiting the serving of peanut butter in the cafeteria and children bringing it to school. While I am thankful for peanut free tables, the potential for cross-contamination from peanut butter on children's hands to the classroom is a great and ever-looming risk. My child should be able to attend public school safely and without this threat. Comments that I see from people calling others with allergies "weak" demonstrate complete ignorance of the condition. The fact that your child can wait to eat their peanut butter at home should not, in my opinion, be considered a tremendous sacrifice when in fact it could potentially save the lives of others.
The difference to keep in mind is that a latex ban is very easy to enforce because there are equally effective alternatives and it doesn't affect the students. I sympathize with your kids' allergies, having a serious allergy to penicillin myself, but surely we can prevent cross-contamination by paying more attention to basic hygiene? Asking kids to wash their hands and providing facilities to do so would prevent a slew of other problems simultaneously, and doesn't involve that cumbersome "ban" word...
Well, then, does your school also prohibit avocado, banana, kiwifruit, plum, strawberry and tomato foods/drinks? If not, they should if they are going to ban all latex products. Those foods contain the same protein that latex is made out of, and can be deadly, too. My cousin has a son with spina bifda that somehow causes him to be deadly allergic to latex. A banana can kill him. So, should we all ban bananas, too? Or would it be more wise to educate? I go for the education and self-responsibility. Otherwise, we'll just have to ban lunches in school.
I live in Canada and our school board banned peanut based products years ago. I was ok with the banning of peanut butter sandwiches but they also ban ANYTHING that MAY contain peanuts. Try to find products to put in your kids lunch that don't contain peanuts... Next to impossible. Every label says "may contain peanuts" even if the product was made in the same plant as another product that does contain peanuts it is unacceptable. Joe Louis, rice crispy squares, pudding, you name it "may contain trace amounts of...
I am 24 years old and NEVER heard of a peanut allergy until 5 years ago when I was working at a day camp. School never even thought of getting rid of peanut butter because of this. PB and J is a standard lunch for many kids growing up, and because one or two kids have an allergy everyone has to miss out. Parents need to just teach their kids to stay away, wash your hands, be alert, and teach them how to use their epipen. In the past 15 years times have changed and today we have to make sure we don't step on anyone's toes, which is ridiculous. People need to thicken their skins and learn you can't make everyone happy or equal because we are all different.
Fine, let's get rid of crossing guards for your kids too. It's your job to keep them from being crushed by a car, right?
Ah, so now that it's YOUR kid, it all looks different, doesn't it?
Go ahead and get rid of crossing guards. It is the parent's job to teach their child right and wrong. To look before crossing the street. To cross with the street light. Trust me, just because there is a crossing guard is present does not prevent some idiot from running a red light or a stop sign. If they are going to do it, they are going to do it.
No it doesn't. It's called being objective. It's called looking at the situation from all angles, not because you have a kid with allergies or you don't. So, no, it doesn't look different because it's my kid.
The majority of kids use the help of the crossing guard. MAJORITY, get it?
When my 11 year old son almost died at 13 months old, I learned that he had a peanut allergy. It was an innocent act that brought us to the ER that horrible day. He was playing with his older brother and attmepted to put a Ritz PB cracker in his mouth. With in minutes of injesting the cracker his lips were swelling and he was gasping for air. Terrifying. Since then, we educate, read lables, provide epipens, encouraged our school to have a "peanut free table" at lunch time. Unless you have lived this, you don't get it. We did not ask for this burden. I am just shocked at how insensitive people are about it! I don't expect our country to change, (Canada banned peanut butter in public schools) but for goodness sake, I would hope someone would help my child if he ever got into a situation where he had an accidental reaction.
Clearly I have been remiss in explaining to my 6 year old child how to call 911 while simultaneously giving himself an injection into his thigh muscle with a huge freaking needle while he is turning blue, choking and almost unconscious as his blood pressure plummets. I hope to God that none of you compassion-less people ever have a child with any kind of life-threatening issues.
Maybe the kid with allergies should NOT EAT what another kid has which he is allergic to!
Look, part of the rise in these allergies is because kids aren't exposed to enough (germs, allergens, dirt, etc.) at an early age today. In our Lysol and Purell-obsessed society, we are making the problem worse by minimizing exposure. Peanut and other food allergies are no different – much of the leading research today is focused on helping sufferers of these allergies build tolerance through exposure. Barring peanuts in schools and other public places will only make the problem worse. As fewer kids grow up around peanuts, the number who experience severe allergic reactions to them will increase. Sure there should be a peanut-free table or alternative peanut-free lunchroom for those who are deathly allergic – but banning peanuts and peanut butter outright is not the answer and will ultimately backfire.
I absolutely agree. Everything these days is too sterile. There are way more allergies than before, and most likely it IS because people aren't exposed to stuff at an earlier age. I'm not saying we should force peanut butter on allergic kids, but I don't think it should be banned from schools. I also agree with a lot of the other statements – when does it end?
I have an (involuntary) gluten free and dairy free diet. I say involuntary because I haven't made a choice to cut these things out, my body just can't process them properly. You can't ban bread and milk on the chance that I choose to eat them somewhere, knowing I shouldn't. You can't make a special case for peanuts because there are a lot of other allergies, ie strawberries and shellfish mentioned earlier, and next thing you know no one is allowed to eat at school. I think nut free tables is enough. Some parents just want to make a special case of their children. You say you don't want them singled out, but that's what you're doing.
Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.
First, you need to consider that just the smell of peanuts can kill a child with such allergies. Can you imagine a school where a child dies at lunchtime because someone brought a peanut butter sandwich? Hello lawsuit! Schools are responsible for the safety of children. They have to ban them just to protect their a****. This will be the ultimate deciding factor, not the safety of children (as sarcastic as it may sound). Let's hope no one needs to die to get there.
First, the smell of peanuts cannot cause any type of allergic reaction, period. The allergy is to proteins, which are simply not airborne. There may be an argument that DRY peanuts, if completely pulverized, could put enough protein into the air that a severely allergic person could have a MILD reaction. Peanut butter, will NEVER appear in a form that could be breathed. Further, the CDC clearly states that NO ONE has EVER died from ingesting peanuts. Reactions range from hives, itchy rash, scratchy throat. None of which are life threatening.
Howie, you seem to have only one "fact" in your repetoire, and it's not even true. You seem so one-track-minded. I do want to point out though that your list of reactions is only one end of the scale...sure, hives, itchy throat – those things happen and they are not life-threatening. However, you neglect to mention swelling throat, swelling tongue, vomiting (no, not life-threatening on its own but combine it with a throat that is closing and, well, you get the idea)...
Dude, this crap is serious and I'm not making it up and I HAVE taken my kid to a (prominent) allergist and immunologist and he HAS had IgE tests and he HAS had skin tests and he DOES have a legit allergy to peanuts. And you are doing a disservice by repeatedly insisting that this stuff is all made up. It's not. Find some other argument before you post your "hysteria" angle again – it's really getting old.
WEIRD! peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been around in schools since their invention and are JUST NOW causing kids to die?!?!
Then if one kid in the school had Actinic prurigo or severe allergy to sunlight the whole school should have the windows blocked and no recess outside? If one kid is allergic to some normally harmless element that is in the local water supply, should all the drinking fountains be taken out until that student graduates?
heh.
there is actually a disorder which causes people to be allergic to sunlight. should all schools ban sunlight because of that? I'm constantly forced to deal with peoples supposed allergies, some real, most made up. It's ridiculous the amount of people who claim allergies, and if I were to attempt to accommodate all of them, no one would ever eat. Some of the more outlandish ones include: electricity, sauces, onions(which are in everything), and olive oil. If you are the one with the problem, deal with it yourself. The responsibility does not lie with the rest of society.
Most people make up their allergies? Are you serious?
You think these kids WANT to be singled out as different? Because it makes them so popular?
Are you high? Somewhere a village is missing an idiot!
Harvard recently determined that the recent increase in reported allergies was the result of mass hysteria and delusion. So, while no one may consciously "make up" the allergy, it is delusional just the same.
Joe is an internet troll. Don't feed the trolls.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29
Banning it outright seems like a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. As with all complex issues sometimes the solution is not a simple, single-step process. Perhaps those with an allergy can have separate seating arrangements, maybe the class can be made aware of the student's condition and take personal steps to ensure no exposure. While I'm sure either of those would make the child a little more self-conscious, there must be a reasonable, workable solution that most everyone can agree on.
As a parent of a child with a peanut allergy, I would wish for more tolerance on the part of the parents who think my child shouldn't be alive because of "natural selection." You may not care, or understand the problems of our children, just as we may not understand as well if your child has other problems. Please be tolerant of those who are not like you, and try to understand that we are also trying to accomodate your children's needs while protecting our own.
Our school uses and internet sit called mylunchmoney.com. On that site you have the ability to monitor activity on you childs lunch account and even what they eat. Maybe something on this site could link with the school system to notify the lunch staff of a potential allergy. Nuts are the only ones.
I am allergic to citrus and I don't recall them banning oranges from the school cafeteria for me! Are we going ban dairy?? There are a lot of lactose intolerant children out there!!! Parents who have children with food allergies need to teach their kids to stay away from what they can not have like in the good ol' days. If you do not think your child can be trusted to have enough will power to do so, then reinforce it by alerting your childs teachers and school staff of teh allergiy, so they can help with the monitoring of what your childs eats. Problem solved.
I think we can al agree that citric and dairy aren't LIFE THREATENING allergies. A big difference you fool.
they can be. my cousin is deathly allergic to strawberries. the reaction to any allergy trigger depends on each individual, not the trigger.
Actually, my son has a life-threatening allergy to milk. If it spills on him, it can cause anaphylaxis. (He's also allergic to eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.) I don't think that anything should be *banned* from the lunchroom, though, provided other accommodations are made.
Although a part of me wants to ban peanut butter - but just because it might force those parents who insist that Little Johnny will *only* eat peanut butter to stop coddling. My son cannot eat milk, eggs, peanuts or tree nuts (and until recently couldn't eat wheat) and you can bet your bottom dollar that he had a broader menu than those kids!
Your ignorance is showing.
Actually my Uncle was horrible allergic to citrus to the point that inhaling it could have caused him to go into anaphelatic shock. He survived in school without special consideration because he knew how to handle being around it (also, before epi pens existed). Likewise a classmate of mine in middle school was similarly allergic to milk, she'd break into hives if dairy porducts touched her and she'd have the allergic reatcion. She carried an epi-pen. Teach your children what they can or can't eat and what the concequences are and let the teachers be aware of the issue.
Actually, several posters have mentioned severe anaphylaxis dairy allergies, so I don't think we are all agreed on that.
I didn't realize that. My apologies. Sincerely.
Well put, Steph. I have no doubt that Tomato allergies, for example, are very difficult for people who suffer from it, but tomatoes aren't realistically going to be banned anytime soon.
Nut or peanut-free(NOT THE SAME THING) tables sound like they'd be troublesome for students emotionally.
I think the solution might lie in the school learning how to discipline students instead of disciplining parents. Students need to learn the severity of bullying someone with their allergies. It needs to be on par with physically attacking another student. Of course, many cowardly teachers and school administrators probably don't have the backbone for this sort of thing.
...and perhaps we should pervasively use insecticide to eliminate bees for those kids that are allergic to their sting.
Having experienced them growing up, I can safely say that nut free tables are terrible and isolating, preventing children from interacting with many of their friends during lunchtime.
I say tough luck. It doesn't help anyone but parents who can't teach their kids to stay away from their triggers. This school district relies heavily on money given for each military and civil service child. The day this district bans peanut butter is the day I start homeschooling, losing thousands of dollars a year for each of my children will be their consequence for a bad choice.
It's the school's job to keep the kids safe. You know how many safety rules are on the books already? Ridiculing a safety rule just because it doesn't apply to your kid, is like ridiculing blind kids for bringing in their dogs. It's ignorant and cruel.
Well said, Henry.
YOU are responsible for YOUR child. The school is just there to educate them.
mp531 obviously doesn't have kids. If they did and something was to happen to them they be the first ones to condem and sue the school for negligence. God obviously ruined a perfectly good ahole by putting teeth in mp531 mouth.
Ryan, whether or not I have children isn't the issue. I have a 6 year old, a 5 year old, and 2 year old twins, just to clarify. They are all my responsibility. I send the older two to school for an education. The rest of the task of raising them is my job as a parent. Don't be insulting because you don't agree that raising your own offspring is your job.
I'm sorry, you can't bring your service dog to school, we have a child who is very allergic to dogs. Oh no! Conflicting disabilities! What do?!
Before we know it service dogs will be banned too, people are allergic to pet dander too as well as many many other things in this world. I wasn't ridiculing a safety rule. I do not see this as a safety issue, I see this as a bandaid for schools who feel they can't tell parents to take responsibility for their own children.
If your 3 children where taught acceptance and tolerance from you, I say keep them home and educate them yourself.
I have a better idea, why don't YOU homeschool YOUR kids. |:
I do teach them. I also teach them that there are things about us that we can't change and all we can do is accept and adapt. It shouldn't be the other way around.
And it's people like you who make me not give a sh*t when their kids get run over by a truck.
I would actually get upset at such a clearly offensive statement but you aren't even worth it. I actually don't think they should ban peanuts in school. I was merely giving my perspective as a mother with a child with severe allergies. The fact that you could even type such a thing about any child is a testament to your character. I wonder if you consider yourself a person of faith? Because no matter what your religion, such intolerance and cruelty toward an individual is awful. Have a great day Bill!
People like me teach our kids to stay out of the street, we don't expect trucks to move for us just because we are in the middle of the street.
As someone who has severe allergies to a few things (wheat being the worst one), the last thing I would want to do is force others to go without it too. I don't go anywhere without methods to deal with allergies so teach your kids/teachers how to react, because the fact is you won't be able to full eradicate items that cause allergies.
Schools should apply the minimal restrictions required to keep their students safe. If a student in the school is mildly allergic to nuts, then a nut-free table or lunch period should suffice. Banning peanut butter altogether in that situation is overly-restrictive, and parents are likely to ignore guidelines they deem unfair or irrational. However, if a student on the campus is anaphylactic to nut particles, then a ban is justified for the duration of that child's attendance. This may mean that the rules about nuts change from year to year, which is fine. We don't need to relegate otherwise healthy kids to "special" schools because of a food allergy. Even the pickiest eaters will eat *something* other than PB&J, especially when it's never offered. Our kids won't "starve," they'll adapt , and probably improve their diets.
why should the healthy majority have to adapt to the allergic minority? Special allowances should be made for those who need them but a complete ban is unreasonable. Peanut butter, depending on the brand and usage, can be a healthy lunch option. It is irrational to ask the entire population to remove this lunchtime staple from their meals because of a few allergies. Otherwise, we should remove non-kosher items and beef for religious reasons, shellfish and other allergy triggers for the allergis, cheeses and milk products for the lactose intolerant, soy products for the males who would like to one day reproduce, non-organic foods, wheat products, and anything else that could offend someone's person dietary needs. Kids would be stuck having a glass of water for lunch.
mp531 you obviously didn't read Lora's idea for COMPROMISE. She was only suggesting banning peanut products if one of the students would go into anaphylactic shock (meaning the child could DIE, since you obviously don't have reading comprehension skills) from air born nut particles... in other cases she is suggesting a nut-free table. In which case the other students could bring in PB&J.
As for the rest of your argument:
non-kosher items don't result in anaphylactic shock. Shellfish, cheeses and milk and all the other examples you gave do not result in air born anaphylactic shock... your completely missing the point. Lora was not suggesting the ban because peanuts would make children uncomfortable... she was suggesting it only when the allergy could lead to death.
Also, there are peanut butter alternatives out there that do in fact taste like peanut butter but are made nut free. In the case of a peanut ban I would suggest trying one of the alternatives out. Sometimes in life you must compromise.
grasshopper – I get what Lora said. My opinion is just different. It has nothing to do with reading comprhension skills, which you may be lacking as i clearly stated that special allowances should be made for those with serious allergies. Some of the issues I mentioned are just as deadly. They can all be accidently slipped to a child with an allergy or digestive issue with the trigger item. The best way to avoid any of these from becoming an unfortunate incident is to educate those exposed to the issue. Whether you have the allergy, a student in your class does, or a friend does, understanding the issue will better prepare those involved should an incident occur. Banning a common substance like PB is just a bit unreasonable but people should be made aware of potential issues with it.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Allergies are on the rise because kids grow up in too sterile an environment. Making the environment even more sterile is not helping, people.
Banning peanut butter from lunch rooms will not increase peanut butter (or any other) allergies, that is a gross distortion of facts.
HERE, HERE!!! My generation's parents and grandparents knew you had to "eat a peck of dirt before you die." A human child MUST be exposed to a certain amount of dirt & germs to build up a healthy immune system. Those children raised by people who are germ-o-phobes are the ones suffering from allergies because their bodies haven't had the chance to build up any anti-bodies. LET your kids be dirty; MAKE them play outside. It's GOOD for them!!!
Hey idiot, it is in fact the exposure of peanuts to a child at too young of an age that can cause the allergy. Nice story about your stupid old grandparents though.
Actually it has been recently proven that the exact opposite is true. It is WITHHOLDING the food that causes the sensitivity as the system is designed to adapt to foods we are presented with very early in life.
Charles could you have been more rude? Isnt't there someone monitoring what is written here? Did we as kids survive some how without the ban on Peanuts in school. Charles check the mirror before namecalling next time. Your pretty brave on a blog
Howie & Bobby, thank you for your support. Apparently Chuck thinks everyone is an idiot (he MUST be brilliant) so I'm in great company.
my child is allergic to nitrates so he cannot have lunch meat, the only thing he will eat is peanut butter and jeally sandwich, he would not eat lunch at school then
There's some great new nitrate free bacon on the market now. That's all I'll buy. Zweigle's white hots from Rocehster NY are nitrate free also. Yummy.
Mmm, white hots!
That's silly. You have a bratty kid. He'll eat something else for lunch if he's hungry enough. Stop spoiling him.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but you can get nitrate-free lunch meat. Also, there are lots of options for nutritious lunches besides sandwiches.
There are lots of nitrate-free lunch alternatives. Not only making sandwiches with sliced chicken or beef that you prepare yourself, but Hormel (Hormel Natural Choice) and Oscar Meyer both sell nitrate-free lunchmeat products in the supermarket.
I don't think any child should be fed products containing nitrates.
What would Jimmy Carter say about this??????
Gimmee a Billy Beer and some boiled peanuts!
My children do not have allergies but we know a little girl who had to go to the hospital after touching a table that had peanuts on it from a previous person. There are so many food choices in the world that children can survive without peanuts for ONE meal of the day.
Well what about other things that cause allergies? Should we ban tree nuts? Strawberries? How about shellfish? Where does it end?
Shouldn't the school be responsible to clean the tables after children have been eating at them?
Children are the school's responsibility during the day. It should be their responsibility to ensure that they provide a safe of their environment both in the classroom, on the playground, and in the cafeteria. It's not so much for the children with the allergy, because they mostly know how to handle their allergy, but it is for the children who don't know and choose to share their food. Nuts are a serious allergy and should be taken seriously.
You must be one of those who always expects the govt. to do what you can't do. It is not a school's responsiblity to take care of only YOUR child. If YOUR child has an allergy, then YOU must make sure YOUR child is taken care of in school. I'm soooooooooo tired of these mother hens who get their panties in a bind bc their precious child has an allergy. Too bad for YOUR kid.
The problem is the other kids, and sometimes the teachers too. They need to be told that exposure can kill the kid. Already we've got bullies waving granola bars at these kids, which, if it was your kid, you would be calling assault with a deadly weapon. Which is exactly what it is.
Tinkerbell, I'm sincerely glad that you haven't had to deal with the reality of having simple, everyday foods be life-threatening to your child.
It's really funny that everyone posting here has a child that will die from the slightest exposure. I mean, what are the odds? Not one of you has a child with a mild allergy? Every last one of you has a child that is seconds from death, huh? And it's your child, right? Interesting...
@ UNREAL: You have a pretty simple mind. Count the number of people in this thread that has mentioned their child can die of a peanut allergy, and you'll get what, 20? 50? 100? I doubt 100. But even 100 is a 0.00003% of the US population, which is way less than the national average. So your implying that people are making this up on the message boards solely on the basis of frecuency is a bit moot.
Also, you have to agree that an article about peanut allergies is going to attract a high number of readers who are affected from it, not just the nay sayers like you and others that are posting horribly nasty things here. I mean, come on people! It's ok if you don't agree with what is said and have another point of view– but saying that these people's children should die is kinda all out cruel.
Some ignorant dumb ass stated that no one has ever died from eating a peanut. According to the AAP, aproximately 100 children between the ages of 0-15 die per year from complications associated with the peanut allergy. "accidental injestion caused anaphaylactic shock." I have a child with a food allergy. I am not crazy and over protective. Just want him to be safe. He is not less of a person, he is bright, plays sports and has NEVER complained about his life threatening condition. Gosh, just these kids just need to have a safe table during lunch. (And maybe some kinder folks out there??) Heck, I keep peanut butter in my house for my other children. I practice safety with our family.
Parents should be responsible enough to teach their kids about their allergies. Schools shouldn't have to waste valuable time and resources to make sure their students aren't eating peanut butter. If your child is allergic, they should know about it, be educated about things they can and cannot eat. It is not the schools' responsibility to make sure everyone eats foods they can tolerate. What next, no wheat in schools for the celiacs? No meat for the vegetarians? No animal products for the vegans? Just feed the kids rice and beans, and nothing more...
If someone has special dietary needs, it is their responsibility to meet those needs, not a government institution's.
I agree with you on everything that you are saying except, that if schools decide to make accommodations for these children it isn't a waste of their time and resources, its their choice.
My son has severe peanut allergies. We've educated him about his allergy since he was diagnosed. He's 7, in 2nd grade and is fully capable of understanding his allergy and that he needs to avoid peanuts, peanut buter and anything that hasn't been preapproved by us as being safe. He eats at a peanut free table and it works just fine. I don't see a need to ban peanuts or peanut butter at schools. It might only serve to ostracize kids with the allergies when all they want is what every other kid wants, to fit in.
Actually, Mark, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it *is* the school's responsibility to make reasonable accommodation. My child entered school as a just-turned-5-year-old. That's a bit young to put all the responsibility on him. That said, he does a very good job at being vigilant. Thankfully, the school helps by not seating children near him who are eating nut products and by not having children sit beside or across from him if they are drinking milk (even spilling it on him can cause anaphylaxis).
Let the debate on the meaning of the word "reasonable" begin
Just so you know Mark, children who have food allergies, food allergies that can kill them, are entitled to accomodations under Section 504 of the American With Disabilites Act, they are disabled because their allergies affect a major life function, breathing and therefore the schools because they are public schools MUST make accomodations to protect them from dying from an allergic exposure!
"Reasonable accommodation" does not mean banning a popular food option. Read the examples of how Section 504 has been applied - basically, making a "peanut-free table" is perfectly reasonable.
I didn't know that, thanks for the info. Doesn't really change my opinion, but still, I can see why food allergies would be considered a disability.
Mark/papillot and the rest of you who think it my child,s allergies are fabricated or perhaps a bother to you.
As a mother of a child with multiple foods allergies, I have to say the ignorance out there astounds me. My child is 5. 5 years old. He is allergic to all nuts, eggs, sesame and beef. And while you might not believe the seriousness of these allergies I know that if my child ingests nuts of any kind his throat will close up within seconds, and he will die. This isn't about a lawsuit, or trying to tell you what you can and can't feed your child. But my child is in danger every time he enters a cafeteria where another child eats peanut butter. Period. I have to rely on the safety measures put in place at his school and that they are followed to the letter. I am sorry if you feel your child is being PUNISHED for not being able to eat peanut butter. But get a fing life. He's a child. I can not believe how ignorant and heartless some of you people are.
If your kid is that freaking special and sensitive, maybe you should homeschool the little bugger. Quit making our kids suffer because you failed to pass down the good genes.
Teach your kids to stay away from bad foods...period. Not everyone should have to go without because a small amount of kids is allergic to something. PB is cheap and my mom used to use it to stretch our budget, parents in her situation should change the way THEY live because of a few kids with allergies? I don't think so.
What Bill said +1.
I'm so sorry your little angel is allergic to living.
Hey moms, Maybe we should just ban all food at schools, then we would not have to worry about anyone's allergies.
Everyone would be equally hungry at school, and no one would feel left out.
The BS detector is on high alert with this one. Check the CDC stats. No one has EVER died from eating peanuts. You are causing emotional harm to your children by inflicting your irrational fears on them.
The bullshit meter??? His throat closed up you ignorant ass. Wow. What a wonderful cross section of the uneducated and heartless of the world. Seriously? You people are pathetic.
I don't think I'm being heartless or ignorant. In fact, my partner has numerous food allergies and sensitivities, but she takes care of them herself. She doesn't eat soy, peanuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, etc), or gluten. Granted, she is an adult and is more able to monitor what she eats, but regardless, diet and food allergies are the responsibility of those afflicted with them. Plain and simple.
As the parent of a child with severe food allergies, I don't see a need to ban peanut butter in schools.
I do, however, not want it being unwrapped in the classroom. My child should not have to be on high alert in the classroom for cross contamination.
I see your point, but where does it stop? We have a neighbor whose daughter is allergic to SOMETHING in the school, though it remains unclear to me what it is. Her mom insisted it's the cleaning solutions being used on the tile floor. She essentially demanded the school change the products they used for cleaning . . and the school complied. The girl is still having reactions, so mom is demanding they change AGAIN.
This is one isolated example, but the words "high alert" should not be used in reference to something as common as peanuts. Guns in the classroom? Knives? Drugs? Porn? Potty mouth? Hey, sound that alert. But peanuts? Sorry, no. Make your kid very aware of what to avoid and inform her teachers of her condition. But the peanut police can stand down.
Hey, Sloppy Joe, you're commenting all over this thread in opposition to a ban... with loads of disinformation. Are you a peanut farmer? An BP industry rep? What's with the uberconviction that peanuts are a Constitutional right? I didn't see peanuts on the Tea Party platform.
Yes, Thomas, I am a peanut farmer and work for BP's PR department. What are the odds? Though, I am uncertain how BP figures into it. Unless you meant "PB." Or, unless the Gulf spill was actually peanut oil.
Now that we're in agreement that I'm an expert, have a seat and pipe down. One has to provide information to be justly accused of providing "disinformation" ("misinformation"?). I provided an opinion, which would take on a similar tone if this debate were regarding allergies to peanut butter, hamster fur, chalk dust, cotton dockers, or Elmer's glue. Implementing rules to protect 1 or 2 kids in a school of hundreds opens up the gates for all kinds of parental demands . . like my neighbor's demands regarding cleaning supplies.
Sounds reasonable. As some of the more reasonable comments have noted, we can't change every aspect of the majority's behavior in healthy and normal activities because of a minority's response - even if it is an involuntary response. Some kids are allergic to bee stings, but we don't hold recess indoors for all because of one child's allergy. Some kids may be allergic to chemical scent- do we insist no teacher, volunteer parent or the like wear perfume or even deodorant?
The smoking analogy is off. Secondhand smoke is harmful to everyone it comes in contact with, not just a minority. Nor is smoking an otherwise healthy activity for the smoker.
Wow, that's the first reasonable suggestion I've seen in this entire discussion! Compromise..what a novel concept these days.
For parents of children with severe allergies (specifically nut allergies, as that's an environmental allergy): why haven't you addressed the larger issue here? If peanut butter is banned in your child's elementary school, that's a temporary fix to what I understand is a lifetime problem. What happens after high school? Do you expect your child's university to ban peanuts? Do you expect them to ever hold a job where they must work 8 hours and eat a meal while at work, or will you continue to coddle them by having them live at home, unemployed as adults and still eat Mommy's food?
Lauren, we're specifically talking about little kids here. When an allergic child gets older, the teen/young adult is better able to police their surroundings.
I feel bad for people with allergies, but I don't want to suffer because of them.
You poor thing, having to wait a few hours to eat your reese's cups.
God forbid anyone should have to suffer....
How is not being able to eat nuts or peanut butter at school causing people to "suffer"? You can eat your peanut butter at home. In society people sometimes have to compromise. Nut allergies are severe. They don't just cause "tummy trouble". People's go into anaphalactic shock and die!
Good grief; let's just nitpick over semantics instead of staying on-topic. No, people who want to ingest peanut butter and have to wait a bit aren't "suffering," but it's just one more little restriction that adds to the ever-growing pile. It's an annoyance. This wasn't ever an issue back in tha day (I'm only 38), as I knew of kids with certain allergies in my classes, and they just did what they needed to do based on their parents' instructions. And, yes, the teachers helped, to the extent possible, make sure Sally didn't accidentally breathe in a few peanut particles.
I've found my kids can't bring homemade treats to class (birthdays and such) unless they're pre-wrapped, store-bought junk. And they can't bring a family pet to show-and-tell, because god forbid some kid be allergic to a kitten. I grew up with a sister who was terribly allergic to anything non-human with hair, but none of us ever considered demanding the school implement some policy to cater to her.
To the poor kid who will keel over dead if so much as a molecule of peanut matter comes within 30 yards of them . . I don't know what to tell you. Life is cruel, bubbleboy. I won't be made to feel like I'm "oppressing" a minority because I send my kid to school with a PB&J now and then.
Oh don't get me wrong, I know it's severe, but if I had an allergy where I could die, I would not trust anyone. I would be making every meal myself from scratch. First its nuts, then its other foods, and I agree that some options should be available, I just want the full options available for me.
Thanks Sloppy Joe. That's exactly what I meant when I said suffer. Of course suffer was a lot easier to type and I assumed people would know what I meant.
So it's cool if my kid eats a peanut butter cup just before getting on the school bus in the morning? Or will that potentially kill someone who rebreathes his air that morning?
Reasonable precautions make sense, but we cannot and will not totally ban things based on the needs of a minority.
We shouldn't have to suffer! It's their problem to deal with, not everyone else's.
Suffer?
Really?
Alec Baldwin said it best on 30 Rock: "Allergies are all mental"
Suffer? Really?
Get real.
Perhaps we should start a peanut coalition?
Let's just ban everything. That should fix it. I suggest we put helmets, elbow, and knee pads on all kids as they enter the school. After that we strap them to their chairs for the remainder of the day to avoid Tommy hitting Sally in the face, then force feed them nutrients from a tube to avoid any type of accidental sickness. After they are forced to watch videos about how evolution is fact, we will denounce the Pledge of Allegiance as it offends some people. Once school is out, we can wheel the children out to their designated parking area for pick up from their parent or guardian. Mommy works until 9pm? So what? No school buses. A (drunk) bus driver might hit a bump and send the kids flying to the ceiling, forcing a lawsuit. FIXED.
That's true. Good ideas, all.
Evolution isn't a fact? Where? Maybe your religion isn't evolving, but everything else is.
Swing and a miss. Sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut and let people assume you're an idiot, rather than open your mouth and prove it.
sort of like you just did?
he was being sarcastic and making a point against society overmanaging our lives and doing our thinking for us vs allowing us to live as we see fit, but taking responsibility for our own actions....I think the rest of us got that. try to keep up, would ya?
Did you read that in a fortune cookie?
Jdizzle McHammerpants I love you and peanut butter too!
This is great! Why didn't anyone think of this when I was a kid??
As long as we're strapping kids into seats and forcing them to watch videos, I'm sure we could come up with some sort of technology that's able to collect thermal energy and electrical current from their bodies.
That thremo-nuclear energy could then be used to power the schools, thus saving the taxpayers!
When I went to school peanut butter wasnt banned and it was the ONLY thing I would eat in kindgergarden. I would have starved to death if I couldnt eat it! I dont think EVERYONE in a school should have to sacrafice their food because of one or two or even 20 children with allergies.. Maybe put all the children with allergies in a different lunch period???
Or maybe you would've stopped being a whiny spoiled brat sooner. Just because your parents indulged you doesn't mean it was a good thing.
Don't have any children, do you, Tim? Didn't think so. No food should be banned just because someone has an allergy. We're quickly becoming a nation of quitters (Palin) whiners (Boehner), and pissy commentators (Tim)
Good idea, isolate everyone who is different!
Bad idea, making 99% of the population have to suffer for the ailments of 1% (actually less than 1%, but rounding up conveniences sake)..
Yes peanut alergies can be life threatening. Yes, they can easily be managed as well without forcing the world around you to bend to your needs. Education is the best way to help those with such alergy issues, not banning.
In adult populations, true, but children are much more likely to make mistakes or accept food without checking ingredients.
The "suffering" of 99% of people is having to wait a few hours to eat certain foods. The suffering of the 1% is the risk of death.
Ban EVERYTHING. YOU WILL CATER TO ME!
For you to say that you woud have starved to death if you hadn't been able to have your precious peanutbutter sandwich as a child, well, too bad it didn't happen!! Obviously, your parents weren't good enough parents if that was the only thing you would eat, really, maybe they should have tried feeding your proper foods like vegetables and fruits. I have four children, three of whom have peanut and nut allergies, the only thing that might cause them to die is if they come into peanuts, peanutbutter, and other nuts. Peanutbutter is sticky and the proteins are very hard to kill and clean off surfaces, I teach my children to stay away from peanut/nut products, however, no matter what my children do to keep themselves safe, it doesn't matter because other people are slobby, or inconsiderate and don't clean up after themselves. Like MDMOM says, going one meal without peanutbutter/nut butter isn't a big deal, really, find something otherwise nutritious to eat!!!
Just because you try to feed your child nutritious foods like fruits and veges, does not mean they will eat them. Are we supposed to force feed our children?
I am sorry your kids have allergies to peanuts. My daughter is allergic to milk, chocolate, grass, hay and bees. We live were there is lots of grass, hay and bees. My daughter carries an epi pen with her and knows how to use it and everyone we associate with knows she has it and why. Yes, not all of these items will kill her but it all depens on the extend of the exposure and type of. My daughter rides horses competitively and we take precautions. It is in your hands not others to take care of yourself and your children. Banning peanutbutter is not a solution.
It seems that you are as ignorant and intolerant as the rest of these short sighted individuals in this post. There are children that have OCD's or are autistic or have issues with textures. So if one of these types of children only eat PB&J for Lunch the parents are not indulging their children but coping with the disability as best they can. You do not want to single out any child with issues or special needs, but sometimes for the benefit of those with issues this needs to take place. Also this is the on going pussification of our society.
Well, I went through elementary school on peanut butter and strawberry preserves – honestly I would not eat any other sandwich in school, and not for lack of my parent's trying! I was not obese, or even fat and was in fact skinny enough that one of my nick names was "Bonesey". Subbing out sandwich fillings meant I simply did not eat my sandwich, even if I was hungry later, and even if it went on for a weeks (and honestly, this was in the '70s, the primitive days before ice packs – warm ham or warm tuna was revolting, and potentially unhealthy).
The reseach on food allergies is very wonky – the concept that enough "airborne" particles from a peanut or peanut butter can fly across the room, be inhaled and cause a reaction has been scientifically questioned (more likely is that residues are picked up from objects in the room, which is a more controllable hygeine issue). Strict segregation of the peanut eaters and the encouragement of basic steps like handwashing after eating could take care of the matter.
Also of note – interesting that the rate of peanut allergies has increased in children right along with increasing the delay in introducing peanut products to the kids. When babies are born there is a time when their immune systems are learning what is "self" and to NOT be reacted to, and what is "non-self" and is to be reacted to. Perhaps allergy rates would drop if potential allergens were introduced at an age where the body would call them 'self"?
Really? 3 out of 4 kids are deathly allergic to peanut butter? Exactly how many genetically deficient kids did you need to have? Enough to force your problems onto other people? YOU chose to have kids, YOU deal with their issues. You read many other allergies that have been posted here. Do we need to start banning everything, or just the things your kids are allergic to? Seriously, stop being so self centered. There are probably 15 kids in the entire school with this allergy, 3 coming from your house. You cause this problem and want others to deal with it for you? No thanks.
My child has neophobia. That means he will eat very few foods and will not try new foods (new foods and textures in his mouth make him puke). You take pb away from him and he has no options for lunch. My husband and many of his family have severe food allergies, so I am not unsympathetic. However, you seem to be saying that the needs of your child surpass that of my child with his own special food needs. Education is key, which is what my school system does-no food sharing is allowed, not outside food for school parties, no pb allowed for preschool snacks (since snacks are in the classroom), teaching children about allergies, and frequent handwashings. If my friend that has a child with severe peanut allergies can serve her other child pb in her own home, then there is no reason why it can't be done safely at school . Children become adults and have to live in the outside world, time to teach them how to do it now.
Sorry, it's not just the point of it being PB per se, it's the point of banning anything because of a few. I thank God every day that i have no such health issues with my children but I do not support the ban. Everyone keeps talking about trying to feed your child healthier food so since that subject was brought up let's discuss strawberry allergies...I have a niece whose throat will close up if she even smells strawberries, should schools ban them as well? Now this is considered a super fruit, should my child never have strawberries in her lunch because someone may be allergic? It's the point of the ban, not the content. And I am not heartless or selfish and I DO care about the children with allergies but I can not be responsible for them. If another child uses PB/peanuts to harrass an allergic child that child is a bully anyway & can just as easily hurt my child with a punch or a knife...
Why yes Kerri you are CORRECT! I actually did have a horrible drug addicted mother who finally abandonded me when I was in sixth grade..At least I knew how to make myself and my sister a sandwhich because my mother sure as h*ll wasnt going to feed us
For you to suggest that the only way you can keep your child alive is to dictate what my child can eat is (a) ludicrous (b) egotistical (c) self-centered (d) manipulative and, most importantly (e) rejects YOUR responsibility to teach YOUR children to take responsibility for their OWN limitations and act accordingly. Go teach them what they need to do, or not do, as the case may be. I don't care who eats PB, or anything else. I do care when self-centered egomaniacs like you presume to tell my children and grandchildren (two of whom DO have peanut allergies, by the way) what they can and cannot do. Good luck with that. Ain't happening. I taught my children to deal with their limitations, and they taught theirs. No one dead yet. Teach your helpless victims, I mean your children, the same lesson, and they will survive. In the mean time, leave mine alone.
Now that might be natural selection at work more than a peanut allergy. You wouldn't eat ANYTHING else? That's ridiculous!
Kristen you would not have starved to death. Americans do not starve to death. You would have been very hungry when you got home, that is all.......idiot!
Hundreds of homeless Americans die each year. In case you weren't aware.
And perhaps your obesity is a result?? I find it difficult to believe anyone could die from a LACK of PB.
Oh, for God's sake, send them back to Africa!
NATURAL SELECTION?! WHAT?! You want natural selection (i.e. your kid's peanut butter sandwich) to take someone else's kid out? I thought that's why science has been trying to churn out cures and treatments for diseases - to help us overcome those, uh, selection pressures. Do you think we should stop, for instance, medicating folks for various illnesses too? Stop feeding the hungry? Stop giving water to those without? After all, these are all selection pressures.
Yes, I think that is a great idea. I am not being sarcastic either.
There is no proof these allergies are genetic. Many people develop peanut allergies when they are adults too. So if this happened to you, then I guess we know that we don't have to use any life saving measures.
yes we should. by keeping people alive who out in nature would die we are weakening our collective gene pool and end up a weaker species. for one thing they take up resources, but even worse is the chance that genetic mutation, when kept alive and thus enticed to breed, end up proliferating and affecting many more innocent souls than if you had let those originally afflicted be selected out by nature.
Peanut allergies are environmental, not genetic.
How do we get you to be "selected out" by nature?
Would you feel that way if it was our child "nature" decided to "weed out"? If so, I truly hope you never breed.
You my friend have a extra chromasome. And probally a swastaca on your forehead.
when you have no sound argument, always resort to a slippery slope logical fallacy.
My sound argument is that no, we should not allow children to die because we want our kids to eat Jiffy. That's . . . um, kind of bulletproof.
And then, yes, I extrapolated the reasoning from the original article to show its absurdity.
No comment on folks who "resort" to citing logical fallacies on internet message boards :)
Like religion does?
First off, 'science' has been churning out medications mostly to make money under the guise of making us better. Natural selection, until 'science' stepped in, was responsible for making us the strong, intelligent species that we are today. By circumventing natural lifespan through artificial means, we are not strengthening the species, we are providing support...a support that if we were now to do without, we will tumble because it is holding up the deficient with the proficient....the deficient who would otherwise not be a factor, but who are now using numerous resources. One of the numerous results: rise in commodity prices due to increased demand. Population explosion. Overcrowding. Suburban sprawl.....because mommy can't let go of the only sick, weak child she can have....because we need to keep grandpa alive until machines can't even do it anymore....because we need to save every life no matter the cost. The cost is ultimately going to be the life of every human on this planet due to lack of space, excessive pollution, and lack of resources. On top of that, nobody cares to do anything about it! As long as you are fat and happy right now, that's all that matters.
also, peanut butter (and peanuts for that matter) were not part of the human diet until recently, when it was discovered that it is a cheap source of nutrition, among other things. You can live without it. But, limiting the rights and privileges of the many for the comfort of the few should not be tolerated. Parents, educate your children. It is not the schools job to teach them how to be responsible, they just teach them how to pass tests and survive in high school. You wanted children, it is your duty to teach them how to survive, how to be adults, and how to be contributing members of society.
umm 200 years is "recently" to you? please speak with a little knowledge next time...
excellent response...to a point that does not really deal with the topic at hand. It's a good response, that is, if your timeline starts with the colonization of north america. Humans have around and eating stuff for tens of thousands of years –hundreds of thousands depending on where you place the first genetic homosapiens– so yes, peanuts are recent, as is bread, rice, grains in general, beans, and other foods that you have to cook to consume.
Let's just mandate that all kids get permanent IVs (intravenous access) and require that they get fed through the IV. Problem solved! Gee did that sounds sarcastic?
Did you use all of your powers of deduction to come up with that. You like peanuts that much? That you would put other in danger so you can eat them?
I think maybe we just stop feeding you...let nature handle the rest...
I'm soooo creamy!
Oh yea,Well I have bigger Nuts!
First, this is not that big of a deal. People who can't cut back on peanut butter which may hurt someone else's child is a dick. B. To those that say that PB should only be banned if 51% of kids are allergic, I believe in the majority's responsibility to protect the rights of the minority (the RIGHT of public education without fear of PB related death). Then again, I also don't have slaves, and let Blacks eat at my lunch counter, so I'm pretty radical. C. Maybe most importantly. PB is making your kids FAT! Look at the nutritional content, stuff is TERRIBLE for you. You are lazy if you can't take 2 min to make your kid a healthier lunch. They should not be "living off PB", esp. at school. Childhood obesity is a major issue, and PB is as bad as candy.
Actually, Matt, peanut butter, if consumed moderately, can be good for you. Natural pb is the best, and while it has bad fats, it also has good fats and protein.
PB is fine in moderation, especially the natural stuff. But the Jif that Choosy Moms Choose has sugar added, and one serving has 190 calories and 25% of your daily fat. Our kids are fat. It's like global warming, no longer a theory, but something we know to be true. Two things make you fat. Too many calories in, not enough out. Clearly kids don't get enough "out", so we need to cut the "in" a little. Getting a quarter of your daily calories from one, 500 cal PBandJ sandwich is not going to get that done.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE ALLERGIC TO WATER, SHOULD WE BAN WATER NEXT? WHERE DOES THIS STOP!!!
Sorry people too bad if your kid is allergic to one of the few things my child will eat for lunch. My child's welfare supersedes yours in my opinion. Peanut Butter sandwiches are a staple for many children especially those w/o the financial means to provide more. If your child has an allergy deal with it yourselfs do not burden the school.
BTW our schools tried to ban it and the parents disobeyed the ruling.
Matt,
!/4 of the daily calories from a PB&J sandwich is usually a much safer bet than 2 slices of pizza that may include up to twice as many calories. Think about what you are saying. At 3 meals a day, breakfast and lunch should contain more calories (energy) than the usual late family dinner. If they are only taking in 1/4 of their daily intake at lunch, throw in some other healthy foods to make up the difference. Get the number closer to 800 calories. We need to worry more about how the children are using their energy and less on how they get it, as long as it is healthy and viable, such as peanut butter sandwiches. Not only that, but most children enjoy peanut butter, whether it is the sugar, or the peanuts, who cares. At least they are eating. As far as that goes, a parent who takes the time to put together a lunch meal for their child is doing twice as much as those that just throw money at the school expecting them to take care of the child's needs for sustainance. I sure as "H E double hockey sticks" don't want the school to tell me what I can and cannot feed my own children. Peanut alergies are regularly mild, and if there are exceptions, their own parents should be the ones taking the lead on healthy alternatives for those children.
Have a great day.
I'm all for it as long as the parent of the child of the food allergy is paying for the difference. Why should i have to spend 10+ dollars on something my child will eat while at school, when he will eat peanut butter just fine. While my child is at home I can supervise what they eat. At school I have to hope they ate what was packed. As a child that had food allergy's I can tell you this it sickens me that a new generation of parents think that it is ok to impose restrictions on others because of something that only effects them/their child. Provide a bunch of Epi pens to the school and be done with it.
Allergic to water???? Now...THEN you have a SERIOUS problem....
The solution is obvious! Allergic kids have a seperate lunch time. They get seperate classes, and ride a seperate (maybe smaller, since they are fewer in number) bus.
Last I checked, I live in America, where we have the freedoms to make these kinds of decisions on my own. Nobody better tell me or my kids what to eat.
America. Eff yeah.
Hell no! Ever hear of Darwin. Kids that can't handle nuts, don't need to contaminate the rest of our gene pool.
@Matt: Fat does not make you fat. Eating too much of anything and not exercising is what makes you fat. While I agree with you on the sugary Jiff and Peter Pan arguments, natural peanut butter's protein content far outweighs any negative affects the fat in it has. Unsaturated fats are mostly healthy fats. Men's Health magazine lists nuts and peanuts as one of the power foods, as well as many bodybuilders who use it as a recovery snack after a workout.
"Peanut Butter sandwiches are a staple for many children especially those w/o the financial means to provide more. If your child has an allergy deal with it yourselfs do not burden the school."
________
If you're a poor loser who can't afford meat that's your problem, not mine. Sorry, it's not my fault you're an idiot who reproduces without the means to care for your useless kids. Get a real job!
So should we also ban them from ballgames? Kids grow up and still have the allergies so why shouldn't they expect the same special rules where ever they go? I feel terrible for anyone with allergies, I'm allergic to smoking, pet dandar, mold, dust and several plants. If it bugs me than I take responsibility for my own self and adjust myself. I don't expect thousands of others to cater to me
Brett.... You are TOTALLY wrong and miss the point. Pure water can NEVER be an allergen. YOU are made of water. Therefore can NOT be allergic to it. But the Democrats could have their way and ban peanuts in school. They ALWAYS overlegislate to protect the MINORITIES.
Are they salted?
TwM......My child's welfare supersedes yours in my opinion? Wow, it's self-centered people like you who are destroying this country.
What many of the hostile, poorly educated and self-centered responders are missing here is that it is just this attitude that have created many of the social probelms we face today in this nation – the disregard and lack of respect for our neighbors. We ignore the needs of our neighbors in an effort to support our own self serving desires, not matter how small and insignificant. In this case the result are likley three very real issues with regard to food allergies. 1) Since many of the reponders seem to have the attitude "screw them, if they die they die", God forbid your child decides to be the bully and expose another child with a life threatening peanut allergy to peanuts and that results in harm to that child – you now have a significant liability on your hands (as does the school system) as I am sure that childs parents will be pressing charges against you and your family – I am sure at that point you will be rethinking your nasty self centered comments while you are comiserating with the families of the boys down in Florida that thought it was a good idea last year to throw alcohol on their buddy and set a match to him over an insiginificant bicycle. I am sure they are rethinkning some of their parenting skills while their kids spend some time in a prison cell. 2) Why not teach your kids to show the same compassion you would want shown to you, should you or someone in your family suffer a similar disability. I am sure then you would not be rushing to the judgement of "let my neighbors child die so long as I am not inconvenienced and my child can have his peanut butter". I would think you would be without a doubt begging for the same simple consideration they are. 3) You are also forgetting that when somone has a disability like this, you personally have a right to eat all the peanut butter your want....provided it does not threatent the life of someone else. At that point your rights end.
Similar to smoking. When you choose to light up, which you have a right to, it is your choice....God bless you...until you make the poor decision to blow the toxins in the face of your neighbor. Your rights end there when you threaten someone else life and attepmt to take away their right to breath clean air.
These are not families looking for special treatment for the sake of raising themselves to a higher sociatal status. They have learned the lesson of the frailty of life and tend to look after all kids needs equally. They have realized that all life is rpecious and are much more likley to look out for your child should he or she need it. Remember what comes around, goes around. You never know when you might need the neighbors help that is looking for a little consideration from you today.
Speaking of improving the gene pool, would we rather have a bunch of kids with life threantening food allergies or other disabilities in the gene poool that have learned not to take each day for granted, to place high value on their neighbors life and show compassion toward those less fortunate and in need of a friend? Or the offspring of one of the poorly educated bloggers below that teach their kids they are the center of the universe, think of yourself before others and take advantage of those you perceived to be weaker than you. Unfortunately these families have not yet learned that in this country, that attitude is likely to put you on the fast track to a long prison term and an early death.
Think about it! Is peanut butter really that big of deal?
To those of your that can take life for granted God Bless you.
i think they should ban schools from feeding kids tough times calls for changes complete openness about where the states and the people stand to be writen into law about this
Your mom chooses me. And everyone knows how choosy she is!
Maybe the kids who aren't allergic to peanut butter should chase the kids who are allergic to peanut butter with an open faced sandwich. They get some exercise, they face their fears and they get a nice treat after they are done running... they can give the allergic kids the other side of the sandwich with the jelly on it... then everyone's happy. How do you suppose that a kid who is allergic is going to be exposed to a peanut butter sandwich by a kid who isn't allergic, unless they are forced to eat it, they are attacked with it or they choose to eat it on their own??? The peanut butter isn't the problem in those situations... bad kids, bad parenting and bad choices are the problem. Maybe if Junior was properly parented in the first place we wouldn't have to have this discussion, but who the heck parent's their kids these days, "it's not my kid that is the problem" syndrome has run rampant on our society. All the good little tommys and cindys of the world have turned into foul mouthed, over coddled, over indulged brats that are becoming criminal drug addicts by age 14. Peanut Butter isn't the problem, lousy parents and horrible children are the problem.
Life isn't fair, and to make someone else pay for the allergies of another is ridiculous. We all have to learn how to compromise and adjust our lives to become successful adults. I would never expect anyone to do without to accomodate me.
Ok, your kids has peanut allergy, my kid has red dye #5 allergy, my nextdoor kid has alergy or oranges, another bread, another milk... SO where does it stop? Lets just ban food and lunch at school altogether, that will solve the issue, yes! My god when are popel going to stop thinkig gov will or can solve all of our problems.... STOP ALREADY! Gov is NOT the answer.
why cant they just have a hypoallerginic option to every lunch menu.. Why are we so fixated on making controversies out of nothing. Oh I know why.. because 24 news channels. need filler to cause ire , to drive emotion, to motivate, you to spend time watching news fluff editorials , so they can sell advertisements.
Well, I have no kids and I could not care less but I have seen an anaphylactic shock occurred to a kid and oh-boy that has heart wrenching. In the pol results was: Let the parents deal with it.. I would say, they can feed their kids 0 peanuts but they cannot control what kids classmates bring to school. The danger is still there and parents with kids with allergies cannot do anything about it unfortunately. If I have a child and he/she is NOT allergic but a classmate or someone at school is I would definitely keep my peanut butter at home. It does not harm anyone to do this for the safety and maybe the life of another child. I don't need to exercise the 'american freedom' just to show I can do whatever I want. A life of a child is more valuable than my power of doing whatever I feel like... As one country and being conscious that this issues do exist, we all should/could try to help each other. The more people together to tackle this situations, the stronger we get as a society.
To the guy who said you cant be allergic to water...yes you can http://health.msn.com/health-topics/allergies/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100154510
Only 0.5% of Americans have *any* allergy to peanuts, let alone a fatal allergy. Where else do we adjust everyone's time honored traditions to accommodate 1 in 200 people, most of whom simply get a little itchy and ornery in the presence of said allergen? Both sides of the debate would do well to see this more logically. It isn't about YOUR children. It's about a lack of statistical support for the perceived ominous danger that peanuts pose to OUR children. Of course parents of children with a potentially fatal peanut allergy will want their children to be in a sterile, peanut free environment. Of course everybody else is going to hate them for it because of the aforementioned lack of statistical evidence that this is anything more than an overreaction to a very minor threat.
Well Charles, a PB sandwich can sit in the sun for hours with no ill effects while even a bologna sandwich isn't so good after sitting in a brown bag for half the day. It isn't about how much money you have it's about kids tastes and what is safe for them to eat. Too bad you're a piece of $hit who would never understand that.
Matt,
My kid refuses to eat anything but BP&J for lunch at school. Oh yeah, she's got a BMI around 6 and is a young athlete. Basically, because I'm being a dick and not allowing my child to starve in school because she WON'T eat anything else except her daily carrots and granola bar, I should be ashamed? This is why the schools have seprate areas for those with allergies. We have informed our child to wash fully after she eats so that she doesn't get her friends sick. She's been informed not to kiss her friends so they don't break out. Telling someone what they can and cannot eat is just obsessive. If your kid has an allergy, send an epi pen into the school nurse and make sure they are trained to use one.
To TwM, "My child's welfare supersedes your's?" You've got to be kidding. Sending your child to school with a PB&J sandwich is matter of choice and convenience. If someone in your child's class has peanut butter allergy, that child's welfare (right to live) supersedes your child's eating habits.
Yes,but I spread easy.
so a child dying because another child exposed them to an allergen is natural selection.... so we also shouldn't be treating infections with penicillin (those infections probably killed a few people in the olden days), and premature children should just be left to die? Should the diabetics all stop taking their insulin so natural selection can take its course there too? ridiculous misuse of the idea of natural selection because your kid cant do without their peanut butter.
I am a parent of a child with severe food allergies and I do not believe that my school should have to ban peanut butter. That is my opinion, but I can't get over so much of the crap written here! My child is allergic to PB, nuts, dairy, shellfish, and eggs. He has been documented as having food allergies since he was three months old and he was having issues due to the proteins from these items going thru the breast milk. He has gone into shock 6 times, the first at 5 and a half months. A few times there has been no definite link to what he ate other than something being contaminated somehow with an allergen. I understand where other parents with food allergies are coming from, but I also think it is too difficult to ban peanut butter from schools. We deal directly with the school/teachers about his allergies. Food allergies are basically an immune disorder...I don't even know what to say to the people talking about natural selection and survival of the fittest...grow up. To Howie...where have you gotten your facts?! 80% of food allergy deaths each year are due to peanut. People DO die from peanut protein exposure. There are cases of airborne issues with peanuts. I have seen my son start to choke and throat close twice from being places where people have added water to baby formula...the dust from the milk protein gets in the air and it enters into his lungs and causes a systemic reaction. I have not asked the school to ban the use of dairy powder creamer in the teacher lounges. Grape Jelly...who said "peanut butter is not the problem...lousy parents and horrible children are the problem". honestly?! My child has been extremely educated about his food allergies and is completely diligent about them. It has nothing to do with him being a horrible child! It is something that has to be dealt with on a case by case basis, and yes, my kid does need to eat a table that does not have peanut butter smeared on it, and it is something that needs help from more than just the child and their parent. The lack of compassion though from people here is completely disgusting. These kids do deserve to get an education in a safe environment just like the kids without allergies.
I'm chunky and make kids sick!
Unfortunately more and more we live in a society where people expect everyone else to take ownership for their issues. If you have a child with an allergy, then you are responsible to teach that child whet is good for them and what is not. No body else is responsible!!! We also live in a society where mistakes are not allowed. Yea, yea I can hear it now, "your mistake could cause the death of a child". Yes that is true. Crossing the street could also cause a death. But once again who is responsible to teach the child to look both ways before crossing the street, THE PARENT not everyone else!! Take responsibility.
i thought i read an article on studies around allergies and the finding that most allergies are developed by lack of introduction of the food in early years. so if a child is not allowed to drink milk or eat pb not once in their beginning life then an allergy builds or the lacking of the body to know how to process it etc....also that parents of highly allergic kids have a common characteristic of being typically obsessive compulsive and even coming from a certain class of people that i'll not state but who unknowingly bring about the condition. it could be baseless conjecture but something to note.
but mostly i think separation is best, that is why we have special ed, we can't adjust the experience of the masses in all cases, at some point you cross the line in accommodating for others and begin infringing upon the freedom of another to have choice.
I don't necessarily think a ban on peanuts would do the trick. My ex was severely allergic to several things. It was very difficult for me to read every label and make sure I made things that were safe for him. I put in the effort because I had to.
But what I noticed is that people without allergies just don't know enough about them to be effective. A well meaning parent could EASILY slip up and include something with peanuts in their child's lunch...even if they didn't mean to.
If I was the parent of a child with a peanut allergy I'd much rather have the "peanut people" kept to a certain table and then my child would know to stay away from that table.
Matt,
Are you crazy? Peanut butter is great for you! I’ve been eating it nearly every day of my life and I am healthy and thin, not to mention it’s a source of protein as a vegetarian. Plus, peanut butter tastes great on so many different foods. Lighten up!
I am highly allergic to fruit of nearly all kinds. If I sit next to someone eating an apple, I can stop breathing. I have had this allergy my entire life. I never expected people to stop eating fruit around me. I was taught when I was in elementary school that I needed to move to a different table if someone brought fruit that I was allergic too. My mother educated me as to what I could be around and what I couldnt. She never once expected the school to ban fruit because of me. My niece is highly allergic to peanuts and has been taught what she needs to stay away from. She is six years old and knows exactly what she can and cannot eat. She knows when she starts getting the symptoms of an allergic reaction and can go to the nurse for an epipen. The laziness does not lie with the parents who don't have an extra two minutes to make their kid something else for lunch. It lies with the parents who don't take the time to educate their own children about their children's health.
My 14 month old son was just diagnosed with a level 4 Peanut Allergy. I am new to this whole world of food allergies and never in my life could have imagined a peanut could harm a child like it can. I had never heard of peanut allergies and never really gave thought to food allergies at all. I would probably be the first to run around the house chasing my best friend with a lobster if I knew she were allergic to shellfish….
This has been a huge learning experience and I now know there is a need for information and compassion. The peanut allergy is life long; my son will never outgrow it! Exposure for him means a severe reaction. One of which is Anaphylactic shock, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction. He could die! Our immunologist told us that peanut allergies have quadrupled in the US in the last 10 years that he believes it has to do with the way peanuts are processed in the US, (Dry Roasted). Other countries process peanuts by boiling them and they do not have the peanut allergy issues as in the United States. He also talked about what he called “germ phobia” and over use of antibiotics that has weakened our immune systems. He believes all have given rise to food allergies. So on to the “Peanut Free” schools. I believe educating the public about these food allergies is what needs to happen! Why is there a rise in the allergy, why are food allergies so dangerous?! Let’s educate each other and out children so that there is compassion and understanding about the issue. Keep in mind however; Schools have removed soda machines because soda is not healthy. Peanuts can actually kill!
I'll just say one thing . . . peanut allergies of the most severe are airborne and a person can simply breath it if it is nearby. That is why it can be scary to a parent with a kid who is truly allergic to nuts.
Suck it!! youre cheap and oily I am large and in charge!!
My children do not have a peanut allergy; however, I do. I was also told by the doctor that peanuts are the most severe allergy. Some people can have a reaction just by being around peanuts. Mine is not that severe. I think the schools should ban peanuts to protect the children.
MIchael, you're comment should be featured in the upcoming post. You're the only one who is sensible and I'm thankful there are people like you in this world (: You took the words out of my mouth!
*your
I really wish all of our important issues received this type of passionate, fierce, and intelligent focus. If we could utilize half of the energy put into these posts over peanut butter – we wouldn't have half of the problems we do!!! Who knew PB&J could drive the moral and ethical positions of our nation.
@andy exactly! If we have extra energy to expel on changing lunch time policy in America's school lets start with something that will make a difference to the health of everyone. Secondly, before anyone gets their undies in bunch shouldn't we know some legitimate facts. What percent of kids have a peanut allergy, what percent of those have a severe/ potentially fatal reaction, what percent of kids have a sever reaction to skin contact with peanut residue?
And please lets be realistic, this isn't about whether or not the government can let your kid eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanuts and peanut oil are in EVERYTHING
Lastly, by the time any policy changes about peanuts would ever get made allergen free peanuts will be fully used in our food supply and this will be a null issue
PB should not be banned. Im sorry and I wont be harsh but there is no reason other people cannot enjoy something because of a minorities unfortunate allergy. All I ahte in school growing up and even at my first job as an adult was PB sandwiches. I love it. Its helped someone like me with high metabolism put on a little weight. It is sad that so many people expect the rest of the world to cater to their problems. I understand extra precautions should be taken, but to take it away from everyone for a couple kids at the school? Seriously? Thats like punishing the entire school when one child talks out of turn. Step up, and be a real parent take responisbilty and precautions for your child and stop expecting others to do it for you. This applies to everything including the current "Video Games are bad" case going to the Supreme Court. WAKE UP PARENTS You had the child you take responsibilty. For their actions what they watch, play or eat. MAke sure the school knows and make sure (Past a certain age understandably) that your kid is smart enough to know not to eat the allergen.
Matt, It would appear that you no as much about peanut butter as global warming . . . NOTHING!!!! Why would you sound like a complete idiot in trying to somehow speak of childhood obesity, global warming and a peanut allergy? Lets leave the manipulation of data to the "global warming experts" and stick to the facts regarding a peanut allergy. I also have a child with a peanut allergy, however I don't think every other child at the school should have to restrict their meal choices based on the allergy of mine. As far as childhood obesity and peanut butter, you may have to also consider the lack of exercise, the decreased intake of vegetables and fruit, the increased intake of fast food, the massive increase of caloric drinks . . . . . . so in closing, people like you may try and simply blame peanut butter of the cause of childhood obesity, however consider the potential other causes before making such a simple minded conclusion.
Well friends, I have a child who was born allergic to several different foods. How about a little empathy and caring in this world instead of selfishness. I also work in large school district. We make accommodations for children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, etc. so why not for kids with allergies. Why is that different? It is sad to think that you would comprise my child's life just so your child could have the option of eating peanut butter. It was disappointing the comments I read. I have worked with special needs children my whole life and to think this should be treated any differently.
@Laura,
Your comparison is faulty here. In order for it to be valid, schools would need to eliminate any instruction that would be over the heads of those with learning disabilities. That's not plausible, so schools set up separate programs for these kids. A "peanut free table" would be a rough analog of that situation, and I'm fine with that.
You don't punish the majority to protect a very small minority. You find a way to accommodate the minority within reason.
@DaveInTucson its not actually an allergy but it does exist. Water causes irritation (especially with skin contact) and slight upset stomach problems. Obviously it is neccesarily mild compared to other allergies because water is impossible to avoid and you would be dead if it were truly severe. Also about being made up mostly of water doesn't make any difference. Allergies are reactions of immune systems, they don't actually affect individual cells. The water in cells is effectively "hidden" from the immune system like viruses are when they are in an infected cell, and the reaction is from secondary immune reactions like swelling and inflammation. It is very rare but it does exist.
If your allergic/ don't eat it–pretty simple
your reading comprehension is atrocious, lol @ your tiny pea brain
Blessings Donna, my girlfriends daughter almost died because a mother thought it would be okay to send her child to school with a pb sandwich. The child allergic was allergic to the particles in the air. Not worth the risk. Plus, children share whether they are allowed to or not
You have NO idea what you are talking about... save your comments for something you know!
I have a child that is highly allergic to coconut...yes, coconut. If it even touches her skin she breaks out in hives...if she ingests it, she requires an epipen and a trip to the ER. I think you would feel differently, or at least I would hope you would, if it was your child that had a severe food allergy.
@Catie – So by your comment that the child had a reaction to peanut particulate matter in the air we should ban peanut butter in school. On that same note if the child had a reaction to peanut particulate matter while playing in their neighborhood, should than all the childs neighbors be banned from having peanut butter? At what point do the parents take responsibility and provide their child the necessary tools to deal with an allergic reation. What happens when that child grows up and no longer attends school and had to deal with life in the real world. I agree that some precautions should be taken but not necessarily at the expense of the overall population.
Peanut butter particles? give me a break. peanut butter is not the problem, if there are peanut particles in the air its not from peanut butter unless they smeared peanut butter on themselves, let it dry, then rubbed it off.
Yes, Doctor Dunderhead, peanut particles in the air CAN cause a sever and fatal allergic reaction. Doctor of Basketweaving? The lack of empathy on this thread is appalling. I don't condone a ban, but people, if your kid could DIE from something, wouldn't you try to protect them?
I do not think PB should be banned from schools. I have 3 boys one of which IS allergic to PB. He is fully aware of his allergy and what will happen if he eats anything containing peanuts (he is 6). We need to educate our children, if he doesn't know what it is he doesn't touch it.
Catie, you are completely incorrect. It has been proven that airborne peanut particles CANNOT cause a reaction in the tiny subset of the population that may have a peanut allergy. It has further been demonstrated that NO ONE has ever had a life threatening reaction from even ingesting peanuts. Mild allergic reactions are not dangerous, and the community at large should not have to make accommodations for them.
@Catie LOL it is the responsibility of that child and their parents to deal with it. Again PB is a relatively inexpensive and popular lunch item. That is the factor for many. For others (and no Matt my child is not at all fat, rather thin actually) that mabe all they will entertain for lunch (Fussy). My Child is like that he likes Pizza, chicken nuggets and PB & Jelly. Yes he is fussy and yes he gets his PB&J sandwich even though our particular school tried to ban it. It was either he had his sandwich or the school would have to buy him pizza or nuggets every day. Note I said the school, not me. That squelched their idiotic ban.
As much as I don't believe in the ban, it's not as simple as just not eating it.
Theres no such thing as peanut BUTTER particles. Its impossible. Its like saying youre allergic to chocolate sauce particles if what you really have is an allergy to cocoa. Regular peanuts create dust particles, peanut butter does NOT create particles unless someone is messing with it and drying it out.
airborne peanut butter particles? really? A peanut allergy is an allergy to the proteins in peanuts. You have to touch or eat the peanut/butter to be affected by it. The proteins are NOT airborne or carried by air. So, unless pb food fights are SOP for your school, as long as your child chooses not to touch it he/she will be fine.
Im a bout to be a mother. im not sure what iwould do if my child was to eat it and didnt know what was happening to him. if his tounge started to swell and his throat closed what would happen then? my sons father and i strongly believe in trating peoplee the same. so take your children to the doctor before they start school to see what their allergies are. its only better if you do. when you find out let te school know so they will not feed them something that can hurt your little one. make sure they also know what they can and cant have. so they will know what to look for. i know any mother or father would not want their chils to get hurt or sick at all. and yes i know im not a mother just yet but in feb i will be. but for now i speak the truth of a big sister and aunt
sorry ...not carried by odor.
Donna, some people have such a severe allergy to peanuts that even the smell of peanut butter can cause a severe reaction. Unfortunately, there are so many allergies that it's very difficult to control. Wheat allergies, tree nuts (different than peanut) allergies, seafood allergies, etc.
Today, one problem is that some people are claiming allergies to things they are sensitive to. For example, I am sensitive to green bell peppers. I am NOT allergic to them-I don't get an allergic reaction-but they give me terrible indigestion-heartburn. But people confuse sensitivities and allergies. I will not die from green pepper, but an allergic person can easily die from their allergen.
Your statement is a very ignorant one. I would hope you would be educated before making such a remark.
Please do some research before showing your low allergy I.Q.
So a 5 year old child with a severe allergy should just know what to do and deal with it, but your child who refuses to eat anything should be catered to – fussiness is more important than an unfortunately common life threatening condition? Oh and of course the parents of the allergic child should also be concerned that you can't afford anything but peanut butter even though you don't care if your picky kid's peanut butter kills their child (gee I wonder whose fault it is that he never tried anything but pizza, peanut butter and chicken nuggets). Wow, you are one truly decent and compassionate human being.
O how I wish it were that easy. We have two children with food alergies. The smell of peanuts causes major problems for one of them. We could keep her home all the time makeing sure she has no friends and never learns to deal with life outside of our home. I hope you never have to learn how impossible it is to do what you've suggested. Children/adults who've had to deal with this never asked for it. As a mom, I am always gladly going the extra mile to make sure it's not an issue for those around her, but when a child waves a pbj sandwich in front of her and luaghes I guess she should have just stayed home. Well when it happened, she did have to go home due to a reaction. Hoping your heart will change without this happening to you or someone you love.
Catie, last I checked, "butter" substances do not fly particles into the air. Contact with another child may, but "butter" doesn't fly anywhere. Should I not be able to give my child peanut butter for breakfast either because my child might come into contact with another child at schoold who might be allergic?
Howie, where is your "proof?" Can you please reference that?? Can you find a study that proves it wrong? If so, please include a link. Do you REALLY know no one has ever died b/c of a peanut allergy? Because if it weren't an issue, then we wouldn't keep hearing about it and it would be a non-issue at the schools.
I've read that the "airborne particles" issue with peanuts is questionable. They're still doing studies. It's more likely that there are peanut residues left on objects which cause reactions (if there's no peanut contact noticed).
I don't support an outright ban. But I do like the idea of a separate table. For any child who has peanut products in their lunch that day. Don't put the allergic kids at a table. Put all the kids whose parents sent them to school with peanuts at a table.
If they really want to eat it they can. And then there is one table where the threat is localized and the cleaning staff can be extra careful when cleaning it up.
Tigerlily, poop doesn't have dust either and has the consistency of "butter" but if you smell it, then it is airborne
Donna, I think you need to get educated with allergies. Some children going into analphalactic shock even if the peanut is airbourne. we can't keep the children in a bubble but if exposed they can die. Unfortunately some allergies are severe. do some research instead of commeniting for the child just not to eat it. its not that simple.
Just thought I would mention the irony of people declaring others should take responsibility for their own kids severe allergies, while stating their children are fussy eaters who only eat PB&J. Put the time and effort into teaching your children to eat a healthy variety of food before you scoff at people who's children suffer from allergies. You have the choice about being a good parent instead of lazy or beholden to your children's picky eating habits. They don't have a choice. This is coming from a parent who had enough of my son only eating crackers and sugary snacks every day, Now he eats what they serve at school or doesn't eat at all. It's not pleasant but I've been dealing with the same behavior for years and had enough.
Dr Scientist – have you ever SMELLED peanut butter? Just what do you think smelling is? So I gather the Dr. and the Scientist refer to some long-lost hopes and dreams of a janitor, right? If you can smell it- then it has particles in the air. Period. That's what smell IS. Perhaps you should just stfu and let people with real opinions comment here. No need for idiots.
to the fool who responded to me. Idiot think first, my child is eating what I provide. You want to come buy him pizza and Nuggets every day wonderful. Use you small mind a bit, the child with the allergy is the issue not the fussy eater. Bet you hate that i won against the stupid school, PB& J is sent 3 or 4 times a week. Why should i care about the child who has an allergy they need to be able to care for themselves yes Fool even at 5 if it is a severe issue. If your child has an allergy you need to educate that child and provide him/her with the proper medication to deal with it. Stop trying to harm everyone else just because 1 child has an issue. Perhaps send them to a private school.
Goodness, people are acting like jerks; let's use some common sense here. First, it is the PARENTS' responsibility to teach their children what foods are safe to eat (heck, even animals know this); also it is the PARENTS' responsibility to teach their children how to handle it when they are exposed to things that might trigger an allergic response. You CANNOT expect everyone else to make exceptions for your child, even if you have rules to regulate what foods can be taken to school, you cannot be sure everyone is going to follow them. Education is the answer, teach your children well, for the lesson they learn may save their lives.
Leave your stupid comments in your pocket!
@Jeremy that would be wonderful if I could afford to offer him other items. The thing is without a President that supports job creation my hopes are slim at best. So we make do with a lunch that is nutritional and affordable. My child has one kid in his class that is allergic to apples so according to some of you buffoons out there I shouldn't send an apple either?? @Megan can't ban food just because someone is allergic think of family income and practicality.
@Howie: Why would you go to the trouble of speaking when you have no idea what you are talking about? Why would you make statements of fact that are 100% untrue?
You don't have to eat peanuts to have an allergic reaction to them. Airborne particles and secondary contamination is enough.
Despite @Howie's repeated insistence, people can and DO die from peanut allergies.
http://articles.cnn.com/2005-05-18/health/peanut.allergies_1_peanut-allergies-peanut-butter-food-allergic-reactions?_s=PM:HEALTH
Donna, well said... where does it stop? Should we ban strawberries, blueberries and others because someone's kid is allergic to it? Parents should take responsibility and equip their children with tools to deal with life. If your kid is allergic to PB, teach them what they need to know to stay away from it, treat the onset of the allergies and stay healthy.... that simple!
It's not that simple Donna. My son is so allergic to peanut butter that it causes respiratory arrest. When he was little, all you had to do was open a jar of peanut butter near him and within minutes, he would have difficulty breathing. Peanut butter and crackers are a quick and easy snack for day cares, and the folks that work there are so uneducated when it comes to food allergies that they would sometimes try to force it on my son. I know...take him out and move him someshere else...I did that, and they are all the same....no matter how nice of a day care/school you are sending them to. It's much harder to control than you think...
Hey Catie, If your friends child is that allergic to PB then they need to be in a special school. And if a kid knows they are allergic and chooses to ignore it then it's on them and their parents because by the time the kid is in school they should know not to. Banning PB for all because of one extreme case or one case of stupidity should not happen.
No Child has EVER died due to CONTACT to Peanut Butter! They may get a bad case of Contact Dermatitis, but they WILL NOT DIE.
Death would only come from their ingesting some amount of Peanut, Tree Nuts, etc. products, NOT FROM OUTSIDE CONTACT with Peanuts or Peanut products, even from direct contact from concentrated Peanuts.
Parents who do not make their Students responsible for what they place into their own mouths, as neglectful!
The current methodology (which should only be done under the care of a knowledgeable Alergy Doctor) is to actually expose the Student by ingesting Peanut products IN SMALL, VERY SMALL quantities over a Very Long Period! MOST Students outgrow their food allergies.
Fact Check it!
Pretty simple if you are an older child or adult. My son was 2 when we found out about his allergy. He knows he can't have peanut butter, but people seem to forget that peanuts/tree nuts are in things that you would never expect. As the parent I am responsible for making sure I don't buy stuff that has peanut in it, but for a 2 year old he has to rely a little bit on others to make sure he isn't given anything that could potetially kill him!
I agree with you Donna. I have read a few comments on here that are pretty much just dumb and if your child is allergic to PB and is aware of it then just dont eat it.
The way this debate is going they are acting as though other kids who are eating PB are running around and shoving it down the throats of other kids. Im sorry but that just doesnt happen in this world.
I also read from someone that "my child was allergic to the particles in the air from PB" thats a bunch of BS and if your child is that sick then dont send them to school. If we were to continue down this road then it'll be a ban on PB, then bananas, then water, then grape juice, then finally there wont be lunch at school and all the parents who complained will then be forced to bring their child home for lunch then back to school in the afternoon.
All of these restrictions that we are making these days is really going to effect our children in the future and they will be absolutely clueless as to what the world was like before they were born and it is truly a shame. Everything from banning PB (which basically says that our children are stupid and cant think for themselves and know whether or not they should eat PB. Ok fine, if you want to ban PB then ban it in 1st grade cause those kids are not too bright but to ban it in High School for example is extremely unnecessary). Then there is that other blog about banning of books like "Of Mice and Men" and "Harry Potter". These are books people, let children explore and learn the different types of literature, if there is a bad word in it who cares? They are going to hear these words again very soon anyway so why not have it be in a book rather than their friends so they can actually have a respect for the word usage itself.
My biggest concern is just that we are trying too hard to control every little thing about our children's future and yet what we are really doing is blinding them to the real world and expecting them to cope with it when they are finally ready to join it.
Howie: "It has further been demonstrated that NO ONE has ever had a life threatening reaction from even ingesting peanuts."
Are you freaking kidding me? Then I suppose my kids' very serious, ER-visit-requiring reactions to accidental exposure were coincidence?
I don't ask my school to ban peanuts but you should all know that it's not just the airborne argument...your kid (who apparently cannot LIVE without PB, which, in and of itself, seems weird to me but I won't stoop and ridicule anyone on that one) eats pb, does not wash his hands, goes and plays on the monkey bars, gets PB on the monkey bars, my kid plays on the monkey bars, gets PB on HIS hands...see where this is going? We all know that what's on a kid's hands, often ends up in his mouth/nose/eyes.
I have done my best to help my kid (who is almost 9) navigate the world despite his allergy. He's no weakling, he's awesome – tall, strong, great athlete, popular and smart as a whip. But I do not know how on earth to help him navigate the crappy, "so what?" attitude that many people seem to possess.
CAMOM: I agree that things can happen with kids such as a child eating PB and having it on their hands then going out to play, etc etc etc.
This is the case where instead of having this long debate over whether or not PB should be banned, we should really be simply saying to the parents, "Teach your kids to wash their hands".... End of Story and Problem Solved.
It's no that simple, actually Donna. If you tell a child you can't have this or you can't do that, they are going to have it of do it no matter what you say either as the childs parent or as the teach or lunch lady. Children rebel, it's in their nature and if you think differently then you need to come out from your imaginarily perfect world and come back to reality.
Donna none of these peanut allergic kids are going to EAT it they will be exposed through residue from the other children on their hands or the like. They can also be exposed through particulates in the air.
Some people are so allergic that simply breathing the smell of peanuts or having the dust from them in the air will cause a reaction.
Listening to you mouth breathers defend your genetically inferior crap factories makes me want to vomit up the five fingers of Macallan I had to thrown down just to make it through this woefully misguided literary miscarriage. Back in my day, young men were tough enough to wait until they saw the whites in the eyes of the godless soul whose face they were about to blow off at near point blank range before pulling the trigger of their colt commander. Now if you so much as shove a peanut butter sandwich into some kids face, their bowels will vacate like a Saigon embassy on Christmas. God willing, your children will all die from inhaling peanut dust before they have a chance to further poison the gene pool with their pathetic offspring.
Your weak, puny little pigglets sicken me. Back in my day, we used to hurt each other for sport. Now you can't flick a peanut at some kids face without causing them to go into anaphylactic shock. God willing, a torrent of peanut brittle will hail from the sky one day all all of your kids will fall to the ground dead.
If you want to live longer with HIV: you need to perpetually take a drug. If are allergic to bee stings: you use your epi-pen whatever to survive the incident. If you are allergic to peanut butter, you better have whatever medication you need on you, or Survival of the Fittest WILL TAKE PLACE.
Looking at this proposal backwards, it prejudice against those without allergies. "We are taking peanut butter out of all schools" >>>Leads to>>> "Wow. All, or at least 51% of all children must be allergic to peanut butter?"
Conclusion: Anybody trying to, aspiring to, or supporting banning peanut butter is a selfish, conceited human being, imposing the restrictions of his child on the children of others.
Well said Homer.
you're an effin idiot. how about if i want to smoke in a restaurant at the table right next to you? effin idiot. you would rather give your child the option to eat peanuts than to drastically reduce the risk of killing a child with peanut allergies. yes, my daughter carries an epi pen regardless if peanuts are banned. you're the effin selfish one. go die beotch.
Hofu, you should probably not be allowed to reproduce ever again. Perhaps someone who can't write above a 2nd grade level shouldn't be commenting on issues relating to school..
@hofu
Cool story, bro
"Conclusion: Anybody trying to, aspiring to, or supporting banning peanut butter is a selfish, conceited human being, imposing the restrictions of his child on the children of others"
Can it not just as easily be said that Anybody trying to, aspiring to, or fighting against the banning of peanut butter is a selfish, conceited human being, imposing life threatening conditions on the children of others for no real reason other than to spite them?
Becuase EVERY single person who is adamantly against banning peanuts seems to be against it for no other reason than to be spiteful to those who are empathetic and compassionate about the issue.
You are all nothing but Crooks.
You are no worse than the tyrants who kill claiming "ethnic cleansing" and "final solutions" that such things as lesser beings exist and that they are to be ignored and wiped off the planet.
This issue should not propogate the ban of peanuts, it should propogate alternatives. And most of all it should not propogate such comments that fall in line with those above and below this post that fit my description.
An epi-pen buys 20 mins of life during a reaction. Maybe.
That's ignorant. Selfish?? Don't you think it's selfish to put someone's life at risk because you want your child to have a pb sandwich? Perhaps a turkey sandwich with a tomato slice on whole wheat bread is a healthier choice anyway. I'm sure your child will survive five days a week during lunch without peanut butter. Not protecting others with allergies IS selfish.
@hofu,
People who are allergic to something need to fend for themselves and not expect the rest of the world to coddle them. My kid is allergic to cats. Should I expect my neighbors to get rid of all of their pets so we can rid my neighborhood of cat dander?
If people are so worried about their kids breathing some peanut dust then they should either home school them or send them out into the world in a hazmat suit
Speaking as a parent of a child who has a severe nut allergy, I am highly in favor of a peanut ban in schools. My child can die from peanut butter particles in the air. No one ever died of not eating peanut butter. Also, unless you are eating natural peanut butter which most people are not, it's not good for you it's actually really bad for you . I'm always amazed how many ignorant, insensitive morons there are in the world.
My kid is allergic to milk, bananas, cheese, shellfish, wheat, and eggs. I think we need to ban all of these things from the schools, restaurants, homes, and heck the grocery stores too. Got to protect those kids now don't we. Who cares if all our kids get rickets...better off than being dead.
@william hazen Did you really just compare wanting to eat peanut butter to ethnic cleansing?
I mean, I'm all for protecting people but GODDAMN.
P.S.: I think it's rediculous to want to ban Peanut Butter in school just because a few people are allergic to it. If a child has a food allergy, they should be taught by their parent(s) to avoid contact with said food. If they have such a severe allergy that even being in the same room as someone who is eating peanut butter causes a health risk, their parent(s) should make arrangements with the school to deal with this.
Banning is not the solution here, and I don't want to see a parent's child to get hurt because of their allergy. It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to make the school aware of their child's allergy so that the school can provide accommodations for the child, but the school should not be required to ban it from the entire school just because of a handful of children that are affected by it. There's being cautious/careful and then there's being overprotective to the degree of insanity.
Survival of the fittest?? Clearly people making these comments have no clue what they're talking about. A food allergy has nothing whatsoever to do with having sub-par overall health or genetics. I have an allergy to peanuts, and I guarantee that I can run faster, longer, and jump higher than any one of you- And the same was true when I was in grade school. Everyone needs to learn what exactly a food allergy is...
My hat is off to BM!!!!! Everyone is talking about peanuts ....but there ARE many other food allergies out there. The ones such as BM mentions. If we need to accommodate all of these special needs at the expense of others, we should all just go and live in a bubble!!
@ William Hazen – your comments would have merit except for one thing. There is no such thing as a life threatening peanut allergy. This hysteria is generated by over-anxious parents who freak out if little Jimmy has a hive. Truth is, NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM PEANUTS. All reports to the contrary are easily debunked as urban myths. This is why the DOT recently declined to ban peanuts on airplanes.
@ Allergic to idiots: Basically, you’re a fool. Are house pets such as cats and dogs allowed in schools now? If so, please let me know because it would be news to me. You have direct control your own home environment which, in turn, allows you to easily manage your child’s allergy. If your neighbor has a cat, you are also able to control whether or not your child enters into that neighbors’ home. There is no need for you to worry about the school environment because there's no chance of a cat being present there. Bottom line – your example doesn’t apply and is ridiculous.
I don’t believe that PB should be banned from school entirely; however I do believe that certain controls should be in place such as a peanut free classroom and/or lunch period. My son started pre-school this year and has been placed in a peanut free classroom. 7 of the 18 students have peanut allergies. My son is not allergic but I support the pre-cautions the school has taken.
@hofu "you're an effin idiot. how about if i want to smoke in a restaurant at the table right next to you?"
Whether or not people are allowed to smoke in a restaurant, bar, or other business should be up to the business owners. If you choose to eat at a restaurant that allows smoking, then you must deal with it if someone at the next table is smoking. If you don't like it, then simply don't give your patronage to that restaurant and go to one where the owner has decided to not permit smoking.
"effin idiot. you would rather give your child the option to eat peanuts than to drastically reduce the risk of killing a child with peanut allergies. yes, my daughter carries an epi pen regardless if peanuts are banned. you're the effin selfish one. go die beotch."
Banning things is almost never the correct answer. If a child has such a severe peanut allergy that simply being in the same room as someone eating peanuts, they should not be in public schools. What are they going to do in the real world when someone walks past them eating a bag of peanuts? These children are going to have to learn to adapt to their medical condition and consciously avoid peanuts and people eating peanuts their entire lives. Sheltering them by an outright ban on peanuts in school is just going to get these kids killed outside of school because they never learned how to actively avoid a common product that happens to be very dangerous to them.
Or do you want to ban peanuts everywhere because a tiny percentage of people happen to be allergic to them?
If we as a society start banning products because someone, somewhere has an allergy, there would be no food left to buy.
@Howie: Are you real-people who are allergic to peanuts have died from eating peanuts. Approximately 125 people die each year in the USA secondary to food-induced anaphylaxis, according to a report in the February 1999 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. Now, that's a lot less than some people will tell you-125 is about the same for bee stings-but people die from food allergies.
@ Colin – Food allergies yes, peanuts no. Per the CDC, approx. 10 – 20 people die each year form all food allergies combined. Not one attributed to peanuts. This is a simple case of mass hysteria.
Yes, I agree. The child and his/her family do have the responsiblity to teach him/her how to be safe; however, I do think that we as a community have a responsbiltiy to protect the child also.
If you think that we shouldn't try to protect the child, I would respond that I should be able drive my car as fast as I like by a school...it is my right. I think that parents should teach their child to look both ways before crossing the street. If a child is hit welll who cares. Evidently, that child hasn't learned that lesson well enough or his/her parents failed them. Some of the people would even go to the point of saying that the gene pool would be better without him/her.
Doesn't that sound stupid? We so does the arguement that a child should be responsible for protecting him/herself from peanut butter if it could cost a life. I like to drive 30...I like peanut butter. So where are MY rights? It is time that we function as a community!
For those advocating a ban of peanuts (and related products) in schools and other public places where it could put a child's health at risk: Where do you draw the line? Keep in mind that what is "safe" for your child might be life threatening for somebody else's child and there are many, many foods that can cause true food allergies even though some are rare. I can understand a school banning foods that are an anaphylaxis threat ... but it really should be done based on the known allergies of children in the school if it is done at all. Otherwise the school (and other parents) are saying that the health and safety of the child allergic to peanuts is more important than that of the child whose potentially life threatening allergy is to seafood or strawberries or whatever. And, once you start banning these foods keep in mind that you are actively limiting the available diets of children who have multiple non-life-threatening but still valid food allergies and the far, far more common case of food intolerance and may have a very limited number of "safe" foods for them.... for example, there is a growing number of children who couldn't eat that turkey on whole wheat somebody mentioned above.
Not all allergies are as serious and as common as peanut allergies. To those who claim their children are allergic to wheat, milk, berries, etc...fine, but what is the reaction? Do they get a rash, or do they die? Are they affected by being in the room with the allergen, or just by eating it?
No, we can't make all kids eat a completely hypoallergenic diet, since most foods are allergens to at least some children. However, peanut allergies are common and serious. Peanuts kill. Most other allergies are not this serious.
Similarly, it is possible for kids to get papercuts or accidentally cut themselves with scissors while doing an art project. What's the difference between that and knives? Why should knives be banned? And for that matter, guns? What if some kid wants to go outside and shoot a squirrel for their lunch? Should they be allowed to bring their rifle to school?
Come on, guys, show some common sense. This is a risk/reward assessment here. You are asking 90% of kids to sacrifice ONE food in order to protect the LIVES of the other 10%. That food is not necessary for survival. Yes, some kids are picky, but if peanut butter were to suddenly not be available any more (say, because of salmonella contamination at the plant), wouldn't your kids survive off of other foods? The sacrifice of PBJ for lunch is NOTHING compared with the sacrifice of a child's life.
Imagine if you were the parent of both kids: the allergic one and the non-allergic one. You could either teach one sibling to live without the allergen, or you could allow that one to have the allergen and potentially LOSE the other. Would you rather have two kids, one of whom is slightly inconvenienced, or one with no restrictions and the other's name on a grave stone?
Mandrake, I'm sorry for your child's allergy. But if she is susceptible to even peanut particles in the air how do you take her anywhere? And if she is that "medically fragile" then how do you even have her at home? I've a coworker who is deathly allergic to coconut but he doesn't freak out when there are Samoa's at the Admins desk.
@ dx2718: Allergies do vary; however, seafood is still a more common allergy in the US population than peanuts and tree nuts combined and it is just as life threatening. On the plus side, it is less likely to hide in foods (the way that peanut oil does) and it is probably less likely that a child will be exposed to it in a school setting than peanut products. On the minus side, the allergic child exposed to it because it is in a soup base or salad dressing or otherwise in somebody's lunch is just as likely to die as the allergic child exposed to peanuts. Milk products, while more typically a case of intolerance rather than life threatening allergies, hide in many foods that a school child could be exposed to and there are cases where a child truly allergic has died from exposure. For what it is worth, I've personally known people who have had life threatening reactions to tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers that required hospitalization. So, yes, I do strongly believe that if any foods are banned from schools because of allergies then it should include all true allergies known to the children at that particular school and the health of the peanut allergic children shouldn't be somehow more precious than that of, for example, the seafood allergic child.
Homer – your lack of intelligence is only matched by your lack of maturity. Nice screen name.
Parents should teach children that have allergies to avoid what triggers these reactions. We can't ban everything. Teach your children, that is how they become adults.
inform yourself. there are traces of peanuts in everything. are you allergic to smoke? well then i'll just smoke in your living room then. banning peanuts does not mean my child does not carry an epi pen. it does not mean that i do not teach her how to be careful with food. it does a little thing like, say, i don't know, drastically lowers the risk that she will die from a allergic reaction.
And what do yo do in the case when a child is the target of a bully who throws peanut butter at them? Even the contact of peanut butter can send a child into shock. It's a serious allergy. Kids can live without peanut products at lunch. No one would suffer without it. But with it, a child could suffer or even die. It's a serious allergy. People think that you have to ingest it to suffer the full effects, and that's not true. Inhaling or skin contact can cause a serious and potentially fatal reaction.
Your argument about there being traces in "everything" goes rather against the need to ban peanut butter specifically. At least you KNOW it is in the peanut butter and can make accommodations. I don't see the need to ban it entirely, but yes make certain areas/times peanut free (as much as possible). Just how many peanut particles are released into the air from peanut butter? I would guess the bigger problem would be peanut butter on kids hands which then spreads to other surfaces.
Peanut allergies are often very violent allergies. Usually kids with peanut allergies are very careful and educated about products, but not always. I think once kids reach a certain age they should be able to fend for themselves – but maybe kids (on a school by school basis of course) in K-6 should be peanut free. Whoever had the idea of putting kids at a "peanut free table" must have a short memory – that's like putting a "kick my ass" sign on your kid's back.
You expect a child from 0-6 to know this?
It isn't just a matter of tasting it. That's not how it works. A person with this allergy can have a reaction or DIE just being in the same room. We have experienced the death of our store manager because someone brought a PB&J sandwich in to the work place. She didn't even touch it.
Please educate yourself on peanut allergies before giving such advise.
@hofu..I think you just lost the argument against yourself– if there are traces of peanuts in EVERYTHING, what are we going to do ban EVERYTHING? Obviously, the answer is to educate the children, not ban peanut butter. Besides, what about all of the other food allergies? We can’t ban everything!
Sorry Herp, not buying your scenario. Maybe it could happen but the chances of the bully getting out of that one without some serious trouble would prevent it from happening. Then again I took on the Hemophiliac bully at school. He was a big @$$hole who "knew" nobody would stand up to him because of his condition. Could I have killed him? possibly. Did he bother me again? NO! Why should I have to tolerate bad behavior because of a condition? Why should we have to isolate everyone from everything?
Put the peanut allergy kids in their own room. Over time, they will be bred out from the gene pool because no one will associate with them. Win Win for everyone.
As a mother of a peanut allergy kid, I know that my child could die from your ignorance! This allergy is a diability just like any other disability and should be treated as such. So, should we take the kids with MS, Autisum, blindness, hearing loss or anything else and get rid of them too? You are an idiot!
I have taught my child how to protect himself and work with the school and other parents to educate and make policies so that everyone is happy. With an open mind this is an easy problem to fix. It is jerks like you who cause the problems.
effin idiot. are you allergic to smoke? no? then i'll just come and blow cigarette smoke in your face all day long. you really want survival of the fittest? let's throw down somewhere then. effin idiot.
I dont think that the whole should miss out because a small part cannot partake.
Hofu stop flipping out people are just trying to stir you up and you are responding to all of them the same way and if you would like to throw down i would be more than happy to oblige
@Kathy
Disability? Using your way of thinking does that mean that we should ban stairs since kids in wheelchairs can't take stairs. No... we make accomidations. If your kid can't have peanut butter then they should make accomidations for him, but banning them is ridiculous. My 3 year old is allergic to eggs. You think watching out for peanuts in food is difficult, try eggs... they are in EVERYTHING! Still, I take the necessary precautions for her. I know she's not in school yet but I don't expect the school to ban eggs because my daughter is highly allergic to them.
I will say again, I don't believe in the ban but that was extremely crass and just wrong on so many levels.
Kathy, your ignorance os the real problem. Your child absolutely categorically WILL NOT die if exposed to peanuts. It simply doesn't happen. Check CDC stats. approx. 10 – 20 people die each year from food allergies, mostly shellfish. Exactly ZERO die from peanuts. Your child may have had a mild reaction once, but that doesn't even mean that the kid is allergic. Get some actual education on the topic – not blogs from other hysterical parents, but actual documentation from medical journals. The medical community has concluded that the recent surge in SELF-REPORTED allergies is nothing short of mass hysteria. In layman's terms, that means it is total BS.
Wow, Boris. Big angry loser. Good plan. Kids with health problems? Kill them to strengthen the gene pool. Hmm...sounds familiar...wait...it's coming to me...Hitler.
Don – I never said we should ban peanuts or anything else. I said we should accomodate and understand the disabilities of others. We should educate and inform teachers, staff and students. We should not be ignorant like Borris.
I do have a plan in place and I do work with the school to accomodate needs. And I hope that you will for your child too.
so I get it very smart response. so the children with peanut allergy need to be put in a room like they have a disease. its not their fault that they have an allergy or even a fatal allergy. its one thing if they sneeze from peanut butter but is is a different can of worms when they can die from it. I think you are cold and not sympatetic to children's safety.
Howie – I spent 2 days in Pediatric ICU because of a piece of Captian Crunch cereal. Don't tell me that death is not a posibility. Stats do not cover each persons reaction. If it were as simple as a rash, I would not even bother to comment. But when your child can not breath – it is an issue. So who is ignorant????
@Howie. You are mistaken about food allergies. I DID check the CDC statistics (and so can you since I have included the link below). According to the CDC, about 150 people in the US die annually because of food alleregies – NOT the 10-20 you stated.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/foodallergies/
@ Don: No we should not ban stairs; however, national buliding code requires public places such as schools to have ramps and/or elevators to accomodate those in wheel chairs. Similar to how some schools put in place certain programs/policies to help contol the peanut issue like peanut free classroom. I'm not in favor of banning peanuts but am in favor of school putting effective controls in place.
@Boris: you're just an ignorant fool. Plain and simple. Bet you live in a van down by the river.
Darwin.... Natural Selection.... If a tiny peanut does them in it's Natures way of weeding out the weak.
I am surprised an idiot like you can even form a sentence never mind type it! Grow up.
My son's pediatrician subscribes to the theory that our over sterilization of our environments leaves our child's natural, normal functioning immune system with nothing to do, and it then begins reacting to other non-threatening substances such as peanut butter in a hypersensitised way. In this sense, the children with the strongest, most active immune systems are actually the ones developing allergies to peanut butter. And therefore, our way of life is killing off the strongest among us.
I have the strongest immune system in my entire family, rarely getting sick. My son developed a peanut allergy around 6 months of age. He is the first one ever on either side of the family to have such an allergy. There are no genetic traits passed on to him for this allergy.
Seems like some more research needs done on this topic before people can claim that the weakest among us are dragging the rest of society down.
I believe it's more that we recognize these allergies and remove them from our diets. My older brother went his whole life eating anything and everything. He found out a couple years ago that he has allergies to almost anything you can imagine. So, he cut out all of these items (including wheat). Before he would eat them and knew nothing of their effects. Now since his body no longer has an "immunity" to these items they are practically deadly to him.
choosey moms to me!
According to the National School Lunch Program the adaptation for children with "special needs" is up to the school. Imagine if we had to make a different meal for each child. Lunch costs would go through the roof...Yet another reason for parents to complain.
Luckily our children's school voluntarily stopped serving peanut butter, recognizing that the "cost" of a child's life was far greater than the inconvenience of not serving PBJ. Many of my son's friends have stopped eating peanuts too, realizing they don't want to put him at risk, valuing friendship over a sandwhich. I"m glad I can raise my children in a school district and community that values human life over its own selfish desire for, of all things, peanut butter. Thankfully the ignorant selfish inhumane people represented in many of these comments have been naturally selected out of my (rather highly educated) community.
I think it should be banned from the elementary schools as not all children fully comprehend the seriousness of allergies. As they get older, they will understand the seriousness on both sides and learn to say no as well as respect someone else's requests. It al has to do with age and the full understanding of the issue on both sides.
Diane said:
I think it should be banned from the elementary schools as not all children fully comprehend the seriousness of allergies. As they get older, they will understand the seriousness on both sides and learn to say no as well as respect someone else's requests. It al has to do with age and the full understanding of the issue on both sides.
Thank you for being sane, reasonable and compassionate towards kids with allergy. People whose kids are lucky not have have food allergy dont graps how terrifying this is for a parents. My child is 5. No matter how much we educate him and teach him about not eating food from classmates and such, HE IS 5! He's a kid! He's too young to be able to always remember this.
I didnt read most of the comments here because it just breaks my heart to hear morons say that my son should risk dying for all they care.
Dominique
If start banning simple items such as peanut butter you will open the door to everything else such as milk. Actually, however, only up to 3% of adults and 6%-8% of children have clinically proven true allergic reactions to food.
I agree. Peanut butter is one of the main staples for families that are surviving on WIC. Sure, if they HAD an extra $3 per kid per day, they could make them a healthier lunch, but peanut butter is a life-saving for low-income families.
If we ban peanut butter, we'll also have to bad seafood (my mother-in-law has gotten hives just by a server bringing a steaming plate of shrimp to nearby diners), wheat and MSG, among many other foods. Why single out peanut butter? Or, if your child has a severe allergy, there should be special arrangements made like having a peanut-butter free table or keeping your children homeschooled.
If one of those kids in that 6 – 8% was yours, you'd think differently. Could be 100% of all you have.
This whole notion of banning one food type from a school lunch service is beyond sound reasoning. Sure, allergic reactions to foods containing peanuts or from the aromatic peanut particles themselves can lead to severe medical complications or even death. However this is only one type of food allergy that is common amongst children. If a ban on peanut butter is required, then the ban of any and all foods that lead to childhood obesity, which is more common than a peanut allergy should be enforced.
Lets look into more concerns that are commonly present or not so commonly present. First is of course obesity amongst American youth has received little attention from the education system in trying to prevent. Another common occurrence is the juvenile or childhood hyperglycemia. Then there is the uncommon things like celiac disease or other glutton based food allergies.
People need to learn to think for themselves and adjust things accordingly. Enough of this thought about forcing a ban on a particular item. The act of prevention of any issue is the sole responsibility of an individual and not of the whole. If parents are unable to control what their children do or eat, then it is the failure of the parent on the child.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALLERGIC TO WATER, SHOULD WE BAN WATER NEXT? WHERE DOES THIS STOP!!!
You're right...lets go ahead and allow guns into schools. Someone only dies if someone shoots them. Seriously?
I am deathly allergic to selfish self centered people that think the world should bend over backwards for them and their kids.
Have you stooped driving and using electricity? You know asthma kills kids and you are the cause! Nut related deaths a year 200 asthma 4000.
Selfish (*&$&)
FAGGGGG.
Jerk!
I second that Bobby, bILLY bOB needs some sense knocked into him.
Well that's just akward.. MAH HA!!! You should be on the Amanda Show. MAH HA!
There has been a ban on peanut butter in our schools at lease since my now 7th grader was in kindergarten...what is really over the top is parents cannot send in any type of cookies, cupcakes or anything unless it is STORE BOUGHT with a LABEL naming the ingredients...So much for a homemade birthday cake or cupcakes to share for your kids birthday or warm chocolate chip cookies. If I say it doesn't have any nuts in it that should be good enough...it's really getting out of hand...what happens when these kids want to play baseball (oh, no peanuts @ baseball???) Or go to a professional sporting event?? I doubt they'll stay home and I don't think the Yankees are going to ban peanuts @ Yankee Stadium~
SDK,
There are now professional ballparks that now have peanut free seating sections to make sure that fans with peanut allergies can enjoy games in a safe enviornment.
To everyone who starts their comment with "My (insert family member) has a peanut allergy", and then proceeds to say that peanuts should be banned:
I appreciate that you love your (family member), and I will never deny you the right to love and protect and nurture him/her. It's not my business to run your life for you. I would simply ask that you extend me the same courtesy and allow me to pack my kid a PB&J.
My child listens to teachers and authority figures, so, when her teacher tells the class that your family member will get very sick from peanuts, and then explains how she can be careful and considerate so as not to hurt your family member, she will listen. She will also remember this lesson, and as such will be better prepared to be considerate to others with food allergies in the future.
If you put a blanket ban on peanut butter, you will deny my daughter that knowledge as well as the practical experience in keeping her PB&J away from your family member, washing her hands, etc. Education is what is needed, and with education comes understanding, and then empathy and compassion.
Educate first.
Safety of EVERY CHILD at SCHOOL is PARAMOUNT, PERIOD.
If your child carrying a substance to school will endanger the life or well being of another student then NOPE , they can't bring it. That being said the FOLKS in CHARGE of the SCHOOL should make the decision on a school by school or case by case basis. For some schools it may be an issue for others it may not. And yes if you are made aware that bringing Peanut Butter may endanger a child and you allow it anyway then you should be held accountable. I have no idea why anyone would think otherwise.
I understand that it's a serious issue. But there's got to be a way to drastically minimize the threat without an allout ban. I get the "airborne" problem. But what if there's a special table for any kid who has a peanut product in their lunch? Have it be on a far side of the room and any allergic kids would know not to sit near that table.
Then that table can be carefully cleaned (peanut proteins are quite tenacious) and any kids who sat there can be taught to wash up well after lunch.
That wouldn't make the threat 0% but it would have to drastically reduce it.
PB free schools are a great idea. If you cant find something better for your kids to eat everyday than peanut butter, you should not be allowed to have kids......lazy ass parents! This thread is a great example of whats wrong with our society, not caring for your fellow man. "Well if you can handle PB you should just die"....yeah, thats real intelligent.
Actually Rob, peanuts are one of the most nutritious food items on the planet. A peanut butter and fruit preserves sandwich on whole wheat bread is about as good for you as it gets. There is no such thing as a life threatening peanut allergy, so this whole discussion is ridiculous.
I beleive you as bad as the people you rail against. I am 51 years old, in perfect health and peanut butter is one of my favorite food. It is actually quite good for you, so think twice before labeling everyone according to your one sided view of things. My children are responsible, receive good grades and are all in prime shape because they exercise regularly and some days they take peanut buttier to school.
Peanut allergy is very serious and deadly. Having it around allergic kids is like putting a rattle snake in your kids play pen hoping the snake does not strike him. So many kids have this allergy it should be banned from school. Some parents get mad becouse it is all their kid eats that is why american kids are so over weight cause their parents allow them to eat junk becouse they are too lazy to cook or prepare a meal for their child. the people with the insensitve products should feel lucky they nor their child lives with this allergy becouse as a parent with a allergic child it is a constant threat and a constant worry expecially in a place where you can not protect them. I dont understand what type of person would every want to see a child hurt or killed that is just sick.
a rattlesnake in a kids playpen–Really? Really?
Do some research. CDC stats don't lie. No one has EVER died from peanut allergies. This is a mass hysteria.
oh Howie, I guess CNN is lying?
http://articles.cnn.com/2005-05-18/health/peanut.allergies_1_peanut-allergies-peanut-butter-food-allergic-reactions?_s=PM:HEALTH
Actually ringo, I trust the CDC much more than cnn. that particular article is nothing more than a propaganda piece for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). Head of that organization is also CEO of the company that manufactures the Epi-Pen, so there is a financial motive in play. Also, as untruthful and alarmist as the article is, it does not mention one single death, just some reactions that resulted in hospitalization.
My kids are allergic to the liberal teaching in our school so we took responsibility for ourselves and put them in private school, its a hell of a lot more expensive than having a peanut free table but, again, we took responsibility for our own issues
My kids were allergic to intolerant a$$holes like yourself, so we put them in public school and taught them to think for themselves.
I am a liberal and don't believe in banning peanut butter. So stop your ridiculous oversimplification of things, moron.
Paying for a private school is not taking matters in your own hands you still have the people factor genious. Private schools are not any better than public ones when it comes to safty in these matters.
My little Granddaughter is allergic to peanut butter. Coming from a family that eats anything that is not nailed down, this was a shock to me.. She just started Pre-school and we are concerned. The problem is that peanut butter can produce intense reactions to kids that don't even know they are allergic. It can be life threatening for a child or adult. In some states people have to declare all of the ingredients used in the preparation of food.
I think it is important that parents of any child with a peanut alergy notify the school upon admitting them to the school. This way, accommodations can be made for their lunch period. Perhaps there are just three in the entire school, and those children probably should have lunch in a classroom unless it can be determined that no one in the lunchroom has peanuts or peanut butter with them. I think we should check with the schools to see what they actually do. They are pretty smart and pretty much come up with GREAT solutions. We are not seeing the forest for the trees here. They know what is BEST.
Much of my family is allergic to cats. Can we suspend all of the kids that come to school with cat hair on their cloths? Pet alergies can offset AAsthmatic attacks which can be severe, even deadly. Where do we draw the line?
I have never heard of a kid die from a cat hair you are lame I am alergic to cats dosent happen.
So let's just get rid of all the deadly allergens in our schools. No more lawns around them because a girl in my class got very ill and ended up going by ambulance to the hospital every spring as things around the school began to bloom. No more cleaning. I myself have very bad allergic reactions to certain cleaner, and i know others who do as well.... need i go on... We should also ditch sports so no one gets badly hurt. BE REAL! We can't change the world so no one ever gets sick or hurt.
I am always surprised by the rude comments on both side of an argument when it comes to posting. It isn't solving any problems, and probably won't make either person feel any better at the end of the day.
I am the mother of a young boy who is severely allergic to peanuts. If they even touch his skin (or another child that has peanut oil on his hands touches him) he will develop a blistering rash. If he ingests them, it could quickly end his life. This is a medical condition, just like diabetes. There are also many other children that require special accommodations for a variety of medical reasons. I could never imagine telling any child that they could not participate in school functions because of a medical condition that they have no control over. That would be blatant discrimination in a country that is supposedly based on equality for all.
I do not expect other parents to change their children's eating habits or lunchtime menu. I do however expect the same respect for my son that they would want for their own children. I do not think that a separate table, a possible alternative food item (doesn't have to be expensive), and asking all children to wash their hands after eating, is asking too much of the school, the children, or the parents.
Thank you,
Proud Mom
Unfortunately you are vastly overstating the consequences to your child from contact with peanuts. While a rash may be unpleasant, no one has ever died from ingesting peanuts. Submit your child to a direct oral challenge (eating peanuts) in the presence of a doctor. then get tested for the IgE protein. This is THE ONLY way to accurately diagnose any food allergy. Most kids have reactions to certain foods when they are small, and in the vast majority of cases the sensitivity (not an allergy) goes away in childhood. When you constantly tell your child to be terrified of peanuts, he may have a reaction when he smells them. It isn't an allergy, it is fear. Simply put, dangerous peanut allergies do not exist.
To Howie,
My son is tested yearly for his peanut allergy by a doctor who specializes in this field. My son's doctor performed the test that you listed and recommended based on his test results and his past history of severe reaction (because of an individual giving him a cookie with peanuts in it, after being informed of his allergy), that my son should never eat or come into contact with peanuts. We discussed desensitization by eating small amounts of peanut while in the presence of a doctor and he, again, stated that because of the severity of the allergy it was not worth the risk.
Please do your research before making comments that are only partly based on scientific fact.
@CS7878 – Congratulations! Your child is truly one in a billion and I do apologize (sincerely, no sarcasm intended) for generalizing. Unfortunately your diligence is not replicated in the vast majority of parents of supposedly allergic children. Similar to the boy who cried wolf syndrome, their hysteria casts doubt on the legitimacy of the VERY VERY VERY few like your child who have an actual medical condition. I will maintain however that your doctors recommendations are probably motivated by his malpractice insurance rather than an actual concern about your child's life. Were it my child, I would go for the gradual introduction treatment rather than carry this albatross.
To Howie,
you do not know what you are talking about. Educate yourself before you subject everyone on this thread to your ignorance. If your child were severely peanut allergic, and you tried desensitization treatment (not allowed for children under 12, not recommended my most allergists, not safe, not effective, not generally available) you would likely kill your child. Try turning your significant free time and energy toward a topic you know something about, perhaps you can make the world a better place. You are just wasting your time here, and propagating dangerous myths about food allergies and the potential for life-threatening reactions among peanut allergy sufferers.
I'm not sure what the best thing to do is but something to think about amongst you who are ready to send the allergic to the pits of destruction is that throughout world history species come and go but man-kind is the only one in 5 billion years thats made it to this point. And we narrowly escaped extinction (at least once) with only a couple thousand individuals left to rebuild the human race whose only claim to genetic toughness was one of being in the right location on earth. One more thing to think about is what if another extinction event comes about that requires the intelligence of just one person to save us all and we already extincted his line due to an allergy 'weakness'?
Well, the one with the genetic line fatally allergic to a common nut wasn't probably going to be the line that makes it. Not trying to be mean, just a realistic reply to your comment.
Brett is an uneducated idiot. No one is allergic to water. In people with food allergies, the reaction is triggered in response to a protein, of which water has none. Unless of course it's one of those "special" diet waters or has nutrition additives.
NEW YORK CITY?!?! Git a rope! Wait, wrong product.
I have no children, but I have a nephew who is allergic to peanut butter and personally, my nephew is informed enough to know not to go near the stuff or eat it. I am not going to sit here and force others to be inclined to my little nephew just because he is allergic, I don't make my business anyone else’s I do this funny thing called handling it. If I decide to belch something out of my uterus, and the child has issues, I'll handle it as his/hers parent not force others to accommodate to him/her. That’s parenting; I am not trying to have any school do it for me.
To remove this from the insanity corner...no, peanuts should not be banned. Peanuts are a good and affordable source of nutrition and I have read over and over (on reliable sites) that there is zero history of allergic reactions to nuts being in the same room or airspace. A table or area where allergic children will not be tempted by those "dangerous" cookies, etc., should be adequate.
Sharon are you serious kids die all the time from this allergy. OMG I am being told I cant have something I have to stand up for my rights evan if it kills somebody. I crave the peanut so bad I dont care. How would you feel if it was you who killed the kid?
Concerned parent....where did you read that kids are dying all over? I want some hard evidence which you won't be able to prdouce...stop lying please, you look pathetic
I certainly understand a parent's desire to protect his/her child, and most of us would go to great lengths to do so. On the other hand, scientific research should also be referenced in this type of debate. According to a 2003 study published by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, children with significant peanut allergies were exposed to peanut butter by means of inhalation and direct skin contact. Researchers found that not a single child experienced a systemic or respiratory reaction.
A second study published in 2007 by the journal of Clinical & Experimental Allergy, conducted 330 tests for peanut contact sensitivity (test subjects were children with peanut allergies). These researchers also found that not a single child developed a systemic reaction to prolonged skin exposure.
Systemic reactions result from direct consumption of peanut butter.
Rather than relying on emotions, we should educate ourselves and our children.
Relevance of casual contact with peanut butter in children with peanut allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. DOI: 10.1067/mai.2003.1486
Frequency and significance of immediate contact-reactions to peanut in peanut-sensitive children. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2007.02726.x
Ummm why is this just an issue now? I ate PB & J in school around kids with allergies and none of them died! If you don't want your kid around peanut butter then home school him
This is just another form of censorship: "Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it." Those with allergies must learn to handle them and live in this world. I have been allergic to coffee for over 50 years (just the smell will cause immediate problems) but the fact that other people want it doesn't mean I have the right to stop them – It just means I have to learn to work around it.
Kid put their hands in there mouth all the time and touch everything peanuts stick to everything think about it. So you left a clup of it on the table a 5 yr old leans on the table and touches it then he eats his lunch he then goes into antifilactic shock to you this is no big deal right?
All this talk made me go eat a PBJ. It was AMAZING!!!!
Not only is peanut butter banned in our school, but bananas and all citrus is this year as well, because of one child. I hate to single out a child, but perhaps these children need their own lunch rooms.
A peanut allergy is a physical condition which isn't a person's fault. Accomodations should be made, no doubt. Would you ask a person using a wheelchair to "get over it" and crawl up a flight of stairs on their elbows instead of building a ramp for them?
way to be an extremist...a peanut allergy is nothing like being confined to a wheel chair...so I'm allergic to PB, does that mean I can't go shopping or I should get the grocery store to stop selling it because I have a "physical condition"? Allergies you can overcome most of the time...please stop spewing your stupidity.
Yes. I would! And I would probably also laugh (depending on how funny this person looked trying to squrim up the stairs) The point is, if you want to cry about being treated fairly, then be prepared to be treated fairly. It's PC BS, plain and simple. What, because your kid is gay, now I'm supposed to convince mine he's gay too? It's NO different. You want our 'normal kids' to have to adjust to your inferior kids.
Just a thought....but scholl is the only place peanut butter happens to be. Should all jobs ban peanut butter just because a couple employees have a severe reaction? Just saying if we start with banning in the schools where does it stop? it is called Darwinism...survival of the fittest. Sorry I know its harsh but come on these are the reasons illnesses exist..
Well moms love me!
Peanut butter allergy is terrible. Though it is true that some people’s weaklings are not other people’s problem but this is not how society works. Peanut butter allergy is so terrific that ignorantly it can be a cause for someone’s death. A kiss by a person consuming peanut butter can kill a person with peanut allergy when the residue of peanut butter passes from the consumer of peanut butter to the person who is suffering from peanut butter. It is very much possible that two of them in the same school happen to kiss each other or the peanut butter is in some other form passed to the kid who is suffering from peanut allergy.
Natural selection is a bitch, isn't it.
wow....peanut should be really be that important to protest or poll against it out of schools? Look at the bigger picture, Allergies is a personal problem, and if shouldn't effect students nutritional values in lunch, if you have Allergies that gets affected by the school, then why treat it or deal with the problem at hand, than rather go to school and face the problem directly..
LISTEN UP PEOPLE!!!! It's a myth that peanut allergies are on the rise, and It's a FACT than children nowdays are soft! What I mean by this is that todays children have much weaker immune systems because of over-babying them. How many baby-bioomers out there are allergic to peanuts.......less than 1%. Now reflect how you were raised compared to how you are raising your children. Sure we want our kids to 'have the things growing up that we didn't have" But I don't think that includes peanut allergies. Please don't think this is just a rant, educate yourself on childrens health(not what you find from some article in a parenting magazine written by someone with no children or even experience with children. This is scientifically backed information, but you would have already known that if you took more time to learn and less time blogging about something as ridiculous as a 'peanut allergy'! You, the parents, are ultimately the ones who caused this and now it's time to deal with it yourselves! Just like all teh other 'PC' BS and frivilous lawsuites you people conger up. Maybe if you would have just let little Sally eat that handful of dirt instead of making her sterilize her hands every five minutes, you wouldn't have this to worry about! Here is a good starting place for you to learn something useful http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html. It's called natural selection people and the principle on how we, as humans have developed. All humanity will surfer because of your ingnorance and selfishness!
You raise some thought-provoking points, beavo040. For example, while I think a lot of people might actually benefit from surfing more, should it really be mandated that all humanity must become surfers? That does seem extreme, however healthful an exercise it may be. However, I found the connection you seem to be trying to establish between eels and the suites where laws firms have their offices tenuous at best. I can see where your concern about others' ignorance would arise; you are clearly committed to being #1. I for one think you have an excellent shot.
P.S. I don't just say this in response to the posting's, er, let's say "typos" because that sounds more charitable than "borderline illiteracy;" I find your contentions overall every bit as crack-headed as your mode of expressing them.
nice blending of the sarcasm and ad-hominem, catherine. point out a typo or two, don't contribute to the actual discussion, and hey, check it out...you've made yourself feel smarter than everyone else here! how much time did you spend proofing your comment?
Ferwick, I see your point, and it's not entirely without merit, but frankly the reason I didn't get into specific counterarguments is that anything I could say directly regarding the peanut ban issue has been said a thousand times already in these comments. The reason for my comment was partly just that I found those particular word misuses kind of hilarious, but also to point out how exasperating it is when someone attacks others for their alleged ignorance while flagrantly displaying their own. Bear in mind this is the same commenter who argued "What, because your kid is gay, now I'm supposed to convince mine he's gay too? It's NO different. You want our 'normal kids' to have to adjust to your inferior kids." I stand by the characterization "crack-headed."
I'm a little puzzled by the defensive tone of your response, and a lot puzzled as to why you think suggesting someone would bother to proofread their comments in order to present their statements clearly and articulately is supposed to constitute some sort of insult.
We need to be sensitive, but it is a bit ridiculous. Schools are trying to cope with all these special needs, since really that is what it is...just another special need. My kindergartner eats a snack and a lunch. Snack in the classroom, no PB allowed, lunch in the cafeteria PB allowed. My son took a PB cup out of his lunch and tried to eat it during snack, and the teacher is forced to do a pro football tackle on the kindergartner. Not fun for the teacher and not fun for my son. If the contested cup falls or touches anything, a cleanup crew has to come in to re-mediate the problem. I would at least say that all the allergy sufferers that are life threatening in each grade get stuck in one bubble classroom, to limit the number latex/peanut/pollen/dirt/fruit/carpet special allergy rooms needed. Also get a special bulk rate on epi-pens so that the risk is lower. Get them at Costco or Sams Clubor something...
I find it funny how peanut butter is not allowed but all of the processed food containing peanut is. Many times it is on the label staring everyone in the face. God forbid we actually *understand* what we are eating but let's eat it – it's smiley shaped! I think I've officially gotten to the point where I look down on people that are afraid of everything they don't understand and REFUSE to LEARN anything else about it. You have the time..... oh, wait, it would take away from posting on Facebook. wanna hear more about me??!?!?!? Ignorance like that is sickening.
But I'm so tasty - and good for you and creamy. How can you hate me?
The schools sould switch to sun butter. It's made from sunflowers and tastes as good as peanut butter
I am not a medical expert, but aren't adrenalin shots used to counter act an allergic reaction like bee stings? If so, then why don't they keep adrenalin shots near the lunch room or at the nurses office for any potential bad reactions? I know schools probably would cringe at having to give kids adrenalin shots, but if it could save their lives then why not. They keep defibrilators at school, so why not? Having kids sit at a table for those with peanut allergies will just encite mocking and hazing by the other kids. Educate the children, educate the school staff and medical training.
The adrenaline shots do not counteract, in case of anaphylactic shock they buy you about 15-20 minutes of time to get medical help.
Our son's friend a moderate peanut allergy. Our son eats pbj almost every day b/c it's his favorite. The two boys are friends. They sit next to each other. The solution the boys came up with is to take an extra napkin each and fold it and make a border between their lunches. They keep their lunches/hands/etc. on their side of the napkin. They have done it since kindergarten. The time that the "school bully" came and smeared our son's friend with PB, our son got the teacher involved with "bully" and took his friend to the nurse who washed him up and checked him out. He was fine. He is fine. There are other – better – solutions. These are children with allergies – not mindless idiots. We can do a little better than making mountains out of molehills and panic out of a manageable situation.
There are always going to be kids with allergies. My son has a wheat allergy which is complicated as well. Each child's needs are different. We shouldn't make a blanket adjustment for one allergy because then we might say, no one should have wheat because my kid can't. Eventually there would be nothing left to eat. We need to look at each case individually. Every child should have the right to a public education and if a peanut allergy is putting his life in danger than let's be compassionate and help. Kids are going to have to learn to adjust to the real world where they may get teased from time to time, but that doesn't mean we condone the teasing. While it is the parents responsibility to do as much as they can to make things better, it is the school community's responsibility to come along side them and make public education of their child a safe option. After reading many of these comments I am disappointed. Save the whales but who cares if the kid with peanut allergies dies because I have a right to a Peanut butter sandwich. Wake up everyone! These are the same kids who will decide our fate in old age. Let's teach some compassion.
Ok, I can see possible ban on the cafeteria being allowed to serve peanut products. just think about everything the peanuts could have touched. However I believe that parents should be allowed to serve their child individually if they wish. I don't know how true it is but someone once told me that peanuts are the #1 or at least around there on the list of what people are allergic to you. Think about it. if the cafeteria is going to serve peanut buter adn jelly sandwiches for lunch you could probably save a little money making it home as a sack lunch. :) btw I like peanut buter and jelly it is one of my favorites.
Schools now have Resource officers, WTF's next Nutritian officers? This country keeps moving backwards!
What do you do Chas? Anything to move this country forward? Or do you simply sit in your armchair and b!tch and moan. I think the latter.
From my own experience, and from viewing this article's manifestation of comment, there is not a one-size fits all solution.
The resolution for protecting the children with allergies ought to be determined on a case-by-case basis. The solutions should stay local, however, it should not be taken lightly by larger bodies of decision makers that this is an increasing problem.
The parents of each child should not feel their child is ostracized, but should be involved in coming up with a solution that is in line with the severity of the allergy. I say, take the worst case scenario and provide a solution that is unique to that school (or maybe each child's schedule), which is directly proportionate to the severity of the allergy. I don't have a child with allergies, so I won't pretend to know the levels of severity, but I feel strongly that district-wide, state-wide, or nation-wide policies are an over reaction.
you all are sick in the head
and I am crunchy
I think anyone who has a car shouldn't be allowed to drive it because you may run over my child with the thing. You shouldn't be allowed to do something that I don't want because it may endanger my child. Your child is a moron and shouldn't be allowed a pencil because he may stab my child in the eye at any moment.
You people are stupid!! How can you be so selfish with your comments?? THis is not about what your kid can't eat its about another child's safety!! Children that are allergic to peanuts can DIE even if they are touched by someone who has peanut butter on their hands!!! So before you pop off with your stupid ass comments about something you know nothing about think about someone elses life not about your own selfish ass!!
In my child's school there are allergies to nuts, eggs, milk, fava beans, strawberries... where does it stop. Do we ban all foods, maybe send the kids home for snack and lunch? i think there needs to be a free zone where foods are restricted based on what the school population is allergic to. Those that are allergic to certian foods can enjoy their meals in the safety of the free zone.
Good grief, let's just build a separate room for every single kid and make taxpayers pay taxes on 99% of their income so every single little allergy and preference can be dealt with.
My 14 month old son was just diagnosed with a level 4 Peanut Allergy. I am new to this whole world of food allergies and never in my life could have imagined a peanut could harm a child like it can. I had never heard of peanut allergies and never really gave thought to food allergies at all. I would probably be the first to run around the house chasing my best friend with a lobster if I knew she were allergic to shellfish….
This has been a huge learning experience and I now know there is a need for information and compassion. The peanut allergy is life long; my son will never outgrow it! Exposure for him means a severe reaction. One of which is Anaphylactic shock, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction. He could die! Our immunologist told us that peanut allergies have quadrupled in the US in the last 10 years that he believes it has to do with the way peanuts are processed in the US, (Dry Roasted). Other countries process peanuts by boiling them and they do not have the peanut allergy issues as in the United States. He also talked about what he called “germ phobia” and over use of antibiotics that has weakened our immune systems. He believes all have given rise to food allergies. So on to the “Peanut Free” schools. I believe educating the public about these food allergies is what needs to happen! Why is there a rise in the allergy, why are food allergies so dangerous?! Let’s educate each other and out children so that there is compassion and understanding about the issue. Keep in mind however; Schools have removed soda machines because soda is not healthy. Peanuts can actually kill!
I have children who attend a school that has banned peanut butter. Apparently the childs allergic reaction is so bad that he could break out in hives if he touches a wall that was touched by another kid who ate peanuts. I am not going to go into all the reasons why I consider myself to be a patient and understanding person but peanuts are a very common food in many homes (for families who have healthy children or unhealthery children) I wouldnt want to intentiannly hurt anyone but I have from time to time accidently packed my children some peanuts, or a PB&J and I just dont think it is reasonable to expect every parent to comply to these requests. Besides, how can you as a parent trust that everyone is going to comply whith such a request confidently? And what is going to happen when this child grows up? Are they going to require their work establishment to carry the same restrictions? Is that reasonable reqeust? I just dont see it as reasonable. Sorry, homeschool your child.
Once upon a time there was a thing called personal responsibility. Parents would actually be responsible for making sure their kids knew not to eat things they were allergic to, or to make arrangements with the school lunch people to make sure their child wouldn't get what they were allergic too.
The people who want to punish everyone for the allergies of a few by banning peanut butter just want to live in a nanny state. Well I don't I want to make my own decisions. If I like to do something or eat something that I like but may not be the best thing for my health I want it to be my decision. Not the decision of some died up moron who thinks they know better than I do what is best for me.
This sort of thing is at the root of many of the problems in our country. The more we allow politicians to control our lives the worse they will be. Period.
Is PB an illegal substance? No! So then why ban it? It is absurd to keep accomodating all these "special needs!!" How about they (or the parents) deal with it. How about for those who are lactose interolerant? Perhaps someone is hyper-sensitive and cannot be near lactose? I guess we'll have to ban lactose products as well! Oh wait, there are those who are allergic to various seafoods...let's ban tuna and salmon, etc.! Hmm, what else...hey, I know someone who is allergic to soy-based products...let's ban them!!! Of course not! It is pathetic that the majority must accomodate the minority in this way. if you have a problem, then deal with it like an adult...it is childish to expect the world to accomodate you!!!
As for the person (Matt) who claimed PB is making ppl fat because it has junk in it and it is the "lazy parent" who uses it for quick lunches. 1. Yes, your standard Skippy or Reeses PB is filled with "junk" – that is why I only buy the PB made with peanuts ONLY! 2. Sure, I'll bet many parents use it as a "quick" fix for lunch...but not all! Personally, I often enjoy a nice (natural) PB and (natural) jam sandwich. Sometimes my children ask for it as well! It is not relevant to the issue anyhow...
Enough catering to those with special needs, learn to deal with it!!!!! (**Maybe** an exception should be made for very young children who have not yet learned how to deal with their deficiencies.)
When I was in high school, we had a kid that was allergic to peanut butter and the school knew it including the luch ladies. He wasn't allowed to have it but he would continiously take it from the other kids and so my school finally band it becauser of one kid. It's not the other kids or the schools fault that that kid couldn't keep his hands off of the peanut butter and for that reason everyone suffered. N, peanut butter should not be banned from schools. What about other foods that people are allergic to do we ban those foods to, soon there will be no food served by the school because someone in some school somewhere is allergic to it.
I have had a contact dairy allergy my entire life, I learned to deal with it and how to handle it from the day i entered school. They never banned dairy products for me. My child eats a variety of healthy lunches and rarely eats the unhealthy school lunches provided. However that said due to the fact that we are on a very limited budget with 5 in the house, myself laid off, and my husband providing for us I cannot always afford to purchase lunch meat instead because I have paid my other bills without the help of any government subsidies. I take offense to those that think that people who cannot afford lunch meat are losers.
I don't know if it's the same for all who suffer from a peanut allergy, but I've been told by my son's doctor that a second exposure to peanuts could result in death by suffocation without an immediate epinephrine injection. His allergy is a potential death sentence. In light of that, my husband and I have taken the steps any parent of such a child should. We've provided the school nurse with an Epipen and we keep several at home. Plus our son does an excellent job of policing his diet and uses common sense when dining with his classmates. In his 5 years in public school so far, there's not been a single issue. If the parents and the children are mindful and responsible, the risk is greatly minimized.
I am shocked to hear that one of the choices is tough luck. My kids have life threatening allergies to peanuts and have to sit at a nut free table. My children can die if they sit near anyone who is eating nut based products. When my son was in First Grade he had to give himself a shot through his jeans with an epi pen, which the nurse keeps for him. when he was in Nursery school the teachers were so insensitive as to say they could not keep an epi pen there for allergies. then one day someone brought in peanut butter for the kids to make and my son ended up in the hospital. this was at a very expensive school. I am shocked by your lack of concern for other children.
OK. well how's this for your theories. My sister has celiac, which is an INTOLERANCE not a allergy. If some gets into her system it will eat away at her intestines until she needs surgery. So since your kid will break out in hives from peanut butter, it shouldn't be at school. Alright then we will take away everything that has wheat in it for the fear that it could kill my sister. yeah see how well that goes down with parents. You live without having bread, pasta, cereals, cake, cookies and all that and see how much it sucks. You really want to ruin other kids lunches because your kid cant pay attention to where their hands have been? Please! You need to teach your kids why they shouldn't touch it, and what to do if they do. You are lazy if you think that keeping them away from it will stop everything. Then you would have to tell every parent they couldn't have peanut butter in there house because billy is allergic and friends with their kid. You can never stop it. You have to suck it up and be a parent, instead of making the world your kids safe little bubble
Our elementary school has a peanut free table in the lunchroom and children are asked not to bring in anything with peanut products to school activities or for snack if we accomidate for some we will have to for everyone for everything it will be out of control!
I'm shocked at what I am reading. These are CHILDREN we are talking about NOT grown adults who can fend for themselves when it comes to allergies. Do you really expect a 5 or 6 year old to be able to recognize all foods that have peanuts in them?? Some of these children will DIE if they are exposed to peanuts.How can you sit there and say too bad, figure it out yourself? Have some empathy or just common decency! Put yourself in these parents shoes who are worried every day about everything their child eats hoping they don't get the phone call that their child is in an ambulance on the way to the emergency room unable to breathe because your kid had to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. PLEASE... come out of your self absorbed bubble and recognize there are other people on this planet too. And by the way, my kids do not have any allergies.