Nut-free classrooms (threads merged)

southernbubby

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 2:28 pm

I am posting it as controversial because I read an article about how some parents are angry at having to exclude nuts or nut products from their children's lunches and snacks due to an allergic classmate. On the one hand, any parent with an allergic child would appreciate the efforts of other parents to keep the child safe. On the other hand, most nut allergic children will only have a reaction from eating the nuts or nut products. Breathing the vapors or dust will not have an effect on the majority of nut allergic kids. The non-allergic children will have to give up a commonly eaten lunch food and treats such as peanut butter sandwiches, Reese's cups (dairy) or Reese's cereal (which is pareve), The parents of the non-allergic kids get tired of having to do nut-free birthday parties and goodie bags. And then there are those kids that cannot even breathe the air in a room with an allergen. Some experts feel that excluding nuts from children's lunches after the pre-school years is ridiculous overprotection. So I ask, is a nut-free school a nutty idea?

greenfire

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 2:46 pm

I actually think it is nuts - the classmates should and could be taught not to share for that reason and the teacher should oversee snack and lunch times ... and like you said peanut butter (& jelly) is the #1 food ... how could a whole school avoid that ... while it is scary for the parent of a child ... they have to put all the safety net in place and then there should be no problem ...

shanie5

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 2:51 pm

if there is a child who will react if there is a nut in the vicinity, then it should be nut free. however, if there is no allergic child, or they only react if eating a nut, then there is no reason to keep it a nut free enviornment. (though in the case of an allergic child, the teacher should be made aware of the fact - including how the child reacts if s/o offers them something to eat.

Flowerchild

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 2:54 pm

I dont think teachers can oversee everything, its a very huge responsibility to make sure that the allergic child does not eat nuts and what if the child does eat nuts and the teacher did not realize? then the teacher is responsible and the school gets sued over this, to avoid this, making nut-free school is a good idea and really isnt the end of the world. kids can survive without nuts for half a day and then when they get home let them eat nuts or food containing nuts as they desire.

redhot

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 2:54 pm

I think nut free is the only solution. A child who is allergic will know not to eat a peanut butter sandwich, but do you know how many everyday snacks contain traces of nuts, or even nut oil itself! Liebers potato chips is made on a factory that produces nuts. (on pesach its made with walnut oil). If every parent can just put in a tiny amount of effort to read the ingredients in the snack bags before purchasing they can prevent someone elses child from dying. I have a close family friend who's son is allergic to nuts to such an extreme that if a child is eating a nut food in the room with him he can go into anaphylactic (sp) shock. That means he could die.

Some people like to simplify the issue and say- just dont let ure kid eat anything with nuts- but why should my child suffer! ( I especially love the parents who say that their kid ONLY eat peanut butter sandwiches Rolling Eyes

).
This is alife and death situation for most of these highly allergic kids! These are little children! Being selfish and refusing to follow the rules of a nut free environment shows how low of a human being you are. That type of person is selfish and cares only about themselves. Other people are in this world and how dare you or I endanger their child when its such a simple thing to just READ the ingredients!!!

I am all for nut free schools, camps, and buses. I also believe public arenas should be nutfree...

DefyGravity

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 2:55 pm

Is the ban only against peanuts or all nut varieties?

The thing is, these kids won't always be protected from nuts, they're going to come in contact with these foods in other setting and will need to know what they shouldn't be eating.

greenfire

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 3:00 pm

maybe there should be a nut free school for those who are allergic ... I don't know ... it just seems like an extreme task ... I wasn't being selfish and thank g-d I did not have to experience this from either side ... why couldn't this be dealt with like a kashrus issue ... nobody shares ... beginning & end!!!

redhot

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 3:08 pm

because lets say one kid eats bamba, and them goes up to the board to use chalk to write something, and then that allergic kid touches the chalk! or they could touch a doorknob, or a handle, or ANYTHING!

greenfire- you think we should dump all allergic kids in one special school??????????????????????????

southernbubby

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 3:53 pm

The article mentioned that it was hard to make every public place nut-free. A severe nut-allergic individual might not be able to ride a public bus because the food cannot be supervised. Greyhound cannot check every snack that passengers bring. Airline passengers can bring any food that will not harbor explosives. Eventually the nut-allergic person would have to either take his chances in the world, or avoid the world if his condition could not be cured. Also, there are other highly allergic foods such as dairy products. A severe dairy allergy is as bad as a nut allergy. How many foods can a school restrict?

Didi

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 4:10 pm

My nephew is allergic to all nuts, all seeds, dairy, & eggs. His school is 100% nut free, and on shabbat in shul, the group leader has a huge nosh room and makes sure my sister approves of the snacks being given out to his group. He is not the only one in his class/age group with those allergies. He is also 6 yrs old, knows that he is allergic and walks around with an epi pen and an allergy bracelet

Mammy

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 4:30 pm

I think it is selfish of parents to put another kids LIFE at risk just so their kid could have bamba.
As a teacher, I have seen a kid go into shock, and would not want to risk that happening again for all the bamba in the world!!

p.s. they make almond butter...

timeout

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 4:35 pm

My sons school is nut free, and they actually check all snacks every day to make sure they don't have nut "anything" in it.

I think that if there are children in the school with this issue the only way the school can 100% keep the child healthy is to make it nut fee

gryp

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 5:40 pm

My son is in the official "allergy class" of his preschool. No, he is not allergic to anything BH, he is as healthy as a horse and always was, bli ayin hara. But there are a few kids in his class who are deathly allergic to certain foods so in his classroom there is no nuts, soy, dairy, sesame seeds, and more.
So when it's my turn to buy Shabbos party for the class I have to go to 5 different stores to find something without those ingredients.

And you know what? I'm annoyed.
My son comes home almost every single day telling me about treats he got from his teachers that day. I feel like hanging a sign around his neck: ALLERGIC TO SUGAR!!!
I wish I could just give him nuts or soy or dairy for snack.

baseballmom

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 5:49 pm

My DD is in a preschool class with kid with severe allergies - no nuts or nut products, or traces of nuts in any ingredients because the kids have severe reactions to airborn peanuts - I am always shocked at how many of the regular snacks I give my dcs have traces of nut products in them. Then there are dc with egg allergies so for shabbos parties etc teh kids have the same snack each week...but you know what, it isn't the biggest deal in the world. I readjust waht I send my kids...they get excited to have the nut products at home since they can't have it in school, and I know that DD isn't putting her friends at risk.

Every once in a while we get reminder notes sent home and DD tells us how some kids bring nut products in and have to bring them home without opening them. My DS is in the school too, but doesn't have any allergic kids in his class. No peanuts or peanut products, but that's it.

amother

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 6:51 pm

My father is an allergist and is not so into nut/peanut-free schools - because he feels that it will never truly, successfully be 100% nut/peanut-free - there will always be some mistake somewhere - and then the child will have a false sense of security. He feels the child would be better off learning to be (VERY!) careful.

If it is an airborne allergy, though, that's different.

I speak as the mother of an allergic child (dairy, nuts, peanuts, sesame). I did not ask the school or even the class to be allergen-free for him - he and the teacher are just careful......but his reactions, b"H are not extremely severe. Otherwise, I guess I would probably feel differently.