Nut-free classrooms (threads merged)

shayna82

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 10:09 pm

greenfire wrote:

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 ...

this is not possible in a classroom filled with 2 or 3 year olds as my son's school is. there are kids that are deathly allergic to any nut products. I went to school with a girl who walked into a room and smelled a nutty chew. her leg blew up in front of my eyes. I had to run down to the drugstore and get her eppypen. this is real. and I think the least we can do for these kids who are struggling with this is to pack a lunch without peanut butter, and think, what if this what my kid. allergys are not fun.

ChavieK

Tue, Apr 24 2007, 10:58 pm

My dd is in a peanut free school. One year she was allowed to b/c the girl was not yet in her building.Is she agravated s/t? Sure but who cares! She would still never dream of taking a trace of peanuts to school. Our schools, especialy our frum schools, are NOT the "real world".They should be safe & protected environments.In all aspects. We protect them from bad music, videos, magazines.. should we say "they will see them in the mall, on supermarket lines. So may as well get used to it & see it in school?"

bashinda

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 9:33 am

I understand your frustration GR. I also have a father who is highly allergic to sesame seeds or sesame oil (pretty much anythin sesame seed) and a few other things. We went to a restaurant once and he asked them to please not use anything with sesame seeds or oil and they said fine. He took one bite and he had to go to the ER because his tongue was blowing up and he couldn't breathe. So I understand the other side too.

Mitzvahmom

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 9:41 am

LOL my kids have peanut butter as an option for lunch!!! But there is a list of kids above it that are not allowed to have it.

While appreciate the fact that there are children that are allergic to somethings.. Let's face it, there is no real way to rid the world of every single thing that could cause an allergic reaction!

My middle son, has crohns disease, he is 7 years old. He knows how his body reacts if he eats something that is too salty. The other day they had chicken nuggets and his stomach hurt soo badly afterwards. So he decided that it's too salty for him and he now limits himself at lunch and grabs a tuna sandwich instead.

My daughter, cannot matabolize sugar, in essence drives her crazy and makes her act nutty. I gave her teacher a bag of sugar free candy, and my daughter, K"H, knows that when the teacher gives out candy she can ask for her sugar-free or she has to drink an entire bottle of water to help her body break down the sugar.

gryp

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 9:51 am

Of course I understand the other side. There is a boy in the class who is deathly allergic to a few foods and the teachers have an entire kit with instructions just in case.
I just don't want my son to be fed sugar as if it's food. The class has a policy of healthy snacks only and then they give out cookies for snack. I end up sending a box of raisins every day or an apple, banana, or rice cake. Other kids bring fruit punch, chips, etc.
If they can outlaw nuts, dairy, soy, sesame seeds, etc., why can't they outlaw sugar treats? I really don't care so much if the parent sends it with the child, but why are the teachers handing it out left and right? Especially when there is a school rule about it?
Ok, so it's off-topic.

bashinda

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 10:08 am

GR: Oh I agree completely. At BR preschool they don't let the parents bring snacks for preschool so it isn't a problem and the morahs usually give them healthy snacks like apples etc unless it's shabbos party then I think they give them cookies and pretzels but that doesn't bug me.

southernbubby

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 10:18 am

The professionals that were consulted for the original article did feel that the nut ban was acceptable for preschoolers but felt that school aged children did not need those safeguards and could be taught to avoid what they are allergic to.

bashinda

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 10:41 am

GR wrote:

Um, Bashinda, unless things have changed in the past few years, BR gives Ostreicher cookies most days for snack.

I think at least one morah has changed. she told me they were giving healthy snacks. Also, I think DD would have let me known somehow if she was always being given cookies.

Marion

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 12:48 pm

southernbubby wrote:

Yes, schoolage children can be taught not to EAT certain things. But then you have to teach the rest of the class to wash their hands (with soap) after every snack before they touch a door handle, a desk, a chair, a piece of chalk, somebody else, the tap (!). For a lot of kids, cross contamination and contamination through touch are just as serious as actually eating a whole allergen. That's why manufacturers mark "traces" on their packaging.

southernbubby

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 12:51 pm

The article claimed that only a small percentage of allergic children will have a reaction from touching or smelling the food. A nut allergic person on an airplane will usually be OK if his seatmate is eating something with nuts in ti.

shayna82

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 1:02 pm

because some people are deathyl allergic to even smelling peanuts. airlines dont want to be responsible for people going into anaphalactic shock, which does happen quite freuquently to people wiht severe food allergies. even if he isnt eating it, his body can react to just smelling it in the air . it is hard to understand unless you know someone personally that deals with this. then you see it straight on, and its the scarriest in the world. it is obviously quite popular if airlines have stopped serving them.

Ima'la

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 1:03 pm

southernbubby wrote:

I hear, but nevertheless, I strongly feel that kids should be taught about their allergies as soon as you know about them! Even preschoolers. (Although I see why you might not trust that!) My son was diagnosed with a whole bunch of the typical ones at age 1. He grew up knowing about it, and before he was 3, he could do a half-decent job of reciting the list. And he knew to ask before eating things. This year, his first year in regular cheder - not private gan where parents/teacher have more direct control, if someone shares snack with him, he puts it in his knapsack and brings it home to ask me if he can eat it. Same with party bags in school There is only one person in the entire world who will be with with your allergic child 24/7 - and that is your allergic child!

Marion

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 2:37 pm

GR wrote:

don't ask me why they won't serve the entire plane peanuts if one guy has an allergy. it doesn't make any sense.

Um, because medical help isn't immediately available? Can't you just see the lawsuits coming if something happened? An Epi-Pen buys you MAXIMUM 15 minutes...it's designed to allow you to get to the hospital for proper treatment. Maximum you can carry more than one, but they don't recommend using more than 2 in a row (because of other potential side effects, besides the one you're using it for).

I used to know the snack cart was coming because I could smell the peanuts being opened in First class, all the way at the back of the plane. I can still walk into an office and ask who had peanut butter for lunch. And yes, I have chutzpah, and ask Bamba eaters to close the bag between Bambas, or to open a window.

southernbubby

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 3:00 pm

Although airlines have stopped dispensing peanuts, they allow snacks to be brought on board that were purchased elsewhere. What is to stop a passenger from munching on peanuts or candy bars with peanut butter or nuts in them? While the airlines are not at fault, I doubt that passengers consider the allergies of others before purchasing food for the trip. Greyhounds can also be in the middle of nowhere and I don't think that greyhound drivers have as much medical training as flight attendants.

TzenaRena

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 3:01 pm

Mammy wrote:

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...

Did you know that some kids are highly allergic to almonds too? My neice went into shock from almonds..

southernbubby

Wed, Apr 25 2007, 3:50 pm

According to the article (in Child Magazine Apr 07):
Only 20% of children outgrow peanut allergy as opposed to 85% of children who outgrow egg and milk allergies by age 5. (some statistics show that milk and egg allergies are growing more stubborn and only 50% are outgrown by age 5).
About 30,000 Americans visit the ER each year for food-induced anaphylaxis.
A 2001 study of 32 deaths over 5 years showed nuts to be the cause in 94% of cases with peanuts being 63%. The CDC in Atlanta reported 12 deaths in 04 but does not know if that is an accurate record because not all cases may have been reported.