peanut allergies and school bans

[sio]

sorry if this has been done, i don't ever recall having seen it

Comments

[littlegraytiger]

I would've fought the ban, even as a child. As a child because I literally didn't eat that many things and peanut butter was the best way possible of getting protein and fat in my system. As an adult because I don't think making an attempt to sterilize the school of allergens is their job, is realistic in life for the kids when they grow up, and not really perfectly possible. It only takes traces for some people and it's impossible to make sure every kid's snack doesn't even include an item that might have come into contact with peanuts or peanut dust

[crysania4]

I'm against the bans. Period. People have to learn to deal with their allergies and this includes kids and their parents. No one has banned lilacs from around schools or businesses or public parks and I have a severe reaction to breathing in lilac pollen (my whole bronchial passages closes up...I've passed out from passing by lilacs before...by the time I can smell them it's too late!).

I think that it's dangerous to make anywhere a "safe" place because someone may sneak in some peanuts (god...sneak in PEANUTS...like they're guns) and then the kid with the allergy is not prepared to deal with it.

[ginkaruja]

I like the idea of a few schools having the bans and the kids with the allergies going there, instead of enacting more and more bans in the schools. I mean, first peanuts, but then what is someone is deathly allergic to onions? Or better yet, what about the kids who are deathly allergic to bees? Are you going to ban bees from school? Or are you just going to keep the kids inside, never to exercise again? Even then, bees get into some of the craziest places.

Better for schools to create awareness in the kids, parents, and staff, and have specialized kits on hand at all times, with staff who knows how to use them.

[maniacalshen]

I had my fun with this debate on CNN earlier. But really, one of the reasons I enjoy being CF is not having to worry about stuff like this, as it will never affect me. I'm not even sure it belongs here.

[ulfrslady]

The current generation of school kids will not stay kids forever. What happens in 10 years when a peanut-allergic 20-something, who's been coddled through life in a peanut-free environment joins your place of business and begins demanding a peanut-free work place?

There are thousands of studies which show that the way a child is raised has a massive impact on the kind of adult he or she becomes. To say that as a child-free person you do not have to be concerned with school environments is rather short-sighted. Today's children will be your coworkers, neighbors and fellow citizens for a lot longer than they will be children.

[maniacalshen]

I see your point, and I think I figured out the misunderstanding. When I think of a peanut ban in schools, I think of it in the context of elementary school specifically. Because kids are still learning and are less able to watch out for themselves, and because other kids are too stupid to realize the ramifications of their actions if they bully another kid with peanuts. These things don't apply to the adult workplace. If someone is so deathly allergic that they can't stand a whiff of something, you deal with it on a case-by-case basis like adults. Because, by high school, they should have a peanut-free table or something if they truly need it and no other special considerations.

If people are really suggesting we ban peanuts through all schooling ever... I see why we're talking about this here.

Also, the OP should link this article, as it's the most interesting one of the three peanut features that were on CNN yesterday.

[commanderd]

We already are getting people like that - for example our customer relations people had to handle a complaint from a woman who wanted all trains in the UK made 'peanut-free' for her child's safety.

[kaz_lynx]

My brother has a peanut allergy. He's 18 now, when he was in junior high it got so bad that he went from 0 to almost dead in about 15 minutes after accidentally ingesting some peanut oil from a wrapper that another kid had touched after eating peanut butter.

So my hypothetical picky child can man the fuck up and eat something else. Peanut butter is actually very expensive here, they can have Mr. Noodles instead.

[kaz_lynx]

I will add that this isn't about foam padding every sharp corner and coddling children, this is about LIFE AND DEATH at the worst and ensuring a safe and comfortable learning environment at best. Everybody deserves an environment where their health is not at risk, and I really doubt a food ban is the most extreme measure an institution can put in place.

I love my brother very much and have had the piss scared out of me from his reactions, so I'm quite touchy about people who bawwww that they can't eat peanuts on a plane anymore (Bits 'n' Bites FTW) or send their kid off to school with Reeses Pieces.

[daemonaquila]

There are tons of people with tons of dangerous allergies. I'm sorry your brother has one, but that doesn't mean that everyone around him should have to give up not only peanuts but many other foods that cause other people similar problems. We'd wind up a large number of the foods people commonly eat. Life isn't safe. The sooner that kids learn what can hurt them, and how to avoid it, the better.