Peanut Free Schools

Hi folks,

My daughter will be heading to kindergarten next year. She's looking forward to it, and so are my wife and I. We found out, however, that the school she'll be attending is apparently "peanut free" which would mean that we, as her parents, would not be allowed to pack her things like PB&J sandwiches for lunch. I understand that this craze is happening because there are some kids who are allergic, but I find it annoying that the vast majority has to adapt for the minority. My daughter liked PB&J, and I think as her parent, I should be entitled to feed my child what I want. I can understand the school not serving it, but I don't think the school, via the local school board, should have the right to tell me what I can and cannot feed my child at school.

The more I think about the issue, the more I get upset. When I was a kid, my parents taught me to be responsible for myself. I didn't have any food allergies, but I had seasonal and environmental allergies out the wazoo. (I still do, but am getting shots for them.) I knew that I couldn't roll in the grass unless I wanted to break out in hives. I don't understand why parents today aren't teaching their kids the same. If they have a severe allergy, why not have an epi-pen on hand?

What are y'all's thoughts on all this?

-Matt

 

One more case in point of PC gone amok Matt …

 

I like a good PB&J sandwich. I had a couple with apricot-pineapple preserves for lunch today and they were definitely good stuff.

When I was a kid, I had a food allergy to something that was pretty common in a kid's diet. I knew not to eat it. Problem solved.

Yes, I think that banning PB&J sandwiches is going overboard.

 

I'm right there with you. Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child.

 

Oh I like this one, I'm stealing it. Awesome.

 

In a rare instance of major56 and Ted Heiks actually agreeing on something, I'd have to say it's political correctness gone amok.

 

Go right ahead, I've heard it for years and agree with you that it's awesome Not sure who first said it.

 

I'm stealing it too!

-Matt

 

When a severely allergic person comes into contact with even the scent of peanuts, it can trigger a reaction. The reactions are severe and death is swift, unless a person can get to the hospital. All an epi-pen does is give a person 15 minutes. If the school is more than 15 minutes from a hospital, or if there is a traffic jam between the school and the hospital, that child is dead - unnecessarily. Don't do that to somebody's child. Not packing peanut butter may be an inconvenience, but if you put good out into the world, it comes back to you.

 

Then perhaps that severely allergic person needs to remain at home locked up in an air tight room. If that person goes ANYWHERE in public, they run that risk.

-Matt

 

Maybe peanuts need to be banned everywhere outside of a 15 minute radius of a hospital.

 

Just tell the school that your daughter has a gender identity issue and the only way to deal with said issue is to eat Peter Pan Chunky PB sangwich's for lunch everyday. Your microaggression absolutely trumps the other easily. The appropriate grievance industry personnel will be notified, and your daughter will enjoy her PB. Of course she'll have to learn to pee standing up. But peanut butter is worth it.

I love public school. Not as much as Matt Damon does, but I do love me some public education.

 

To be fair, Matt Damon only loves public school for everyone else's kids.

 

To my way of thinking this is an extreme opinion and would not be supported in most places.

 

I didn't even want to read this thread because this anti peanut politically correct bs upsets me.

 

I had a PB&J sandwich just yesterday. Good stuff.

 

I am reading through studies on smelling peanuts triggering an allergic reaction and seeing a lot of studies that show that it does not. I am not seeing any studies that shows that it does. If you find any, I would like to read them (public health professional interest of mine).

 

My son has a peanut allergy, not to the extreme described here, but he does have one. We have to make sure he has his epi-pens with him at all times so that an adult can use them. It's something that you can get used to and I don't think having a peanut free school is PC run amok, it is just smart on the schools part. Blame lawyers if you want, but no one wants the death of a child to happen on their watch especially if it could be prevented. I also don't think that kindergarten age children are responsible enough to make sure they don't eat something that is potentially harmful.

I read an article just a couple weeks ago where a teenager died because of her peanut allergy. She had three epi injections and she still didn't make it. I believe she ingested something that had been made with peanut oil but I'm not 100% sure on this but it was something that she didn't know had some form of peanut in it.

Peanut free school doesn't just affect a child's option to not have the awesomeness represented by the PB&J but also how the school cafeteria is allowed to prepare foods that they provide.

@Matt - People who know they have a severe reaction know where they can and can't go, but not going to school is not an option for children.

 

Not to fuel the fire, but of course it is. If you don't like what's going on in the building called school, don't send your kid. Whether it's an objection to the academics, socialization, indoctrination, or public health. It is an option in our country; not all countries, but in ours it is. Safety first!

 

I think you contradict yourself by saying Safety First.

Maybe I am reading too much into this, but those options also apply to the OP. They choose to send their child to a peanut free school and if they don't like it, make like a tree and leave. Not everyone has the option to change schools or to home school their kids and therefore it is up to the adminstrators to take in all concerns of the parents and children and make the choice for Safety First. If this means no PB&Js for kids then so be it, they can have PB&J when they get home.