Food allergies and school, is this going too far? ?
My son is about to start school next week and we just got back from our parent teacher meeting. This year there is a child in school that has an allergy to nuts/tree nuts. Therefore all nut products are banned from school. No big deal, we aren’t big peanut butter eaters and my son prefers cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. So it will not be a problem at all. But this part is. The parents of this child are now demanding that we not eat any peanut products or products manufactured in a plant that manufacture nut products. These people are actually telling us how to eat in our own homes. If I want to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies for an after school snack for my kids, I can’t. If I eat a granola bar before picking up my son from school I have to shower and change clothes. These parents are refusing any type of compromise regarding the peanut products at home.
Now there is another family saying that their child is allergic to milk/wheat, they now want to ban dairy products and wheat products from lunch.
Another parent has a child severely allergic to pet dander from cats/dogs, and want families to now put their children’s school clothing in plastic bags and also put their backpacks in bags as well so their child doesn’t get exposed to pet hair.
What are we supposed to do? I am all for protecting these kids, but is this going too far? I have two children that I am responsible for and now I’m responsible for the health and well being of all of these others. What am I supposed to do? If I send the wrong thing to school I can kill someone, and now I am responsible for that.
Do you think that maybe we should home school our children so that something they eat doesn’t kill someone? What should we do?
Tagged with: Allergies • Food • Going • school • This
Filed under: Food Allergies In Dogs
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I don’t think they can tell you how to eat at home, let alone enforce it
That is absolutely insane! I was one of “those sick kids” in school and no one made anyone change their lives for me. I do not understand how you are responsible for those other kids. Can they really ban milk from school?! Why can’t those children and their parents be held responsible for themselves? THOSE children should be home schooled if their parents are worried about what the other children are eating/drinking.
All they did at my middle school was have everyone fill out those emergency forms to see if anybody had any allergies. The nurse had all of the “sick kid’s” epipens (sp?). The school decided not to sell anything with nuts in them. There is a special nut-free table at lunch.
This is just outright going too far…. They can’t ban milk/wheat products from lunch because every lunch meal has to have certain amounts of food from each food group. As for the child who is “severely” allergic to pet dander. Allergic to what extent? That he/she can die? If that is the case, I suggest just a simple and easy put the backpack somewhere the cat/dog can’t get to like a high shelf. Before going to school doesn’t everybody change into a new set of clothes anyways??
If these kids are so allergic to various things, is every single school they are going to go to going to make these “special” rules for them?
I agree completely with the two people who answered before me.
I believe that it is very important for these parents to teach their children how to properly care for their special needs. It CAN be done from a young age-my son had a best friend who was diagnosed with diabetes as a toddler. At 4-5, he could tell you what he could and could not have, and cook test his own blood sugar (when he got frustrated with me because I was nervous about sticking him).
While I could see prohibiting peanut products in the classroom, the demands for home are outrageous. Yes, in these cases it would be best for the children to be homeschooled if their needs are that severe. Do they not take these children to a public playground, Wal Mart, etc. where they might run into someone that just had a peanut butter cookie or has a pet?
I do appreciate their position, but encroaching on one’s home life is going beyond reasonable. They can not enforce it, so never mind whatever demands they make. I would print up the laws regarding homeschooling (you can find them at http://www.HSLDA.org) and hand it out if they continue to be so uncompromising.
If you do decide to homeschool YOUR children, contact me (you can email me via my profile) and/or Yahoo! has a homeschool section here under the Education and Reference tab.
I wish you the best!