Food Allergies at school--No chocolate

[PollyannaMom]

Like guns?

 

[rajak73]

Like guns?

You eat guns? Ketchup or mustard?

 

[gemini2727]

It's not usually exposed... In a public school cafeteria setting you have so many children to take into account the liability on the school if something happens to the child. And not everyone knows which child it is because of anonymity.

Out of respect I would never "accidentally" pack something that says "MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS" like ALL chocolate bar wrappers do... Not even the chocolate allergy but the nut allergy.

And people that are that severely allergic ARE NOT ALLOWED to carry an Epi-pen in school and therefore have to head to the nurse to get it, it might be too late!

If my child had a life-threatening allergy, you better believe his epi pen would be carried on him, even if it had to be hidden. I wouldn't risk my child's life hoping he got to the nurse in time. And I've gone into the nurse's office when she wasn't even there (at lunch, somewhere else in the building), what then?

 

[rajak73]

My step-nephew has a severe allergy like this but they would never have imagined putting him on the bus with that severe of an allergy.

And we have a winner!! When does it come down to parenting and not everyone else change?

I'm not surprised. There was a case in Florida where parents asked that and wanted all kids to wash their hands with a specific solution and rinse their mouths after lunch. I feel bad for kids with allergies (I have a kid with them), but a request like that would put me "kiss off" mode.

So these same people never go to a mall, WDW, grocery store, anywhere? I doubt whether many people rinse their mouths after they eat.
I'm allergic to pollen, (hay fever) can we just get rid of all the trees, grass and corn fields? It would make me feel better! After all, I shouldn't have to take anything for it, everyone else should have to change for ME!

 

[TAX GUY]

You eat guns? Ketchup or mustard?

Yeah..... had to fix my quote. I didn't read it to the end and missed the part of "things to eat".

 

[Poohforyou]

It all depends on the severity of the allergy, I cannot eat certain places due to an avocado allergy, I can manage this allergy but I cannot control other people's behaviors. What if a another student did not wash their hands after eating chocolate and then touched the door knob.

And what if a kid ate a chocolate pop tart at home and didn't wash before coming to school and then touched a door knob?

Heck, my 16 yo dd bused out the chocolate cookies in her lunch and ate them on the drive to school this morning.

Our schools all have allergy free tables at lunch and there's never been a problem.

I actually looked up chocolate allergy and an allergy to cacao are so rare that it's virtually non existent. I'm betting the allergy is to something in the chocolate like lactose.

 

[Pkltm]

And what if a kid ate a chocolate pop tart at home and didn't wash before coming to school and then touched a door knob?

Heck, my 16 yo dd bused out the chocolate cookies in her lunch and ate them on the drive to school this morning.

Our schools all have allergy free tables at lunch and there's never been a problem.

I actually looked up chocolate allergy and an allergy to cacao are so rare that it's virtually non existent. I'm betting the allergy is to something in the chocolate like lactose.

The school is trying to control what they can, and in all honesty is doesn't matter if it is an ingredient in the food or the actual cacao, it could even be a preservative, but how do you narrow it down.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Yeah..... had to fix my quote. I didn't read it to the end and missed the part of "things to eat".

It's probably on the last meal menu, so it still applies.

 

[Dawnlight]

And people that are that severely allergic ARE NOT ALLOWED to carry an Epi-pen in school and therefore have to head to the nurse to get it, it might be too late!

That really depends on the school. I have a son with an allergy to stinging insects; the school policy is that he can carry and self-administer. We do have to get a physician signed document each year stating such.

I wonder, can schools place a ban on yellow jackets to protect my precious snowflake? Or is it only food-allergic kids that get the special treatment?

 

[Dawnlight]

Wait a minute- every school I've ever known serves chocolate milk.

Is the ban only on foods brought from home by students, or are the school-provided, chocolate-contaminated items included as well?

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Wait a minute- every school I've ever known serves chocolate milk.

Is the ban only on foods brought from home by students, or are the school-provided, chocolate-contaminated items included as well?

They probably get their chocolate milk from the free range, organic, allergen free chocolate cows.

 

[mom2rtk]

There probably isn't even a kid with a chocolate allergy. They're probably just trying to keep the kids from eating sweets.

 

[DopeyDame]

Are you sure the ban is because of an allergy? My kids' preK to 6th grade school also bans chocolate. But it's not because of allergies, it's because chocolate can melt and get messy and get on the books and materials, so they just say no chocolate. (They do eat snacks in their classroom, so that's where the risk to classroom materials comes in)

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

There probably isn't even a kid with a chocolate allergy. They're probably just trying to keep the kids from eating sweets.

Oh, I like this conspiracy. Let's run with it!!!

 

[rajak73]

Wait a minute- every school I've ever known serves chocolate milk.

Is the ban only on foods brought from home by students, or are the school-provided, chocolate-contaminated items included as well?

That's a great comment, our school has ice cream on the a la carte menu, I'll have to find out from my school cook DW if they have any chocolate.

 

[SMD]

It all depends on the severity of the allergy, I cannot eat certain places due to an avocado allergy, I can manage this allergy but I cannot control other people's behaviors. What if a another student did not wash their hands after eating chocolate and then touched the door knob.

By middle school the child with the allergy can figure out a way around this. Washing their hands after touching surfaces, not touching their face, not touching surfaces if they have cuts, using a tissue or some other barrier, asking someone to open the door or walking around to an open door. They should be more worried that other students aren't washing their hands after using the restroom than spreading food particles through touch.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

No snacks until you sell 100 rolls of wrapping paper!!!

Sell 200 and it's chocolate for everyone!

 

[holden]

My husband is one of those rare people who is allergic to chocolate (cocoa). It's not an intolerance, it's an allergy. He gets ulcers coating his throat and mouth. It makes it feel like his throat is closing.

Having said that, banning chocolate from school is ridiculous. He grew up just fine (no one banned anything back then). His allergy is very easy to avoid. He doesn't eat anything with cocoa in it (no mole sauce in a Mexican restaurant, he always asks if a dessert has cocoa in it, etc.).

Our school doesn't ban anything (public school). There are peanut-free tables at lunch and the kids aren't allowed to bring any birthday treats, etc. in to school.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Look at all those skinny kids over at the "chocolate free" table...

Read that like a character from Mean Girls and it will make more sense...

 

[Jaya]

I'm trying to figure out what's going to happen when these kids grow up and go to work. Are whole offices, plants, stores and their lunchrooms going to be declared chocolate-free? Peanut-free? Is the President of the company going to be required to wash his mouth out with a "special solution" if he eats a candy bar on the way to work? There are going to be some rude awakenings out there....