Junior High and Allergies

[scrapquitler]

I cannot understand this:
I just want to have the school stop serving peanuts to the entire population, make something else for lunch without nuts/peanuts.

Has anyone else has this situation? How did you change it?

I've read most, but not all of the thread, and I have a thought that I haven't seen mentioned yet....
Probably the reason why the school cafeteria won't stop serving peanut prodcuts to the entire populations stems from how the cafeteria gets the food that it is served: The school lunch program runs off the USDA, and a lot of that food is the surplus type that is provided by the USDA to the school lunch program. I'd guess that peanut products are simply one of the products that is in that program and heavily subsidized by the school lunch program. Cheap food that fits the strict nutritional guidelines isn't likely to get eliminated. And lets face it, peanut butter is a relatively cheap source of protein.

There is some information here: http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/fdp/NationalSchoolLunchProgram.htm about how the subsidies and commodities are distributed and worked. You can see that 'cheese, oil, flour and peanut butter products' are one of the broad categories of food that are provided to the school lunch program at a very low cost, and because they get so much stuff at low cost, they can afford to provide so many 'free' and 'reduced' lunches....if they got rid of all that peanut butter, the lunch price would rise and theoretically at least, they wouldn't be able to serve as many children.

Maybe this isn't why YOUR school won't do away with the peanuts, but I bet it is part of the reason.

 

[grafxgirl]

Okay so just curious but how many school districts actually serve shellfish?? I am serious here as our school district does NOT serve shellfish nor do any of the school districts my kids have ever been in.

Our school district serves shrimp.

 

[Cooky]

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[princessmom29]

Our school district serves shrimp.

It is served at least twice a month in DD's school. The public schools serve it as well. It is a local product, and as such is a lot cheaper here than other places.

 

[grafxgirl]

Here's the thing though- you cannot stop those from being contaminated. What if a kid eats pb for breakfast? My kids do all the time. Sure they wash up but sometimes they might miss something. Some kids brush their teeth when they wake up and not after breakfast. There is going to be residue there as well. For all the people who do not keep a nut free house there is the possibility of a handle etc. of being contaminated. In a lot of ways I agree with the poster who said that you cannot control the world so you have to figure ways to live in it. I am not being cruel but that is the truth. If a child comes over here and has an allergy I will of course not serve them nuts etc. But I cannot guarantee that they won't come in contact with it in my home. Who knows if one of the kids wiped their hands on something that I didn't see or on a toy etc. I think that you can't keep a perfect environment so we have to learn to cope in the one we have. I hope I am saying this right...

Very good point! I never thought about this. This is true, even if schools due ban peanut products, they can't control what the kids eat before school, or whether or not they wash their hands after wards; therefore the contamination is still there, and won't be completely free. They could also pick it up from the school buses, or touching another student's personal belongings brought into the school as well.

 

[snowy76]

Schools are a public institution which is required by law to provide appropriate education to all. Each child's needs are met on a case by case basis- some with physical disabilites need ramps, others need no more than 3 stairs, some food allergic kids need separate seating, some need peanut free schools, some kids with learning disabilites can have them met in a regular classroom with extra support, others need self-contained special ed classrooms. Stop judging those who have different needs for their allergies just because you know a child who doesn't.

Sorry, but you seem to be confusing the ADA and special education law here. So perhaps there should be some designated allergen-free or allergen-limited schools... but no one should reasonably expect each and every school to do so.

Let me give you a parallel: If I have a child with severe developmental disabilities, I canNOT always expect to enroll my child in whatever school the rest of the neighborhood kids attend. Neither school funding nor staffing would allow for this in every neighborhood. I work in a high school where our most severely special-needs kids come from about a dozen other school districts across our county so they can get *appropriate* programming. Districts pool their money together to make this program happen. No one school or school district is expected to individually accommodate the kids in this scenario. Actually, to do so would be to isolate said kids by themselves in their individual neighborhood schools and districts.

FWIW, nowhere have I ever seen an allergy referred to as a disability. It is a medical condition; and if it interferes with the learning process, it may qualify for 504 designation, not an IEP. Notice I said process, not a student's ability to cognitively understand what's being taught. I had a student with Crohn's two years ago. 504? Yep. It gave him a chance to use the bathroom whenever he needed to, and not lose time on his exams. Disabled? Not legally.

And as a mother of a kids with an IEP, and a teacher to many others, I can assure you that the primary goal of special ed law is primarily to help kids work with and around their limitations, not to bend the rest of the population to them.

As for the earlier argument about a separate table or separate room being discriminatory? Really? Does ANY child have a RIGHT (you know, legally, not emotionally) to sit anywhere in school? I teach U.S. Government, and I make sure the students understand that we have relatively few LEGAL rights... and even they, nope, not even those in the Bill of Rights, are absolute.

Bottom line: OP is talking about a young person who will be have to live and work on his own someday. School is also about showing kids how to become independent. It is a disservice to children to NOT do so.

 

[dizcrazee]

My Jr. High age child has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy. She takes her own lunch and snacks to school, cleans her hands with a wet wipe before she eats, and lays a paper towel "placemat" on the table before she pulls out her food. She eats at a long table with her friends, and if someone has PBJ, they sit at the opposite end of the table. She also knows not to stick her fingers in her mouth or rub her eyes/nose (those are good tips for everyone anyway). She has epi-pens in her lunch box, backpack, and school office. Numerous people have been trained on how to use them and she has a friend in her classes that has the same condition - they look out for each other too. It's an ongoing challenge and she feels a little left out when she has to pass up the birthday cakes, doughnuts, etc. - but we have learned to cope and make the best of a difficult situation. I always make sure she has plenty of good food and homemade treats to take with her to school so she doesn't feel deprived. I'm so proud of her and she is growing into a very responsible, mature person.

 

[grafxgirl]

It's not drastic and it's not expensive and it's not a very small group of people. Or else my school system wouldn't have done it, given that huge thing called "bad economy" that we're dealing with right now. No one is asking the world to not eat peanut butter (or whatever the product is). They are being asked not to eat it in school. I ask you not to drink alcohol when you drive. Essentially the same difference. I'm not asking you to eliminate alcohol altogether. Just before you are putting my life at risk. Because the number of people you will come in contact with, thus putting at risk, on your way home from wherever is only a "small number" we shouldn't ask this of you? (and it's the metaphorical you, not you specifically).

And if it's just taking personal responsibility, please tell me why vaccinations are required before entering school? There's a big list of vaccines that kids are required to have before entering school to keep others safe. Not just themselves.

Actually, the laws about vaccines vary from state to state. Parents can object to having their child vaccinated before entering school if they have any concerns regarding their child's health, concerns about reactions to the vaccines, or for religious reasons, as long as they provide a letter written to the school from the doctor.

 

[Hannathy]

My Jr. High age child has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy. She takes her own lunch and snacks to school, cleans her hands with a wet wipe before she eats, and lays a paper towel "placemat" on the table before she pulls out her food. She eats at a long table with her friends, and if someone has PBJ, they sit at the opposite end of the table. She also knows not to stick her fingers in her mouth or rub her eyes/nose (those are good tips for everyone anyway). She has epi-pens in her lunch box, backpack, and school office. Numerous people have been trained on how to use them and she has a friend in her classes that has the same condition - they look out for each other too. It's an ongoing challenge and she feels a little left out when she has to pass up the birthday cakes, doughnuts, etc. - but we have learned to cope and make the best of a difficult situation. I always make sure she has plenty of good food and homemade treats to take with her to school so she doesn't feel deprived. I'm so proud of her and she is growing into a very responsible, mature person.

You have every right to be very proud of her! This is a great post.

 

[grafxgirl]

You are judging what another student needs are based on your own child's needs. Maybe a clean table or another room are not appropriate for another child. And the idea of having a child homeschooled is ridiculous. Public schools must provide an appropriate education-with access- for all children. If a child needs a nut free school (based on medical diagnosis) than the school is required to provide it.

Actually, not true.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (“IDEIA”)., school districts are required only to provide ‘reasonable’ accommodations that are not unduly burdensome to the school district.

 

[pjacobi]

For those with severe peanut allergies, have you contacted a doctor that specialized in peanut allergies? Some doctor advocate eating 1 peanut per day, gradually building up a tolerance to several dozen peanuts per day. Note that this should NOT be done without doctor supervision.

I'm allergic to tree pollen and took allergy shots for 2 years. It's not a perfect cure, but much better than trying to eliminate all sources of tree pollen.


-Paul

 

[Hannathy]

For those with severe peanut allergies, have you contacted a doctor that specialized in peanut allergies? Some doctor advocate eating 1 peanut per day, gradually building up a tolerance to several dozen peanuts per day. Note that this should NOT be done without doctor supervision.

I'm allergic to tree pollen and took allergy shots for 2 years. It's not a perfect cure, but much better than trying to eliminate all sources of tree pollen.


-Paul

There have been a few studies done with kids and using the peanut protein doing something similar that had good results. It was a very small sample so I hope I read that they were able to increase their sample size.
Also some kids do grow out of their peanut allergies.

 

[disneyandme]

For those with severe peanut allergies, have you contacted a doctor that specialized in peanut allergies? Some doctor advocate eating 1 peanut per day, gradually building up a tolerance to several dozen peanuts per day. Note that this should NOT be done without doctor supervision.

I'm allergic to tree pollen and took allergy shots for 2 years. It's not a perfect cure, but much better than trying to eliminate all sources of tree pollen.


-Paul

There is a several very controlled studies going on with eating small doses of peanut protein (takes months and months to even reach the size of a peanut). These studies are being done in a hospital setting with a very select number of children. I know people in these studies and also know people who started in the studies and reacted badly. This is not something to be done with regular peanuts at home.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I understand the importance and I don't think it's unreasonable for a school with even 1 nut allergy to not serve that product in the cafeteria where there is a huge chance of cross-contamination. My son is allergic to milk and eggs but luckily they only make him sick not kill him (atleast at this point - the flu shot about did last year). He's also allergic to latex and when he entered Kindergarten, he was the 1st child in the school with this allergy. The library had foam mats on the floor for the kids to sit on during library time - those were removed. I am thankful that our school took that allergy seriously and those mats are still gone (he's in 4th grade this year). I've seen the cabinet where the EpiPen's are kept (unlocked in the office) and it's quite apparent that my child is not the only one in the school with a life-threatening allergy.

 

[Cooky]

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[WantToGoNow]

Hypothetically speaking, what if your child did have an allergic reaction to milk or eggs that was comparable to a severe peanut allergy, would you ask the school to not serve milk or eggs or ask that they ban them completely?

No, he just would not eat anything prepared by the school. Right now, he knows that that piece of cake or browine or even the ocassional carton of milk will give him a stomach ache, may make him puke or have diarrhea and he doesn't care. If the allergy gets worse, then I will have to start providing his lunch each day so he doesn't have the option to eat what he shouldn't in the first place. The school does make an exception for him and he gets a bottled water instead of milk at no additional cost.

As for his latex allergy, he was taught from the beginning (he started showing symptoms when he was 4) what was safe and what was not and we don't have much of an issue anymore - I think he only went through 2 boxes of Benadryl last year at school. This is just as important with food allergies - the child must learn what they can/cannot be around because there won't always be someone there to watch out for them.

 

[Cooky]

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[michael's mom]

I thought the Chips Ahoy were okay as that was the cookies that the peanut allergic child in my daughter's 3rd grade class could have. I know when I take in cupcakes or treats for my younger ones' birthdays I always check on food allergies and if a child cannot have what I bring in for everyone else, I make sure I have a safe alternative for that child. I know how I or my children would feel (and my youngest does feel) if we are unable to have something brought in for the kids so I make sure to be fair to all kids.

Yes, Chips Ahoy are safe. My first line you quoted was referring to the post I was responding to saying they weren't. Chips Ahoy are my son's fave

Actually, the laws about vaccines vary from state to state. Parents can object to having their child vaccinated before entering school if they have any concerns regarding their child's health, concerns about reactions to the vaccines, or for religious reasons, as long as they provide a letter written to the school from the doctor.

The point is that we expect these vaccines to be administered to protect all of the people in the system, not just for personal safety. I know that there are ways for parents to not vaccinate their children, but the expected norm is that all children have xxx vaccines prior to entering K.