peanut allergies in schools

[rebelcowboysnb]

This whole thing would be interesting if it came up in parts of Ga or some of the other peanut producing states.

Could you see them telling farmers kids they cant bring food to school from there farm or trying to wash peanut off a kid that lives on a peanut plantation?

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
I don't think it was as much kids with allergies as it was a kid with a peanut allergy so bad if someone breaths on them with peanut breath they can die (which in my research seems to be false)

And although I am not one of those, "the school shouldn't have to do anything to accommodate kids with allergies" I do think that if your kid is that allergic, they should seek out alternative education options. That could be home schooled, or a special school.
Like I said, banning nuts, both in lunchroom and in snacks is not unreasonable. Eating peanuts is not a right, people can get over that nonsense right now. Although washing hands is good for general health, it's not the schools job to keep your kids sanitary (saying you in the generic sense, not directed to anyone) and it does seem to take a lot of time away from classrooms. Teachers have enough to worry about without making sure Johnny rinsed his mouth out.

Actually, it is my right. Provided it is not illegal, I am free to feed my family whatever I so choose. To what extent should everyone else have to modify their lives for a few? Next it will be we can't have cow, pig or various other food items, because it offends someone of some religous belief. Tolerance should be a right for everyone, not just the few or those with the biggest mouths. I tolerate someone's inability to have peanuts, my ability to consume peanuts should be tolerated as well.

your right ends when it puts someone else's life at risk, and a child with disabilities has an equal right to an education as your child's.

 

[australorpchick]

Quote:
Actually, it is my right. Provided it is not illegal, I am free to feed my family whatever I so choose. To what extent should everyone else have to modify their lives for a few? Next it will be we can't have cow, pig or various other food items, because it offends someone of some religous belief. Tolerance should be a right for everyone, not just the few or those with the biggest mouths. I tolerate someone's inability to have peanuts, my ability to consume peanuts should be tolerated as well.

your right ends when it puts someone else's life at risk, and a child with disabilities has an equal right to an education as your child's.

Then you can argue that the parents are putting their own child at risk for voluntarily putting their disabled child in an unhealthy situation. There are options other than public schooling. I hear from way too many people on this forum who are eeking by, so that they can homeschool their children.

 

[FireTigeris]

Heckel's Hens :

We have friends whose daughter is so severly allergic to eggs that we can't visit their house unless we bath our kids right beforehand and make sure they don't have eggs that morning for breakfast, and brush their teeth right before we go.

The mom does an excellent job of regulating the daughter's environment and making life as normal as possible, especially with 2 other children at home.

FOR THIS REASON...she homeschools and sacrifices a great bit of her time and energy to address her child's special need. IMO, that is what should be done for severe, severe peanut allergies.


All this reminds me of how *many* parents do not want to get off their butt and go the extra mile for their own kids, basically b/c they are either lazy, uniformed, etc. Schools are not here to raise our kids, protect them from everything under the sun and manage their lives. That is what PARENTS are for. But alas...that would require self-sufficiency, a trait often going overlooked these days....

(said from a 29 year old mom of 2!)

So a single parent through no fault of his or her own that is pulling two jobs in a bad economy should home school when in the USA "education" is "mandatory" till 16?

I know three ppl who home school that should not due to lack of real world or book education.
That is in contrast to the typical homeschooling parent that does an awesome job (so 3/27 bad apples).

Contrary to popular belief not everyone can teach, if everyone could teach we wouldn't have half these problems. But the truth of the matter is after making sure all the little ones are safe and actually there there is teaching, some are great at this, some good, and a tiny percentage that are employed as teachers are poor.


So lets say that the parents know that they cannot teach well, then what?
There are no schools for severe allergies- so now what?
What if to keep the house and feed their child they don't have time to stay at home 24/7?
What if- they never received a good education themselves for whatever reason, or have a LD (learning disability) of some type? Can you imagine someone with even one of the common forms of dyslexia teaching reading?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
Not actually true..

 

[Heckel's Hens]

FireTiger- You are right that there are some people who aren't great at teaching, but if that is the only viable alternative, it is what it is. if the allergy is life-threatening, where even small tracs of peanut transmitted by saliva could endager them...then yes, the child should not be in public school.

That being said, allergies can be accomdated up to a point. Most peanut allergies are really peanut SENSITIVTIES, in which a peanut-free classroom will be sufficient. Peanut-free lunches can be a pain, I do it for my preschooler who loves PB, but it is a small sacrifice. Sanitzing the whole school and even children's mouths is overboard and putting undue stress on the general population.

Peanut-free lunches= reasonable.

Peanut-free world= nope.

My son has a heart condition that will prevent him from doing a lot of physical activity in school. he may not be able to partipate in gym class fully, and will have to either sit out or go the ot library instead. Fair? Yes. Heartbreaking as his mother? Yes. But it is TRULY UNFAIR to make 26 other children not do physical activity to accomodate one child's condition!!

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
your right ends when it puts someone else's life at risk, and a child with disabilities has an equal right to an education as your child's.

Then you can argue that the parents are putting their own child at risk for voluntarily putting their disabled child in an unhealthy situation. There are options other than public schooling. I hear from way too many people on this forum who are eeking by, so that they can homeschool their children.

that certainly can be argued. and there are people who simply can NOT home school. They wouldn't be able to "eek by" they would loose everything. Plain and simple.

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
Not actually true..

you're right, I mean within reason, like all things

 

[Heckel's Hens]

Just wanted to post some peanut-free ideas we use, especially having a kid who is picky and only really likes peanut butter!

Get a Thermos!!
-chicken nuggets
-mac n cheese
-leftover pasta

Nutella sandiches
-check school to b sure that Hazelnuts are okay, they usually are

Nutrigrain bars as the "sandwich" portion of the meal.

Fruit leathers, dried fruit, fresh fruit.

Yogurt, pudding, applesacue cups

Meat & cheese cubes, like pepperoni, etc.

Cheese sticks

Quesadillas- lots of way to make variety with this!

Veggies and dip



The main thing I realized is that it is only one meal of the day, so my son doesn't HAVE to have a sandwich. Lots of other options, and if he doesn't eat a whole ton at lunch, he will eat dinner!

 

[australorpchick]

Quote:
So a single parent through no fault of his or her own that is pulling two jobs in a bad economy should home school when in the USA "education" is "mandatory" till 16?

I know three ppl who home school that should not due to lack of real world or book education.
That is in contrast to the typical homeschooling parent that does an awesome job (so 3/27 bad apples).

Contrary to popular belief not everyone can teach, if everyone could teach we wouldn't have half these problems. But the truth of the matter is after making sure all the little ones are safe and actually there there is teaching, some are great at this, some good, and a tiny percentage that are employed as teachers are poor.


So lets say that the parents know that they cannot teach well, then what?
There are no schools for severe allergies- so now what?
What if to keep the house and feed their child they don't have time to stay at home 24/7?
What if- they never received a good education themselves for whatever reason, or have a LD (learning disability) of some type? Can you imagine someone with even one of the common forms of dyslexia teaching reading?

I get what you're saying, I really do. But at what point did it stop being the parents responsibility to make sure their child succeeds and became everyone else's? I'm sorry, but I want my children to be the best that they can be. If they are better than another child, that should not be my problem. This child will eventually have to enter society as an adult, will an entire workplace have to change to accomodate one individual? When will it be enough?