how does your school handle lunch

There are two elementary schools in my town, one for Pre-K-2 and one for 3-6. In the K-2 school, only the first and second graders eat lunch in school. The kids with PA generally sit at the end of a table (class sits together) with no one eating pb siiting next to them. PA child eats off of a disposable cardboard tray. My son will be eating lunch in school next year, and I am comfortable with this arrangement. The cafeteria does not sell any peanut/nut products, but they are allowed in from home.

The 3-6 school has a "peanut table", where anyone who brings in pb must sit. I've heard from friends that most kids are opting to not bring pb for lunch, so they will be free to sit wherever they want. (I personally think this is a great idea!) The cafeteria there does not sell any peanut products.

Hi meadow,
I'm not sure I understood your post correctly, but it sounds like there are two issues being put together here: one is financial (levy); the other is a health and safety issue (management of food allergies). If this understanding is correct, I would try to separate the two. The school has an obligation to provide a safe environment whether or not cafeteria services are provided. Perhaps a "safety" scenario for each "financial" option could be proposed?

T.

Hi Meadow!!! I've been thinking about you lately!! So, I assume that your daughter is in school now. Hooray!!! That's a step in the right direction. I hope things are getting better for you!

Sorry, I have no suggestions for you - we are still battling our school district about the peanut products served on the trays. But wanted to say "HELLO!!" and I'm glad she is in school!!!

Drew's Mom,

Our daughter isn't in school. We're trying to work out a settlement because they do not want to go a due process hearing - scheduled for the end of Feb.

I'm still not pleased with what has been proposed.

Our school levy just failed and so now the cafeteria services are closing down so everyone will be bringing lunch. They are telling us they cannot tell people not to bring in peanut products. I ask, "why not?"

How are you doing? I hope your fight is going well.

Feel free to email off list.

Take care and good luck.

Hi, I tried to send a response two times last night but they did not go through. So if they show up later ooops!
Well, I am the mom of two PA children. A 7 year old and a 4 year old. I am also a K teacher at a public school with 700 students.
My daughter has a 504 plan in place. It was in place before I allowed her to walk on campus. She was allowed to eat with a friend in my office or at a peanut free area outside last year. This year she is not allowed to have a friend eat with her. She eats in my office alone for her 25 minute lunch break then returns to class. I would never trust lunchroom staff nor the parents of other children to prepare a peanut free lunch for their child inorder to protect mine. My daughter is an A student, musician,soccer player and swims on a year around swim team. I do not put her 25 minute lunch eachday on the top of my list as long as I know she is eating in a safe place. I expect for her to earn her social time at the end of each day when her teacher gives free time.I know that one day my daughter will care about someone who is not going to make accomodations for her allergies. I may not be there to help her. I want her to know that she is different and thats ok. Not only does she have ingestion , contact and inhalation reactions to all nuts. She is allergic to milk, eggs, shellfish and latex. She is very independent and strong. She has no choose. We have missed b-day parties and many other events because of her allergies. Lunch is the one she cares the least about.My little boy will start school next year at 5. Our plan will be the same. This is how we choose to handle it. It works for us and I feel my children know that they must be responsible for themselves because this is not a peanut free world and it never will be.
Miles Mom 2

Miles Mom 2,

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to handle how we protect our peanut-allergic children. I think your diligence and efforts are commendable and if the school, yourself and most importantly your chil is okay with the arrangement and it works to keep her safe than it's an effective plan.

Thanks so much for your input!

Hello,
I'm brand new to this board and I am writing to everyone for some help and advise. My daughter is in 3rd grade in a public school here in Massachusetts. We have been dealing with a nightmare involving the lunch period since she started school. The root cause I beleive is no set standard, rule, or procedure that the school has designed in how to handle kids with food allergies. They had set up a p/b free table. Which worked for a while. My daughter was allowed to pick a few kids from each of the 2 classes to sit with her. The nightmare started when those who were not picked got upset and started causing problems including arguements and just sitting at the table when they felt like it. Next they tried having the teachers pull out a couple of names out of a jar and those kids would sit with her. That ended when kids who were picked had p/b lunches that day and my daughter would then have to pick the kid herself. Those not picked again created trouble. So that ended. This year they let who ever wanted to sit at the p/b free table sit there, often leaving no room for my daughter, the one with the allergy. If a child had to move to make room for her they would make a stink over it. And often some kids who had p/b in there lunches and didn't know it still sat there. So that ended. Finally I gave up after many days of my daughter coming home crying from all the stress and presure this put on her and told the school to just sit her at the regular table and my daughter would just have to be careful. Recently a parent emailed me, she contacted me, to complain because my daughter told her she did not like the smell of p/b. This is a sympton of her allergy. So her daughter in retaliation had a fit over my daughters' tuna lunch. Then I find out that lunch room parents and teacher and other students have been asking those w/p/b lunches sitting near my daughter to move. So now kids who don't like my daughters lunch want her to move. I didn't know these teachers were doing this. So a whole new nightmare has started.
So my question is to all out there is what have most found to work best in schools and how has it worked. Any advise would help please. And let me just say that it really breaks my heart to read about so many other people out there who've also dealt with similar problems. In part its good to know there are others out there but at the same time its upsetting to know there are also others out there.

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J. Ryan