A Florida elementary school has decided to continue with its tough regulations aimed at making the school safer for children suffering from food allergies despite angry parents protesting. Edgewater Elementary instituted the new peanut allergy regulations to protect a first grader who suffers from a severe allergy to peanuts.
Students at the school must now wash their hands, as well as rinsing their mouth, before coming to class each morning and after eating their lunch. Teachers monitor the daily rituals as well as wiping down the desks with Clorox wipes. All peanut products are banned from the school buildings, and no outside food is allowed for snacks or at classroom parties. Last week, a peanut-sniffing dog was even brought to the school to make sure that no traces of peanut remained.
District spokeswoman Nancy Wait said that the school must legally take these precautions in order to follow the Federal Disabilities Act. “It would be the same thing as putting a handicap ramp for a student that is physically disabled. The only difference with this is that is affects other students,” she told Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/15/amid-protest-florida-school-stands-...).
Some parents, however, say it takes away from valuable classroom time. Parent Carrie Starkey says "On average, it’s probably taking a good 30 minutes out of the day. That’s my child’s education." She and other parents recently protested outside the school building with signs reading "Our Kids Have Rights Too."
Some experts also agree with this group, saying that the regulations go too far and ignore the possibility that there are easier ways to protect the child. Dr. Scott Fischer with the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) says "There are plenty of relatively simple things the school could put in place that aren’t burdensome."
On the other hand, David Bailey, whose daughter is the Edgewater Elementary student with the severe peanut allergy, says that while the school's actions may seem drastic to some, if his daughter even smells peanuts she could suffer a fatal allergic reaction.
What do you think? How far should schools go to protect those with peanut allergies?
My daughter has a severe
My daughter has a severe peanut allergy as well. She is starting kindergarten this year and I am scared to death. We do not have any peanut free schools near us and the school has no idea how they plan on keeping her safe. Homeschooling is not an option as I am a single mother with four children. I am also a registered nurse and know the devestating affects this could have on my daughter who has already had multiple trips to the emergency room. While I sympathize with the inconvience of asking people not to send peanut products with their children I would not ask if it didn't mean life or death for my daughter. As dangerous as peanut allergies are, I wish more people took them seriously.
I'm not going to make a
I'm not going to make a statement about whether or not schools should be peanut-free. I can sympathize with both sides of that issue.
But I do feel compelled to say that no one should use the word "nourish" and "peanut butter" in the same sentence. Have you read the label? It's a very poor source of protein, and most PBs are loaded with extra sugar, on top of the jelly you slather on the sandwich. When my non-PA daugter was very young, the nutritionist in her DR group told me to throw out my peanut butter because it was useless. His words were "Peanut butter is a filler food. Not a source of nourishment. The only good use of peanut butter is as a butter replacement on toast."
Do you know what is strange,
Do you know what is strange, I have traveled to many schools across the country and in lower middle class schools and poorer schools peanut allergies are not a problem. No peanut free zones or tables. But in schools where affluent mothers and fathers have time to go to the school and draw attention to themselves and their children we have peanut problems. Honestly how much of this is 1. Parents not teaching their children to stay away from peanuts. 2. Parents wanting special attention to satisfy their narsacism. 3. Over reaction and hype.
How many people have been killed from smelling PBJ on someone's breath?
Your child can have an allergy and you can train them to stay away from foods. But when you think you have the right to impose limitations on how I can nourish my child you are just wrong.
This is the kind of response
This is the kind of response that sickens me. A person would come to a peanut allergy website or article and create an account just to bash parents dealing with this fatal allergy. How do I teach my 1,2 and 3 year old children enough to feel safe that they can go in public without me? How does a person believe that children of such a young age could possibly say no if offered candy or something everyone else is eating? At home my children yell "no peanuts" but do I think they would say no outside of home. Not really. They never tell the dentist or doctor no when offered because children are trusting and do not think anyone would hurt them. You can teach and teach but the children will not truly understand until they are older. I have bought books, every night read and talk about their allergies, and at random points through out the day, test them. I still know that they are not going to say no every time. I am still learning, did you know there are peanuts in some toothpaste products, and that does not have to be listed on a the package! They are not going to ask a child what are the ingredients of the product they are offering them. I can admit that I didn't understand until my daughters had this life-threatening allergy, but I still never placed myself and my selfish wants over a child. What you choose to give a child is a WANT, you decide what they eat. What a child cannot eat because of an allergy is a NEED, we did not decide or diagnose our children. The doctors did that for us. That first scare led us to the doctor or emergency room. Have these people never seen peanut dust? My favorite cookies were nutter butters, favorite candy was reeses peanut butter cups. Not anymore. I could be selfish and have a stash and eat them away from my children, but I WOULD NOT DARE put my children or anyones child at risk because I am selfish. Instead of telling us we are wrong for wanting to protect our children or we need to teach our children...maybe it is parent like this/you who need to teach your children unselfish behavior and to do for others. Or it is you who may be the one who actually needs this training!
I don't live in the US but I
I don't live in the US but I do have a child with severe PA. To people with severe PA peanuts or peanut dust is just as lethal as a fired bullet. every now and then the bullet misses it's target and all is safe and sound but more often the bullet hits the target with devastating consequences.
I can understand your frustration when people like myself asks people like you to limit what your healthy non allergic kid can and can't eat, but try and see life from my perspective.
My kid is forced to always, without exceptions carry his adrenalin auto-injector in case he gets an allergic reaction which have the potential to kill him in an instant or hit him a couple of hours later when the digested food goes out in the system.
When he is at his friends he always need to ask the adults if there are nuts or traces of nuts in what ever he is offered.
When he gets invited to a party it has happened that he had to bring his own cookies and cake since they couldn't guarantee that it's nut free.
All of these things and more make my kid different from the others and kids don't want to be different. Kids want to be like everyone else and don't want to be the one sticking out as different.
Please have this in mind the next time you get the idea that this is a problem created by narcissistic parents just trying to keep their most valuable asset alive.
Regards
D
Does this make anyone else's
Does this make anyone else's blood boil?
Ignorance like this is what kills our children!
I believe that many of us
I believe that many of us with peanut allergy kids understand. We have some schools in this country that do not even have peanut-free tables. If we, as parents, do not stand up for our children no one else will. We have to be responsible for educating other parents without these life threatening allergies or no changes will be long term. While this district is doing a great job and making great strides, the parent needs to be up front with other parents and help them to understand the severity of this little girl's allergy. Trust me. My son's preschool was peanut free and an uneducated mother ignored everything and brought peanut cookies to a school function. She almost killed my child and rather that apologize to my son and my family, she had the nerve to tell me that I should have had a better eye on him when the cookies were served!! THIS is the world we live in. Peanut free or not, we still have to be diligent and protect our babies. Glad to see this step was taken in the right direction.