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Disagree

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More and more schools and school districts are banning peanut products from the classroom. In 2007, one California school district even went so far as to ban all peanut products from the homes of students. Parents of peanut allergic kids are thrilled with knowing their kids won't be exposed to the dreaded nut.

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut

However, all of the other parents and non-allergic kids aren't too thrilled. Schools that ban peanut products including peanut butter sandwiches search all lunch boxes and confiscate the dangerous peanut products. For families that can only afford to feed their kids peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, this is a major blow. There are many schools that do not have any sort of cafeteria or free to low cost lunch program.

And how prevalent is peanut allergy? The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology estimates that there are currently 1.5 million Americans with peanut allergies. Although that sounds like a lot, consider that there are over 300 million people living in America. So, 1.5 million doesn't even make up one percent of the national population. There are more people in America with migraines, and we still make all of those poor souls go to school and go to work.

...Sometimes You Don't

If school districts are to ban peanut products from school grounds, then they may also going to ban all soy products, all milk products, all chocolate products, all wheat products and any other food allergy in America.

We might as well just keep the kids at home. Surely, they'll be safe that way. Never mind all of the weapons brought to school and lack of teachers and ancient text books and overcrowded classrooms - it's the peanuts that we should be scared of. And heaven forbid that our children be exposed to even the word "peanut", let alone the actual dreaded foodstuff.

We cannot be held hostage by a few genetic quirks. Periodic exposure to minute particles of what you are allergic to is a great way to build immunity. If you are going to hold the rest of the district in hostage, at least get the child neutered. That way we can nip the problem in the bud. Perhaps some folks just shouldn't be swimming in the gene pool?

Besides, it's not a school's job to ban peanut products. It's a school's job to ban individual thought, ban controversial books and most especially, ban anyone who questions the status quo. Considering the problems facing schools today, being ignorant and violent deserves far more attention than peanuts. Ignorance and violence affects not only all of the rest of the schoolchildren, but all of society. Peanuts ... are only worth peanuts, in the big picture.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
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