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Absolutely not. The risk posed to people with peanut allergy is far to great. We aren't talking about hay fever here! We're talking about a potentially deadly reaction.

Yes, I realize this is the "no" side, and no, that isn't sarcasm above. A close childhood friend of mine was severely allergic to eggs and had to question everything that went in her mouth. It's difficult to go through life knowing that a mistaken ingredient list or a bite of the wrong sandwich could send you to the emergency room. (I realize the debate is about peanuts but the same logic applies.)

And that's why I hope they don't initiate bans on allergy triggering foods in the schools. For people like my friend, allergies need to be at the forefront of their minds. Children with severe allergies need to learn to protect themselves. Complacency could kill them. Did you know Snickers bars have an egg protein in them? I wouldn't, except that I remember feeling sorry for my friend when she couldn't eat them. I'm sure there are plenty of foods that one would never guess have peanuts. Yes, there are allergy labels, but unless you or child has an allergy you won't read them, and some items like baked goods are not required to have them.

That's the problem. If the schools are declared a "peanut free" zone, children and parents will become complacent. When little no-allergy Sally brings a peanut-containing muffin to school and trades it for no-peanut Nancy's granola bar, Nancy will bite right into that muffin thinking "well, they wouldn't have let Sally bring it to school if it had peanuts."
The result, of course, is anaphylactic shock for little Nancy and a severe guilt trip for Sally and for her mom who packed the muffin in her luch box.

As the example above illustrates, there is no way to enforce a "no peanut" rule. What are they thinking when they suggest one? If all chilren are required to eat school-prepared food, how are they going to be fair to every child's dietary needs? And how the heck are they going to keep a kid from bringing in a package of peanut M&M's? Even if the child has no intention of breaking the policy, he may have half a bag of yesterday's candy stashed in his jacket pocket and forgotten. Should he be punished for smuggling in such a "controlled substance"? Are they going to strip-search every student to enforce the policy? I guess no one can bring Mom's chocolate chip cookies in their lunchbox. Who knows if they have peanuts or not? And what if a kid has peanut butter for breakfast and gets some on his hands? If he holds hands with his little peanut allergic sweetheart or God forbid gives her a smooch, she'll be in the hospital. Not exactly a romantic "first kiss" story.

Then there's the whole "where does it end?" debate. Peanuts, soy, eggs, wheat... you name it, there's someone allergic to it. Maybe kids should just have an IV glucose drip all day. That would solve the problem.

My heart goes out to people who suffer from severe allergies, but attempting to make the schools a safe zone is doing them a great disservice. Kids with peanut allergy need to learn how to navigate the world and they need to be constantly vigilant. Making false promises of safety undermines a lesson they need more then any lesson in math or reading.

Learn more about this author, Raven Lebeau.
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