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Disagree

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School districts are responsible to provide a safe learning environment for all children. The bar, unfortunately, must be placed on bringing dangerous tools or weapons, drugs, and alcohol which provide a threat to all students. School districts are responsible to protect all children from bodily harm, threat or injury while they provide an education. If every student were allergic to a different item from apples to zucchini, would it be fair to ban each item from the school?

Would it be easier to identify the child with a specific allergy and educate those in contact with the student about the situation? If it means providing a wristband or sticker with a picture of the allergy, would this be a quicker, more cost-effective and fair way to identify an individual with an individual allergy? This does not cause anymore of a stigma in identifying the child than a ban on a food product that everyone loves. The children will find out they cannot eat peanut butter because "the little girl with the purple sweater" is allergic to peanuts.

It would also be fair to let parents in a particular classroom know that a child in the class has a specific allergy if the parents are considering making a classroom shared snack. In this case, the parent of the child with allergies can also provide the child with a safe snack in case of cupcakes made with possibly offending ingredients.

As a mother, I thought it sad to see so many of the childhood traditions I enjoyed at school were pushed aside because they were now deemed politically incorrect or offensive. Singing "Happy Birthday" may be eliminated because someone in the class does not celebrate birthdays. School should not be a child's first military-like experience. It should simply be a safe learning environment, but sprinkling in a little fun wouldn't hurt.

Learn more about this author, Sharon MacGregor.
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