2 of 18

Agree

Write now Print Email Article Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites Contact this writer

As the parent of an eight year old child allergic to peanuts, I would breathe easier if peanut products were banned from school. My son, Noah, is extremely careful about what he puts into his mouth. Despite his caution and the vigilance of the teaching staff, he has had reactions at school.

There are a myriad of opportunities for allergic reactions to occur, especially with a sticky substance like peanut butter. It clings to clothes, hands, and tables. What's wrong with a little peanut butter, the staple of American lunch boxes? It's not really that big a deal, right? We are talking about a food that if ingested causes children like Noah to become violently ill and require life saving epinephrine. In the worst scenarios, these kids die. Still not convinced that having peanut products in schools is a bad thing? Maybe this story will help.

When Noah was first diagnosed with severe food allergies, my mom was having a hard time understanding that he couldn't be around nuts. My mom was a squirrel. She loved nuts. She ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and meals in between. There was not a nut she didn't eat, know about, or bake. So, it was a difficult day when I told her not to put nuts out on the table for Christmas dinner. I also asked her not to eat any nuts while we were there.

Mom was not happy about the no nut request. She understood Noah could not eat nuts, but she did not understand why she was banned from her favorite food. I explained to her about cross-contamination of the foods on the table and how easy it was to make a mistake when preparing foods. Safe food could be touched by nut contaminated hands.

Dad settled the matter with pure logic. He said simply, "Peanuts and nuts are rat poison to Noah. If you were in his shoes, would you want to sit next to someone eating rat poison?"

To this day, Mom has never had a nut around in Noah's presence. Even Dad eats his favorite granola bars out of the house whenever we come to visit. They are amazing folks.

Dad's rat poison example is one which I use to help explain Noah's allergy to others who do not understand why we are so concerned about peanuts and nut products at school. For Noah, these things are like poison. Who in their right mind would want to go to a place where you had to sit next to rat poison? Think about it.

Now consider the number of peanut products flooding into the schools every day and realize what kids like Noah are up against. You wouldn't tell a child in a wheel chair to build his own ramp to access the school. Yet that's just what we are telling thousands of food allergic kids to do every day when we require them to sit in classrooms filled with food allergens. The system is not accommodating the food allergic child. By not having food allergy policies in place, school systems around the country are endangering thousands of children on a daily basis. It seems something needs and should be done for the protection of these children and most especially to limit their exposure to life threatening allergens.

Specifically, by not bringing in peanut products to schools, we are showing kids how to be concerned citizens and good neighbors. Noah has learned to look out for himself. I would argue, though, with major food allergens, kids need a community to look out for them as well.

Learn more about this author, L.A. Wolfe.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

more options

hide

Add your voice

Know something about School districts should bar anyone from bringing peanut products to school?
We want to hear your view. Write now!