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Thank you for your explanation. I get what you're saying now. But there's that word again. Reasonable. My opinion is bans are a liability issue not an issue to do with 'reason'. A classroom ban makes sense to me when there's a child that needs it. A special diet, special food prep, special dining room even. Totally reasonable if there is a child that NEEDS that kind of accommodation. Such kids are rare. But if the school has one. Those would be 'reasonable' accommodations.
Total school-wide bans as a rule? Not reasonable.
I can see that, school-wide bans can seem like overkill. In some cases it might be a case of it being easier to just ban them completely for the whole school versus doing it classroom by classroom. In others it may be that there are multiple kids that have a severe allergy and it would be too problematic and risky to try and keep so many rooms peanut-free.
However, even if it is overkill in a given school, I personally don't mind. We all do what is best for our kids and if my kid has to forgo a PB&J at school in order to help another kid avoid an allergic reaction, then I have no problem with it.
The non-asthma kids here are required to be home if they have vomited or had diarrhea in the last 24 hours. They are required to stay home if they have a fever of 100 or more. They are required to stay home until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication. If they have any of these conditions while they are at school, they will be sent home. They will not be allowed back at school the next day. They are also required to be vaccinated. These are state requirements.
Furthermore, schools are required to adhere to certain standards regarding sanitation (schedules, procedures, and products). Here they are actually inspected once a year to insure these policies are actually being utilized.
So, yes, measures are in place to protect those kids.
Those measures protect everyone not just the asthma having kids. School-wide peanut bans protect no-one but the peanut allergy having kid.
So for it it to be equivalent, the protections for asthma having kids should benefit only them and require adherence of all.
I can see that, school-wide bans can seem like overkill. In some cases it might be a case of it being easier to just ban them completely for the whole school versus doing it classroom by classroom. In others it may be that there are multiple kids that have a severe allergy and it would be too problematic and risky to try and keep so many rooms peanut-free.
However, even if it is overkill in a given school, I personally don't mind. We all do what is best for our kids and if my kid has to forgo a PB&J at school in order to help another kid avoid an allergic reaction, then I have no problem with it.
Mine have to. Its the rule, and they don't know any better/differently. They just dont take peanuts to school. I've used it to my advantage and told them they are allergic to Coca Cola. So they dont touch the stuff either. But i'd be lying if i said it didnt irritate me to the ends of the earth because we don't have a severe peanut allergy in our GRADE. Or the next below. Not one.
And probably because the school pretty much admitted that the rule is there to avoid legal issues and is preferred over making special provisions for individual kids. Also because the parents i have encountered with kids that have food allergies ( Don't get me started on the 'gluten' allergy ones. Most of which are imagined) are so ridiculously overbearing and act like their children will die on the sight of a (Insert allergen here)
In reality the medical truth of it is far from it. Allergies that severe are exceedingly rare, and a child with an allergy that severe wouldn't be difficult to pinpoint as they would be reacting to things all the time. Even with the school wide bans, seeing as most processed food comes in contact with nuts. That's including the nut free kind.
I have never eaten jelly...still don't. I don't eat bologna either. Never ate cheese either. I was an EXTREMELY picky eater. Not much better now unfortunately. So the alternative was for me to starve? How does that not impede my right to an education? Very FEW people who are allergic to peanuts could die. It's not that common of an allergy when it affects only 3% of the entire population.
The exact problem is being a picky eater is not a disorder in of itself. Why couldn't you eat school lunches instead? Wait, don't answer that...
Mine have to. Its the rule, and they don't know any better/differently. They just dont take peanuts to school. I've used it to my advantage and told them they are allergic to coke. So they dont touch the stuff either. But i'd be lying if i said it didnt irritate me to the ends of the earth because we don't have a severe peanut allergy in our GRADE. Or the next below. Not one.
And probably because the school pretty much admitted that the rule is there to avoid legal issues and is preferred over making special provisions for individual kids. Also because the parents i have encountered with kids that have food allergies ( Don't get me started on the 'gluten' allergy ones. Most of which are imagined) are so ridiculously overbearing and act like their children will die on the sight of a (Insert allergen here)
In reality the medical truth of it is far from it. Allergies that severe are exceedingly rare, and a child with an allergy that severe wouldn't be difficult to pinpoint as they would be reacting to things all the time. Even with the school wide bans, seeing as most processed food comes in contact with nuts. Thats including the nut free kind.
I rather the elementary schools ban it than not. What is wrong with the kids getting a PB&J sandwich at 3,3:30 after school is over?
Mine have to. Its the rule, and they don't know any better/differently. They just dont take peanuts to school. I've used it to my advantage and told them they are allergic to Coca Cola. So they dont touch the stuff either. But i'd be lying if i said it didnt irritate me to the ends of the earth because we don't have a severe peanut allergy in our GRADE. Or the next below. Not one.
And probably because the school pretty much admitted that the rule is there to avoid legal issues and is preferred over making special provisions for individual kids. Also because the parents i have encountered with kids that have food allergies ( Don't get me started on the 'gluten' allergy ones. Most of which are imagined) are so ridiculously overbearing and act like their children will die on the sight of a (Insert allergen here)
In reality the medical truth of it is far from it. Allergies that severe are exceedingly rare, and a child with an allergy that severe wouldn't be difficult to pinpoint as they would be reacting to things all the time. Even with the school wide bans, seeing as most processed food comes in contact with nuts. That's including the nut free kind.
Yes, I can understand the frustration. My son was in a day camp last summer that had a no-peanut rule. I was aware and didn't include any peanut-containing food in his lunch or snack. He came home one day and said "Mom, I can't have my granola bar for snack any more" (he'd had it each day for a few days). Apparently, even though it did not contain peanuts, it was made in a facility that also processed peanuts. So the camp said he couldn't have it there due to a severe peanut allergy. Not sure why it wasn't caught the first day he had one, but it wasn't.
So, while I was somewhat annoyed, I spent a few minutes in my pantry figuring out what I could & couldn't send with him to camp. Turned out that most everything I had was fine, just those granola bars. I was able to find a granola bar that wasn't processed in a plant with peanuts and he was back to eating his daily granola bar for snack. I sure gave me a glimpse into what it must be like for parents of kids with those allergies and my annoyance disappeared.
In the districts I've worked in, a school-wide peanut ban is only in place when it is necessary. Peanut free classrooms and lunch tables are used when there are children with an allergy, but with the use of an Epi-Pen, they should be able to safely get to the hospital for treatment. Peanut-free schools are used when the allergy is severe enough that even with an Epi-Pen, there is a significant risk that they may not make it to the hospital in time.
Those measures protect everyone not just the asthma having kids. School-wide peanut bans protect no-one but the peanut allergy having kid.
So for it it to be equivalent, the protections for asthma having kids should benefit only them and require adherence of all.
True. But there are no special measures that will protect ONLY those children with asthma.
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Very FEW people who are allergic to peanuts could die. It's not that common of an allergy when it affects only 3% of the entire population.
