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The rate of kids who have deathly allergies such as what you mention are quite low.
And in those instances doesn't it make sense to ban peanuts from the classroom? Why wouldn't you?
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As I mentioned, there have been many people who have severe allergies who were taught from an early age not to ingest the offending food without banning said food outright.
What level of severity are you talking about?
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And how do you, as a parent of a child with such an allergy, know that every family is following this rule or is even aware of the rule?
You don't know.
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What steps are being taken to educate and empower these kids to be their own advocate to guard against such unavoidable slips?
What makes you think that a parent would stop all education on the matter of life threatening food allergies just because the ingredient was banned in their child's classroom? It's a precaution, to limit one's risk but it doesn't eliminate the risk and I'm sure parents of kids with life threatening allergies are well aware of that fact.
Some people's allergy to peanuts is severe enough that the smell of it alone can kill them. Kill them. I have never heard of anyone with an allergy to pollen, or most other things, as severe as that.
I am allergic to grass, pollen, mold, trees, dust, and all sorts of air born allergens. Mums and hay are my biggest triggers so fall is a difficult time. I take Zyrtec 365 days a year. I only have to take something else if I have a flair up. Unless I literally roll in hay, a field of flowers, some fresh cut grass, or spend a long time cleaning some really dusty things, I don't get flair ups unless I miss a dose of medication. Even if go off of medication altogether, I could end up in the hospital, but I'm unlikely to die and it wouldn't be immediate. It would be a complication. I am fortunate.
Unfortunately for those with peanut allergies, they can't take a magical little pill to prevent their symptoms, or worse, their death.
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Originally Posted by lkb0714
A severe allergy is not anaphylaxis. I have a severe allergic reaction to sandalwood oil. I get hives if is on me, I have a respiratory response if someone is wearing a lot of it, etc. and despite my allergist saying to me it is one of the most severe "perfume" allergies he has seen I do not go into anaphylactic shock.
What you are saying is that 5 yos in kindergarten need to be as responsible for their medical needs as much older children including things like self administering epinephrine. Except the difference between seasonal allergies and nut allergies is that nut allergies can and do kill people with them regularly. As for peanut butter in particular the issue isn't just injection but the fact that other children without allergies spread the oils (and nuts are much outlier than tomatoes or strawberries) around common areas outside the cafeteria. It isn't about just the behavior of the allergic kids but rather the fact that as all kids get older they are better about hand washing and not spreading their food all over the place. Even in high school accidental exposures happen. In 2012 one of my students was eating almonds out of a baggie in her pocket. Next period another student sat there and went into respiratory distress after touching her own face. Sure she learned a lesson but she was an adult and could self diagnosis that she was having a reaction. Do you really think that is reasonable to expect a small child to do?
I am not a fan of simple food bans but I am a fan of schools having some sort of plan in place to protect all their students. Because what you are saying is that some kids having access to peanut butter is more important than the lives of the kids who will die from anaphylaxis.
The boy I am talking about has severe allergies to perfume, hairspray, dust, etc. He gets shots every week. While he may not DIE from these allergies, they seriously compromise his standard and quality of living and education.
What I, and many others who are smarter than me in this arena (parents of those allergy sufferers and medical experts), are saying is that these bans do little if anything to prevent those with severe allergies from coming into contact with said allergen.
What I am saying is that it is more important for kids who have special health concerns to be armed and empowered at the earliest ages to protect themselves than it is for them to be shielded from a product that could very easily make its way into the classroom through ignorance or forgetfulness.
The boy I am talking about has severe allergies to perfume, hairspray, dust, etc. He gets shots every week. While he may not DIE from these allergies, they seriously compromise his standard and quality of living and education.
What I, and many others who are smarter than me in this arena (parents of those allergy sufferers and medical experts), are saying is that these bans do little if anything to prevent those with severe allergies from coming into contact with said allergen.
What I am saying is that it is more important for kids who have special health concerns to be armed and empowered at the earliest ages to protect themselves than it is for them to be shielded from a product that could very easily make its way into the classroom through ignorance or forgetfulness.
Each is a layer of protection. It's not either/or. It's both.
My son's elementary had a couple of peanut free tables in the cafeteria. Even though everything got wiped down, no one was allowed to eat anything with peanuts at those tables, but it was ok in the rest of the cafeteria. Classrooms were not really peanut free unless there was a child with a known allergy. But once the kids got past the first couple of years, they no longer had snack, so the only times there was food in the classroom for a party or something, they did request that be kept peanut free.
I think this is one of those things where people need to work together because even once a child knows not to eat something that isn't parent-approved, some of these kids with allergies are sensitive enough that another child could eat a PB&J, then touch some scissors or similar shared item in the classroom, and the allergic child could have a reaction just from touching the same item.
The boy I am talking about has severe allergies to perfume, hairspray, dust, etc. He gets shots every week. While he may not DIE from these allergies, they seriously compromise his standard and quality of living and education.
Then his parents should talk to his teacher and see if they can make some changes. If the teacher wears perfume or hairspray, I bet he or she'd comply willingly.
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What I, and many others who are smarter than me in this arena (parents of those allergy sufferers and medical experts), are saying is that these bans do little if anything to prevent those with severe allergies from coming into contact with said allergen.
What I am saying is that it is more important for kids who have special health concerns to be armed and empowered at the earliest ages to protect themselves than it is for them to be shielded from a product that could very easily make its way into the classroom through ignorance or forgetfulness.
Or you can educate and limit the risk while they are still learning.
I think you are making a big leap. You are talking about something that could kill a child. schools have kids as young as 4 in them. You can keep kids safe and teach them at the same time. They aren't mutually exclusive.
If you think parents of allergy kids are just blindly sending them to school, telling them "go ahead and eat whatever because the room is peanut-free" I think you are wrong.
Let's be honest here. The amount of children with an allergy to peanuts so severe is infinitesimal. According to the CDC, 13 deaths between 1996 and 2006 were attributed to peanut allergies. Thirteen.
Bee stings can kill a child. About 100 people die of bee stings every year. Would you support a ban on outside activities for all children because some children have bee stings and could theoretically die from a sting? Why or why not?
I don't think parents of allergy kids are doing anything wrong or being neglectful but I do think these bans create a false sense of security and do not teach children how to use what their parents teach them on their own.
Organizations like the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology do not recommend schools instituting bans on peanut butter and other products which may contain peanuts. They believe it creates a false sense of security for those with allergies. They also believe that banning these products does a disservice to children with allergies because it doesn't teach kids to be responsible for themselves.
Personally, I know children who have moderate to severe environmental allergies which include things like perfume and hairspray. These children must sit in classrooms with teachers and students who wear both of these things on a daily basis. One child in particular has such bad allergies that he receives weekly allergy shots and takes Zyrtec every day with Benadryl as needed. Where are the bans on perfumes, body sprays, hairsprays, fresh flowers, etc.?
Another example would be other food allergies such as shellfish, milk, egg, soy (which ironically is mentioned as a good alternative to peanut butter lovers) and wheat. Still others have allergies to things like strawberries, tomatoes and apples. Shall we ban all of these as well?
Lastly, I know many people with moderate to severe allergies to pollen, grass, trees, bees and wasps. Should we ban all children from being outside so those with allergies do not have to suffer while their schoolmates enjoy time outside?
I am sympathetic to the plight of parents who have to deal with children's allergies. It really stinks and its a crap card to be dealt. But I don't understand why we are not teaching children how to deal with their own medical issues when, at some point, they will be in a world where these things are simply not controllable. One last thing...I have a friend whose daughter is 24 years old. She has a severe peanut allergy. She always carries an EpiPen with her and has been taught from a young age how to protect herself and be educated on what she is ingesting. Her mother (my friend) is against such food bans because she feels it can be dangerous for children not to understand how important it is to be one's own advocate when it comes to dealing with one's health.
My neighbor shared this story with us on Saturday. Her co-worker's daughter is 12 and was at one of the Universities in our state for the Duke Tip program. She has a peanut allergy. She ate a candy bar thinking it was a Milky Way as another student had taken the wrapper off. She bit into it and it was a Snickers. Her friends got her to the nurse who got her to the hospital in time. She had to spend the night but ended up fine otherwise.
Things happen no matter how well you educate your child on their allergy. I'm sure kids would rather see their friends alive and would willingly deal with not having that PB snack/treat in the classroom.
And in those instances doesn't it make sense to ban peanuts from the classroom? Why wouldn't you?
Why don't we do the same for the other allergies I listed in my OP? Some of which have higher risk of death than a peanut allergy.
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Originally Posted by MissTerri
What level of severity are you talking about?
Having to carry an EpiPen at all times in case of anaphylaxis.
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Originally Posted by MissTerri
You don't know.
What makes you think that a parent would stop all education on the matter of life threatening food allergies just because the ingredient was banned in their child's classroom? It's a precaution, to limit one's risk but it doesn't eliminate the risk and I'm sure parents of kids with life threatening allergies are well aware of that fact.
Exactly. You don't know. So what is the point of the bans if we don't know if a child may bring in peanut butter or a parent may be unaware of the rule or any other number of things happening?
I think the precautionary measure is overstated and quite impotent.
While I am not a fan of these bans as a general rule, I am a fan of these bans when there are children who go into anaphylactic shock. As someone pointed out, severe allergies and a death reaction are not one and the same. I applaud schools who go about this in a smart way and look at individual needs and making choices that may possibly save lives while still allowing for an appropriate amount of freedom.
I found myself nodding my head at many of kibbiekat's posts (can't give any more rep to her; apparently I did that recently). As a mom of a child with a peanut allergy (that he actually seems to have outgrown, according to recent allergy testing- we're very lucky!), I taught him from an early age how to protect himself as much as possible. His first complete sentences was probably "does that have peanuts?" and we practiced safe peanut butter loving in our house (luckily, my child's reactions were not life-threatening). We had epipens all over the school and he carried one on him. Luckily, we never needed to use it. In spite of our precautions, he was exposed to and had reactions to peanuts on several occasions in his first 10 years. Several of those exposures were in the school setting (no bans on peanut products). It was fine, but if he had been a child who reacted by going into anaphylactic shock, it might not have been fine.
As far as the boy you mention with severe allergies, I can't imagine his classroom/school wouldn't be somewhat accommodating to that. Even as a very young child in the '70s, I remember perfume bans and no chalkboards in classrooms where kids or teachers had severe allergies. No one should die at school or work, and no one should be made extremely uncomfortable for an entire day at school or work when there are simple accommodations that can be helpful and alleviate some of the suffering. And OF COURSE there should be applicable bans in school settings if there is a child with a life threatening allergy that is likely to be in a school. Peanut allergies get a lot of play because they are more common and more likely than many allergies to be life-threatening. But some shellfish allergies are that way as well- schools just don't typically offer shellfish products.
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