School Parents Want 1st Grader W/ Peanut Allergy Sent Home/Home-Schooled

[kgeaux]

Don't most peanut allergies decrease as individuals reach adulthood? Or is it just that by adulthood, kids are really good with their epi-pens?

I taught thousands of college kids over the years and never had a single case where we were asked to accommodate a peanut allergy. Of course, we did not have a lot of "cupcake days" in a college classroom, but kids carried all sorts of food with them, certainly including candy bars with nuts.

ETA just read kgeaux' post. Obviously some kids do not outgrow their peanut allergies, or it's just too dangerous to test them.

Nova, we truly will never know if my son has outgrown his allergy unless he is exposed to peanuts and does not go into anaphalactic shock. Something we aren't too eager to do!

I do know that he has accidentally touched a cookie made with peanuts and did not have a reaction, but his severe reactions were always to ingestion.

It's almost harder on me now, because when he was little, I could control his environment, but now that he's on his own, I have to trust HIM!

He almost died of a complete respiratory failure a couple of years ago----his lungs just shut down, and he ended up having a heart attack and a stroke. He was just 20! Cause of the respiratory failure was unknown. (I have suspected peanuts, but if they were involved, he isn't telling me!) Two weeks later, one of his lungs popped-----some kids really have so much to deal with, while others just breeze through. I wish my boy could breeze through! But he can't and all I can hope for is that he continues to have the support of friends, employers, etc. as he tries to minimize exposure.

 

[Mr. E]

Don't most peanut allergies decrease as individuals reach adulthood? Or is it just that by adulthood, kids are really good with their epi-pens?

I taught thousands of college kids over the years and never had a single case where we were asked to accommodate a peanut allergy. Of course, we did not have a lot of "cupcake days" in a college classroom, but kids carried all sorts of food with them, certainly including candy bars with nuts.

ETA just read kgeaux' post. Obviously some kids do not outgrow their peanut allergies, or it's just too dangerous to test them.

I thought that my sister had mentioned to me that my niece's allergy is less extreme (she's 19 now), but I don't know how she knows. But since my niece used to have reactions from the slightest exposure, maybe they've noticed that same exposure (for example, eating a cookie that was baked in the same kitchen as a peanut butter cookie) didn't have the same effect.

My niece is in college now, and she attends a very large state university. There are no peanut-free dorms or anything like that. I imagine if people need to know that she has to avoid peanuts (like if she's eating food that's been prepared by someone else, or if she needs to know what's in the dorm food), she will tell them about her peanut allergy. But other than that, she doesn't make a big deal out of it.

 

[jjenny]

Of course from the comments on the internet there is no way to check if the child actually eats out in a restaurant, but if her allergy is so severe that the children have to wash their hands, and mouths, how would it be possible for the child to eat out in a restaurant? Are all people attending the restaurant asked to wash their hands and mouths, and are they all to be checked for peanut products, and is the restaurant asked not to use peanuts/peanut oil, etc, in anything they cook?

 

[katydid23]

Sweetie, I am glad the little girl did not die. I'm glad your little girl is now an adult! And I hope she has freed herself from any guilt about this situation, because she truly was never responsible at all.

What almost killed the allergic child was that a cookie which contained some sort of peanut ingredient was mis-identified as being peanut free.

I wish the adults who were in charge that day had handled the situation better, because to allow children to yell at your little girl and blame her was a huge no-no.
=====================================================

It wasn't really the adults fault because there was so much chaos and there was only the scout leader and myself, the co-leader, and the girl's mom. We were all focussed on the child, who was in shock, and getting the epi from her backpack, and the kids were all in a circle on the floor because we were 'sharing' projects they brought.; So it was kind of a normal reaction the girls were saying in fear, to my daughter, What Did YOU bring, What HAPPENED? And they were kind of in shock too. I don't think they meant harm they were just scared too. But of course my kid felt petrified and really guilty.

She is over it now of course. But that was because her little friend was back in school a day later looking fine. But obviously, if not, it would have been a horrible thing to deal with in her own life as well.

As I posted earlier, I have NO PROBLEM with being a peanut free zone and washing all their hands and mouths and limiting their lunchboxes. I think it is a positive thing for all.
However, if a child has a very severe allergy, and can go into shock very quickly, then I think they should be in a much smaller school environment where it can be easily controlled.

 

[JBean]

There is a lot of good information in this article and things are clarified for the parents. Worth a read,imo.

Peanut Allergy Protest a 'Misunderstanding,' Florida School District Says
snip
A student at Edgewater Elementary School, part of the Volusia County School District in DeLand, Fla., has such a severe food allergy that her first-grade classmates are asked to wash their hands before entering their classrooms in the morning and again at lunch.
They also were required to rinse their mouths after lunch, but district spokeswoman Nancy Wait tells ParentDish that requirement was recently changed to simply wiping their faces with a wet cloth -- a change made even before parents decided to protest the district's efforts to keep the unnamed female student safe.

"The same procedures were in place last year, and they have been in place all of this year," Wait says. "This is really a misunderstanding by some parents."

snip

The teachers in the two classrooms affected have the process down to a science, Wait adds. Girls and boys line up at separate sinks and wash their hands and faces as efficiently as possible.

Parents also believed that peanut butter was banned from the school and that outside food was no longer welcome at holiday parties, all in service of one child's needs.

"Some people seem to believe that there aren't any peanut butter and jelly sandwiches being served in the cafeteria, but that isn't true," Wait says

snip

The bottom line, Wait tells ParentDish, is that the district does whatever it can to balance the needs of one against the needs of many.

"We have moved so far beyond isolating children with disabilities," she says. "We are required to provide her with an education and to make accommodations for her disability."



http://www.parentdish.com/2011/03/23/peanut-allergy-protest-a-misunderstanding-florida-school-dist/

 

[JBean]

School Changes Peanut Safety Procedure

Controversy At Edgewater Elementary Public School
Parents complain Edgewater Elementary Public School has been going too far to protect a student with a life threatening peanut allergy. Local 6 has learned the school is making changes to calm the controversy.
snip
"We went back and looked at the medical plan because we weren't sure if we were going beyond what was required and we were a little bit," Nancy Wait, Volusia County School spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Wait said students will no longer be required to rinse out their mouths before coming into the classroom. However, two first grade classes used by the girl with the allergy will be required to wash their hands and wipe off their mouths twice a day.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/27299098/detail.html

 

[Allusonz]

I have seen alot of valid arguements here on both sides and all i can do is explain from my perspective what I did

By sending my child into an environment that was not accepting was going to pose additional issues so thus I spoke to some of the smaller schools where the size was not so big. The environment there were willing to work with us rather than against us

Although this was not a peanut allergy in my daughters case there was a child that started at the same time as her that did have one. The difference in how the adults handled it was passed down to the students to where the students felt they were part of the solution rather than the other way around.

I am not going to say that all was roses but it was interesting to see how much better the kids were able to deal with a number of these issues compared to the adults. The kids seemed much more accepting and i to this day still see that in them to this day

This is just my experience and was able to find a way to work around it MOO

 

[CCD]

Wow, this is pretty extreme.

I grew up in a small, rural school and I was the one with the deadly peanut allergy. Nothing was really done, because my parents wanted me to be self sufficient in dealing with it. When I was younger, it was advised to parents that they just avoid peanut butter, and students who had it in their lunches just washed their hands after. It actually was a non-issue until I hit the third grade. We had a mom complain because PB were the only kinds of sandwiches her son would eat. My mom and her had it out, and essentially she won, in that whenever her son brought it, I had to eat under the teachers desk....I don't exactly know what purpose it served but it satisfied her for the time being.

The next year, lots of parents complained about the lack of foods their kids could bring. So, I got to eat in the cloakroom of the kindergarten room. I did get to bring a friend, but it was still mortifying. I was already teased and singled out as it was, so isolating me even more mad it harder.

Now at my old public school, they have two children with tree nut and peanut allergies respectively. They've banned nut products from the school entirely. A lot of schools in my school board have. Mind you, very few of them have cafeterias and my school didn't have walkers that went home at lunch...

I know it had to be hard for a parent to check labels and wash fingers when it wasn't essential for their child. I'm sure it was a pain. But with so many peanut free snacks and such on the market, it's not as hard as it used to be. If your kid loves him so PB and J, there's always the weekend....JMHO

 

[mommy23]

If it really is just extra handwashing and no pb&j at lunch, I see no problem with it. Maybe it has been blown out of proportion? If this girl really can go dine at Applebees, then the allergy is not as severe as it has been made out to be. They use peanut oil in cooking, and have desserts with peanuts in them. Thats why I don't eat there! (well at last check 2 years ago, they used these products, I guess it could have changed)

My sis is a severe celiac, and in her preschool and elementary school, they had to use gluten free playdough! My mom helped offset the extra cost for the school to get specially made supplies, but other than that, it was never an issue :twocents:

 

[twinkiesmom]

My niece is college-age now, and although I'd have to check with her to be sure, I think her allergy has lessened somewhat as she's grown older. I wonder, if her parents kept her locked under glass if she would have gained the same insensitivities to her allergy over the years.

These kind of allergies only get worse with subsequent exposures.

My son just outgrew his peanut allergy. One of his classmates with the same allergy also started with a rash but progressed to anaphylaxis after his folks taking him (unknowingly) into a restaurant that served peanuts in the shell.

 

[belimom]

I'm baffled that the cafeteria at her school still serves peanut butter. Seems like a lot of the handwashing and such could be minimized if it was just a peanut-free school. Many many schools are. The one my dd attends is.

 

[Nova]

Nova, we truly will never know if my son has outgrown his allergy unless he is exposed to peanuts and does not go into anaphalactic shock. Something we aren't too eager to do!

I do know that he has accidentally touched a cookie made with peanuts and did not have a reaction, but his severe reactions were always to ingestion.

It's almost harder on me now, because when he was little, I could control his environment, but now that he's on his own, I have to trust HIM!

He almost died of a complete respiratory failure a couple of years ago----his lungs just shut down, and he ended up having a heart attack and a stroke. He was just 20! Cause of the respiratory failure was unknown. (I have suspected peanuts, but if they were involved, he isn't telling me!) Two weeks later, one of his lungs popped-----some kids really have so much to deal with, while others just breeze through. I wish my boy could breeze through! But he can't and all I can hope for is that he continues to have the support of friends, employers, etc. as he tries to minimize exposure.

The old phrase about God not giving us more than we can handle comes to mind. Apparently, you and your son are able to handle a lot more than most of us. I'd have to be medicated (seriously) just to withstand the constant anxiety.

I don't blame you or him for not testing his current resistance "just to see" if he's improved.

 

[Nova]

These kind of allergies only get worse with subsequent exposures.

My son just outgrew his peanut allergy. One of his classmates with the same allergy also started with a rash but progressed to anaphylaxis after his folks taking him (unknowingly) into a restaurant that served peanuts in the shell.

I don't understand. You seem to say both: that such allergies only get worse, but that your son just outgrew his allergy.

I've taught at three universities, one small, private college and two, large state universities. Never once were we asked to accommodate a nut allergy. I'm not saying they didn't exist, but apparently they weren't so severe that kids reacted to nuts they didn't eat themselves.

 

[katydid23]

I don't understand. You seem to say both: that such allergies only get worse, but that your son just outgrew his allergy.

I've taught at three universities, one small, private college and two, large state universities. Never once were we asked to accommodate a nut allergy. I'm not saying they didn't exist, but apparently they weren't so severe that kids reacted to nuts they didn't eat themselves.

Both things are true. What I was told was that a child MIGHT outgrow it, but if there are a lot of outbreaks, a lot of exposure to the allergin, it tends to get worse.

So if you can stay away from it during childhood then you may outgrow it.
But if you have too many exposures then it might worsen in the mean time. I hope I explained it correctly.

 

[Trino]

Apparently, there is some misinformation circulating. Check this out for facts.

http://childparenting.about.com/b/2...ool-peanut-allergy-controversy-in-florida.htm

1.Children can bring peanut butter to school. The children in the allergic child's class (and only those 32 children -- not the whole school) are simply asked to leave their lunch boxes on a cart, which is then wheeled down to the cafeteria. The child with the allergy does not sit in the cafeteria, and eats at a separate table with an adult.

2. Children are asked to wash their hands in the morning and after lunch. They are no longer asked to rinse out their mouth - policy changed.

3. The teacher decided to eliminate snacks because it was scheduled so close to lunchtime -- school starts at 8 and lunch is at 10:45 for 1st graders - nothing to do with peanut allergy.

4. The teacher was also the one who decided to put emphasis on arts and crafts for the holidays rather than make it about food -- something that is in keeping with the school's program on wellness. School party elimination had nothing to do with peanuts.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Apparently, there is some misinformation circulating. Check this out for facts.

http://childparenting.about.com/b/2...ool-peanut-allergy-controversy-in-florida.htm

1.Children can bring peanut butter to school. The children in the allergic child's class (and only those 32 children -- not the whole school) are simply asked to leave their lunch boxes on a cart, which is then wheeled down to the cafeteria. The child with the allergy does not sit in the cafeteria, and eats at a separate table with an adult.

2. Children are asked to wash their hands in the morning and after lunch. They are no longer asked to rinse out their mouth - policy changed.

3. The teacher decided to eliminate snacks because it was scheduled so close to lunchtime -- school starts at 8 and lunch is at 10:45 for 1st graders - nothing to do with peanut allergy.

4. The teacher was also the one who decided to put emphasis on arts and crafts for the holidays rather than make it about food -- something that is in keeping with the school's program on wellness. School party elimination had nothing to do with peanuts.

I find it really ironic the school makes children wash their hands after lunch to protect one child, yet never bothered to have all the children wash their hands BEFORE lunch to the benefit ALL children. lol

 

[JBean]

I find it really ironic the school makes children wash their hands after lunch to protect one child, yet never bothered to have all the children wash their hands BEFORE lunch to the benefit ALL children. lol

It isn't new policy to wash their hands. The only thing that was added was rinsing their mouths. But even that was changed to just wiping their mouths before the uproar. Some parents got hold of bad info and started protesting instead of just going to the district and getting it clarified.
Part of the reason I thought washing their hands was not too much to ask all the kids was because it could possibly cut down on illness and absenteeism. Hand washing is indeed a good thing.

 

[alsmom]

I find it really ironic the school makes children wash their hands after lunch to protect one child, yet never bothered to have all the children wash their hands BEFORE lunch to the benefit ALL children. lol

Haha, so very true! My dad would have killed us if we had come the table without washing our hands.

On an aside, glad they are allowed PB sandwiches at school. There were a few years that if that hadn't been allowed my kids would have gone hungry as I really couldn't afford anything else. Thankfully, they liked them.

 

[Linda7NJ]

It isn't new policy to wash their hands. The only thing that was added was rinsing their mouths. But even that was changed to just wiping their mouths before the uproar. Some parents got hold of bad info and started protesting instead of just going to the district and getting it clarified.
Part of the reason I thought washing their hands was not too much to ask all the kids was because it could possibly cut down on illness and absenteeism. Hand washing is indeed a good thing.

I simply do not believe that. I know that's what they're claiming, but I just ain't buying it.

 

[JBean]

I simply do not believe that. I know that's what they're claiming, but I just ain't buying it.

There is always the possibility that it is was existing policy, but not enforced.

But what I find interesting is that the chief complaint of the parents was that all this washing was intruding on learning time.

So my question would be if the school said we are going to be strictly enforcing our hand washing policy to cut down on germs in the classrooms would the parents be equally as upset over that intrusion on the class time? or is it just because it was for the benefit of this girl and the 3 others with peanut allergies or sensitivities?