Peanut allergy rules at Florida public school create controversy, protests
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Food Allergies Kill!
The above statement is true, more true than most people are aware of, especially when a child is anaphylactic to peanuts.
But you wouldn’t have found anything so true on any of the picket signs at a Florida elementary school this morning as parents of non-food allergic children protested new policies put into place to protect a peanut allergic 1st grader’s life.
New rules were put in place when the 1st grader’s doctor stated that she had severe contact allergies to peanut residue. Case in point – if you have peanuts on your breath while talking to this child, her life would be in danger.
It’s that severe.
So the school implemented a new policy to protect the life of this 1st grader.
- No outside food in class containing peanuts.
- Wash hands and wash out mouths before coming to school and after eating.
That’s what it takes to keep this child safe from small amounts of an allergen that could prove fatal to her if inhaled or touched.
But parents of other students in the school who don’t have peanut allergies are outraged that their children are being forced to wash out their mouths and that they are prevented from bringing peanut containing treats to school.
Cry me a friggin river!
Granted, some parents are upset that a peanut sniffing dog was brought into the school. I can understand this concern, as I have dog allergies. Being in a building with a dog can make me incredibly ill. So I’m with the parents on that concern. However, complaining about not being able to bring peanut butter to school and having the kids wash out their mouths and clean their hands is just plain ridiculous.
Where is the compassion?
This little girl and her parents live in fear every moment that she is outside of their home. You never know when you’ll come across a new friend who just ate a peanut butter sandwich and didn’t wash her hands thoroughly before going out. You never know if someone in the next room is about to open a peanut buttery treat that will release the deadly proteins that she will then inhale and nearly die from. Going to a playground would be next to impossible. What if someone’s child got peanut residue on the slide? This is a severe food allergy reaction that puts this girl’s life in danger every minute of every day. The doctors, her parents and the school are trying to make her time at school as safe and worry free as possible.
And these other parents are complaining about mouth washing.
The original article can be found here: http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/march/216839/Peanut-allergy-panic-at-Edgewater-school-has-peeved-parents-protesting
This reminds me of all the times I’ve taken my kids to indoor play areas where food wasn’t allowed (posted rules, people! Read them!), but kids were running around with snacks containing peanuts and milk – both foods my kids are allergic to. Why are people so inconsiderate?
What are your thoughts on this story?
Related articles
- Food Allergy Kids – Public Play Areas and Inconsiderate Parents (alwayssick.com)
- Peanut Butter Substitute for Peanut Allergies (alwayssick.com)
- Peanut Allergies On The Rise (fyiliving.com)
UPDATE: A Mom to a peanut allergic child attending a public school in Florida compares her son’s plan to the one that these parents are protesting. The school has implemented these policy changes successfully and without incident, and the other parents and students are fully supportive! My Kid is Special Too – The Allergic Kid
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If the child’s allergy is that severe maybe the parents should consider home schooling. Only 2% of the population have an allergy to peanuts, so why are we enforcing such harsh rules on the other 98%? A child that is that old should know better than to take food from other kids if they have a severe allergy. If the kids just wash their hands after eating, and they keep their food to themselves than they should be fine. What does this family do on Halloween? Do they go around the block enforcing a no peanut rule on people giving out candy? Do they not go to the park, where families picnic (often with peanut butter)? What happened to using your own discretion??
That’s just it. She doesn’t have to take the food from someone else. The residue just needs to be on a surface or someone’s hands. If she touches them, she could die. Same if it’s on someone’s breath and they breathe on her. Perhaps they should home school, and it’s what I would do in this situation, but they shouldn’t have to. For the schools to even suggest that would be discrimination. Every other special needs child gets what they need from the public schools, and everyone pays taxes to pay for those schools. That little girl shouldn’t be prevented from going because she has a food allergy, and people should be more considerate.
I don’t know what they do about parks and such. I would assume they don’t go to those places, and they probably stay indoors for Halloween to avoid contact with the allergen.
Also, this is an elementary school. A lot of kids in elementary school don’t know any better, and they have horrible hygiene practices. Other kids could easily carry the residue on their bodies, putting this girl at risk. Should she just stay indoors all the time or live in a bubble when she leaves her home? She obviously can’t go to very many places at all because of this extreme allergy. So why not let her have one safe haven away from home – school!
I don’t see what’s so harsh about not being able to take peanut butter to school and washing up when you’re done eating something. How do you define that as “harsh”? Explain how that’s harsh at all, and then explain it to someone who could die if they come in contact with peanuts.
I feel very badly for the child who is allergic and her poor parents will worry about her endlessly. But you can’t expect the entire school to ban peanuts or wash their mouths out! First of all, how are they even going to enforce that? Watch every single child in the bathroom? Even if they could, what about strangers the child meets outside the school? Parents dropping their kids off, people in the grocery store, kids in a pediatrician’s waiting room, the mailman dropping off your mail, etc etc etc. Its just not realistic. They need to find another way to safeguard this child, even if it means wearing a breathing mask to school or homeschooling her.
[...] Always Sick & Tired | Peanut allergy rules at Florida public school creates controversy, protest… – More excellent commentary here. Surely washing one’s hands and using some mouthwash can’t be demonized? OH NO! MY KIDS… CAN’T BRING IN TREATS FROM OUTSIDE! When I was a kid, we weren’t allowed to eat in class anyway. [...]
yes i’ve hears so many stories of terror about this. things like a couple travelling in europe, friends of my family, both physicians, husband comes in contact w food allergy, throat swells shut while wife tries to do in the field emergency trach on him, cpr, anything to get ari in and he dies. speak on jennifer
A little bit of empathy please.
I do NOT have any allergies but have had the honor to get to know families across our great nation who have members in their families with lfe threatening allergies. Having been fortunate enough to meet them and being in a position such that I need to fully understand the complexities surrounding the allergies, I can honestly say that living with a severe food allergy involves more than most of us can imagine and before anyone cast judgment and advises, I encourage you to educate yourself.
Our nation has a law in place which GUARANTEES all of out children the RIGHT to a public education
MK, I’m a homeschooling parent with a child who has peanut and milk allergies. That’s not the main reason we decided to homeschool, as the school our son attended was very good about the policy and no parents complained. However, not every parent is in a position to homeschool. We’re lucky in that I have flexible work-at-home hours while my wife keeps a part-time schedule. But if one of us were to stop working altogether to homeschool, we wouldn’t be able to pay all the bills. It may not be an option for these parents — I don’t know. Regardless, the Americans with Disabilities Act does apply in cases like this, and it mandates that if a parent or guardian wishes their child to be in a mainstream classroom and not segregated from his or her peers, then the school has to make accommodations for that student.
In other articles I’ve read about this story, I’ve read quotes from the parents, one of which was to the effect of “I wish that we all could just live our lives normally.” Believe me, these parents don’t take any pleasure at all in having to ask for these accommodations. They also would probably love to be able not to have to constantly live on the edge of worry that they can’t possibly protect their daughter every moment of every day. To add insult to injury, as these protesting parents are doing, is the height of thoughtlessness and sends a horrible message to their children.
If my child had that severe of an allergy they would be home schooled or I’d take advantage of today’s technology and establish a remote link to the classroom for them. I would not risk my child’s life on the off chance someone who had peanut butter toast for breakfast might burp on them. Simply washing out the mouth would not prevent that and God forbid some kid vomits near them after eating peanut butter.
You fail to mention that the school is also requiring everything be wiped down multiple times a day with clorox wipes. Many people are allergic to bleach and many more don’t allow those types of chemicals in their homes and now their children are having their desks wiped down multiple times a day on the off chance it was contaminated with peanut oil or vapor. They also brought in a “peanut sniffing” dog. Once again many people are highly allergic to dogs, but I guess a peanut allergy trumps the others?
I feel terribly sorry for this child. They are fated to lead a difficult life. Do their parents actually think colleges and employers, etc. throughout their life are going to cater to this one person’s needs? All this craziness has done is alienate this child even more from their peers. You can bet money all the kids in that school know who is the cause of all these procedures and the cause of no PB&J for lunch. I would not put my child through that ostracization.
What about the parents who are economically disadvantaged and receive WIC? They receive vouchers for peanut butter because it is inexpensive and high in protein. I can only assume that is why peanut butter is such a popular food choice for young children not to mention kids just seem to love peanut butter. This is taking the ADA way too far. We should make accommodations for those with a disability, in this instance a home tutor or remote class uplink, but they are asking way too much of an entire student body to simply accommodate one student’s needs.
Wiping the kids with clorox wipes, as I understand it, is actually a myth and they don’t do that, nor do they plan on doing that.
It doesn’t matter now anyway. With all the protests, and some threats, the parents decided to pull their daughter out of the school.
I agree that homeschooling is the best option, and if my kids’ food allergies were this severe, I would keep them home. However, not everyone (because of the economy, which you mentioned, or people who rely on two incomes) can home school, and with ADA, they shouldn’t have to.
The peanut sniffing dogs were brought in when no one was in the school and at the beginning of spring break. I am severely allergic to dogs myself, and wouldn’t want an animal in there while I was there. It’s a health hazard for many people. However, many classrooms have class pets like rabbits and such, which can also cause allergic reactions. Having the animal isolated in one room every day, as long as no student is allergic in the classroom, isn’t a big deal, and having the dog come through once to sniff around when no one is there isn’t going to leave enough dander behind to cause a serious problem for anyone, most likely. However, some children with severe asthma could have been exposed to allergens as a result of this dog and could have had a severe flare up…it’s not impossible…so I understand the parents’ concern about the dog. Absolutely!
I had to stop working at a store because they allowed customers to bring in their dogs. Within a few moments of the dog coming inside, I would start wheezing. Once the dog was gone, I was fine, but I couldn’t keep working there because they wouldn’t establish a “no dogs allowed” policy.
I know the peanut butter is a cheap protein option for many families, and it’s hard to accommodate everyone in these situations. But a lot of schools have adopted no peanut product policies without any problems because the child was at risk. This situation seemed to be blown way out of proportion, and I don’t see how having a protest outside of the school with picket signs was helpful…it should have been a special PTSA meeting where the children (including the poor girl who has these allergies) would be subjected to it.
Also, bleach is the cleanser of choice in most daycares, schools, restaurants, etc… If they started using the clorox wipes more often, they were already using them to begin with, just less often. Parents opposed to bleach in schools need to do what the parents of the peanut allergic child did – demand a change in policy for the health and safety of the children, and suggest alternative, eco-friendly cleaning products.
Jennifer, it’s about the idea that you people have any right to tell these other people how to live. You might not care about not eating pb&j but the point isn’t that these people are uncaring for this unfortunate child.
The problem is a culture of entitled individuals like yourself that assume society is to adjust to their specific problems instead, like some people here have said, focusing on how they can live in society with their disease.
Instead these people are changing the rules for this girls peer group.
Anton – How can this little girl live with her disease if the people she spends most of her day with are covered in something that could kill her? Do you not get that SHE COULD DIE?!
What part of this do people not understand? Seriously. Peanuts can kill this little girl – even smelling it or touching just trace amounts of it.
And why should children who don’t have disabilities or special needs be ENTITLED (as you put it) to a free public education, and children with special needs aren’t? That’s a double standard. Both children’s parents pay taxes that fund these schools. That means they all should be able to attend, regardless of their special circumstances.
A blind student attending a public school has a personal assistant, tutor and guide around the school. I know – I knew a girl like that in high school. That costs extra, and sometimes a blind student can slow things down – why can’t special accommodations be made for a child with a peanut allergy?
Rules are in place, and if you want to attend a public school, those rules must be followed – and that includes following the letter of the law and accommodating children who need extra assistance because of their disabilities. I will refer you to another post of mine, where I took my food allergic children to an indoor play area that had a “No Food Allowed” policy that parents frequently broke. I found peanuts on the floor, and had to ask some parents to have their child get off of the equipment with his ice cream because my youngest is allergic to milk products. They acted as if I was inconveniencing them when they were the ones breaking the rules and making the environment messy and unsafe for other children.
Here’s the link to my personal experience that I mentioned above: http://alwayssick.com/2011/01/29/food-allergy-kids-public-play-areas-and-inconsiderate-parents/
THANK YOU ANTON!!!
I’m so sick of others insisting on others accommodating them! I’m sorry for this child’s suffering, but that doesn’t give her parents and the school the right to dictate rights to others. Peanuts are a wonderful, cheap source of protein and my kids like it. If they couldn’t take it to school, I’d be upset too. It’s NOT inconsideration – inconsideration is going into a public place and FORCING others to accommodate your needs, however legit those may be. If you are worried about breathing or touching peanut dust, wear gloves and a mask in public. I’m allergic to smoke but have to walk through clouds of it every time I take my kids to the museum. I put my scarf over my face until I get in the door, sniffle for a couple of hours and take an aspirin to kill the sebsequent headache. So I know sometimes NOT having an ENTITLEMENT mentally sucks.
Get over yourselves.
Eloise – the difference is that the smoke won’t instantly kill you, but the peanut residues, dust, etc can immediately end this little girl’s life. Sure, you’ll sniffle, sneeze and cough, but she will stop breathing altogether, be given an injection of epinephrine and then be rushed in an ambulance to the emergency room while they continue to try and save her life.
If they manage to save her life, she has to deal with the trauma of almost dying (she’s a 1st grader!), and then stay in the hospital most likely while they continue watching her to make sure she doesn’t relapse, as the allergen will still be in her system for days, continuing to threaten her life.
As a mother of a four year old severely allergic daughter I am terrified of attempting to send her to a normal school. My daughter is anaphylactic to milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish shell fish, eggs and wheat. All I want is for my daughter to go to school like a normal child and now I think it is nearly impossible. I work very hard and I pay taxes faithfully. So why shouldn’t the school accommodate my child. Yes, I think the requirements are a little harsh but necessary. Do you know how scary it is to even send your child to school know they might not come home? Financially I am not in a position to home school my child. What am I to do? My daughter is very bright and she doesn’t have a learning disability. Why should I seclude her from other children. I have no idea what I am going to do with my child for kindergarten. She is currently enrolled in a medical daycare but they only go up to preschool. I just think everyone should have more compassion for certain circumstances as it is scary living everyday like this. My daughter doesn’t go to the park, go trick or treating, go to birthday parties or even ride a bike outdoors. The least I can do is send my child to school and not continue to keep her in a bubble hidden from society. I just ask that everyone have some compassion and look at it from the eyes of a smart four year old who cannot wait to go to school. How can I deny my child the right to learn?
Gionna – that is a lot of allergies! Have you done a food challenge to confirm these allergies or did they just do a skin test? I always ask when someone says they or their children have a ton of food allergies, because a lot of people don’t know that the allergy test can give false positives.
That aside, that must be so hard for you and your daughter. My heart goes out to you. I hope the school that you are zoned for has more compassionate and understanding parents and faculty members.
You can also look around for food allergy / homeschooling families in your area. I know you said you can’t afford to home school her, but home schooling is a maximum of two families educating their children at home together. If you have friends who are familiar with food allergies who home schools their children, perhaps they’d be willing to home school yours as well.
Good luck to you! I hope your daughter outgrows most of her allergies. Egg and dairy allergies are usually something that kids outgrow.
[...] a week after parents of elementary students protested safety measures put in place by a school to protect a 1st grader with a severe peanut allergy, news of two [...]
I agree that protesting with signs is a little extreme. The parents and school should have held a private meeting and tried to come up with a solution. I personally would not have a problem with no peanuts or peanut butter at school but the washing out mouths is over the line.
It is sad that this little girl has this extreme allergy… but how is she ever going to live a normal life? Go to church, school, travel on an airplane, go to college, work at a company, rent a car, stay in a hotel room, go to the mall, eat in a restaurant, shop in a grocery store… the list goes on and on. Everyday life puts you in contact with people and her parents cannot change the actions of the world so they need to find a way to protect her or treat her allergies. That should start now by teaching her and helping her learn to live with her disability. And if it is so extreme that she can have reaction to someone’s breath than it is a disability.
Maggie – I have wondered about that as well. Is it possible to keep a child who is that severely allergic protected in a school environment…or any environment for that matter.
If we were that allergic to peanuts, I wouldn’t be able to go to the grocery store. There are raw peanuts in a bin for people to scoop out and bag for themselves in the produce department. I can walk by it. Heck, I can pick up a bag of them and not have a problem, but I can’t imagine being in the area or being able to buy anything surrounding them if the allergy was that extreme.
I really feel for this family, and I honestly wonder if the safety measures the school put in place are really enough to keep her safe. What changes can the family and the child make to keep her safer? Perhaps a mask or something to keep her from breathing things in, and wearing gloves perhaps?
Thank you for your input, Maggie. And thank you for bringing some sanity to the opposing argument as well. I can see both sides of this on certain levels, but most of the dissenting comments I’ve gotten here are pretty heartless, acting like the family is trying to be some kind of charity case, deliberately inconveniencing others for their “entitlements” when all they want for their daughter is a free public education…and they are following the advice of their physician.
Also, I suppose we can’t assume we have all of the information. There has to be more to this story than what we already know.
It is deifnitely fair. They are required to make accomodations, even if that means your daughter eats somewhere else. Each exposure makes her allergy worse potentially in the future so it’s vital that she avoids being around peanuts. check out the sources below for some tips on talking to your school about peanut allergy. As a teacher with a peanut allergy, I know sort of what you are dealing with, but as an adult I am more able to be vocal and vigilant than a child, so make sure they know.