"But there should be a concerted effort to keep the allergic kids away from potential exposure."
Yeah. Isolate/insulate THEM.
Kids eating peanut butter is normal. If this allergic kid goes all thru skrewel without having to exercise prudence regarding peanut butter, WHAT WILL HE DO WHEN HE GRADUATES TO THE REAL WORLD?
Good point.
I did say it was a tough one.
BTW... What's with the Peanut allergies? Has anyone else noticed that its becoming more and more common?
I NEVER heard of kids being allergic to peanuts when I was a kid.
"If this allergic kid goes all thru skrewel without having to exercise prudence regarding peanut butter, WHAT WILL HE DO WHEN HE GRADUATES TO THE REAL WORLD?"
The child in question is a first grader. First graders are prone to fits of poor judgement. For some, that means eating glue or things that they pull out of their nose. For this child, eating a bite of a friend's PB sandwich could be fatal.
Of course, you could be right, maybe we should also put unlabeled bottles of drain cleaner, pesticides, paint thinner, etc. on the cafeteria tables as well. After all, those kids will have to deal with those things when they graduate, might as well weed them out now...
Personally, I can't imagine the stress the parents feel sending their first grade child out every day hoping he will remember the rules about food, wondering when the school/hospital will call to tell them he might not survive trading lunches with a buddy.
Should everyone else be highly incovenienced, probably not. Put the kid at a table where no PB is allowed. Problem solved with minimal inconvenience to anyone.