Posted on 09/25/2007 7:15:42 AM PDT by Cagey
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Some young St. Johns County students are no longer allowed to bring a popular lunchtime food to school. Peanut butter has been banned.
A kindergarten student at Ocean Palms Elementary in Ponte Vedra has a peanut allergy that has forced the student's classroom to become a peanut-free zone, WJXT-TV reported.
Not all parents are happy with the changes in other students' diets and the inconvenience caused by the peanut ban.
Tracey Torres's son is 5 years old. She said one of his favorite lunchtime sandwiches is peanut butter and jelly, which is also one of Torres's favorites because it's quick, easy and nutritious.
"That's just a typical thing that a kid brings to school and it's something my son likes. It's quick and easy for me in the morning. To not be able to bring that and have to do something else is a burden on me in the morning," Torres said.
She said the peanut-free classroom has been a burden on her in the morning since his kindergarten class at Ocean Palms went peanut free because another student is allergic to peanuts.
When the peanut allergy issue first came up, school officials tried to separate kids with nuts from kids without by sitting them at a different table in school but the close scrutiny was too much work.
"Too much work … and the students weren't always able to eat lunch," said Ocean Palms Elementary Michael Parrish.
Under the new peanut ban, students area able to eat lunch but just not peanuts.
Torres said she thinks it's unfair for kids to suffer because of one student's allergy.
"The burden should be placed back on the parent of that child, and their only responsibility should be to create an awareness with the other parents and children," Torres said.
However, Parrish said awareness isn't enough when dealing with a life-threatening allergy.
The principal said the school is working on a more permanent solution. He said they would probably end up with a peanut-free table in the cafeteria and another table that allows peanuts.
We got a letter from our school on this same thing. The kids bring in a snack for a snack time each day and cant bring peanut butter crackers for it. Nothing with nuts.
My little girl loves apples and peanut butter, and peanut butter crackers and pb&j only now because of one child in her class the rest are not allowed to eat what they want. I resent having this imposed on me. It does inconvenience me and makes providing good snacks that she will eat more difficult.
Again ...we are back to the rights of one over the rights of many. Something is wrong with this picture.
Slip some peanut butter into his mashed potatoes. LOL
I'm still shaking my head at that school forcing kids to wear a tag if they are eating a PB&J sandwich. It really is nuts! No pun intended.
Similar to the Muslim woman feeling up a Catholic nun in the name of security, in the topsy-turvy world of the liberals inclusion means exclusion!
Peanut allegies are much more severe than other allergies, such as those of your children. There are some (not all) who are so allergic to peanuts that the smell or touch of anything with peanuts can cause a life threatening reaction. I don’t know the situation with this particular child, and I am aware that some parents tend to overreact. However, the woman who is whining about having to make her son something other than a peanut butter sandwich, because it is more work doesn’t get much sympathy from me. Nor do people who complain that their children must eat at a separate table because they brought peanut butter.
It would appear that Freepers need to do a little more research on peanut/nut allergies before jumping to conclusions.
I think some of these mothers have Muchousen (sic) Syndrome.
Just like a report said earlier there are many alergies which are more fad than fact.
I’d send the allergy kid home, permanently, before I’d ban peanut butter. Its his problem, not the rest of the student body’s.
I have two relatives who’s kids have bad allergies.
One brings her own meals for her kids to family events.
The other...publishes long lists of things her kids may not have under penalty of death and makes certain to loudly bring up her kids allergies to anyone within earshot. If they don’t react, she makes sure to be even louder. The amazing thing is that we’ve seen her kids eat forbidden foods on numerous occasion with no effects. I really believe that she has some Munchausens type thing going on where she literally gets off on the medical problems of her kids because she gets lots of attention. They spend so much time at the doctor that I’m certain they are making his monthly Porsche payment.
If the kids are that allergic, they need to be taught at home. It’s foolish to believe you can insulate your child from peanuts in a school environment.
My daughter won't eat anything peanut butter after hearing some of it comes from China. The rules now in NJ schools about snacks & lunches are silly. They will not allow sugar as the 1st ingredient in juice or a snack. It gets sent home to you. We can't have any fat children & this is going to be the answer. Somehow I don't see it as working...
In an earlier post you pointed out that a child died because his father had forgotten to wash his hands and the child was picked up by him later on. How would keeping children at a different table and wearing tags have prevented something similar from happening in the school playground?
If this allergy is that severe and dangerous how can a parent even expose them to school?
“The student who is unfit for school should be banned.”
And his parents should be relieved of the burden of paying school taxes, right?
Oh that’s ridiculous! I’m mildly sensitive to latex and other than being aware and avoiding things that have it, to prevent the skin irritation, the only “step” I’ve needed to take was have a note put on my chart requesting non-latex exam gloves at the gyno. Beyond that, I suck it up and deal, and remember for next time.
So true...and now I have a new tagline! Thanks!
This is just stupid. There is no reason in hell why all students should have to change their diet just because of one kid. I say sue the parent and she will change her mind in a hurry.
What the devil will she try next to get the whole world to ban peanut butter and what happens when the kid is outside of the school area on some park playing with other kids who could very well have eaten peanut butter or peanut butter cookies, do those kids now have to wear signs I eat peanut butter?
we need off campus schools for those who are unfit to assimilate. They will be out of harms way.
However, my guess is, this separate table deal won't fly in a public school..."the poor child's self-esteem will be hurt if he or she is forced to sit at a separate table".
“When did kids begin to be allergic to peanut butter? Apparently there is some kind of pandemic peanut butter allergy going around. And it has condemned us to pretzels on airplanes. Yet when I was a child in elementary school and high school, I don’t remember ANYONE ever being allergic to peanut butter. Does anyone know of any studies showing what has caused this?”
Good question. My nephew is deathly allergic to peanuts. He was tested at Duke for allergies and his peanut allergy was off the charts. He has to wear a medic alert bracelet and carry an epi pen. My daughter has a couple of kids in her class that are also highly allergic. It does seem a recent phenomenon tough. Something has changed to cause this.
How many children have died from the fumes of peanut- oil fueled vehicles? Thousands of corpses line the curbs each morning, yet nothing is said.
“Geez, if my kids was deathly allergic to something like that, I would homeschool them.”
Perhaps you should consider bringing in a certified peanut-free English tutor... ;>)
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