Not allowed nuts in school

[pingu2209]

A friend of mine is really concerned about a letter home from school and subsequent conversation. Her dd is very fussy and will only eat peanut butter sandwiches. It is a long battle for her and the doctor is very concerned about her weight as she eats very very little. Has to be white bread, no crusts etc. I would go as far as to say it is an eating disorder - she is 9.

Her eating has to be tackled and the mum is getting help. So far the specialist help has said that it is a good idea for her to eat peanut sandwiches as this is pretty much all she will eat and will give her nutriants etc. They said the key is to increase the types of food, rather than take away what little she does.

But the school has said nobody is allowed any nuts, inc. peanut butter sarnies, in school as there are a handful of children with severe nut allergies - that could kill them.

My friend is at a loss. She asked whether her daughter could eat her sarnies away from the allergic children. The school has still said no, just incase there is peanut butter on her fingers etc that the allergic children could accidentally get it on them.

Who is being unreasonable?

My son has been very fortunate at uni and in the work place.
They know he is severe and have been very accomodating.
They have also been very accomodating about learning about his allergy, as some of them have accepted responsibility to administer the epipens and pills, in case he is unable to do it himself.

So actually I would like to issue a public thank you to those people who are willing to do that.

Paintyourbox - why only nuts though? I don't agree with a ban - and I speak as someone with a life threatening allergy albeit not to nuts - but what I really detest is the message that is being sent by banning nuts to 'minimize the risk' whilst not banning (presumably) other things to which children in a given school are seriously allergic to.

Discrimination is against the law, I don't see how taking different action for those who are severely allergic to nuts than is taken for other allergies of the same severity is anything other than discrimination.

*They have also been very accomodating about learning about his allergy, as some of them have accepted responsibility to administer the epipens and pills, in case he is unable to do it himself.

So actually I would like to issue a public thank you to those people who are willing to do that. *

Seconded! I don't think some of these people realise what it means to allergy suffers and their families.

Andro I personally don't agree with a ban but in the schools eyes it will amount to a case of: "We would get our backsides sued if something adverse was to happen to a child in our care, nuts are a reasonably common allergy so lets just ban them so we won't have to worry about it"

Box ticked.

Paintyourbox - sorry, the double standard is a sore point and you caught the backlash.

I don't really have much of a view on the nut ban bar the fact it cannot be a bad thing,at least when children are really too young to understand that sharing x sandwich or y snack with their friend is incredibly dangerous. It does save lives.

But a serious question,how do adults with nut or other life threatening allergies cope? My friend is allergic to wheat,it's not life threatening,but eating even the smallest amount makes her very ill. Wheat is in a jaw dropping amount of products,from the obvious bread to the less obvious milk chocolate (almost all). With nuts for example, it must be even more of the same and worse because the reactions can be life threatening not just deeply unpleasant. How do you all cope? I think I would find it quite terrifying in all honesty.

Andro no need to apologise! We all have things we feel strongly about

Alisvolatpropiis - necessity is the mother of invention!

You learn to manage it, you check, check and check again. You learn where you can eat, take your own food to work maybe, you call ahead to restaurants to make sure that allergies can be accommodated, you avoid 'high risk' places (you'd never see me in pizza hut for example because I'd be very ill very quickly), above all you carry your medication with you AT ALL TIMES.

When you've survived an allergy for years, you learn to cope with it. If you don't learn to cope, you die.

I appologise Luije

Its Whois

holly I think she was suggesting the child with the food issues who eats the peanut butter sandwiches goes home for lunch, not a child with allergies. That isn't a reasonable solution either. The school has a duty to all students and they need to work together to come up with a solution.

Or maybe, the very allergic children should go home for lunch so as to not stop the majority of children being slowed nuts!

Nope. See above.

Oh actually I just found the list you referred to yes they are talking crap!

Yes I just scrolled back. A few people have suggested the girl with the food issues goes home to eat, that isn't a reasonable solution either.

If my friend's daughter should not go home for lunch or be forced to eat in isolation or away from the rest of the norm. She should not be the only person forced to wash her hands and face after eating either. This would make her 'issues' with food even worse.

That post was in response to it being said that the girl who needs to eat peanut better goes home for lunch.

Anyone being send home for lunch is unacceptable.

Absolutely Pingu!

So what happens next? Is your friend prepared to put up a fight at the school and get the support her daughter deserves?

Neither child should go home.

But WhoIs just pissed me right off

I have to leave to many places and my toddler is beginning to notice. Christmas and toddler group was shit. Theres no chance of nursery and theres several groups I cant even consider taking him too

Then you have toss pota like whois who feel the child needs to be excluded futher by having them leave the school each lunch time. I say they've fucking well been excluded enough.

You can help the fussy eater with councelling (and none exclusion). But you cannot fix an allergy.

your freind needs to get back up.
get a letter from the consultant.
her dd needs to be treated sensitively, not made to feel worse

"She should noy be forced to wash her hands and face"

No. She should be asked to wash her hands and face, so others dont die

What else do you suggest exactly?

Having food anxiety or an eating disorder is not being a fussy eater!

And yes, it can e helped by counselling, but not always cured. Some children grow out of allergies, it's the same difference. One does not trump the other. These children have equal needs and equal rights!

Food anxiety then.

She still needs to wash her hands afterwards. She is 10 years old, she isnt stupid. She'd clearly understand the peanut, reaction consequence. Id doubt very much she'd like to cause a death, if all it took was washing hands.

Seriously, what else do you suggest?