to challenge the schools nuts ban

[pigglewiggle]

The school has a strict no nuts policy. Apparently this is because someone in a higher year has a peanut allergy. I can understand banning peanuts if the allergy is severe but peanuts are very different to normal proper nuts and reactions to these are not to my knowledge anywhere near as bad as peanuts. It just makes lunch quite difficult as we are vegan and would love to pop something like a nakd bar in lunchboxes.

Aibu to go to the school and at least establish if a total ban on nuts is needed / necessary?

a friend of ds (8y) had a reaction to a nakd bar and ended up in hospital. turns out he is allergic to tree nuts but not ground nuts. The cashew nuts set it off

zoe I nearly died from a dairy allergy reaction. I was pregnant at the time which didn't help, but still...you can die.

It goes back to my question of whether children with allergies do any other kind of activity outside of schools.

Serious question - do you avoid all sports centres where they have vending machines or snacks full of nuts? Public transport, shops, cafés, anywhere people visit in large numbers?

The point re nuts as has been pointed out is that they are everywhere. So fine, nobody takes a nakd bar to school, but Mrs cox sends her three kids in with chocolate cake made with groundnut oil, oblivious to the fact it might pose a risk. As for airborne particles, if there happens to be a child for whom particular nut forms (eg a bag of peanuts) creates an issue, then a school can act on a case by case basis. But 99% of nut allergy sufferers will not die from somebody else eating a nakd bar in a school hall. If that were the case, they'd never leave the house. I once made a lighthearted comment to the consultant at an allergy clinic saying that I'd foregone my kids' usual snack of a peanut butter sandwich, given the location, and the v eminent allergy specialist looked surprised and said 'why is that? I take it you weren't planning on smearing it on the walls'?

I suppose the difference is a child cannot be reasonably expected to manage his/her environment or even recognise signs of a problem. Therefore the school have to take the necessary precautions to ensure the child is safe.

As an adult the responsibility lies with the individual to keep themselves safe and make appropriate choices as to where they eat.

On that basis I think schools who have children with a nut allergy probably should impose a ban. That's just my opinion though.

Banning dairy would be all together more complicated as dairy is in so many of the foods offered.

OP the peanut ban is about keeping children safe and ALIVE.

You will not come out at all well if you take on school with this .

Gently, read my post properly!!! Of course I know you can die from a dairy allergy, I have a dd who is anaphylactic to it! But a lot of people don't.

It goes back to my question of whether children with allergies do any other kind of activity outside of schools.

Yes, my child does. He isn't a hermit. If he is going somewhere that I believe he may come Into contact with one of his various allergens then I give him the maximum dose of antihistamine 20 mins before we leave the house. Giving the antihistamine means that any allergic reaction will be reduced and hopefully not life threatening (but I still always carry his epi pen). I wouldn't want him using antihistamine every single weekday just so somebody can being a nakd bar or bag of salted nuts to school. Constant use of medicines isn't good.

I send nut containing products in my DC's lunchbox since I found out that parents of the affected children (a brother and sister) have nut containing products at home!!!

I am vegetarian and was vegan for a year (couldn't stick to it so kudos to you...) so I can fully appreciate how difficult it is packing a lunch without the addition of nuts. However there are other options and your DC won't die or get sick if they don't have a Nakd bar for lunch, they can always have it after school or for breakfast! They make great breakfasts btw...

Give other snacks like bear yo-yo's, FRUIT or carrot sticks and hummus. Perfectly do-able without nuts. You can also bake your own nut free snack bars or even cold press your own raw vegan snacks with dates and dried fruit, your own version of Nakd bars .

I do agree to an extent that a nut ban is a little daft because I can't see a secondary school or college doing the same and when they're an adult they'll have to deal with it wherever they grow so it's giving them a false sense of security in ways. But it's so easy to not put nuts in their lunchbox as well so doesn't seem worth complaining about really...

DancingDays the problem with blanket bans where there may not be an allergic child at the school is that the range of potential allergens is very broad. Should schools be implementing a blanket dairy ban incase a child with a condition like zoemaguire's daughter moves there? I'd have no problem supporting any ban at my DC school as long as it was clinically justified on the basis of the needs of a child or children attending the school but not on the basis of some hypothetical future pupil.

And yes Katie I think you do have to reveal the things you are allergic to - reveal them to the school, yes obviously, Question.

But nobody has to reveal the full details of a individual's medical condition (whatever that might be) to all and sundry in order to "justify" the school's decision as regards safeguarding that child while under their care.

Far less to a random parent who merely thinks it would be nice to give a nutty treat to her DC.

That was what I meant in my post above - I apologise if that was not clear. I totally agree that the appropriate people have to be fully informed. the OP clearly does not fall under this category.

It's a long time ago now but I'm sure when I was at university (I did some immunology as part of my degree) that anaphylaxis to nuts without eating them was extremely rare as you had to ingest the protein to cause a reaction and only likely to occur in closed environments such as airplanes where a lot of people were opening/eating nuts, i.e. nut proteins were still ingested without being eaten.

Could have been totally debunked since then of course...

A lot of the confusion about the severity of allergies is because people use the word allergy even when it is just and intolerance, which is totally different. So the meaning of allergy becomes less clear and as most people are fortunate enough not to come across severe allergies, they assume that all allergies are quite mild. There was a while that allergies were fashionable to have. For those of us who had to deal with really severe ones, that period was a mixed blessing. People were slightly more aware, but still thought all allergies were mild.

When DD first had her blood allergy load tested, it came back at 2000+ and the lab had never seen results like that with the person still being alive. Times have clearly changed since then, but DD still has the highest IGE load of anyone we have ever encountered and the doctors say the same. One ignorant doctor recently told her she would have to reduce her allergy load. Yeah? How do you do that, exactly?

My sister had had to leave events early due to people eating nuts near her, she has had to ask to be moved seats in a theatre as someone was eating nuts. When she flys the airline has to ask everyone not to eat nuts.

Her allergy is at the extreme end due to her being so sensitive to it in the environment but for some people it really is a daily battle - whatever the allegen - and I don't think people without experince of allergy always appreciate how hard it can be.

As I said before schools should look at each individual case and find a management plan which keeps that child safe.

Actually, I think the anaphylaxis society were on the right lines when they gave out advice to eat a small amount of the allergen every day.

I seem to recall a study where subjects were 'inoculated' with microscopic amounts of their allergen, and it helped reduce the severity of the allergy. However, the key is 'microscopic amount'- an amount that could be observed to be given would be too large and trigger an attack. I guess it would be similar to a child who reacts to eating peanuts, being in a room with someone eating peanuts every day- so an amount of the allergen that isn't enough to trigger an attack.

If I can find the study I'll post it here.

I think nuts are seen as a choking hazard as well, this is often why they are banned in child care settings.

My DN has a severe allergy to dairy. This is my problem with the nuts stuff. He's ended up in hospital before from accidentally eating stuff, has asthma, eczema and the rest, but the world can't or won't ban dairy - apart from the vegans, thanks! So it's about management and how his school manages it and how he manages it.

And totally agree with Quiero - not all children will have the capacity to understand about not offering or accepting nuts therefore as adults it is our responsibility to do it for them and keep a safe environment.

Feed your DC nuts when they get home. It doesn't neeeed to be an issue.

Here- it was actually peanuts, and subjects were given 2mg of peanut flour to begin.
www.nhs.uk/news/2014/01January/Pages/Peanut-allergy-therapy-shows-promise.aspx

Actually, I think the anaphylaxis society were on the right lines when they gave out advice to eat a small amount of the allergen every day

They were not right because they didn't specify that this should only be done under strict medical supervision. Most people undergoing this type of therapy have to visit the hospital whilst they eat the small amount of allergen.

I have no problem with a nut ban if there is nut allergic person in the vicinity.

Blanket bans for no reason are stupid tho, and if I was a parent of a child with a severe allergy I'd rather people did know. Confidentiality schmonfidentiality.

CrohnicallyInflexible - you really support people doing this without medical supervision? That is what they were suggesting - do it at home yourself. There was a study about this and I remember it clearly. There was some TV coverage. It wasn't a major success. They had a number of people it worked well on - and a number of people that nearly died. they weren't so keen on mentioning that part.

crohnically even your link specifically states that the exposure was done in specialist allergy treatment centres which is totally different to what the anaphylaxis society recommended.

School needs to provide a safe environment. When Ds was younger, he was either in a nut free school or he was with me and I could be vigilant for him. Now he is 14, he is able to manage his allergy when he goes out with friends. He knows how to use an epipen, get help etc. He couldn't have done this when he was younger which is why it was essential his school kept him protected.