AIBU for being unhappy about this change in school dinners

[wingingitk15]

So a new child started my sons school on Monday and he has a severe dairy allergy. It is so severe that he cannot be in the same room as a dairy product.

They've stopped giving the children in his classroom the usual school milk and for dinner time, since they're in the bubbles anyway, they've made it that when their year enter the dinner hall they take away all other options and his year are only offered the vegan option.

I'm a bit confused by this because surely if it's an airborne allergy, the previous years eating different foods would still be in the air? But my son has came home absolutely starving everyday because he says "the vegan option is horrible" and he won't eat them. He loves his fruit and veg, he's not a picky eater so I can't understand him not wanting to eat them.

I'm a bit unsure on what to do because I feel so sorry for this new pupil who has to be very careful about what he eats but also I pay for these dinners and my son isn't being given a choice it's just the one vegan option that he's given.

Packed lunches aren't an option because of covid they are only allowing packed lunches if the child has previously been packed lunch.

Should I enquire to the school about this? Or should I just tell them my son is going packed lunch? Is this just something I've got to accept that he's going to be given whatever is vegan that day and he'll come home starving or is there a way the school could overcome this?

None of my family suffer from allergies so I'm not really clued up on how they can be. If anyone has any children with allergies and tips on how the school/children manage with it I'd really appreciate it!

@Sweet666

I don't see the problem, meat and dairy aren't exactly essential parts of a meal

But the school have said (or its believes their policy is) children who no longer wish to take this option forced upon them cannot have packed lunch.

If the school wishes to refuse a choice they need to also make adjustments for those who not having a choice effects.

It's not inclusive to make a lunch inclusive for a child with allergy that then excludes the right of choice for everyone else.

@SleepingStandingUp

Well I was joking about ops school *@simonJT* but presumably of your kid had a severe dairy allergy, had just moved schools and school had put in a vegan only rule, you'd think it highly probable

Around 1% of children have a dairy allergy, it isn’t rare, so fairly unlikely.

Some of these responses are so heartless.
I’m assuming your child is primary age given the milk references. Yes, ask for further information from the school about how they are managing the risk. It doesn’t make sense that those with diary in lunchboxes eat in the same area, if the school lunch options exclude this, however it is probably to cover themselves if an incident were to occur.
I personally don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask children to eat one of their meals a day without diary (or vegan for that matter) however they should be sending the milk cartoon home for the DC who pay for it or get FSM.

Email the school for clarity, IF this is true, it's very extreme. I'd assume it's vegan only due to cross contamination in the kitchen but this does raise questions about those on packed lunch. There's certainly opportunity for cross contamination and have all the children got dairy free butter on sandwiches etc.

Personally think the better option would be to sit the DC in question with DC who are actively choosing the vegan meal or who don't have it in their packed lunch.

Very bad for FSM children left as it is.

I personally don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask children to eat one of their meals a day without diary (or vegan for that matter) however they should be sending the milk cartoon home for the DC who pay for it or get FSM
It is when for some children their cooked school lunch is their main meal of the day. School meal provision should be broad and balanced. It takes time and effort to get a balanced and healthy vegan diet, which the school won't be thinking of beyond the individual meals. For child who has their main meals at school that's depriving them of a range of foods.

Perhaps it's temporary whilst catering company are making meals dairy free?

@ItsMarch

For some kids, that one hot meal is the only balanced relatively healthy meal they will be getting that day.

I say this kindly but you are over reacting. If the new child started on Monday, it is likely this arrangement is a stop gap until the caterers have reworked the menus and used up existing food stocks. For instance, it is easy to make dairy free (with meat) sausage and mash that tastes practically the same as a version with dairy, but with an allergy this severe, they will not be able to use the sausages they already have in the schools freezers which say ‘may contain milk’ on the packet.

Schools have been very focused on COVID safety procedures and rolling out lateral flow testing as the students return, so it’s possible that the school didn’t give their catering team much warning. The school will hopefully communicate with parents of affected children about what the plan is going forward, so it may be worth giving them a day or so. Then if there is no clarification you could ask them if this is a temporary arrangement.

Read this Op assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/788884/School-food-in-England-April2019-FINAL.pdf

Oh I see @SimonJT

The official recommendation is not to ban specific foods from school in the case of allergies, the school have to manage the risk. If it’s something like nuts that aren’t a staple food then I wouldn’t be annoyed, however dairy is a staple. Kids need a school lunch that they will actually eat. If packed lunch children and teachers have what they like there will always be a risk of contact, the whole class have to be involved in handwashing/ being told not to share food etc. Kitchen have to ensure no cross contamination (which they should do for vegans anyway). Most teachers have a tea or coffee on the go in the classroom at our school!

Can't keep up with all the comments lol so I'll try to reply to what I've seen

The packed lunched kids eat in a different hall

My child's class goes in second to last or last every lunch, there's 3 options avaliable, one normal (I don't know what other word to use), one veggie and one vegan. I'm assuming that this week the veggie one has had some kind of dairy in it so they were only given the vegan option

I'm going to email the school tomorrow and I will update with what they say

Seems very excessive to make an entire class confirm to a vegan diet
5 meals a week vegan still leaves 16 other meals based on 3 a day. Plus snacks! Doesn’t feel excessive to me.

My mom worked in a school with an dairy airborne allergy child and the boy had to sit in a separate area for his food. I think it’s the best thing sorry but other children shouldn’t be punished for his allergy. When their older restaurants and other places won’t serve one option of food if someone’s allergic so why should schools. I’m celiac and also allergic to eggs and oranges and I would feel awful if people had to change what they eat because of me.

@ItsMarch some children don't have 16 other meals a week.

@ItsMarch

Seems very excessive to make an entire class confirm to a vegan diet 5 meals a week vegan still leaves 16 other meals based on 3 a day. Plus snacks! Doesn’t feel excessive to me.

I'm going to say it loudly for the people at the back: For some children, their school dinner is their only hot/decent meal in their day

So it's important. Just as important as the child with the milk allergy.

It's all about balancing different children's needs and finding a compromise that works for all the children.

ItsMarch some children don't have 16 other meals a week.
You beat me to it.
On top of those children there's all the children who might have other meals each day, but the nutritional value is minimal. They also need nutritional balanced meals at school.

Being forced to eat vegan is a problem if the children don’t like it and are going hungry. In your position I’d refuse to pay for a meal that the child won’t eat and I’d send in sandwiches

I can't see why it would be vegan?

Because it is easier to provide one meal that covers both vegan and dairy free. And possibly vegetarian too.

Yes yes @frubr @OverTheRainbow88 @LolaSmiles

I’m aware of that. But here we are talking about one class of children. Let’s apply some perspective.

The school will have done a risk assessment and seen the child’s care plan from the consultant. I very much doubt they would have taken this action if the child wasn’t at serious risk.

A lot of vegan food contains gluten, how on earth would this school cope if one of the other children was coeliac? You can’t impose a restricted diet on the majority for the sake of one child.

[quote RootyT00t]@SimonJT did you misread that? PP just said he should go home for lunch , not that he can't go to school like that nonsensical PP earlier said.[/quote]
Well it's not exactly practical to leave work, pick your chil up, take them home, give them lunch & take them back to school snd go back to work is it?!

@mummywantstobeslim

Yes that would piss me off. I understand the new child has an allergy but I don't see why every other child has to be inconvenienced because of it.

But that child’s parents will be far more inconvenienced by, you know, their child’s death ffs

Anaphylaxis is anaphylaxis no matter what the cause
We all accept nut free schools so this is no different

I’m sure your son won’t be traumatised by a vegan meal he may very well be traumatised seeing a classmate given an epi pen or worse my child has egg allergy his school removed egg from lunches and stopped children bringing egg in

Your child can have a bigger breakfast and after school snack / dinner etc he will be ok

How old are they? Is it an age thing we're children might swap food when teacher not looking and the child with allergy might eat something he shouldn't. My dd has a child with nut allergy in her class so all children have been asked not to have anything with nut ingredients in there lunch bags to be safe they are only 5 tho.

@Avenueofcherryblossom

A lot of vegan food contains gluten, how on earth would this school cope if one of the other children was coeliac? You can’t impose a restricted diet on the majority for the sake of one child.

I have 2 coeliac and vegan dds Vegan food is not always full of gluten ! They eat well and are full. Things like lentils and chickpeas are good there are many options Plus pasta is a good filling lunch or jacket potato and beans these are the sort of things out schools offer