One 5-year-old's allergy leads to class peanut ban [lunch searches?????]

SF Chronicle ^

[Sub-Driver]

An East Bay elementary school's ban on peanut butter sandwiches and other nut products in its kindergarten classes has some parents questioning whether school district administrators overreacted to concerns for one allergic child.

At the center of the storm is a 5-year-old boy enrolled at Valle Verde Elementary School in Walnut Creek. He suffers from "peanut and tree nut" allergies that his mother says are life-threatening.

[Paved Paradise]

It ends with common sense. Let common sense prevail and stop with the silly arguments. We can't kill all bees. It's about minimizing risk. Geez, you'd think it's a constitutional right to eat peanut butter the way some of you are whining. If it was your kid, you'd probably sue Messrs. Skippy and Jif.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Do not be surprised. Some would rather see a child die than have their own child inconvenienced.

[MEGoody]

"I find it interesting that here, on FR, where just about everyone believes avidly in the right to life, we find some who care not a whit about a little boy who is ALREADY HERE."

I now nominate this for the stupidest comment on the thread. How you got that anyone here wants this kid dead is beyond me.

[Paved Paradise]

Good point! Probably not the same people whining about the peanuts though.

[justshe]

It is also very possible that the processing of the peanuts/oil may have changed over the years.....thus leading to a product that causes more allergic reactions.

I understand that is the case with grains (wheat, barley, oats,rye) that contain gluten. The gluten of today is MUCH different than the gluten at the turn of the century....and thus the incidence of gluten-intolerance is on the rise as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations are now reaping (no pun intended) the benefits of the engineered/enhanced grains.

[Conspiracy Guy]

How many people have this type affliction? Before today I had never heard of it and I'll be 50 in Jan. If either of my children had had such an affliction, they would have been home schooled.

[flashbunny]

If I had a child with, "life threatening allergies", they certainly wouldn't be going to public school.

I'm sorry, that's a completely insensitive suggestion. It's logical and pratical. How dare you use common sense when "It's for the children"?

[Eva]

If the kids wash their hands after eating there will be no residue. Like I said, there would be very little danger to this kid as long as he ate in a separate room, not at the same table. Put some rubber gloves on the kid if the mother is paranoid about him touching anything after the other kids, put him in bubble if she wants, it's her kid.

[Darnright]

"Well if it causes death, then it IS as bad as DDT! Not all schools have the problem. I wouldn't want to be the loser that brought in peanuts and caused some child's death, that's for sure. Just follow the golden rule here - it's easy."

Mayonnaise and poultry left at room temperature may cause food poisoning. Many people send Junior to school with peanut butter sandwiches because PB doesn't have to be refrigerated. What if some child gets severe food poisoning from his room temperature turkey sandwich, sent to school because peanut butter is verboten?

Cleaning products are poisonous to children. If a kid injests such a product, it can cause death.

So when do we ban all cleaning products from school grounds?

[MEGoody]

"Do not be surprised. Some would rather see a child die than have their own child inconvenienced."

Lets also put this comment into nominations for the stupidest on the thread.

[Doctor Stochastic]

One reason is that those with such allergies died earlier and did not make it to school age.

[Paved Paradise]

Rush isn't always right (wow, revelation). Banning peanuts from kids during the school day causes misery!??? Give me a break. I can't stand this insanity any more. "Now little Johnny, I'm soooo sorrrrry dear (tears), you can't have peanut butter while you are at school - don't cry now dear, there, there, mommy will buy you some new toys." Sheesh.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Actually there is no treatment or cure, but people are working on it.

So how was it identified? There seems to be a lot of misinformation going on - and a lot of hysteria, too. Severe allergic reactions are bad- but here's my problem with the logic in this. Some are saying that if the kid comes in contact with peanuts, he/she will die. But clearly, he/she had to have come in contact with peanuts (and survived) before this event to know that he/she has an allergic reaction to the product.

As for my point about bees - I was hoping for an intelligent response, and I get a flippant remark. Oh, well. Too much to ask. Still as no one as been able to answer why one group and not another -- clearly I'm beginning to think that the hysterical peanut butter group is less than rational; finding yet another excuse to destroy society from the inside. See ya.

[sheik yerbouty]

Who's in charge in Frisco? Dr. Demento?

[taxcontrol]

Yes - but after 7 bouts of pneumonia, I'm more likely to get upper respitory infections. I even got a pneumonia vacine. However it only covers about 75% of the types of pneumonia - and I got a bout 2 years later. Just lucky I guess.

Dust mites only bother me in large quantities. So I'm the one who replaces the air filter regularly (wife never remembers) and steam cleans the floor.

I also get the annual flu shot. My real "threat" it the kids going to school. They bring all that junk home - and share.

[EggsAckley]

No, let's put YOU there.

Pfffttt!

[Doctor Stochastic]

You do seem rather insensitive to other people's lives.

[MrConfettiMan]

"Moops!"

[CathyRyan]

Can not have it at home either. If a child has peanut butter toast for breakfast or peanut butter cereal etc. No peanut products should be used by any child that could come into contact with this child (or his enviroment). The smell can be on a child's breath, oils can be on hands, clothes, back pack, etc. That being said I think this child needs to be home schooled.

[FourPeas]

My wife has seen a teen who went into a coma from eating brownies. They had no nuts in them, but the pan had been used before to make peanut butter cookies and and when it was washed not all of the peanut oil got removed.

So, using your previous example with the chair: a kid eats a brownie baked in a pan previously used to make peanut butter cookies, being a kid residue remains on his hands and he touches a chair, when the allergic kid touches the chair.... Therefore, prohibiting peanut butter from the kindy class is useless. This child, if indeed that violently allergic needs to be homeschooled -- or, perhaps we should just make it illegal for children who attend the same class as this child to have peanut butter in their homes.

And, yes, I do doubt the mother. I've had to deal with mothers like this before and without exception they've been trouble. A friend of mine has a child who is severly allergic to peanut butter and she doesn't play these games. She makes the necessary adjustments and finds a way to live in this world without expecting the world to change for her.