If a student has food allergies, should the school make the classroom allergen free?

Question

I am not sure why this would raise my taxes...Yes, they are REAL allergies...diagnosed by a Physician through skin and blood test after my child went into anaphlaxis--(the airway closes) Could they just make sure that no other student brings in foods that would cause a reaction.

The school does have a peanut-free classroom, bathroom and lunch table...but my child is allergic to eggs and treenuts--(not the same as peanuts)... Just wondering why one allergy is addressed but not another....wouldn't that be discrimination?

I am not sure how this would be considered a distraction....allergens to my child are like poison to yours...they would kill...isn't it also the educators responsibility to help protect our kids while they are in school?

Answer 1

yes, that happened in my school. a girl was allergic to peanuts
so we had tables at lunch where u couldnt eat them

Answer 2

My daughter is a first year teacher and has a child with a peanut allergy in her class. She is trained to use the epi pen..the child also has asthma and she is trained to use his inhaler as well. They have snacks as a class and the parents have been informed of the childs allergy and they do not send snacks with nuts. The lunchroom has a no peanut table and the teacher has to clean the table with a special solution before the children sit there. Maybe the reason that the peanut allergy is treated so seriously is because even the smell of peanuts will send this child into an attack. Do not know about tree nuts and egg allergies. If there is not a threat of the smell setting the child off maybe that is why it is handled differently than the peanut allergy.

Answer 3

No the school shouldn't be responsible for making the classroom allergen free for a child with food allergies. Then, who's to say that the kid who has a dust or mold allergy can't be accomodated too? The allergic child should be taught to only eat foods mom and dad give him, and not to accept things from other people. Three of my boss' children are allergic to peanuts, and one of them is also allergic to milk. They ALL know - even the two year old knows - that they can't accept anything from anyone and that they have to read the packages of anything they get anyway.

I think this has gotten way out of hand. Who is a school to tell another child they can't bring a peanut butter sandwich to school for lunch? There's kids that ONLY like peanut butter, and there's families who really can't afford much of anything else. Did you ever stop to think about THAT?

Not to mention - when your child hits the real world they have to learn that workplaces won't cater to their needs either.

Answer 4

I'm assuming we're talking about a very young student? It's impossible to make a classroom allergen free, but the teacher should be aware and do everything in his/her power to keep the food the student is allergic to away from the student. Especially if the allergy is so severe as to cause problems even if the student doesn't eat it. In that case, the teacher must keep the food out of the classroom. Also, the teacher should be trained in the use of epi-pens or other emergency medication and should be in posession of that medication.

It's impossible for the school to be sure no students bring in those foods in their own lunch bags. The best the school could do is what the answerer below said, designating tables where students could not have those foods in the lunchroom. They could also not allow those foods to be open in the classroom, but dictating what is not allowed in a private lunch bag is impossible.

Answer 5

This is tough. Eggs are in EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!! Especially bread and most kids take sandwiches for lunch. While it does seem discriminatory that typically "peanuts" are prohibited, it would be hard to control elimination of other type foods. Heck, we might as well not let kids eat at school because EVERYONE seems to be allergic to one thing or another.

Unfortunately it will be YOUR responsibility to find some kind of solution for your kids problem. Possibly he/she will have to eat separate from the other kids, which is no fun, but will at least keep him safe. I'm not being sarcastic but if the allergies are THAT bad, you may need to "home-school" your child.

mb

Answer 6

No.

I feel for you, but have you considered home-schooling?

How is the school supposed to make the classrooms allergen-free for your child?

If they're food allergies, doesn't your child need to actually eat or taste them? Does the smell of a PBJ trigger a reaction?

It'd be nice if the school could accommodate your child's needs as much as is reasonably possible, but beyond that I don't think they or the other students and families have any responsibility.

Answer 7

They could inform parents of other students, and maybe even make rules about it, but as far a being held responsible for such things, I can't imagine that this could, or even should, be done. Our schools are responsible for having a safe place for our children to learn, but you can 't expect them so basically "sterilize" the world around the children. There is a point where parents have to take on the responsibility of teaching their own children what is safe and not safe (food allergies being a HUGE part of that), and educate them on how to avoid unsafe situations (like eating the peanuts that I assume you saw on TV). Enough is enough, and parents have to take on responsibility for themselves and their families for a change. We train out teachers and hopefully hire the highest caliber of person as educators, but they are just that...educators. They are not police, doctors, psychologists, or nannys. Let them teach our kids without so many distractions! They are not there to get rich, most of them are there because they love to teach children. No doubt they will do everything in their power to make such a situation workable (since that is part of their love for children), but PLEASE don't try to hold them liable if something goes wrong. They are doing their best, which is usually far and above what the rest of society does on a regular basis.

Answer 8

No it is not the schools responsibility to cater to every single child. They have to meet the needs of the many and try to meet the needs of the few. Besides, the cost would be prohibitive. If said child simply has food allergies then pack his lunch and snacks, explain to the teacher what his allergies are and if they are so severe that he cannot be around any of these things consider home schooling.

Don't expect the school to change its entire lunch menu to accomodate one child. The schools are on a budget. I'm sorry if that is not the answer you were wanting.

Answer 9

It's a touchy subject. This would mean that nobody can bring in so many different foods and that's not fair to the majority. It can't be expected that all the other parents have to buy specialty items just because 1 or 2 other students are allergic. I don't see how it could be done.

Answer 10

I say homeschool.

But if you don't want to, or can not, then yes the school has to provide your child with a safe area to be in. But you still run the risk of your child dying because kids will still eat foods in the morning that your child can not be around and will then come into contact with your child through the course of the day.

I have a friend that has 3 children that are very alergic to tree nuts and they had to homeschool after the school could not keep their (at the time) 1 daughter safe. They now participate in the homeschool group adn we are well aware of the precautions we have to undergo to be with them adn have no problems with it. :)

Answer 11

its not the schools problem its your and your childs.make your childs lunch everyday and explain to your child how important it is to not swap foods ever because of allergies. i am allergic to soybeans. my middle school used them alot. so my doctor sent a note asking them to provide me with salads with real meat on the days when the say meat was both meal choices i was responsible for asking for the salad. its not the schools problem to control food allergies its the parents if so no kid would eat anything because pretty much every kid is allergic to something good luck