Saw this on the news today, all over peanuts....unbelievable

[DisneyCG]

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[jodifla]

WEll, it is my child with the allergy, and i ghold the same opinion. I am the parent of a child with a LTA and I would never consider asking parents not to feed thier child shellfish. Children eat them all the time at DD's school and I am fine with that. Mucho f the local economy depends on the seafood industry and it is in almost every restaurant here. Iti served in school lunches weekly at DD's school. I cannot spend her entire life ensuring that no one ever eats shellfish around her. Tere is no reason any child in her school should not be able to eat shellfish at school. There is no need for a "shellfish free school". I feel iti s up to the parent to educate the child about thier allergy, and teach them how to manage it.

It is not about "not being able to feed a child PB", but about the unecessary counterporductive lengths they are gonig to that interfere with class time. As the parent of an allergy child I DON'T want her school shellfish free. I prefer that she learn how to safely deal with people around her eating things she is allergic to. The eniter world will never be shellfish free, and she needs to learn to live in it.

This. They are wasting class time with things that don't make any difference. And the mouth wash thing is over the top, whether it's water or actual mouth wash. It clearly crosses the reasonable line to me.

And my child also has a shellfish allergy, and we deal with it, we don't expect every child in his school to deal with it.

 

[spacemountainmom]

It is literally impossible to control every situation the child is going to encounter in her life, so why does the school have to go to such extreme lengths to accomodate this child?

I can think of so many situations where the child (no matter how hard they try and shield her) can come into contact with peanuts. I said it before, I would love for someone to explain to me how the child can ever leave her home. How can she ride in a car? How can she go into a store or a restaurant? How does she do anything? If she can go anywhere else, then she certainly can go to school without the extreme precautions.

I am sorry that people have to deal with these things, but everyone has to deal with something. I've had glasses since I was 18 months old, not life threatening, but a pain in my butt nonetheless. Not being able to see well has impacted every single day of my life. Maybe every person with perfect vision should have to wear glasses so I don't have to be alone? It would have been great if every kid in grade school had to wear ugly glasses too. It would have saved me years of teasing. Ridiculous.....YES! Asking an entire school and their families to ban peanut products, rinse their mouths three times a day and bringing in peanut sniffing dogs......RIDICULOUS!

Call me selfish, insensitive or whatever you want, I would not put up with my child having to deal with those extremely ridiculous requirements.

 

[princessmom29]

Peanuts are in a lot of things even if the physical nut isn't in there. I'm using peanuts as an example...

there needs to be some consideration for allergies of other people....

if nobody cared about other peoples allergies, then there wouldn't be any vaccines to help them nor would there be companies who make foods in a peanut free facility so that people with allergies can eat.

allergies aren't chosen, and yes they do have to learn to live with them, however, everyone can take simple steps to help one another out and provide a safe school environment. and the fact that some parents are so unwilling to do so shocks and saddens me.

Ther are no vaccines for allergies!!!!!
There are not "simple steps" you can take to provide a completely safe school environmenty for this child. What they are doing does nothing to help her.

 

[DisneyCG]

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[spacemountainmom]

I'm taking my toys and I am going home!

 

[livvylivvie]

Peanut butter is not even that good for you...

4 points on the weight watchers scale for one tablespoon....


..

Good Point!!

 

[DisneyCG]

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[Hannathy]

I'm taking my toys and I am going home!

They always do! or they throw out the then you are a bad person and don't care about kids!

If you can't participate in a discussion with facts go emotional, name call and then take your toys and go home.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Peanuts are in a lot of things even if the physical nut isn't in there. I'm using peanuts as an example...

there needs to be some consideration for allergies of other people....

if nobody cared about other peoples allergies, then there wouldn't be any vaccines to help them nor would there be companies who make foods in a peanut free facility so that people with allergies can eat.

allergies aren't chosen, and yes they do have to learn to live with them, however, everyone can take simple steps to help one another out and provide a safe school environment. and the fact that some parents are so unwilling to do so shocks and saddens me.

But where does it end? Are we going to ban every single food that there is an allergy to from schools? Strawberries, shellfish, eggs, wheat, a friend of mine's child is allergic to histamine, I'm not even sure what that's in, plus all of the products that are manufactured in a facility that has peanuts. Does one child deserve to be protected more than the others?

Simple steps? Schools are laying off teachers and teachers are buying their own supplies, but I wonder how much a "peanut sniffing dog" service costs?

 

[spacemountainmom]

I was just discussing this with my dh. He brought up something I had not really considered....say there are 180 days in the school year....30 minutes per day for washing and rinsing consumes 90 hours of class time. Imagine what can be accomplished in those 90 hours! Three and three quarter days worth of washing and rinsing.....unfreakingbelievable!

 

[Hannathy]

I was just discussing this with my dh. He brought up something I had not really considered....say there are 180 days in the school year....30 minutes per day for washing and rinsing consumes 90 hours of class time. Imagine what can be accomplished in those 90 hours! Three and three quarter days worth of washing and rinsing.....unfreakingbelievable!

Plus add in there the cost for supplies, plus the additional cost of disposing of all used supplies, someone to monitor them doing this-hardly a teachers job and one I'm sure the union will not allow them to do and if they do is that really how we want someone making $30 plus an hour doing? AND then the additional janitorial services that are going to be required to clean after all those children rinse their mouths!!!!

 

[sjaakie]

But where does it end? Are we going to ban every single food that there is an allergy to from schools? Strawberries, shellfish, eggs, wheat, a friend of mine's child is allergic to histamine, I'm not even sure what that's in, plus all of the products that are manufactured in a facility that has peanuts. Does one child deserve to be protected more than the others?

Simple steps? Schools are laying off teachers and teachers are buying their own supplies, but I wonder how much a "peanut sniffing dog" service costs?

200$$ per hour.

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2008/10/25/hire-sniffer-dogs-to-check-out-your-kids/

 

[Mkrop]

Both DSs are allergice to the outdoors, no it is not life threatening but it affects one's asthma so could be life threatening. The other DS has a horrible allergy to trees, his eyes blow up like balloons when he touches pollen. I am not asking the school to close the windows (bc there is no A/C), I am not demanding A/C although work will be starting on that. Some days everything is covered in pollen. The only accomdations I have asked of the school is to allow him to wash his hands after being outside, and to use an eyewash or his eye drops if they get bad. Maybe I should make the school cut down all the trees near his classroom so he can see

If this girl can go out to other public places then she should be able to go to school with REASONABLE accomodations made for her peanut allergy.

 

[livndisney]

I think that it is absolutely unbelievable that parents think that they should be able to feed their child peanut butter when they know other children have allergies.

if it were your child with the allergy, I'm sure you would change your opinions.

It's called being considerate!! Everyone should feel safe sending their child to school and not worry about their child going into anaphlactic shock!

There are many other options for children to eat other than peanut butter...

Peanut butter is not even that good for you...

4 points on the weight watchers scale for one tablespoon....

I don't mean to be disrespectful I just know a lot of people who have allergies, and it is outrageous that people are upset because they cant feed their children peanut butter....

Sorry, you are wrong. My child is one of the ones with allergies and oops so am I. I do not expect the world to change for either one of us. What is really outrageous is people on this thread who refuse to even try and see the other side of the story. As previously discussed, for many there are not "other options than peanut butter".

There are those who refuse to see that all these parents are asking for is that REASONABLE measures are taken. What is so hard about being reasonable on the Dis? (nevermind I answered my own question)

 

[melancholywings]

I feel for that child. Yes it's an inconvience for the other families and there needs to be a better system in place to protect the child. But it's a small inconvience for these other families compared to what this child and family goes through every single moment of the day. When you have a disabled child homeschooling isn't always an option when faced with medical bills. And small private schools are not always an option as they are not required to accomidate.

And I don't know why any parent would be against hand washing - shouldn't hygine be encouraged? They don't wash their hands enough.

 

[kchughes]

Ther are no vaccines for allergies!!!!!
There are not "simple steps" you can take to provide a completely safe school environmenty for this child. What they are doing does nothing to help her.

Actually, Duke University has been doing a study for several years where they are working on serial desensitization, similar to allergy shots for seasonal allergies and animal dander, except with peanut exposure. They have had some success at least allowing these people to move from LTA to I have time to take my meds (benedryl/epi pen). As the parent of a child with a LTA to peanuts, that is great news.

But as I said in a prior post, I have educated my son well beginning at age 2 when he was exposed and I refuse to force him to live his life in a bubble.

And here is my PSA for the day. Just because you are allergic to peanuts, does not mean you are allergic to peanut oil. Unless you are dining in a very high end restaurant that prepares its foods with cold pressed peanut oil, the process to make normal hot pressed peanut oil, like fast food restaurants use and the typical home turkey fryer would use, the protein that causes the reaction is removed. Therefore, nothing to react to.

I will step off my soap box now.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm reading a lot on this thread about how we should have compassion for this little girl (which apparently means creating her a peanut free universe), but where is the compassion on the part of the parents of the girl with the allergy?

The parents of the child with the allergy apparently are not concerned about cutting into the instructional time of an entire classroom. They apparently do not have compassion for the children who are struggling with thier studies, children for whom that 30 mins a day of extra instruction may make all the difference. Thirty extra minutes of math or reading may make the difference between a child grasping and understanding a new concept, or just skating through.

Compassion is a two way street, having allergies does not mean that you don't have to worry about other people, that your needs trump all.

If the little girl is so allergic that peanut breath can cause a reaction, maybe she should wear a surgical mask, instead of forcing an entire classroom to rise thier mouths. If she cannot touch peanuts, maybe she should wear gloves to protect her hands, and long sleeves and long pants at all times to protect her skin. Maybe a pair of coveralls that she would wear only on school property. I think there are many choices that could protect this girl that don't infringe on the rights and time of others.

 

[Cinderellabride]

This is a comment from the linked article. It is a comment from the parent of the girl with the allergy saying they did not know these things were going on, and did not request them and now that they know are just as enraged as the other parents:

"I am posting on here to hopefully reach the parents that are willing to listen for just a minute to the parents of this little girl. I read a posting on here from a parent who would be willing to sit down with us and discuss their concerns with us. We WANT THIS!! Most of these things being brought out into the media we did not know was going on until the protest started. Believe it or not if these things are truly going on then we are just as enraged as these parents are. We do not want them going on nor have we asked for them or demand them. We are kindly asking to be given a chanceto explain the truth and work things out so that no child feels the way our child is feeling right now. If this is truly not against our family or 6 year old then give us a chance to say the truth and back it up with documentation PLEASE!!"

Here is the page with the comment: http://www.wftv.com/news/27152881/detail.html

There is also a comment from another parent of the school right above it, and it looks as though they are going to talk and try to work it all out.

So everyone can chill now

 

[DisneyCG]

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