The School Peanut Debate

Posted by Karen Plumley Dec 29, 2008

I just completed writing an article entitled, Life Threatening Food Allergies in School after following for a couple of weeks a fierce debate in a local newspaper on the subject of whether or not peanuts should be allowed in school. Irate parents from surrounding towns are furiously weighing in. On the one hand, it seems that severe peanut allergies are very uncommon and parents of non-allergic children are questioning whether or not all the children should be made to "suffer" without their daily dose of peanut butter to satisfy the needs of the few.

On the other hand, the parents of children who do truly suffer from these life threatening allergies make a good argument in saying that every child has the right to be educated in an environment that is safe. These families live in constant fear that their children may die if not properly looked after.

Older children have the ability to read labels, avoid certain foods they are unsure of, and take care to wash their hands--but in the case of peanuts, these measures may not be enough. And the younger ones will continually need to be reminded to watch out until they understand the consequences of their allergy.

Those who do not fully understand an allergy so severe may not even know how to distinguish foods that are truly peanut free. For example, candy that does not contain peanuts may still be dangerous if it is made on a production line where peanut candies is also made. And of course, there are the food items that are put together by the home cook, in a kitchen that probably is not free of the deadly allergen.

The topic of banning peanuts from schools will continue to divide those who are trying to comprehend how something as innocent-looking as a peanut could possibly be so dangerous, from those that are fighting for the very survival of their offspring on a daily, hourly, and minute-by-minute basis.