Peanut Allergy Protest a 'Misunderstanding,' Florida School District Says

@Robtheblogger Washing your hands and wiping your mouth after lunch is "sufferring"??? Funny, I thought that was called hygiene.

OMG is right!!! I totally agree with you on this...my daughter's elementary school had 2 kids with peanut allergies in her grade, and all of us parent's respected the limitations of what foods and snacks that were allowed at school...it was no problem at all...you just have to think that child or children can die, or get very sick if one of the other children share snacks with each other..little kids don't realize what can happen...people who can not understand this are just selfish!!!

THe real shame is that you do not understand that the other students have rights as well. Your politically correct mindset makes me want to vomit. The other students are being punished for being healthy and normal. The scenerio that you mentioned in your blog does not make any sense at all. It is not my fault or the other students' fault that the little girl has allergies, that is her problem and her parents problem.

Personally it is not the way you see it. Change the conditions to your thought train. So let's say, for arguments sake, it is your child. Do you really expect an entire school to cater to your child's needs and have every single student do things to please you and protect your child? If your child could die because of their allergies, are you going to subject them to possible harm anywhere else? How about the parents of the allergy kid, teach their kid what they are allergic to, instead of revamping an entire school to suit that child. Because of that one child, time is taken away, money is spent by the school district, etc. So how about that set of parents pay for that? Being fair to one or 4 children and not being fair to hundreds is tying a rock around a kid and drowning them...that was a poor analogy and downright sick minded thinking. If a child is deathly allergic to things like that, then that child needs be honeschooled or go to a school that is prepared for those things. A school is for learning, not to be made into a hospital ward for the deathly allergic. If it were my child, I would do everything to protect them and one would be not send my child somewhere unsafe and I would certainly not expect an entire school district to be revamped to suit me or my child's needs. How about you pay for it for them then?

There are so many allergies as it relates to food. We do have to be careful but sensible at the same time. Take my allergies for instance and then think about how this would affect your child's school and cafeteria:

I have contact reaction to onions, I have a life threatening allergic reaction to oranges (even the smell of orange) and fish to include the smell of fish--which all require me to carry an epi pen.

So what would happen if I was a student at your child's school? Bye-bye oranges! No fish sticks kids! No onions rings! at all... Your kids would not even be able to bring this in their own lunch boxes, because the smell would cause a reaction!

Fortunately for me, my school and the staff are very understanding and I am warned in advance when these items are being served. So I can come prepared or avoid the cafeteria on those days.

But what about the children? They can't do that. We have to do what it takes to protect them. What if it were you or if it were your child or family member. If we think about it that way maybe it would make sense. Just a thought.

These kids will grow up one day and have the same allergies and it will follow them to the work place like mine followed me! Teach the kids tolerance now and hopefully they will not speak as harsh on the subject as some of you who are posting now.

Thanks

My son here in FL does this exact procedure for a girl in his class, but we are not the school mentioned in this article. He has been sick much less this year and his teacher has praised the handwashing as both preventative for allergies and ills and good hygiene lessons for the kids. I've volunteered in the classroom on numerous occasions and it does not cut into instructional time at all. These parents need to find a REAL issue to worry about in education--my guess is they might be our ed-budget slashing and crook who got away with fraud in the private sector Gov Scott fans. Where's the outrage about the school budget? Seriously, all this hype over handwashing is what is outrageous, not the act of an extra handwashing a day.

If you think having kids wash their hands is PUNISHMENT, then your the problem, not the solution. This is not punishment. this is common sense. Get your kids out of your meth lab and maybe they'll have a chance not to be as ignorant as you.

Thank you so much for your support on this issue. I have a daughter who has a very severe peanut allergy. The way we found out was when she was 2 1/2 years old she started to eat a peanut butter chip which she spat out because it tasted funny to her. We thought nothing of it, but within 10 minutes she was breaking out having trouble breathing. I thought it was something to do with asthma since I have another daughter who is asthmatic. My wife thought this was something different so we raced to the emergency room at the hospital. We were at the hospital within 25 minutes from when my daughter first tried the chip. The Doctors and Nurses were helping her in less than a minute from when we ran through the hospital doors. My daughters airway was the size of a pencil and would have been completely closed off within a few more minutes. If it wasn't for my wife's quick thinking and the excellent Hospital staff I would have lost my daughter that day. Now everyone we know has an epipen. We were told that seconds would count if she has a reaction again. For those who want to complain about a little hand washing I believe you would think differently if you experienced what I did that day.

I total agree with you hun.. It's sick and sad how the parents at like the children because the poor girl could die at any minute.. and it ticks me off because the school knows this girl could die so they are making it blow up worse.. they just dont want to be responsible for her dying *god forbids that she does* its not right. My own daughter is allergic to Soy product and it makes her sick every day. I have to deal with what she eats and the school here wont even take that into consideration.. Having to deal with her bowel movements, colds and flu signs all from her allergy.. Schools dont wanna pay for it and other parents dont wanna deal with their kids all day hence y they send them to school and then complain about other kids who have life threaten illnesses. Some parents who have children with illnesses like this want their children to experience the freedom of making friends and having fun not being stuck at home in a bubble all their life..

I agree with you on this totally. There is a reason that public schools are called PUBLIC. This child is entitled to a public school education. This is no different than a school or public place having to install ramps for a child that is in a wheelchair. Handwashing is NOT a bad habit for these kids to have anyway. Not only are these kids learning to be tolerate of other peoples disabilities (because obviously their parents are not), they are also learning good hygene. Come flu season, I bet this school has a lower rate of illness.

And as far as losing snack time goes, I would be willing to bet that the obesity rate in this school (and most other elementary schools) is probably though the roof. I never had a "snack time" in school. And chips and cookies are not "snacks" that these kids need to eat. I have a sister that is still in school, and about 85% of the students there could stand to lose a few pounds. And for lunch, the school lunches that are provided are carefully thought out. They are nutritious and provide necessary nutrients. They are also carefully planned as to not contain peanut traces. This benefits both the little girl and the rest of the school.

If these parents don't like having to make some healthy lifestyle changes, maybe they should put their kids in private or parochial schools. Let them go to a school ran by nuns and then see what school looks better. Maybe their kids will develop a life threatening allergy to bees or food... Maybe then they will see how hard it is for this little girl to live a "normal" life and how it feels to be protested against.

Seriously? tie a rock around the kids that can swim? Are you deranged? On what planet are the two scenarios similar?
I can appreciate that the kid has allergies. So do I, but as a child it was up to my parents and now it is up to me to avoid the items than can cause problems.
As for the father saying that everyone is against his kid...again, SERIOUSLY??!! I doubt very seriously that anyone is "against" his little precious bundle of joy. But why does everyone have to rearrange their schedules and plans to accommodate one child?

Two years ago I would have agreed with you. We had a student at our elementary school who had severe peanut allergies and while some thought the restriction placed on students were unreasonable, I supported the restrictions. That was until I encountered the family at the local grocery store, and the child was running around touching everything in sight and then later saw them at the local icre cream shop where the child was doing the same thing. At no time were her parents concerned with what she might come in contact with. And you know why, because they can't control everything, but they learned they could control the school.

2 classes washing their hands after lunch is not the whole school and is not punishment....these kids should be learning to wash up before and after meals anyway....its called hygene.....if they dont start learning now about hygene, compassion and tolerence they will never learn it especially judging by these protesting parents....shame.

I can't believe these parents are so upset about their kids having to wash their hands. If washing their hands upset them maybe it's because the parents don't enforce hand washing at home or bathing either. If their kid(s) had this type of allergy they would probably want the other children to be decontaminated or much worse. People get a life there are more important things to gripe about other than your filthy handed child(ren).

First, Edgewater is full of low income, rental properties and inhabited by uneducated, blue collar workers. So that is the mentality of the parents who are "protesting" this. They are hicks, uneducated and speak before they have something to say. I seriously doubt 30 minutes is going to hurt "their" children one way or another. It is sad that there are ignorant parents who are now raising ignorant children but in this case, they just need to shut up. They truly are the low lifes of Volusia County.

How sad that both sides are being so ridiculous. I'd want my kids to wash their hands frequently at school, allergies or no allergies. But a peanut-sniffing dog searching the school? Really? Seems a bit extreme. My son has a life-threatening allergy. Instead of expecting the world to cater to him, I home school him. When he is older and can protect himself better, then we will re-evaluate his educational choices. Until then, I'm not letting his life depend on the willingness of a bunch of childish protesters to comply.

Compromise, people. It isn't that hard.

I can understand both sides of the argument..What I think most parents are upset about the is school's "catering" to the child with allergies.I use that word for a lack of a better word..It has gotten so politically correct that in the school that I work out (typist, not a teacher thankfully), if a 3rd grader is having a temper tantrum, he is "allowed to act out his feelings" and the other 23 students need to leave the room so he can act out and express his feeling..The kid needs to be sent to the Principals office and reprimanded but unfortunately too many parents do not discipline their children nowadays and we are ending up with a society of spoiled children who think that they are the greatest things walking on the planet. Imagine a class room of prima donnas!!.What a rude awakening they will have when they are in their 20's..Back to subject, this is what I think most parents are upset about. The school catering to the special needs child and ignoring the standard or enriched child as they can just skate by with less attention or direction from the school district.

Seriously??!! - why is that so different than putting another child at risk when it can be avoided. That's my point. Why would one put a child in danger if a simple change of procedures ensures the saftey of ALL OF THE KIDS. (Gosh, I didn't realize so many adults were against hygeine.) Hopefully you will never have to see your child swell up and gasp for air or see the effects of an Epi pen on them as I have. Have you ever been to a childs funeral? I have, my 21 month old neice (not because of food allergies). If I can avoid putting any parent in that situation I would do whatever was needed. The county I live in has 7 grammar schools. One of the schools has 2 students with SEVERE peanut allergies. You know what...they don't serve any peanutbutter or any other peanut product in any of the schools countywide. No child is starving because they can't have pb&j. No parent is protesting. It's not about who's feelings get hurt by the rule, it's about all of the kids deserving to being in a safe environment.

Walter said...
"The real shame is that you do not understand that the other students have rights as well. Your politically correct mindset makes me want to vomit. The other students are being punished for being healthy and normal."

Walter - are you for real?
The other students are being "punished" for having to clean their hands & faces so that another child wont die?

I'm againist PC behavior but this isn't about a school district forcing someone's cultural customs or religious beliefs onto the other students. It is about having compassion for a child who may DIE from a peanut!