You won’t see lunchboxes at Blanche Sims Elementary School filled with peanut butter sandwiches, M & Ms and Ritz Bits with Cheese. It has become a peanut-free zone.
School officials have asked parents not to let their children bring any food items that contain peanut products into the school. A first-grader was recently diagnosed as being allergic to peanuts.
At a school forum on Nov. 18, some parents told principal Eric Whitney the school’s new policy is too extreme.
They said it’s not fair; it puts too much of a burden on all the school’s parents who will worry about doing something wrong and it’s scaring some of the students.
One mom said her child was frightened he might hurt his classmate who is allergic and he didn’t want anything to do with peanut butter.
Other parents suggested a peanut free lunch table be provided for any allergic students in the school. And a few friends could be invited to sit with them (minus any peanut product).
Peanut free tables are used at the middle school and high school.
“We are compelled by law to provide a public education for every student and we are required to provide a student with disabilities with a safe environment,” Whitney said.
Because the student’s allergy is airborne, Whitney doesn’t believe it would be safe for the student because lunches would be stored in lockers and the first grader walks the halls from one end of the school to the other.
According to him, students at the school have been positive about the situation and have had a caring, sympathetic attitude.
“I’ve heard positive comments,” Whitney added.
One mother agreed. “The kids have adjusted better than the parents. Parents don’t want to find alternatives (to peanut items),” she added
Besides Whitney talking about the situation on the school’s morning news broadcast, a nine minute video called “Alexander, the Elephant Who Couldn’t Eat Peanuts” was shown.
Whitney suggested the best thing a parent can do is read labels. He didn’t want to provide a specific list of products to be avoided or used, because ingredients change frequently.
One parent, Arlene Vaughn, has spent hours on the Internet finding out information about peanut allergies. She said nothing she’s found out supports the banning of peanut products in schools.
“Nothing states that banning will work,’ she added.
She criticized the school district for its lack of consistency and guidelines regarding allergies at all of its schools. Carpenter Elementary and Paint Creek Elementary Schools are also peanut-free.
“I”ve found that many people have a very poor understanding of this issue. I sense they feel they are forced into this change because the life of a child could be at risk.
“Forced change will not work. This policy isn’t reasonable. It creates a very false sense of security, burdens the unaffected families, there are legal ramifications and is discriminating to children who have allergies to milk, soy and dairy products.”
According to Donn Tignanelli, Rochester’s Director for Community Relations, the principals in the school district have developed procedures about peanut allergies in their schools. It’s not something that will come before Rochester’s school board, he added.
He told Vaughn no school in Rochester has completely banned peanuts or peanuts oil products because it can’t guarantee a 100 percent free environment.
“It will never be a 100 percent guarantee. I’m not a doctor. I’ve talked to the doctor (the student’s) and this is what (peanut free zone) he’s recommended,” Whitney said. “The child’s allergy has progressed.”
The first grader’s dad was in the audience. He told parents he had a lot of allergies when he was young and spent a lot of time in the hospital. “I don’t want that for him,” he added. “He’s a normal boy. He just wants to be like everyone else.
“It’s been difficult. I don’t know what the alternatives are.”
Because there are two other elementary schools who are peanut-free, one parent suggested only one be designed peanut-free and children with allergies be sent to that school.
“We don’t force parents to choose a school,” Whitney said.
Other people said they would work with the school’s policy.
“What’s more important, reading a few labels or a child’s life?” one asked.
“Everyone should stick together and support this child,” another added.