What Schools Are Doing to Help Students with Peanut Allergies

Peanut butter is a favorite sandwich spread of both young and old. So why is peanut butter banned in many schools? The reason is peanut allergies. People who are highly allergic to peanuts can go into anaphylactic shock from exposure to mere molecules of the food substance. For that reason, schools are choosing to ban peanut products from school lunch programs, snack machines, and classroom treats.

How does peanut exposure happen?

Peanut exposure can happen through airborne or physical contamination. It can occur in the classroom, on the playground, or even in the school library. A peanut-allergic individual is extremely venerable and can die within minutes of exposure, unless treated. For this reason, vigilance is necessary.

Do laws protect those allergic to peanuts?

By law, public schools must make accommodations for individuals with medical conditions. If that means banning peanuts on the premises, then that's an accommodation that must occur for the safety of those affected--no matter how inconvenient it may seem to peanut butter lovers. No one wants to be the cause of injury or loss of life. It's a simple accommodation to make, apart from any inconvenience.

What precautions are taken in classrooms and at school functions?

Increasingly, public school teachers receive training for appropriate protocol in case of anaphylactic shock. Training includes how to administer epinephrine injections and manage the classroom environment to protect peanut allergic students from exposure to peanut allergens.

Private schools in the United States, may or may not make accommodations for those individuals with a peanut allergy. But most private schools will acknowledge the medical condition and at least provide a peanut-free table in the lunchroom and sanitary wipes for classroom use.

An involved parent can make a big difference when it comes to educating school personnel on the medical needs of his or her child. Furthermore, a concerned parent can intervene and affect change in the school environment on behalf of his or her child with a peanut allergy.

How prevalent is a peanut allergy?

According to Wikipedia, 0.4 - 0.6 % of the population is allergic to peanuts. That means it's possible to have at least one student per school who is allergic to peanuts. Schools do well to train entire staff for allergy response. This includes training teachers, administrators, lunch room monitors, recess duty monitors, bus drivers, janitors, and substitute teachers--anyone working directly with students.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_allergy