Home Hot Topics Articles Directors' Choice Awards About Us / Contact Us Activities & Curriculum Activities for Outcome-Based Learning Arts & Crafts Music for Learning Recommended Reading Sharing Boards: What Do YOU Think? NEWSlink Current National News Conference Calendar Topics In Early Childhood Education Art and Creativity in Early Childhood Education Job Sharing Board State Licensing Requirements Stay Connected! Each month we'll send you an email filled with articles and ideas for your classroom. Subscribe Now Date: 10/5/2005 4:37:00 PM Author: Rhonda (cilleypeople@direcway.com) Subject: Someone allergic to milk will not ... Someone allergic to milk will not die if the person sitting next to them has a glass of milk. Someone who has a strawberry allergy will not die if someone sitting next to them has a strawberry. Someone who has an allergy to a nut CAN die if someone sitting next to them has a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. I can't imagine my son's throat swelling shut because 3 kids in his class had a pb&j; sandwich. We're talking about something that is truly deadly to children. That is the difference between peanuts/nuts and other allergies. When I sit here and weigh my son "enjoying" strawberries sitting next to a kid who is literally deathly allergic to them - I guess I'd have to ask myself why I am putting my son's enjoyment of a a food item above the safety of another person's child. I could not imagine thinking "hey, that's his problem. If he is so allergic - go home!" There is a child at our school who is allergic to latex - and we are not allowed to bring anything latex into the school. Appalingly, there are parents who are angry that they cannot bring balloons in for their childs birthday because why should their child have to "suffer" because of another child's allergy? You have got to be kidding me. Many schools are going nut free for a reason. They cause death in many children. That, in my book, is a good enough reason for me. Same reason airplanes are no longer serving them. Personally - I could not imagine sending in a pb&j; sandwich with my daughter if she had a child in her class who could die from it. As far as the other ingredients - obviously that is hard to police - I totally agree with you on that - but, at least not having peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches all over the classroom would help. That is all I am saying. As far as the question about the sandwich on the way to school - I guess I would answer that if I knew that my son had a child in his class who had a potentially fatal allergy to pb - I wouldn't be giving it my son on his way in to school. That would be like rubbing a latex balloon all over my daughters body & sending her to her school where that child has a latex allergy. I simply wouldn't do it for the safety of that child. And are you kidding me, Terri, that you actually think this is all "hype" and parents just trying to get extra attention for their child. What is wrong with you? You think this is a "look at me, look at me" kind of a situation, just blowing this allergy out of proportion? What an ignorant comment to make. Have you researched this allergy at all? Do you know that it is the number one death causing food allergy in the United States? Do you know that it can cause an anaphylactic reaction? And you wonder why we might be just a bit concerned about our child having a child sitting right next to them with peanutbutter all over their hands? I have to say - your comments are not comments that are being made to debate this issue - fairly representing your side - your comments are presumptuous, uninformed and rude. Whether you agree with a ban or not,there is something called compassion - something that your posts completely lack. Others on here who do not agree with a ban are not making rude, snide comments - why are you?? How obnoxious for you to make a comment that we are simply looking for attention - trying to get our child in the spotlight. My son at this point is not allergic to Peanuts, he is allergic to tree nuts, yet I do what I can to support a peanut ban in school. A peanutbutter sandwich or peanutbutter cookie is simply NOT worth the risk on someone getting that sick - or worse - dying. As far as watching every single, teenie, tiny ingredient that you send to school with your child - of course that would be difficult and I do see your point in this. But come on - to not be able to agree to not send a pb&j; sandwich for well being of a child - that's terrible. I'm sorry - but that is just plain callous. Name: Email: Subject

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