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Why Don't WE Just Ban Peanuts (and Nuts) at School?
By Nancy Wiebe
Having your doctor say that your child or someone in your care has a
life-threatening allergy is a very intimidating and scary thing. Once we get
over that shock, other questions come to our minds such as: How do we
cope with this? How can we keep our child safe? How can we help others
understand, raise their awareness and get their cooperation?
In this article, I will outline why I think bans on foods do not work for the benefit of
our children, their friends or the school.
One of the keys to living with life-threatening allergies is dealing with the
issues of control and fear. I think these two issues are at the root of asking
for food bans. In preschool days, we can generally control the child's food
and environment, which is comfortable for parents. Of course, there is
always an underlying fear of a reaction occurring. However, at school and
other settings, there are many things we cannot control and we are
naturally concerned about the child being safe. We need to learn what is
controllable and achievable, take the necessary precautions and not let
fear take over.
First, we must teach our child about the allergy and help him/her learn the
skills they need to keep themselves safe. This is a gradual process. They
must learn that it's their allergy and that the world will not necessarily
change to accommodate them. They need to learn to take precautions, to
get others' cooperation and understanding, and accept that they can live a
normal life. An individualized, physician prescribed treatment plan will help
them to understand the emergency procedures and feel more in control.
Handling the allergy should be like any other issue in a child's life...offering
the most protection when young and teaching them to be more
independent and responsible as they get older.
Second, we parents must become teachers and advocates. There is quite
a learning curve to truly understanding the impact of this allergy, especially
for those not living with it. Try to imagine learning about living with
diabetes. The information will be repeated many times in many different
venues. Doing just one presentation at school is not enough. Lots of
diplomacy and patience are needed because change is difficult for most
of us. We as parents must also be flexible, recognizing that there is no one
strategy or policy which works for every child and school. It will take
discussion and negotiation. Through education, we can build
understanding, cooperation and encourage a "village" mentality that will
help others, particularly classmates, want to make the necessary changes
which will make the environment safer.
Here are some reasons for not banning peanuts and nuts for the whole
school (although I believe that there need to be provisions for
peanut/nut-free areas of an elementary school):
- There is no such thing as a "peanut/nut-free" school. You can never
guarantee that a school doesn't have peanuts or nuts without bodily
searching everyone and everything all the time. This has been
attempted with very negative results. Even then, kids can have
peanut butter on their hands from breakfast at home. We can't
assume that any place is free of peanuts and nuts.
- "Peanut/nut-free" gives everyone a feeling of false security, which
in turn encourages complacency in the school about dealing with
life-threatening allergies. The kids with allergies can become lax
about the precautions they need to take because they think they are
in a "safe" environment. Parents may think their job of educating and
raising awareness (in their children and the school) is no longer
necessary. School staff will direct their attention to other higher
profile concerns.
- When a ban goes into place, often the energy and effort moves
from educating and raising awareness to enforcing the ban. A ban
can also single out the children with allergies and make them
susceptible to bullying. The children need to learn to "fit in" and have
self-confidence, and not let their identity revolve around having the
allergy. This will help them handle bullies and avoid being targets for
bullies.
- Telling people they can't have something because of a few is
antagonistic to many parents and uncomfortable for the school.
Generally our generation does not react well to the word "BAN".
When banning has been implemented, it usually takes about a year
for the backlash to develop. By then, it becomes very difficult to
retreat to a more "middle-of-the-road" approach because the
parents who are upset are unwilling to listen or cooperate.
- There are other life-threatening triggers such as milk, wheat or
eggs, which would be impossible to ban. Where do you stop? The
school must meet many needs, often from competing agendas. We
must be sympathetic to what the administrators have to deal with.
We will get better cooperation if we ask for things which can be
implemented with a reasonable amount of effort, while
accomplishing what we need.
- A continuing awareness program brings protection. Non-allergic
children will often be more cooperative than their parents and offer to
avoid bringing peanut/nut items if it means that those items could
harm a friend. They will be protective and more self-regulating than if
we rely on a ban to "force" compliance. In turn, the children will be
more aware of others with different needs, and will take their
awareness into adulthood with them. However, this education effort
must start early. By Grade 6, some kids are bringing in cigarettes
and drugs, so convincing them not to bring peanuts probably will not
be effective.
- The kids with allergies must gradually learn to "own" their allergy
and take responsibility for the precautions for safely handling their
allergy.They will never live in a peanut/nut free world and they
must learn to live with it. Junior and Senior high schools will not
be as accommodating as their elementary school. School is a good
place for them to gradually learn the survival skills they will need. The
environment is supervised by adults, and emergency help is not far
away if needed. As they get older, they will get used to wearing
MedicAlert® ID, carrying their EpiPen® (as prescribed by their
treatment plan), and to explaining their allergy to others and asking
for their cooperation. By the time they are teenagers, these
precautions will be a natural part of their life. That acceptance will
help them resist peer pressure and be more comfortable about
having the allergy. Their friends will also have a better understanding
of the precautions needed to make their friend safe.
You can get a good start on starting an awareness program by getting
handouts and materials to help you. Many of these are available at the
Calgary Allergy Network web site or at
your local allergy/asthma association. Another excellent reference is a
publication by the Canadian School Boards Association called
"Anaphylaxis: A Handbook for School Boards". You can order one for
$10 by calling (613) 235-3724 or email admin@CdnSBA.org. It presents
a balanced approach for starting an allergy awareness policy in your
school.
Banning allergen-containing items is not the answer for dealing with
life-threatening allergies. Peanut butter is not only a traditional food, but it
is an economic necessity for many families. It won't disappear from the
lunch menu. We must prepare our children to live in the real world while
providing a "safety cushion" at school to help them learn the skills they
need to live a long, healthy life with their allergy. Let's work towards
helping our schools become "peanut/nut-safe and allergy aware."
For support and information in Canada:
Allergy Asthma Information Association
Box 100, Toronto, Ontario M9W 5K9
Phone (416) 679-9521 or 1-800-611-7011 Fax: (416) 679-9524
Email: aaia.national@sympatico.ca.
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Copyright © Calgary Allergy Network. Author Nancy Wiebe is the parent of a child with peanut allergy.
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