I spoke with my sister in Charlotte, NC and was surprised to hear that her school system has been strict with food allergies and labeling with what gets brought to school for almost six years. They serve Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches and if you bring in any snacks, it has to have the store label on it. No big deal but it can save a life.
In GA, however, it is an entirely different story. My daughter has an egg and peanut allergy and I was voicing my concerns to my sister over our schools in GA still serving peanut butter and allowing any snack foods (homemade or store bought) to be brought in to classroom parties and for the daily class snack.
And then it hit me. Tonight I saw a peanut commercial for the peanut industry in Georgia. I connected the political and economical connections between the state and the peanut industry and my heart sank. We will never have the same understanding in our schools as long as the peanut industry and lobbyists have a say in this state.
How heartbreaking is it to realize that I have an uphill battle? It’s more than having a peanut free table in the cafeteria. I mean, you still serve peanut butter on the menu so how will you protect a food allergic child from being exposed when kids can wipe it on a chair or table? Who checks to see that their hands are clean? And what about all the classroom parties and daily snacks where parents bring in anything?
I have more regulations with my daughter’s daycare at Primrose School (thankfully) and now I am considering keeping her there for private kindergarten. It is a battle that I hope most parents do not face. It has implications that go far beyond “just keep your kid away from the peanut butter.”
I can feel your frustration. My 10 year old son is a peanut allergic child. It is incredibly frustrating when it comes to the food that is brought into the schools. He has been in 3 different elementary schools, and out of those 3, only one went peanut-free without a fight.
I have had many excuses as to why children bring peanut butter sandwiches to school. Everything from; ‘It’s the only thing my child will eat’, to ‘The family is lower class and therefore cannot afford to send anything else with their child’. Now for the first example, I think there is a problem if the only thing that your child eats is peanut butter. Sure peanuts are good for you, but every day? And for the second one, I have been a single mom raising my child on my own since I was 18 and never once have I had to buy peanut butter. He has always been happy and healthy with a million other lunch options.
The way I see it is; it’s only one meal out of the day. I truly don’t understand why parents can’t grasp the importance and ease. As I said, there are a million and one other lunch options out there, why must it always be an uphill battle? If Commonwealth Football Stadium can be peanut-free (it holds over 30,000 people), then why can’t a school of less than 500??
I know that it might sound a little harsh, but one comparison that I often use when it comes to this issue and I am dealing with a thick headed parent is; “you send peanut butter and I will send a loaded hand gun with my child. It might kill your child, might not. But let’s just try and find out.” Yes I have been called many names for that one, but I think that deep down, it should strike a chord.
Thanks