Students with Peanut Allergies: What Should the Schools Do?
Peanut Allergies and Schools
I’m an easygoing kind of person. Most of the time. Sometimes I get a little testy. Today is one of those days.
We’ve been focusing on ghost novels and writing experiences here. As you know, I wrote a ghost novel, read ghost novels, and review ghost novels. I want to be the go-to girl (okay, not exactly a girl) when it comes to ghost fiction of all types—literary, mainstream, romance, suspense, horror. (But not too much horror.)
I’ve read far more ghost fiction than I can review, and I want you to feel free to contact me about any ghost novel that interests you. If I don’t know about it, haven’t read it, I’ll try to find out.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I am also writing a young adult novel about a teen in high school with a severe peanut allergy. She uses a service dog, and attends class in designated peanut-free rooms, which presents all kinds of conflict. So it was with great interest that I read a news clipping that daughter Manda sent me.
Here you can read the CBS News article. In essence, University of Washington student Kelsey Hough withdrew from school because the university would no longer enforce peanut-free classrooms. Kelsey Hough’s allergy is particularly acute; exposure to peanut products could kill her.
I read this article. And then I got mad–not because of the article, but because of the comments. The funny thing is, the person on whose behalf (aside from Kelsey’s) I grew angry doesn’t exist. Except in my mind.
Here is my response:
When did we become a nation of me-me’s? When did we become a people inured to the difficulties of those less fortunate?
It is inconvenient to be forced to alter one’s habits to exclude peanut butter, an inexpensive, nutritious meal. But when did our inconvenience outweigh someone else’s life and happiness? Perhaps George Washington found it inconvenient to cross the Delaware when he could have been enjoying Christmas dinner with his family. Maybe Harriet Tubman was a fool to cross enemy lines 19 times to free slaves. After all, she only needed to travel the first time to free herself.
Yes, Ms. Hough could continue her education online. But why stop there? Let’s eliminate those pesky blue placards and make all parking first come-first serve. The disabled could simply employ someone to do their grocery shopping. Let’s decide, as a nation, to no longer offer subway seats to elderly passengers. After all, we work hard. We’re tired, too.
As for me, I would not hesitate to leave my peanut products at home so that someone else could enjoy a full life. And when did it become polite to eat in class while a professor is lecturing anyhow? And yes, I understand it’s disappointing when Junior cannot bring his favorite peanut butter squares to class on his birthday. But there is a bright side to Junior’s inconvenience. We can mitigate the jaded me-ism endemic to this country as Junior learns a little compassion, a little empathy, along with his multiplication tables. That is, until he enters college.
4 thoughts on “Students with Peanut Allergies: What Should the Schools Do?”
I’m torn on this one. I’ve got severe allergies–anaphylaxis from tree nuts and shellfish, and asthma attacks from being in a room with a dog for even a few moments. As far as the food allergies go, I don’t expect the world to revolve around me or for people to make special accommodations. I know how to recognize when a reaction is beginning. I carry an epi-pen in case of emergency, and I’ve taught my friends to use it. I can’t expect the world to have a sterile environment, and there are times when I’ll leave a subway car because someone has a service animal (that I’m allergic to) on the train.
I understand that peanut allergies are very severe, but I don’t think that a “peanut-free classroom” is the way to go because it puts the responsibility for one’s safety on other non-allergic people who don’t necessarily understand the severity of a reaction or the amount it takes to cause one. What if a student brings in prepared food that was cooked in peanut oil without knowing it? Or a chocolate chip granola bar that just happens to have peanut butter, even though it’s buried on the nutrition information label? And when an accident does happen (not if, but when), it would be a major liability for the school over something that they didn’t do. I can see this being a much bigger problem in college, where students may rely on snacks because their schedules don’t give them meal breaks, than in elementary schools where eating in the classroom is generally prohibited anyway.
I’m very glad that there’s more awareness today about food allergies. When I was a kid, there really wasn’t, and sometimes people would try to sneak me cookies with nuts in them to see what would happen. Luckily, I knew better than to touch/eat food that didn’t come from my own kitchen. A lot of the time, people still think I’m paranoid, because I ask about foods that really shouldn’t contain anything that I’m allergic to, but you just never know.
Hi Grace,
Thank you for your thoughtful, incisive response. Certainly, I don’t believe there is a blanket fix for every situation. It wouldn’t make sense, for instance, to accommodate a peanut-allergic student at the expense of a dog-allergic student such as yourself. (Interestingly, many peanut-allergic people are also asthmatic, so the dog of choice is the hypoallergenic Portuguese water dog. Still, no dog is 100% hypoallergenic.)
I guess any accommodation needs to be decided on a case-by-case, school-by-school basis, and my research indicates that’s how it’s done. I do not fault UW for softening its position and backing away from offering protection to Kelsey Hough. As you say, there are liability issues. What I do find abhorrent, however, is the callous insensitivity on the part of other students and parents, this unwillingness to empathize with someone else or brook any inconvenience to help another. I wrote my piece more in reaction to the comments than to the decision of the university.
I’m truly sorry you had to experience kids testing your allergies with forbidden foods. Food bullying is on the rise (as are food allergies). Yesterday I read another article about a Scott Gordin whose classmates rubbed his allergen in his hair to see what would happen. He was able to educate his classmates who later defended him against a mean substitute teacher who was eating in the classroom. Sometimes, the ending is happy as in this case. Again, though, the some of the comments left were heartbreakingly vitriolic.
Talking about this is good. Sometimes I worry that our fast-paced, cocooning lifestyle has interfered with our ability to relate to others in any medium that is not virtual.
I think that education and awareness are both important, and everyone needs to be willing to make compromises. I did take some classes in college with students who needed service animals. Generally, I sat on the opposite side of the classroom, and I used my inhaler first. It tended to make the problem less severe. I was also always the first person to volunteer to type notes for people with audio or visual impairments.
Then again, I also had my eyes swell shut one summer after drying off with a towel that a dog brushed after I was done swimming, so I do have to be very careful. I have friends with dogs, and I can’t visit them, period. Even hypoallergenic dogs tend to trigger reactions for me. My friends understand that though (now, at least), which is a good thing. I did have a problem with roommates getting a cat, and I ended up moving out largely because of it. I’m still good friends with them, but they didn’t realize the severity of a reaction would make it unlivable, especially since I had a cat back in Pennsylvania (she came to us when my mother was having a hard time in her life, and kept our family a bit more sane). I still don’t understand why I wasn’t allergic to that one cat. My mother, who is also allergic to every other cat in the world, called her a gift from God. She must have had some interesting genetics, because if I so much as touch any other kitty I break out in hives immediately. Every now and then, I’m naughty and pet a cat because it’s adorable, and then I immediately regret it for the next week.
Elementary schools are always the hardest. I think that teachers and school administrators need to make sure that the severity of food allergies are understood. I read the same story on CNN earlier today about the peanut butter sandwich, and about how the student apologized later when he realized how severe a reaction could be, and that a food allergy didn’t just mean sneezing. You can’t completely sanitize an environment, but you can teach kids how to understand their allergies and how to deal with a situation where they feel threatened. For example, we used to have a “bring your pet to school day,” and even though it was mostly outdoors, I always stayed home. Sometimes I do think that people overreact–being in a room with a nut won’t trigger a reaction in most people.
Another implication of food allergies that can be kind of awkward is dating. Not only do you have to worry about what you’re eating, but what the person you’re dating is eating (at least, if you have any interest in a kiss or close physical contact), especially if they really enjoy the foods you’re allergic to. Mike and I worked out a compromise–on special occasions, he’ll be able to eat nuts/shellfish, but I have to know first, and he brushes his teeth immediately afterward, and then we have to wait a good six hours or so at least, just in case. For the most part though, he completely avoids foods that I’m allergic to, which is wonderful. There have been times where people have had reactions just from kissing someone who ate the allergenic food hours earlier, so it’s important to keep in mind.
How romantic–to give up foods for your partner! I love the gift-from-God cat story. Glad you had that opportunity.
It’s funny how much I learn as I go along. No one among my friends or family has a life-threatening allergy. I first posed the persuasive writing prompt to students: Should schools ban peanut butter? The essays were interesting and varied. Since then I’ve become fascinated with the social implications of allergic people as they navigate daily life.