Reply to Class 3 Peanut Allergy

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It is impossible to be too insistent an advocate for your allergic child’s safety.

The idea that nut free environments are somehow less safe than others because people let their guard down is asinine. Would anyone argue the same about making schools weapon free zones?  One of the most callous individuals I’ve ever run across was an ignoramus school administrator fixated on “severity” (which is irrelevant as PP’s discussed) and far more interested in covering their ass than in child welfare.

Epi-pens are too often viewed by the uninformed as magic wands, which they are not.  The presence of epi-pens (even “unassigned” ones) does not offset the risk associated by not taking preventative measures to avoid nut exposure in the first place.

You (and your child’s school and ideally the teacher as well) each need a minimum of two epi-pens. One might fail mechanically or pharmacologically. Or the delay in emergency response might be long enough that the first wears off.

One nightmare scenario is a teacher or even a school nurse refusing to use the epi-pen out of fear or because it is “expired.”  The literature confirms that “expired” injectors remain highly effective long after the label date and that in any event their contents do not turn into deadly poison with the change of a calendar page.

Another nightmare scenario is the child suffering a reaction and having to wait for someone to fetch their medicine and/or an “authorized” person from somewhere else. We saw scenarios where school personnel broke up our carefully packaged medicine set and removed the components to multiple locations, apart from the detailed physician instructions that accompanied them.  One of the best days in an allergic kid’s life is when they are old enough to carry and use their own epinephrine. That puts them in charge and takes their fate out of the hands of third parties.

I have never understood the “nut free” table. Why don’t the peanut butter kids all sit together if the school insists on allowing it?

Good luck, OP.  Kids are adaptable. They can learn to self-advocate, ask about ingredients, turn down third party foods, etc., look forward to treats at home instead of school and the like. You need to support them and set the example.

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You may have ideas about it but the research shows otherwise. 
[url]https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(17)30666-8/fulltext[/url]
[url]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091674917304724[/url]

The decision to be a nut free school is not a clinical one nor a well-researched one. And again, thinking that some magical no nut land will keep your kid safe is the epitome of blinders. Some kids cant have may contain some kid can....are we banning all cross contamination foods at the school? How is the nut free policy communicated to other parents? Are they educated about what qualifies as a nut- is it all nuts or just peanuts? 
If Gigi makes oatmeal bars that have pecans and is taking care of the kids while parents are traveling- thats slipping through the cracks. Are they checking teacher lunches and support staff lunches or is it just the kids who have to be nut free? Is there some type of nut locator device that scans all the kids lunches?

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The no-nut environment is an additional level of precaution, not the first line of defense. The idea that nothing should be done because nothing will be perfect is preposterous. [/quote]

You didnt read the articles then.....and youre being defensive and not arguing in good faith. I never said nothing should be done and neither did the articles. But by and large schools that have a nut free campus do not apply other measures. 
If you know of other public schools that are nut free and still have a nut free table, no outside treats except store bought, allow kids to keep treats, and practice good handwashing specific to allergy plans, etc. then good for you. 
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