January '05 Peanut Gallery

OK, this is a REALLY long story but I'll try to condense:

Em has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy.  Last year she didn't have lunch at school but this year she does.  There are no nuts products allowed in the classrooms but they do serve it in the caf.  Due to high enrollment 4 yr olds are eating in caf.  There are 2 classes - PKA and PKB, PKB teachers monitor during lunch, PKA teacher watch during rest and Em is in PKA.  I volunteered for caf. duty last week THANK GOD - b/c her teachers didn't communicate to the PKB teachers that she had an allergy.  They were going to sit her next to a child eating a PB&J.  I calmly explained that she had a allergy and that she needed to sit at a separate table.  There is another boy from last year that has an allergy also so they sat together. 

We were told they were going to wipe their hands after lunch, when I asked the PKB teachers they looked at me like I had 3 heads.  SO I said I would supply wipes from here on out.

Went back to the classroom, informed her teachers that the other teachers didn't even know she had an allergy and no one seemed super concerned...

I left there in a sweat and panic.  What if I wasn't there???  We would have been at the ER for sure.

Called the nurse yesterday and she kept saying "I'll talk to the lunch aides" and I had to tell her that the PK doesn't eat with aides, that the teachers monitor them.  Why I am telling her the procedure?  Shouldn't she know this??

Em came home yesterday, said the other allergy kid wasn't there so she had to sit all by herself at a table and eat, "but that's ok I guess, my friends were at the table right next to me" and I could have cried for her.  Could they not have chosen a kid that had no nuts and let him/her sit with Emily??  Seriously!  I am a teacher and would NEVER make a child eat alone like she was being punished!!!

SO I have lunch duty again tomorrow, how should I handle this???????  Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks for reading my long post!

Karen ;)

Karen, is this Pre-K at a public elementary school?

Okay, this may sound extreme, but I think you should really try to get the school to enforce a no peanut rule. I'd talk with the principal about it, and if that doesn't work - you may want to take it to the Superintendent level. My mother worked at a public elementary school in PA and they had strict rules about what you could bring for lunch and what was served in the cafeteria. They had quite a few children with serious allergies and in order to keep kids safe, they have a no peanut rule. If you'd like, I can see if I can find the wording in their handbook.

It is terrible to think that Em should have to sit at a table by herself (or even with the ONE other kid that has allergies) during lunch.

***On a side note - I was very aware of peanut allergies even though Molly and Annie don't have them and I never packed peanut butter for them until I spoke with the school administrators first. She's in a montessori pre-school and because they don't have children with peanut allergies at this time there are no regulations about it, BUT, if they do have one child with that sort of allergy, they make a blanket rule that there are to be NO lunches containing peanut products/peanut butter.

It is a Catholic School.  I knew that they served it in the cafeteria but as I said, I didn't think I would have to deal with this all until next year. 

I do not think 4 yr olds should be eating in the caf. anyway. 

The more I think about it the more I think I HAVE to make an appt with the principal......

I don't want to make any enemies, I would really like to get a job at this school eventually, but of course I put Emily and her safety first.  If I have to pull out the big guns I will!!!  LOL.

As the mother of a child with severe allergies (and we go to Catholic school) I understand your concern.  I think your first step is to talk with the principal.  It sounds to me like your school has a case of the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.  I won't have to worry about this until next year (my youngest is the one with the allergies, but my oldest goes to 1st grade now, Pre-K doesn't eat lunch there).

I know in my school I have pushed for a no peanut policy, but that falls on deaf ears.  The school says that they can't control what parents send in, yadda yadda yadda.  They are going to change their tune when someone gets to take a ride to the ER, but I'm working on it.

Until that happens our lunch policy is this (and I know how strictly they adhere to it b/c I'm in the cafeteria each week):  We wipe down tables and chairs (with a mixture of bleach and soap) before, during and after lunches.  *if* a child with a peanut (or any other allergy) sits with the whole group an aid will be assigned and they are on "stand by" and they take a survey of who brought what and move kids around accordingly.  The school will let kids sit alone that has an allergy (or with a friend) but seriously...how sad is that!

My biggest concern with our school policy is that the kids that do eat a PB&J sammie don't have to wash their hands after lunch.  Kids are messy and they get it all over the place, for me it's like a landmind situation. 

Our school system is not perfect but everyone is aware of it and everyone does try and make it easy for everyone.