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This is probably going to get a flame war started. Maybe we can roast some food nazis on it:
A Letter to the Ann Arbor Learning Community Parent List
I just noticed that =all= peanuts have been banned from the entire middle school. This is a major problem for me and my family.
My son is autistic. There are very few packable lunch foods he'll eat. This is part of his disability; there is no way to change it unless someone at the school is willing to stand over him and coax him into eating every bite. The phrase "If he gets hungry, he'll eat" does not apply to autists. When faced with a choice between what he sees as "bad" food and hunger, he will choose hunger every single time.
Peanut butter sandwiches are one of about two foods we can send to school that he'll eat. The other is pre-packaged, frozen macaroni and cheese. (He's sometimes willing to eat leftover pizza, but we don't always have that available.) The first has been banned out of fear of allergies. The second has been banned because they take too long in the microwave.
What is my son going to bring for lunch?
The fear of peanut allergies has gone too far at AALC. Was I the only one who raised an eyebrow at being told not to bring peanut-laden suppers for ourselves to the outdoor picnic? No one is in danger of being exposed to peanuts from someone else's food outdoors.
If your child has a peanut allergy so severe that simply being in the same room with a peanut product is dangerous, you have my sympathy. Having a son with autism isn't easy, either. However, I don't quite understand why I must further limit my child's already limited choices for fear of what someone else's child may be exposed to. I certainly don't require other parents to worry about my son's autism!
Middle school students are certainly of an age to police their own allergies. They know not to trade lunches, use suspect utensils, or eat foods when they don't know the ingredient list. They aren't five anymore.
A better solution is to set aside a peanut-free area during lunch. Parents who feel their students are at risk for exposure can have their kids eat there.
The peanut-free policy at AALC is a hardship to my family. It needs to be modified immediately to take my son's handicap into account.
A Letter to the Ann Arbor Learning Community Parent List
I just noticed that =all= peanuts have been banned from the entire middle school. This is a major problem for me and my family.
My son is autistic. There are very few packable lunch foods he'll eat. This is part of his disability; there is no way to change it unless someone at the school is willing to stand over him and coax him into eating every bite. The phrase "If he gets hungry, he'll eat" does not apply to autists. When faced with a choice between what he sees as "bad" food and hunger, he will choose hunger every single time.
Peanut butter sandwiches are one of about two foods we can send to school that he'll eat. The other is pre-packaged, frozen macaroni and cheese. (He's sometimes willing to eat leftover pizza, but we don't always have that available.) The first has been banned out of fear of allergies. The second has been banned because they take too long in the microwave.
What is my son going to bring for lunch?
The fear of peanut allergies has gone too far at AALC. Was I the only one who raised an eyebrow at being told not to bring peanut-laden suppers for ourselves to the outdoor picnic? No one is in danger of being exposed to peanuts from someone else's food outdoors.
If your child has a peanut allergy so severe that simply being in the same room with a peanut product is dangerous, you have my sympathy. Having a son with autism isn't easy, either. However, I don't quite understand why I must further limit my child's already limited choices for fear of what someone else's child may be exposed to. I certainly don't require other parents to worry about my son's autism!
Middle school students are certainly of an age to police their own allergies. They know not to trade lunches, use suspect utensils, or eat foods when they don't know the ingredient list. They aren't five anymore.
A better solution is to set aside a peanut-free area during lunch. Parents who feel their students are at risk for exposure can have their kids eat there.
The peanut-free policy at AALC is a hardship to my family. It needs to be modified immediately to take my son's handicap into account.
