Have you recently been informed that your child’s school is peanut-free? Perhaps your own child has a severe peanut allergy, and you’re looking for ways to protect them from allergens in the classroom. While it is still relatively uncommon, some schools have gone entirely peanut-free in an effort to protect students with peanut allergies.
Attending a peanut-free schools means that no peanut ingredients are served in the cafeteria. It also means that parents are requested to avoid sending their child with peanut products for snacks or lunch. If your child attends a peanut-free school, be sure to follow these instructions, whether or not your child is allergic to such ingredients.
Schools’ peanut-free policies also extend into the classroom. There, policies to ensure a peanut-free environment may include wiping down the classroom desks and other hard surfaces daily and requiring students to wash their hands several times per day to limit the spread of peanut residue.
If your child has a peanut allergy and does not attend a peanut-free school, there are some precautions you can request to make the classroom a safer place for your child. For example, some schools have lunchroom policies that include a ‘peanut-free’ table for those with allergies, so that they will not be seated near those eating peanut products, even if the entire lunchroom is not peanut-free.
While not everyone lives in an area with a peanut-free school, many parents of those with peanut allergies find that placing their child in such a school offers peace of mind. Such policies are becoming increasingly common as more attention is drawn to the danger of severe peanut allergies.