6-year-old's allergies spark debate over peanut bans in school
HARTFORD, Conn. --A 6-year-old's extreme allergy is pitting concerns about the boy's safety against the right of his schoolmates to enjoy an American classic -- a peanut butter sandwich.
A nationwide increase in peanut allergies is prompting a debate playing out in his small elementary school in Seymour and across the country. But while some school districts have decided to bar anyone from bringing peanut products to school, Seymour and others say such rules are unfair to the rest of the students.
"I think more and more people are looking for protection from cradle to grave, and I really don't believe that's what society is all about," said Seymour school board member James Garofolo. "I really don't believe we can protect people ... from all the things out there that may pose harm to them."
Garofolo said local schools already have taken action, including designating peanut-free classrooms and tables in cafeterias. A total ban would be hard to enforce and open up the school district to lawsuits, if it failed to keep out peanut butter and a student got sick, he said.
Six-year-old Matthew Searles of Seymour is one of an estimated 12 million Americans, including 2 million school-age children, who have food allergies that are potentially life-threatening. More than three million are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. The only thing they can do to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid foods that pose a hazard.
Many who are allergic can have an anaphylactic response, which can create breathing problems by constricting airways. It also can lead to a serious drop in blood pressure, a weak pulse, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
Symptoms can be eased by an emergency injection of adrenaline. Schools are usually required to have injections available for young children, while teens can carry portable adrenaline shots such as the EpiPen.
An estimated 150 to 200 Americans die every year from anaphylaxis due to something they ate, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
The number of schools across the country that have banned peanuts doubled from 1997 to 2002. Earlier this year, Asbell Elementary School in Fayetteville, Ark., told parents to not send their children to school with lunches containing peanut butter, and officials removed all foods with peanuts from the cafeteria.
School officials in Pappillion and La Vista, Neb., and Ardmore, Okla. took peanut products off all school menus in their districts.
In Connecticut, Matthew's mother, Lisa Searles, has urged Seymour school officials to ban peanut butter in the schools. She acknowledges the efforts by school officials to protect her first-grader at Anna LoPresti School, but says more needs to be done.
"My son's allergy is like bringing a loaded gun to school," she said. "I was just very disappointed with the board. I feel they're ignorant. If it was their child who could die, it would be a whole different story."
Searles said she is considering moving her son to another school, and she has asked a lawyer for her legal options.
She also said she has taught Matthew how to deal with his allergy and taken him to a therapist, but the family continues to worry. She's concerned that children who bring peanut butter to school for lunch will leave peanut residue on playground equipment, computers or other property her son will touch.
"He's a nervous wreck," Searles said. "His nails are chewed down to nothing. Am I going to yank him out of school where his brother is and tell him why? That's a lot for a 6-year-old kid to have on his shoulders."
Doctors who specialize in allergies say there's a slight risk to Matthew contacting peanut residue from school property. A bigger risk, they say, comes from eating foods they don't think has peanut products but does, and sharing foods with classmates.
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network and other national health and education groups recommend that parents, children and schools learn about allergies and how to respond to allergic reactions, but stop short of calling for a ban on peanuts. States, including Connecticut, require schools to have plans in place to respond to such reactions.
Dr. James Rosen, a West Hartford pediatric allergist and medical advisory board member of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, helped develop allergy guidelines for families and teachers. He is against banning peanuts.
"The concern that I have is does this make these kids have their guard down," he said. "If a school says it's peanut-free, the kid becomes less scrupulous about the food he eats."
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On the Web:
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network: http://www.foodallergy.org/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/
