Is your child's elementary school nut/peanut-free?

[Alison's Mom]

Both of my children have food allergies. In addition to some milder ones, my DD is severely allergic to peanuts, and my DS is severely allergic to tree nuts. My dd's preschool was already nut/peanut free before we started going there, but the attached elementary school has no policies even though there is another child in grade 6 with a severe peanut allergy.

I will be meeting with the principal in the coming weeks to discuss strategies for keeping my dd safe when she enters kindergarten next year, and I'm wondering if I should request the school be peanut-free, or request only for for other types of strategies. There are pros and cons with the peanut ban which are rather lengthy to get into.

So, if your child goes to elementary school (public or private) anywhere in Canada, or you know of friends' kids' schools, can you post and let me know whether the school is peanut/nut free, and what province you're in?

Thanks so much.

[kriket]

I know that this isn't a popular opinion, but if your child is that allergic you should consider special schooling. Maybe a school that is already peanut free. :shrug

[~ally~]

My daughter goes to Lord Roberts Annex downtown Vancouver and there is no official policy for the school, but each class is different. I know that the class next to hers has a child that has an allergy so it is posted on the class doors. They also try to teach the kids to be aware and take charge of their own bodies. I don't know if it helps...

Good luck!!

[Aubergine68]

I am in a suburb of Edmonton AB and I don't know of a school in my town that is *not* peanut/nut free. Personally, I think all schools should be.

It hasn't been an inconvenience for me. I bought sunflower seed butter for dd's lunches and have never looked back. :wink

I notice that an increasing amount of the "convenience" snacks packaged and marketed for kids' lunches have the label "made in a peanut-free facility" on them,

[kdtmom2be]

My kids go to a school in East Van. There is no policy that I know of, but I have seen "peanut free" signs on classrooms when there is a kid with a peanut allergy.

[Malva]

My dd's public school in Ontario is peanut/nut free. In addition, some classes have extra restrictions (fish, peas, etc) if a kid with an unusual allergy is in the class. I'm pretty sure all the public schools around here are like that.

[sasayaki]

I live in Victoria; my son is just in preschool this year, but I seem to recall Oaklands Elementary is nut-free and possibly dairy-free, too. I'm pretty sure there are other schools which are nut-free; however, it is certainly not the norm here.

[robugmum]

Most schools that I know of make an effort to keep peanuts away from school by educating parents and patrolling kids' lunches to some extent. The vigor with which the rules are applied probably varies a lot though. I have certainly never sent a nutty snack to school with any of my kids. In my experience and that of my friends with an allergic child, schools are generally very reluctant to offer a guarantee of being nut (or other allergen) free because of liability issues.:eyesroll

[Hollycrand]

I'm in Montreal (Quebec), and my daughter's school is totally nut-free. We are not allowed to make the kids peanut butter sandwiches, etc. and they are really very strict about it. I believe most schools here (Montreal) have nut-free policies.

[Len]

No, no policy at ds's private school in North Vancouver :shrug
I have seen at least 2 preschools in north van where they have a no-peanut rule, and also at the West Van family place.

[megansar]

I've worked at a peanut free public school in Burnaby (not sure if it is still peanut free as the student who was VERY allergic is now in high school). The school I'm teaching at now has 2 peanut free classrooms (where there are students with nut allergies).

[Alison's Mom]

Thanks so much for the info and the support, everyone! Keep the info coming in!
It hasn't been an inconvenience for me. I bought sunflower seed butter for dd's lunches and have never looked back. :wink Oh my, you are an allergic parent's dream!
I notice that an increasing amount of the "convenience" snacks packaged and marketed for kids' lunches have the label "made in a peanut-free facility" on themYes, you're absolutely right. I can only imagine how much more difficult it was for allergic parents in the past when it wasn't as common!
Most schools that I know of make an effort to keep peanuts away from school by educating parents and patrolling kids' lunches to some extent. Yes, our meeting with the principal will talk about these methods as well as hand washing, cleaning off table tops, etc.
In my experience and that of my friends with an allergic child, schools are generally very reluctant to offer a guarantee of being nut (or other allergen) free because of liability issues.:eyesroll You're right, and I can understand them not wanting to be liable, because even if they tell the parents not to send nut products, it's really impossible for them to know if a parent forgets and something slips in.

The other part of the policy is on what to do if/when a reaction does occur, and involves epi-pen storage, staff training and emergency procedure.

Thanks so much, everyone!

[CarrieMF]

Our school went no nuts 3 years ago when our first peanut allergy kid(with epi pen) came into the school. He was in K so he was only there every other day. The kids eat lunches in their classrooms, but the entire school was no nuts, however things that "may contain traces of peanuts) were okay.

The next year another kid came into the school with a more severe peanut allergy plus tree nuts. They tried doing the whole school as not allowing anything that "may contain traces of peanuts" but it was hard. The one day they tried telling my dd she could not have her peanut free, not made in a factory with peanuts granola bar because it had coconut in it. I called the school & the secretary told me they could have coconut(which I knew & that was why I called). A note came home the next day stating that if your child was in this specific classroom then anything that stated it "may contain traces, or made in a factory where peanuts are located" could not be sent. All the other classes are okay with the may contain nuts.

It can't be guaranteed though, today for example a new to our school(but has been in class since Aug 27th when we started) brought Reeces Peanut Butter bars today. A note is sent home at the beginning of the year & in the first newsletter & it is in the agenda. In the 6-7 months I"ve been doing Noon Supervision, this is the FIRST time I've had this happen. I made him put it in his lunchkit & reminded him(as did the rest of the class,lol) that peanuts & peanut products are not allowed. He said he didn't know & I got the impression that he packed his own lunch. If he was in the class with the child who has the allergy I would have made him go & wash his hands/face to get any residue off.

[MamaDaednu]

My children's school is nut free and we're in Ontario. We're big nuts eaters at lunch (particularly almond butter and raw nuts) so it's been a tough adjustment.


I completely understand the school wanting to provide as safe an environment as possible for allergic children.
But I'm wondering how realistic of a teaching environment it is for the child in terms of learning to keep away from nuts? In other words, what is done in other public situations like restaurants, playgrounds, etc.?

[The Harpy]

Our school in the Okanagan is nut free. :)

[the_lissa]

I am in Ontario. Our school is not nut free because there are no nut allergic children in our school currently, but the board has a nut free policy for any school where an allergic child is enroled.

Our school does ask that you not send nut products in for the first few weeks so they can make sure there is no allergies.

[4Marmalade]

Our school is peanut-free (and encouraged to be completely nut-free) and we're in central Ontario. Not a big deal to me.

[Alison's Mom]

Thanks for the info, mamas!
They tried doing the whole school as not allowing anything that "may contain traces of peanuts" but it was hard. I allow other kids in my DD's preschool to bring 'may contains' because it's not mandatory for companies to put an allergy warning on their labels. So, just because something isn't labelled as 'may contain', it could in fact, contain traces of the allergen. It just becomes very confusing for other parents, and I know that DD's teachers are taking very good precautions during snack time, and the risk of her having a reaction to another kid's 'may contain' is low.

But I'm wondering how realistic of a teaching environment it is for the child in terms of learning to keep away from nuts? In other words, what is done in other public situations like restaurants, playgrounds, etc.?
This is a good point, and just the reason why some parents of allergic children would prefer their school *not* be nut/peanut-free. I agree to some extent, and haven't decided what I'm going to suggest to the principal.

However, one difference is that when an allergic child is at a restaurant, playground, or out in the real world, they are with a parent, or responsible adult who knows a lot about their allergies and how to treat them. At school, the teacher to student ratio sometimes doesn't allow each child to be that closely monitored. Once children are in say high school, they would be expected to take more responsibility for their own safety in a more 'real world' environment. When they are 4 or 5 years old, though, they might require more attention than a teacher is able to provide if allergens were common in their classroom.

[mamaana]

DS' gr 1 classroom in North Van is peanut-free but the rest of the school is not.

[~~Amanda~~]

My Ds's Annex in e. Van is nut/junk free. I am not sure how strong the policy holds (new principal this year...that yr the old one was very on top of it) With only 100 kids I am sure if there was a child w/sever/any nut allergy the school would step up more.

East Side Family place is nut free to my knowledge. I know it is scent free for sure....I thin I saw an "no nut" sign.

[annie_noah]

Ours is peanut and nut free. It is a private school in Gatineau, Quebec.

[kristyn]

Glen Tay school here in ontario where my kids go changes their policy on a year-to-year, class-by-class basis. This year, there are no students at the school with serious allergies, there is no nut (or other) ban in place...

[D&S Mom]

My daughter's school here in Newfoundland is peanut-free. I noticed that there is also a sheet up on the wall in her classroom with a picture of the child, lists the allergy, and where his medication can be found in case of an emergency. They also have these notices in the main office of the school.

[Aubergine68]

My daughter's school here in Newfoundland is peanut-free. I noticed that there is also a sheet up on the wall in her classroom with a picture of the child, lists the allergy, and where his medication can be found in case of an emergency. They also have these notices in the main office of the school.



Here is a sample food allergy action plan that we used in our home child care for a child with a peanut allergy:

http://www.foodallergy.org/actionplan.pdf

I think they are a brilliant idea, especially where there might be substitutes and other adults coming in from time to time.

I always carried the epipen for the child - a two year old - in a fanny pack on my person. My first aid instructor said she believed epipens at school should be carried on the child's person, in a special pack, rather than locked up. I don't know what the policy is at our school on this, though.

[Alison's Mom]

Thanks everyone

My daughter's school here in Newfoundland is peanut-free. I noticed that there is also a sheet up on the wall in her classroom with a picture of the child, lists the allergy, and where his medication can be found in case of an emergency. They also have these notices in the main office of the school.

Here is a sample food allergy action plan that we used in our home child care for a child with a peanut allergy:

http://www.foodallergy.org/actionplan.pdf

I think they are a brilliant idea, especially where there might be substitutes and other adults coming in from time to time.

I always carried the epipen for the child - a two year old - in a fanny pack on my person. My first aid instructor said she believed epipens at school should be carried on the child's person, in a special pack, rather than locked up. I don't know what the policy is at our school on this, though.
Thanks. Regardless of whether the school decides to go 'peanut/nut-free', we will also have other procedures in place, including the allergy notices, at least 3 epipens at school (including one kept on the child's person at all times) and handwashing policies. Thanks for the link.

[bluey]

I'm in the south okanagan and our little primary school is peanut free. The secondary one might be as well, but I'm not sure - I have no kids in there yet.:wink

There are at least 2 children attending the school that have life threatening nut allergies so it's something none of us take lightly. I know when the youngest one enrolled in the school, his grandma was upset that people knew it was him, she was afraid he'd be singled out, made fun of and all that. In fact it was quite the opposite. The kids are more vigilant to keep him (and the other student) safe than I think some of the parents would have been.

[Sandrine]

I'm in Northern Ontario and our school is nut-free. They have a sign on the front doors.

[Sandrine]

My daughter's school here in Newfoundland is peanut-free. I noticed that there is also a sheet up on the wall in her classroom with a picture of the child, lists the allergy, and where his medication can be found in case of an emergency. They also have these notices in the main office of the school.

I've seen those sheets in the teacher's lounge.

[Alison's Mom]

I'm in the south okanagan and our little primary school is peanut free. The secondary one might be as well, but I'm not sure - I have no kids in there yet.:wink

There are at least 2 children attending the school that have life threatening nut allergies so it's something none of us take lightly. I know when the youngest one enrolled in the school, his grandma was upset that people knew it was him, she was afraid he'd be singled out, made fun of and all that. In fact it was quite the opposite. The kids are more vigilant to keep him (and the other student) safe than I think some of the parents would have been.

That's great - I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for posting.

[momtoalexsarah]

Our local schools are nut free but still allow "may contain trace" products. Our daycare on the other hand is ALL nut free (including - may contain trace) I find this very very anoying because my youngest is wheat allergic and the one and only granola bar (nature valley - apple crisp flavor) that she can eat (all the others contain wheat flakes) is made in a facilty that handles nut bars as well. She can have "trace" of wheat so these are fine for her and she loves them - instead of cookies that the other kids could have.
The staff decied that they where a risk - so now she is stuck eating rice crakers when the other kids have cookies - it's not fair that they are able to accomadate one child and not another.

[Alison's Mom]

Our local schools are nut free but still allow "may contain trace" products. Our daycare on the other hand is ALL nut free (including - may contain trace) I find this very very anoying because my youngest is wheat allergic and the one and only granola bar (nature valley - apple crisp flavor) that she can eat (all the others contain wheat flakes) is made in a facilty that handles nut bars as well. She can have "trace" of wheat so these are fine for her and she loves them - instead of cookies that the other kids could have.
The staff decied that they where a risk - so now she is stuck eating rice crakers when the other kids have cookies - it's not fair that they are able to accomadate one child and not another.
I feel your pain, and I think 'may contain nuts/peanuts' foods should be allowed even when actual peanuts/nuts are not allowed - for reasons that I stated in an earlier post in this thread.

There is a company: nonuttin.com that makes yummy granola bars that are free of wheat and nuts that you would be able to send with your daughter. Also, Enjoy Life brand makes cookies and cereal bars that are wheat and nut/peanut-free.

[sweetcheeks]

All the elementary schools here in our southwestern MB town are nut-free. ODS's school just went nut- and whole egg-free this fall, the last school in town to do so. Also his old preschool and DD's current preschool are nut-free also.

[mamatowill]

The school I teach at in Ontario does not ban peanuts/nuts but their are only a couple of students with allergies and those classrooms definitely are peanut/nut free. My DS's K class is peanut/nut and other allergen free and I know that the teacher lines them up with their snacks every day and inspects them before they eat. One day someone brought in fish (an allergen for one of the kids) and they didn't let the kid eat it. They also disinfected/cleaned the tables and such. I know from talking to a custodian (who had a severe allergy that an epi-pen wouldn't even save her) that her cleaning solution dealt with the allergen if present right away no problem.

Also I know that when I taught in another board in the province that one school was designated as being completely peanut/nut free and the students with the severest allergies were sent there. Those were the students who were so sensitive that the slightest smell would give them a reaction.

[Alison's Mom]

Thanks, everyone, for replying.

Also I know that when I taught in another board in the province that one school was designated as being completely peanut/nut free and the students with the severest allergies were sent there. Those were the students who were so sensitive that the slightest smell would give them a reaction.
Hmm - that's not a bad idea. Was this in Canada, and if so, which province?

Thanks.

[mamatowill]

It was a Catholic board in Ontario that did that. I taught in the public school next to it. It has been a decade since I have been there so I am not sure what they do now.

[Alison's Mom]

It was a Catholic board in Ontario that did that. I taught in the public school next to it. It has been a decade since I have been there so I am not sure what they do now.
Thanks for the info!

[MamaDaednu]

Aw darn, looks like I've been foiled by the nut free rule again. I paid for a table to sell baked goods at my kids' school craft fair. Apparently even my packaged baked goods cannot contain nuts. My best saleable goods have nuts. Poo. :(
Time to come up with new ideas for baked goods, and perhaps also suck it up making biscotti with no nuts.

[westcoastmom]

Is your daughter planning to attend a Vancouver Public School?

I previously worked at a school and there was a Nut Free policy which was implemented when a boy with a severe Peanut Allergy started Kindergarten. He did not have known allergies to Tree Nuts, but had never had them. There were parents from my class who fought the blanket "No Nuts" in favour of "No Peanuts" since Peanuts are a Legume. The children in my class ate in their classroom, kept all their food there and some of them had very limited diets.

In your case if you have one child with a severe peanut allergy and one with a severe tree nut allergy, I can understand a blanket "No Nuts" policy.

I would contact the Coastal Health Unit if the principal is not willing to listen to you.

I personally object to the banning of any food that says processed in a factory that contains nuts as 99% of processed foods from America are printed with that 'butt covering' statement even when there are no nuts, peanuts.

Truthfully, even in "Nut Free" schools, I see kids walking around with things like Oh Henry bars, Reese's Peanut Butter cups. There are speed limits and people speed. There are no Nut Allergy police.

[Alison's Mom]

Is your daughter planning to attend a Vancouver Public School?

I previously worked at a school and there was a Nut Free policy which was implemented when a boy with a severe Peanut Allergy started Kindergarten. He did not have known allergies to Tree Nuts, but had never had them. There were parents from my class who fought the blanket "No Nuts" in favour of "No Peanuts" since Peanuts are a Legume. The children in my class ate in their classroom, kept all their food there and some of them had very limited diets.

In your case if you have one child with a severe peanut allergy and one with a severe tree nut allergy, I can understand a blanket "No Nuts" policy.

I would contact the Coastal Health Unit if the principal is not willing to listen to you.

I personally object to the banning of any food that says processed in a factory that contains nuts as 99% of processed foods from America are printed with that 'butt covering' statement even when there are no nuts, peanuts.

Truthfully, even in "Nut Free" schools, I see kids walking around with things like Oh Henry bars, Reese's Peanut Butter cups. There are speed limits and people speed. There are no Nut Allergy police.
Thanks for the info. Yes, it would be a public school in Vancouver. The principal seems receptive, but she doesn't have experience with allergies as there were none in her last school. I agree that 'may contains' shouldn't be banned as the risk is small (since the allergic child is not actually eating them) and because companies are not legislated to provide a 'may contain' statement, it's too confusing to parents as to what is a may contain and what isn't (ie many foods are may contains, but are not labelled as such).

With the situation you mentioned, as the parent, I would be in favour of peanut-free and not nut-free, since tree nuts are considered a 'may contain' to a peanut-allergic person. They should maybe get their child tested for tree nuts just to know once and for all.

I also agree that even with a peanut-free school, there is a chance a child or parent may forget or just not care about the ban. In some classes, the teacher would act as the peanut police, but the kids in other classes are probably less regulated.

[westcoastmom]

I have seen some schools in Vancouver with "Peanut Free" posters posted around the school. My assumption would be that those from the local Coastal Health Unit. There is a binder for Coastal Health info in every school, and thee likely is info in there.

Not all parents come into the school and see posters. Some never read the newsletters that are sent home with notices that there are students with severe allergies :eyesroll

Kindergarten is sometimes easier to manage if the kindergarten does parent meetings at the beginning of the year (which many do) If the teacher knows ahead of time, she can tell parents when they come for meetings.

The kindergarten child at my previous school had such a severe allergy even traces of peanut butter on the wall could trigger a reaction. The school nurse gave a presentation to all the staff about severe nut allergies, using an epipen

[Alison's Mom]

I have seen some schools in Vancouver with "Peanut Free" posters posted around the school. My assumption would be that those from the local Coastal Health Unit. There is a binder for Coastal Health info in every school, and thee likely is info in there.

Not all parents come into the school and see posters. Some never read the newsletters that are sent home with notices that there are students with severe allergies :eyesroll

Kindergarten is sometimes easier to manage if the kindergarten does parent meetings at the beginning of the year (which many do) If the teacher knows ahead of time, she can tell parents when they come for meetings.

The kindergarten child at my previous school had such a severe allergy even traces of peanut butter on the wall could trigger a reaction. The school nurse gave a presentation to all the staff about severe nut allergies, using an epipen
Thanks for the additional info. I've spoken to the health nurse for our area and he seems helpful and willing to get involved, and speak to the principal as well, which is good.

[mamajama]

In BC here and my kids' school is peanut free. They do a good job of imparting the message to the kids, it seems, because every Sept. my kids remind me of it for a while :) I had Cashew Butter for them and noticed they hadn't eaten them and they said they didn't take them out of their lunch bags because they were peanut butter. I had forgotten to let them know :o

[Alison's Mom]

In BC here and my kids' school is peanut free. They do a good job of imparting the message to the kids, it seems, because every Sept. my kids remind me of it for a while :) I had Cashew Butter for them and noticed they hadn't eaten them and they said they didn't take them out of their lunch bags because they were peanut butter. I had forgotten to let them know :o

That's good to know - thanks!