The debate continues on Cape Cod. Are food allergies a disability? Should schools ban peanuts and peanut butter? I personally have mixed feelings about bans in middle and high schools, though I think they may be fitting for young elementary grades, when children are too young to read on their own, rendering label reading impossible. More frightening than a lack of a ban are the actions of those strongly opposed to the bans--purposefully exposing anaphylactic and severely allergic children to potentially fatal foods. To a child with a life threatening allergy, isn't that almost akin to carrying a gun to school?
3 comments:
They've always been covered by the ADA, from what I understand, since it can potentially keep a child from breathing. School districts were just slow in catching on! As far as nut bans go, I think usually they're only appropriate for the really little kids, but that's another subject!
It certainly does seem a bit much to place an out right ban on nuts at a school. What about pople with severe allergies to other substances, I could imagine that some large schools would end up being quite restrictive.
As severe allergies are a disability in the US does that mean that people are provided subsidies for food that doesn't contain the harmful allergens or get it for free as in Italy (for celiacs)?
Food allergies (and asthma for that matter) is considered a hidden disability according to the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act passed on Jan. 2009. Here's the link to the parent advocacy brief that talks about it.
http://www.ncld.org/images/stories/Publications/AdvocacyBriefs/UnderstandingADAAA-Section504/UnderstandingADAAA-Section504.pdf
Hope all is well!
Thanita
Post a Comment