Food & Drink Brought Into BFA

[Henry]

I mentioned in another note that when we arrived at the Polls yesterday, we were greeted with a couple of signs and a table out in front of the school.  Not sure what effect this will have on future community events like our Fairfax Historical Society Meetings that we hold in the library, the annual chicken pie supper put on by the United Church or the annual turkey dinner put on by St. Luke Church to mention a few:

[Loctavious]

I think it's gotten to this point for a few reasons.  One being there's more kids with these severe food allergies attending the school now.  ALSO, i think there's always ( or at least in the last 7-8 years) been an issue with this at both Flecther & Fairfax.  WHY?  some folsk don't understand the seriousness of it - some of these kids are so sensitive that even they touch a peanut they can have a serious and potentially fatal reaction ( thus why some of them carry not 1 but 2 epi-pens).  I know that back when i coached Rec B-ball at Fletcher and even little kid b-ball at Fairfax on Sat mornings - Parents would either themselves or let siblings bring in a lot of questionable food items.  I once saw someone with PEanut butter and Jelly sandwhich. ( i politely but intenionally with a look of panic on my face, asked them to leave with the food item, and wash their hands before they returned explaing the potential for a fatal reaction.  Those folks, even after explaining the seriousness of the situation, STILL looked put - out, like it was their right to do whatever they want.)

    However Henry, i'm thinking that unless someone directly contacts the groups you mentioned about someone attending them with such an allergy, AND it's not on school grounds, that you'll be in the clear.  After all, we're not mind-readers.  Might be a good idea to throw the question out to your groups of whether or not anyone has a similiar allergy.
     Bummer i know - back in that Little kid b-ball days, I was in a Brazilian Nut coffee phase, and those practices were at like 8:00 or 9:00 am - my time for coffee drinking to wake-up.  I was told that even drinks with miniscule amounts of nuts or peanut products in them could spark a reaction.  BUT, i just woke up earlier to get my java fix.

[NorthFairfaxBoy]

My comment is....Where do we stop?  What happens when this child grows up and goes into the adult world?  Are they going to ban nut products in his place of employment? 

[Henry]

Not sure what will happen when these kids go to college, but I strongly suspect some colleges will not accept them.

[Loctavious]

That's a good question.  You'll notice now that MANY MANY products OVERLY declare the possibility of either containing peanut/nut products or the possible exposure to them while in production.  There was a report on Dateline  i think a few years back about Scammers.  They showed people intenionally falling in airports on escalators, or whereever, among other things and ALSO, intentionally exposing themselves to things that would make them sick because they knew there wasn't any warning.  Some of them actually won their lawsuits, some were busted via cameras.
I guess my point is that these folks will need to accept the responsibility for themselves.

I know of a child with an allergy similar to these food allergies.  Their parents taught them young to not rely on others and ALWAYS check the ingredients of what they were going to eat.  And i've witnessed the kid do it when they were merely 8 years old - still doing it today at 15.
 My wife use to work with a 18 yr old who had severe allergies, he carried 2 epi-pens - ine in holster on his ankle and another on a hip holster.  Every second counts.

[NorthFairfaxBoy]

Being I have close to 15 years in emergency services I can attest to the fact that every second does count.  And it is good to see that many people carry Epi-pens.  But, sadly there are many that do not.

[Rev. Elizabeth]

Certainly food allergies are very serious, and it is important for all of us to be aware of and sensitive to the well being of those who are severely allergic.  We were concerned about whether or not we would be able to hold our Chicken Pie Supper.   Today we met with those involved with these issues  at the school and with certain adjustments and accommodations we will indeed have our supper this September 27th.
Rev. Elizabeth

[Loctavious]

Indeed. Sad it is.  Hell, i can think of a fatality off the top of my head - here locally where i believe the individual even had an epi-pen - the reaction was so quick and intense they couldn't manage to use it.

[dearon]

You also have to be aware of cross contamination.  Just watching the ingredients isn't enough.  If someone uses a knife and cleans it off then uses again for another purpose the contaminates are still there.  This can happen with peanuts as well as sea food.  I know the school still serves egg rolls that contain some sea food.  I was told this by someone who works in the kitchen. She has two daughters that are severely allergic to sea food.  Why just keep peanut products out when there are equally as many people allergic to sea food.  Sea food is much easier to eliminate.  What someone may not know about sea food is when you go to a restaurant that serves fish and sea food they often use the same oils to cook them.  They may also cut up the fish/meats in the same area.  I for one never go anywhere they serve sea food.  Any cross contamination at all can mean a trip to the emergency room or death.  Carring an epi-pen may not be enough for people who are severly allergic.
I can see the concern but I think there is even more that can be done.  It is not solely dependant on the child watching what they can eat; even as adults it can be difficult to discern what is in a product or should you even go out to eat at all.

[Loctavious]

TRUE, as a parent you SHOULD be vigilant with your kid.  On the other hand you'll need to prepare them for not only when they're off to College, but sooner than that, when they go over to firends house.  Even a call to the parents to ensure safety may not be enough if the child themselves isn't educated.  It's just EXTRA cautious to teach the child the importance and good practices - even if everything has been worked out ahead of time.

[vtmomx3]

I would like to repspond to this topic as well. I do not know what it's like to have a child with severe allergies, but I think that I too would educate my child as soon as possible since I would not always be around to protect them. And I know we, as a caring community, will always do what we can to protect children. I was thinking about the other piece of this. My children are at BFA and now are extremely restricted with where, when and what they can and cannot eat. Because there are limited places to safely eat, my children have had to sit on the lunch room floor because there weren't enough chairs for everyone (totally unacceptable). My children have the late lunch so they are required to go from breakfast at our house until 1:00 without eating--also unacceptable. I'm wondering if anyone else feels the same way?? Am I out of line?? I'm really concerned about the health and learning environment of my own kids--- Any ideas?? Thanks

[Chris Santee]

This arrived for The Fairfax News too late for inclusion in September's issue:

LECTURE ON ORAL ALLERGY SYNDROME (OAS)
Have you experienced tingling or itching of the mouth and throat after eating raw fruit such as melons or bananas? How about after eating raw carrots.  If so, chances are you may be experiencing  Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) and seasonal allergies to such things as ragweed, birch or grass pollens.  This is called cross-reactivity between foods and pollen.  Unlike other food allergies (i.e. peanuts, tree nuts, milk, etc.), OAS rarely turns into life-threatening anaphylaxis, the symptoms rarely spread to major organs, but its common symptoms can be annoying. 

Dr. Edward Kent, Allergy & Asthma Specialist of Timberlane Allergy & Asthma Associates  will explain OAS and the food/pollen connection on September 15th, from 6:00 – 7:30pm at Temple Sinai Religious School, So. Burlington.   Presented by the Vermont Food Allergy Organization

Registrations appreciated, free and open to the public.  Call Vermont Food Allergy Organization at (802) 985-5050 or email: vtallergy@verizon.net to register or for more information. 

For information on the above, contact:
Vermont Food Allergy Organization (VTFAO)
97 Gardenside Lane
Shelburne, Vermont  05482
office (802) 985-5050

www.vermontfoodallergyorg.org   

[Sue W.]

I echo the sentiments expressed by VTmom.  It seems like this is a very restrictive policy.  I've been in 2 other schools this week and their policies don't seem quite as strict.  My son attends the tech center and doesn't really have a lunch period.  He cannot eat on the bus ride back to Burlington and his class is already started when he returns to Fairfax, so his choice is lunch in the multi purpose room or miss a part of his class.  The opportunity to eat something in the hallway on the way to class or on the bus would be very welcome. 

JMHO