No snacks allowed
August 31st, 2007 by 
colson
No one would argue that children with allergies need to be protected from a reaction at school.
But a story on the total ban on shared treats in Brandon Valley elementary schools has some saying they have gone too far.
They argue that you can protect children and still allow kids to bring treats for their birthday or the Halloween party.
What do you think?
Posted in Uncategorized | 
August 31st, 2007 at 3:07 pm
So sad. Seems as if a few are ruining it for the majority again. Educated your child on their allergy but don’t ruin the fun for the rest of the students. Let’s relax a bit RBE and put some responsibility where it should be, with the student and their parents.
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:56 pm
I think it has gone WAY TOO far. Not being able to bring ANY treat for a birthday, or any other holiday. I agree if it was my child I would want them to make the other kids aware. I would make sure and educate my child as to what he can have and make it his responsibility. Yes, even at a very young age. I know a 7 yr old child with diabetes and he is able to monitor what he eats. His school doesn’t ban what he can’t eat. He has been taught! When are we going to stop banning things now that we have started?
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Can you imagine sending your 6 year old out the door to school knowing that one bad decision on the child’s part, to take a bite of a cookie, could kill him? There are allergies out there that are not very forgiving. Some allergies are deadly. Small sacrifice if it saves just one child. Hooray for the school district.
September 3rd, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I’m allergic to dust, molds, cats, dogs and other furry animals, shrimp, perfumes and other smelly things such as most soaps. I also have exercise-induced asthma.
Can you imagine how much would be banned if I were a grade-school student right now? Perhaps all my classmates would have to use unscented bath soap. Perhaps recess would have to be changed to study hall.
September 4th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Remeber the “star” student of the week in kindergarten. Parents brought treats each day for the class. What a pain — try and be creative for an entire week.
Have you ever been a chaperone for a class party? What a mess cupcakes make! Holiday parties create such a chaos — games, treats, pop.
September 4th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I agree 100% to the no treats. Kids eat a healthy breakfast and the school provides a nice meal at lunch. I’m sure most kids have a snack when they return home from school. I don’t see the necessity to have any “extras”. In regards to the parties — the kids have too many “party” reward days for achieving goals. The kids are there to learn — parents should be the ones to provide the “warm” and “fuzzy” for their child. Class parties make a mess of the room — stain the carpet with juice/pop. Smash in crumb into the carpet. I’m sure these party days are a nightmare to the janitorial staff. Maybe that’s the reason parents don’t have stay-at-home birthday parties anymore — they opt for the more expensive ones — where they can leave the mess somewhere other than their home.
I think the ban on treats is a wise decision on part of our school administration. Keep our kids healthy & safe.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I think parents that do not have kids with allergies should be quiet. You have no idea how hard it is to have a child with this. There is nothing wrong with the school banning treats. Some children can’t even breath particals of their allergy without getting sick. The school should be a safe place for them to go and feel comfortable about eating anything set in front of them and not have to question it. They have to do that enough in other situations.
September 7th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
This policy saddens me. I understand that some kids have allergies, and we must be careful with that. However, I agree with those that say that the policy is taking things too far. School should not be a bubble that shields kids from the real world- from both its joys and dangers. Yes, teachers and other school officials should be aware and alert to allergies - but no treats, EVER? Let’s just continue to suck any fun out of school…they started that when they began tiptoeing around holiday parties. Kids start disliking school soon enough - let them have some fun when they can. These little joys help kids have a better attitude towards school, which enriches the entire educational experience.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:39 am
This is pure LIBERALISM run amock. Thats a Government education for you. Can’t do this or that since it might offend, or in this case, hurt some other child. Sorry, but we didn’t exercise this precaution when I was a kid. Get out of my child’s classroom you dirty LIBERALS. 6—your opinions are not why the ban was set in place. It was done for allergy reasons, not carpet staining and extra snacks.
September 10th, 2007 at 9:22 am
I have to admit that I’m really scared to send my kids to BV in a few years (they are 3 and 18mo). I went to these schools when I was a kid. Parties were so fun!! I think that the kids need a mental break now and then and it’s not like a party happens every week or something! I can empathize with kids and parents who have to put up with food allergies. Luckily, my allergies are just to cats! I just feel so bad for all the other kids who feel like they are getting “punished” because Mary Jane over there is different. I think these kids with allergies are going to be alienated because of this (more than the separate lunch table). I think we should look at it as celebrating diversity. It is very appropriate to be sensitive to other people, but why should everyone have to suffer? By 6th grade, school is no longer fun for most kids. Now even the 1st graders only have recess to look forward to! Pretty soon they’ll take that away too!! I love Brandon and the school district, but this rule is just too much!! When I get ready to send my boys to school, I’m going to see what can be done to fight stupid rules like this!! Has the world really changed that much since I was a student? Or are we just a society that would rather have rules to blindly follow than to think for ourselves?
September 11th, 2007 at 11:44 am
I agree with Kris 110%!!! We need to let kids be kids once in awhile. Again, I certainly understand and sympathize with the kids that have peanut allergies. As concerned parents we need to be respectful and cautious when we have a peanut allergy in our kids classroom. This said, we do not need to punish all the kids!! I think there could be a happy medium with this “ban”, we just haven’t thought it thru enough. I think we need to have a group of students, parents and administors look into this further. Was this discussed with anyone before it was implemented? I don’t think so!!!
September 12th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Are there still school carnivals in the spring time? I always wanted to participate in the Cake Walk and take home some frosting-laden treat. If they still do that, should the entire recipe be attached to the cake (of course with all the calorie, fat, sugar, and other nutrition information, too) just in case?
September 12th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I love # 11. Our family has won some great cakes. I would like the recipes.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
just a question, we ban so many things and claim it as a right to protect the child with the allergy, but what happened to the right of my child to be able to eat a peanut butter sandwich or cookie for lunch?? also the article stated that they used a special cleaner on the table, do they also wash all the dishes w/that cleaner since the article implied that regular soap/water wouldn’t get rid of the “peanut contaminate”?? otherwise how do they ensure that a child w/the allergy won’t get a plate/silverware with peanut allergens left on it??
September 18th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Bring the treats back! Bring the treats back! First the issue on “treats” in school. I won’t bore you with the “when I was a kid….” stories BUT we had awesome holiday parties with treats and pop and guess what? Not very many kids were obese! We played outside and burned it all off. I think most of us are good parents that prepare good food for our kids, but once and a while (like at a holiday school party) lets relax! Bring back the treats (even the..gasp..homemade ones)! Peanut allergies are dangerous but not for 98% of the student body so why are they banned? Are the kids that are allergic to bee stings stay inside too? Teach the kids with peanut allergies to NOT EAT PEANUTS! Doesn’t seem like rocket science to me. RBE seems a little up tight to me (whistle blowing in the luchroom, no running on the woodchips at recess..) RELAX, they’re kids. Don’t put them in a bubble to protect them from themselves. Bring back snacks, running at recess, and the peanut butter bread at lunch!!!
September 20th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Amen RBE MOM!! This BE mom agrees with you 100%!!!!!!
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:48 am
Absolutely!!!!!! I cannot even begin to understand how difficult it is to have a child with an allergy, but I do not understand the need to ruin holiday parties for all students because of this! I think having children bring their own treat bag to a party is just another step in trying to suck all of the fun out of school for our children! If your child is truly so allergic that breathing a particle of peanut dust would be fatal, I think you may want to consider home schooling, because the school environment may just be too dangerous for your child. I know this may be a controversial opinion, but I do think we need to keep things realistic here. Our school isn’t a “bubble” as someone pointed out before…it should be a microcosm of the world. This is what our children need to be prepared for life in the real world. We expect them to learn how to get along in the world, how to work hard, how to respect authority, and maybe they need to know how to get along with peanuts, too. Just an opinion.