During one of Breathe PA’s School Nurse Trainings, Strategies to Address Allergies’ Impact on Students with Asthma,” a nurse asked the group for their experience, insights, or thoughts on schools going “nut-free.”
The discussion began with these questions:
- Is it really feasible or even possible?
- Can you enforce this within an entire district?
- Wouldn’t it create a false sense of security?
- Would a better approach be to offer education, program, and resources to the student with allergies, their family, peers, and school personnel?
All of these questions are certainly relevant and thought-provoking and as the discussion progressed were answered in many different ways depending on the size of a district, coverage by school nurses, education, program, and resource availability. I am not sure anyone left with a definite “yes or no,” but I believe everyone moved a little closer to an awareness of the issue.
I heard someone say one time: “Change isn’t easy and often painful, but so is not changing.” For a more in-depth discussion on this topic checkout this link: Nut-Free Schools: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (asthmaallergieschildren.com)
If you would like to learn more about attending the School Nurse Trainings on Asthma and Allergy, contact Breathe Pennsylvania