Crittenden County Elementary School is latest school in area to restrict nuts to protect the health of those with nut allergies

This story has been updated to include information about other Western Kentucky schools with nut restrictions.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a lunchbox staple for many American children, but they can also pose a serious health risk to those with peanut and tree-nut allergies, especially in the young. The risk has prompted the Crittenden County school district to become the latest in the area to restrict the use of nuts at the Crittenden County Elementary School in Marion.

"Peanut and tree nut allergies plague an estimated 19 million Americans and the number of children with peanut allergies in the U.S. has nearly doubled in just over a decade," The Crittenden Press noted.

After researching the issue and how other schools have dealt with it, the school's parent-teacher council and wellness committee created a policy that restricts but doesn't ban nuts, the Press reports.

The policy asks everyone to be aware that nut products are dangerous to some of the students and asks them to not send those products to school, Principal Melissa Tabor told the Press. She said at least five students have proven nut allergies.

Several other Western Kentucky schools have peanut restrictions,Genevieve Postlethwait reports for The Paducah Sun, including Carlisle County and Fulton County schools, with Paducah and Hickman County schools having restricted peanuts for varying periods of time in the past. (Story is behind a pay wall.)

"We do it on a case-by-case, year-by-year basis," Penny Holt,the district's nutrition director, told Postlethwait of Paducah schools' approach to restricting peanuts and other allergens. "If a child has an allergy that is that serious, we're not going to risk it," she said, noting that they are seeing an increase in all kinds of food allergies.

Another school, Heath Elementary, has a child with an airborne peanut allergy so the school does not serve any peanut products or cook with any peanut products, Sara Jane Hedges, food services director for McCracken County schools. told Postlethwait. Students are still allowed to bring peanut butter products, but " "It's just taken care of very carefully," Hedges said.

Crittenden County Elementary school's policy does not require school personnel to check backpacks or lunchboxes for nut-containing products, but if they see children have one of these products, they ask them to sit at a designated table for that day, where they can ask a friend to join them.

The school sent home a list of nut-free snacks, including safe name brands that do not contain peanut oil, to help parents re-think what to pack in their child's lunch or to send for school snacks or for school parties.

So far, the principal said, parents have been receptive to the policy, and one parent told her that they had successfully switched to a soy butter that tastes like peanut butter because their child wants peanut-butter sandwiches for lunch.

The policy states that those with severe allergies to peanuts or nut products may be at great risk of anaphylactic shock, "an allergic reaction causing swelling, difficulty breathing, itching, unconsciousness, circulatory collapse and sometimes death," if they ingest or are exposed to these products.

"Because of the possibility of cross-contamination, a campus-wide, comprehensive avoidance of foods containing nuts was deemed to be the best solution to reduce the health risks to students with allergens," Tabor told the Press.

Crittenden County School Supt. Vince Clark told the weekly newspaper that he supports the school's policy, despite the argument that it creates a burden to parents of students who love peanut butter.

“There are valid points on each side of the issue,” he told the Press. “Ultimately, we have to support efforts to offer a safer learning environment for the children.” (Read more)

Prevention and preparation is the key to a productive year at school for kids with asthma (and that's 1 in 10 students)

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

As the beginning of a new school year approaches, parents of children with asthma and allergies need to make sure that not only does their child recognize what triggers their symptoms and how to treat a flare-up, but also that their school knows what to do.

One of every 10 school-aged children in Kentucky has asthma, and these students miss an average of four school days each year, according to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Kentucky has one of the highest rates of asthma in the United States.

Nationally, more than 10 million kids under age 18 have asthma, 11 percent have respiratory allergies and about six percent have food allergies, according to according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. And on any given day, more than 10,000 kids miss school due to asthma.

Preventative care and avoiding triggers will help children miss fewer days in the classroom and will also allow them to be more productive in all of their activities, the college said in a news release.

“Parents need to be advocates for their kids, to help ensure they’re breathing well with clear minds and able to navigate the triggers that sometimes stand in their way,” Michael Foggs, president of the college. “If kids are having difficulty breathing, are sneezing, have runny noses and itchy eyes, and haven’t slept well the night before, they won’t perform at their best.”

Here are some tips to help with symptom-free days in the classroom and outdoors:

• Create an action plan with your allergist specific to your child's needs. Include medications, doses, triggers, early symptoms of flare-up and what to do if there is a flare up.&

• Share your child’s action plan with your child's teacher and whoever else might come into contact with your child every day. Discuss how independently your child is able to deal with their asthma, give them contact numbers for you and your child's doctor and be sure your child and school staff knows how to work the peak flow meter and how to administer medications, especially if your child needs assistance.

• Assess any triggers for your child at school: mold, dust mites, cockroaches, chalk dust, perfumes, cleaning products or other chemicals, animal dander, saliva or urine. Work on a plan to minimize these triggers.

• Discuss how to handle emergencies. Children who are at risk for a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) also should have epinephrine to use. Be sure your child and school staff know how to use emergency medications.

• If your child has food allergies, send a bagged lunch to school every day and instruct your child to not share foods, napkins or utensils.

• Make sure you have a plan for recess and sports activities. The American College of Allergy, Asthma, Asthma and Immunology says in the release that "asthma symptoms during exercise may indicate poorly-controlled medications."

• Pay attention to the pollen counts if your child is allergic to pollen; it is suggested to start medications two weeks prior to when the levels are at their worst.

Proper asthma control helps kids sleep better at night, spend more time in the classroom, experience less anxiety about their condition and fully participate in all school activities, according to kidshealth.org.