Educators frequently overreact when responding to legal, political and social concerns of the public.
Take the issues of drugs, sexual harassment, gangs and weapons:
Students are routinely disciplined for possessing aspirin, for hugging, for wearing certain colors and for pretending to shoot with their fingers.
Enter now the most lethal no-no of all: peanut butter.
Yes, the nutritious staple of American diet is being scooped out of school lunchrooms across America.
Some 0.5 to 1.0 percent of America’s population suffers from allergies to nuts and--ergo--educators fear legal repercussions from the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Hey, millions of Americans are allergic to dairy products, wheat, fish and soy. Yet you don’t see school cafeterias dumping foods containing those products.
And you don’t see schools canceling outdoor activities because some students may be allergic to bee stings.
Antidotes already exist to counter allergic reactions. Students with allergies, diabetes, religious dietary prohibitions and weight-management problems routinely select from special menus.
Can the ban on peanut butter. (23 JULY 2006)
