Groton Area Elementary is a Nut and Peanut Aware School
-Supporting Students with Nut and Peanut Allergies-
We are aware of the tremendous risk children and adults who are allergic to nuts can face from even the smallest trace of peanut butter or other nut product. The consequences are life threatening in many cases and require immediate intervention with medication or even hospitalization. We want you to be aware of the dangers so we can reduce the chance or possibility of such an occurrence at our school as we do have some children with severe nut allergies attending Groton Area Elementary. You can help us by observing the following guidelines, which apply whether or not an allergic child is known to be present.
Please keep our nut and peanut guidelines in mind when packing your child’s lunch and snacks.
- •Any foods containing nuts or nut products brought into our school may result in an allergic reaction of one or more of our students due to the severity of the nut and peanut allergies. This includes peanut butter sandwiches, nuts in salads, candy with nuts, trail mixes or granola bars with nuts, cereal with nuts, etc.
If we are all AWARE of the dangers to some of our students, we can hopefully prevent an unfortunate incident in our school. We strongly discourage you from bringing in any nut or peanut products to school.
Why is Groton Area Elementary discouraging these items?
A serious allergic reaction can occur from contact with even a microscopic amount of the offending food. For example, a knife used to cut walnut brownies, wiped off and then used to cut fruit, can cause a reaction in a child who eats that fruit from any residue left on the utensil. Simple contact with an allergen can also produce the same reaction. For example, if one child were to eat a peanut butter sandwich and then touch a child with an allergy, there could be an allergic reaction.
How can each family help?
We encourage all families to ensure that no one brings any foods containing any type of nut onto the school property. This means any foods sent in for lunch, snack, or any class event should be carefully checked to make sure they are nut free. This extends to field trips, school events, extended day, and summer camp. Families can help ensure that our school stays incident free by reading the label on every package. In addition, in order to protect our allergic children, amongst other reasons, we encourage children not to share their food or beverages with one another.
We hope with your AWARENESS and cooperation, we can have an incident free school year where every child teams in a safe and supportive environment.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the school during school hours.
Thank you for your help in keeping our school safe for everyone!