*edited for privacy OR 2nd grade round 1

I'm glad there was peanut butter in Emily's class on only the second day.  You know, let's knock this out early.  I love Emily's teacher, she was on top of it.  First a parent asked if she could bring cupcakes for her kid's birthday today.  Her teacher said No, because of the food allergy issue.  She said that the birthday mom could bring apples and carrots.  Boom!  So what did birthday mom do? Bring apples with caramel dip.  And when the caramel dip ran out, she whipped out PEANUT BUTTER?!?!!  So, Emily high tailed it and now I'm writing my first letter of the year.  Em's teacher said if stuff keeps happening like this we're going to ban food from the classroom altogether and just have a birthday crown and stickers or something.  My heart sang!!!  If you missed my jubilation a few days ago, there will be no classroom snacks this year already.  So if we can get this birthday crap nailed down, I may just have one school to freak out about instead of two.  That's only half as bad!  Ok, so here's the letter* I'm sending to school with Em tomorrow.  We'll see how atrociously it gets edited and then sent to the parents.  Or maybe, just maybe it really is a new year...

Happy Second Grade!

     I must admit, this letter never gets easier to write.  Due to Emily’s life-threatening nut allergy, I need your help to keep her safe in the classroom.  Peanuts, Tree nuts, basically every nut on the planet could very easily kill Emily if she eats it, plain and simple.  There is also a risk for severe, life-threatening reaction if nut products or particles even get on her skin or if she breathes in too many air particles contaminated with nuts.  Scary stuff.  Emily has also had reactions to Pineapple, Pomegranate, and Asparagus, but none so scary as the reactions she’s had to nuts.  And all it takes is one mistake one time for anyone with a nut allergy’s life to be over, even with all the proper medications and procedures in place.  (Google Natalie Giorgi’s tragic death at a family camp in Sacramento at the end of last month. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/30/5607195/years-of-caution-about-peanut.html)

To make second grade safe and awesome, I’m asking for your help in two ways:

1. When bringing food into the classroom for birthdays or other celebrations, please refrain from any Nuts or Nut products of any kind such as peanut butter, trail mix, or nutella.  In the cafeteria there is a “No Nuts” table where Emily and the other nut allergy kids can safely sit. (Last year ours was the smallest school in the district, yet had the highest concentration of nut allergy kids!)  In the classroom, it’s just too closed an environment and it’s also where the students spend all their time together.  
2. If anyone plans on bringing food into the classroom to share for any reason, please let me know via email a couple of days ahead so that I can plan something for Emily since most products from bakeries aren’t safe due to cross-contamination.  Emily has spent the last two years coming home disappointed because someone surprised the class with cupcakes or treats for a birthday that weren’t safe for her to eat, even though it was against class policy to deviate from the birthday celebration schedule, when I would have known to plan a safe snack for her.  That’s life with a nut allergy, but I could very easily just pack her a safe treat if I know ahead of time.  I’m not sure what the class policy on birthdays will be this year, but if there’s going to be food, please let me know so I can be sure to have something for Emily! (:

Thanks for your help Parents!  If you have any questions, please ask.  I may not have covered everything and I love talking about food allergies.  Emily’s younger sister has Wheat and Corn allergies, so we make and eat all kinds of weird food!

Emily’s Mom