Student put in detention for sharing school lunch

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33. times have changed. i think a lot of people who object are thinking of a different era

when lethal allergies were extraordinarily rare.

they're not so rare these days, most schools have at least one, most likely several, students with life-or-death allergies.

that care-free attitude makes for wonderful reminiscing, but the joy of trading lunches pales in comparison to the gravity of the new reality. seemingly fun and well-intentioned acts like this can end up resulting in a dead friend.

i'm not sure detention is specifically warranted, but the rule certainly makes sense to me.


note that there's a risk of cross-contamination. if a parent makes a peanut butter sandwich for one kid, then uses the same knife without thoroughly washing it to spread mayo on a different, "peanut-free" sandwich, even that "peanut-free" sandwich could be lethal to someone with a severe peanut allergy.

it's not just the explicit ingredients, it's also the preparation area and equipment. this is why plain m&ms aren't safe, because the same equipment is used for peanut m&ms and they can't guarantee there isn't contamination from the peanuts.