Many young children have severe peanut allergies. These allergies can be so severe that they lead to death. In the school setting, it is difficult to control which students have peanuts with them, and which do not. One of the good things about the allergy, is that the substance has to come in direct contact with the person who is allergic. So, in most cases it is not a problem that other students have peanuts — unless someone tries to sabotage the student with the allergy.
A Morton Middle School eighth-grader faces felony charges after putting crumbled peanut butter cookies in the lunch box of another student with a severe allergy to peanuts.
The allergic student, another eighth-grader, did not eat the cookies and did not suffer a reaction. (Link)
I agree that the student should be punished in some way. However, he probably thought that he was playing some sort of a joke. No one was hurt in the ‘attempt at humor’, most likely because the student with the allergy was observant of his lunch. A felony charge of wanton endangerment is a little excessive for a 13 year old. Perhaps a suspension will teach him a better lesson.
Are you allergic to peanuts? If so, how bad is the allergy? Can you be around people eating peanuts? I am curious to know how people with serious peanut allergies deal with the peanut society that we live in today.
Justin