Peanut & Tree Nut Policy Guidelines - Alphonsus Academy & Center ...

Dear AACA families,
Alphonsus Academy & Center for the Arts has a high number of children who suffer from severe
allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and/or by-products of both. To ensure the safety of all our
students, the AACA School Board announced that beginning on August 31, 2009, AACA would
be a peanut/tree nut free school. Moving into our third year of implementation of this policy we
request your continued and full support in order to provide a safe environment for students who
suffer this life-threatening allergy.
Why is this policy necessary?
1. Approximately 8% of the AACA student population has food allergies and 7% of those
allergies are to peanuts/tree nuts.
2. This life-threatening allergy is not simply an ingestion allergy. These children can suffer
anaphylactic shock and death from a trace amount of the allergen, which might be
airborne or left as a residue on a surface he/she touches. If this were simply a matter of
not eating the offending item, it would not be so dangerous.
3. Allergic reactions to peanuts/tree nuts can affect the skin, as well as gastrointestinal,
respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. In extreme circumstances, these allergies can
cause a potentially life-threatening reaction that can cause a child’s airways to swell and
blood pressure to drop.
4. The number of children across the country diagnosed with peanut/tree-nut allergies has
more than doubled in the past five years.
5. Peanut/tree-nut allergies account for 92% of all severe and fatal allergic reactions in
children.
6. One in five children with food allergies will have a reaction while at school.
To date, there have been no instances of allergic reactions, but the possibility of an occurrence
has significantly increased with each year and is much more difficult for the faculty and
administration to effectively control. This decision was difficult, but ultimately, the board was in
agreement that as a concerned school community, with a relatively high allergic population, this
is the right thing to do.
Why resort to a nut-free campus instead of nut-free zones for allergic students?
After researching the options, we feel that a nut-free campus is the safest option for our students.
We cannot protect what our children are exposed to outside the school environment, but we do
have a responsibility to help protect them while they are in our care, and we hope you will all
continue to embrace this change for the safety of our students

To Students:
Students are asked to voluntarily refrain from bringing anything containing peanuts or
tree-nuts in their lunch box or as a snack.
Our cafeteria will not serve any products that contain peanuts, tree nuts, or by-products of
either.
Students will receive education at school regarding our goals to be peanut/tree nut SAFE,
including how to read food ingredient labels and the importance of hand-washing.
To Parents:
Parents are asked to voluntarily choose not to pack anything containing peanuts or treenuts
in their child’s lunch box.
Parents are asked to voluntarily choose not to send anything to the school containing
peanuts or tree-nuts for snacks, treats, or refreshments.
Please read labels before sending any food items to school.
If your child brings a food item containing peanuts or nuts to school, it will be disposed
of and your child will be offered something from the cafeteria in its place.
If you had planned to pack your child’s lunch in September, but would like to consider
the cafeteria option as an alternative based on this news, please contact the school for
further information.
To Staff:
Staff members will not bring anything to the school that contains peanuts/tree-nuts or byproducts
of either.
Vending machines will not contain any products with peanuts/tree-nuts or by-products of
either.
We know for many this may be an inconvenience, but ultimately, we are asking for your support
in finding peanut / tree nut free alternatives for the one meal your children have at AACA each
day. It is our hope that everyone agrees the safety and well-being of our children is of utmost
importance. When a child’s life is at stake, we must work together to make our school as safe as
possible for children with this life-threatening allergy.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.