Plymouth school bans bananas
COUNCIL leader Vivien Pengelly has criticised a city primary school's decision to ban bananas as being 'a bit over the top'.
Stoke Damerel Primary School has stopped children from bringing the fruit into school as one of its staff members has a life-threatening allergy to them.
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It fears 'severe' health risks if that member of staff comes into contact with bananas.
But Cllr Pengelly told The Herald: "This is the first I have heard about this and it does sound a bit over the top to me.
"It's my experience as a head teacher that when there are allergies in a school we encourage children to manage the risk around them.
"I shall be asking officers to look at this particular case again to see whether anything else might be done."
Plymouth City Council has been involved with the ban – which has been in place for two years – but a spokesman said the authority was unable to reveal who has the allergy.
"A member of the school community has a severe life-threatening allergy to bananas and, on the advice of the council, the school has asked pupils not to bring them in," the spokesman said.
"These are very unusual circumstances but the school community has been supportive and understanding over the last two years."
Although questions are being raised about the ban, it will be lifted anyway once the individual who is affected leaves the school at the end of this term, it has emerged.
The city council spokesman said: "From September the individual affected will no longer be at the school and bananas will be back."
Another city council spokeswoman added: "We cannot comment on specific individuals because of medical confidentiality.
"Most people know that individuals can have allergic reactions to substances, with nut allergies being particularly well known.
"Reactions can be extreme in some cases, including anaphylactic shock, which can lead to collapse and even death.
"An allergy to bananas is more rare, but there is a recognised cross reaction between latex and some fruit – the latex-fruit syndrome – as latex and certain fruit may have the same protein in their make up.
"Latex, found in objects such as surgical gloves and balloons can also sometimes cause allergic reactions, of varying degrees of severity, in some people.
"People who react to latex may have a similar reaction to certain foods – and vice versa."
72 Comments
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by parent, plymouth
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 6:44PM
“As the mother of one of the 'former pupils of sdps' I'd firstly like to apologise for their ridiculous comments of yesterday. Those 2 need to spend less time on msn and more time studying English which has quite obviously deteriorated since leaving the primary school!
As a parent of children at the school Ms Pengelly needs to be made aware that the majority of parents of children at the school realise that it is a life threatening condition which the member of staff has and are more than willing to support the ban of bananas at the school. The safety of the member of staff is surely more important than the children eating bananas!!!
The individual concerned is a fantastic educator who made a real difference to the academic achievement of one of my children.
I suggest Ms Pengelly finds a more constructive way of spending our taxes and leaves the school in question to manage its own affairs!”
by the crimson chin, The middle of no where
Tuesday, June 16 2009, 3:30PM
“This has been going on for the past 3 years folks. It has only been put into the news this week! That school is getting worst though”
by Arnold Layne, Plymouth
Monday, June 15 2009, 11:27PM
“Fascinating. I'm wondering who comes out with the most discredit in of all of this. The School? Cllr Pengelly? The Herald? Reader commentators? Schools are an easy and cheap target, especially for politicians and those with nil understanding of the constraints of working in the public sector, which, after all, are set by politicians following their election by Joe Public, ie you lot. The Disability Discrimination Act determines by law what employers have to do, so the school has few, or no, options in this case. Many of the comments here I¿m afraid are simply a result of ignorance and lack of any real sense of social responsibility. This country used to pride itself for its sense of tolerance. What happened?”
by 5adayliskeard, Cornwall
Monday, June 15 2009, 9:31PM
“What part of life threatening allergy does this idiot woman not understand ?
Its a serious issue that could cause someones death but hey lets it if we can score some political points .”
by David, Plymouth
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:33PM
“What a brilliant wheeze for children, they could say they are allergic to education and get banned.... LOL”
by Steve, Peverell
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:26PM
“On the bright side, think of all the children that have not been bitten by spiders stowing away in banana boxes.”
by underworked teacher, plymouth
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:25PM
“Topper said: "i agree grumster teachers are over paid with long holidays and eay working conditions always moaning about something and not wanting people to know what they are doing re standards....give them a pay cut and more hours ...."
Heehee, why aren't you a teacher then? 13 weeks holiday, great pension, loads of sick leave, finished by 3.30pm. Sounds like a doddle! All those who moan about teachers' pay and conditions must be stupid to do any other job instead. Guess you're just not clever enough!
Off to finish my marking and count my money... 5 and a half weeks to summer hols!”
by Soapboxellie, Plymouth
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:10PM
“ellie, plymuiff. You may be in the top set for maths but you certainly won't win any marks for your English.”
by tinks, Plymouth
Monday, June 15 2009, 8:01PM
“So the ban has been in place for some years and the School, children and parents have agreed to stick with it. So what's the problem?
I have 3 grandchildren and if this was there school I would see it as a valuable teaching exercise, namely that just because someone isn't obviously ill/disabled doesn't mean they don't have a life threatening problem.
All 3 of my grandchildren have asthma. You can't tell that just by looking at them and it can strike at any time. Their friends make allowances for that, they have some understanding of what happens and what to do to help. They don't obsess about it, but they are aware. These children are 5, 6, 7, 8 years old and they have empathy and understanding for someone else's problem. Isn't that what we want for the next generation? For them to have understanding and empathy? How many reports on this site show what happens to children who grow up selfish and without giving a monkeys for other people.
And finally why is this woman waisting tax payers money on this non-problem? Oh! that's right, thers's gonna be an election soon!! and she gets her face in the paper again!!! Just in case us silly folk forget who she is and put our vote elsewhere.
I'm afraid I don't believe for one minute that this has anything to do with the children going without bananas. The only skin 'our Viv' wants to save IS HER OWN!!!!!!!!!!!”
by ellie, plymuff, ex stoke student!
Monday, June 15 2009, 7:53PM
“.D DALTON.how dare you say that we are rubbish at maths! i am in top set for maths! nd what would u KNOW. SHE WASA OFF FOR A YEAR. AND YES IT DOES MATTER IF A CHILD AGED 9 HAS A VERY VERY SERIUS ALLERGY 2 NUTS!!! BUT SORRY IF U DID NOT SAY THAT.”