If you live in Illinois and plan on having your child bring something yummy to share with the class for their birthday, you may have to reconsider. Due to the increasing number of food allergies and dietary restriction related issues, many school districts are no longer allowing food to be served during school parties and functions.
As someone in her early 40s, I clearly recall the days of elementary school when every class holiday party served homemade cupcakes, cookies or other yummy treats. Then as my own children reached elementary school age, policies were beginning to change. Homemade items were discouraged, with schools opting for pre-packaged goodies.
Now, as my youngest child is attending elementary school, our school district has now banned any and all foods from holiday parties or other school functions. By the time she reached Kindergarten, the school district had already done away with any child bringing in edible “birthday treats” to share with the class. We were allowed to bring such treats as pencils or erasers, something non-edible.
Granted, these policies kind of take the fun out of things, but I can see the point as someone who suffers from food allergies myself. Many times in grade school, I was the girl who couldn’t eat whatever was brought in for a class treat, due to the fact it contained nuts. However, it never occurred to me to keep the rest of the class from enjoying theirs, as I knew what I could/couldn’t eat.
Since my kids started school, the oldest back in 1993, it’s gone from no homemade goodies, to pre-packaged, to no edible birthday treats.The past two years my daughter has attended grade school, they adopted the policy of notifying parents in advance of what treat would be served at the parties or other school function. If there were any food allergy issues, the parent could request an alternate treat for their child.
Now it’s gone even one step further, with no treats for school classroom parties at all. This year, ALL food has been banned from all classroom parties. The reasoning is that there are just too many kids with food allergies and other food issues to take the risk.
I feel a bit sad for today’s children, although I do understand the school’s reasoning. I am starting to feel old now, because I recall times of “cupcake day” at my elementary school when a bunch of moms baked homemade cupcakes the school sold at lunchtime for a dime. Never mind that today’s price would probably be a dollar, it’s just the realization of how much things have changed in our society. The thought of a classroom holiday party without edible goodies is unfathomable to people my age. But yet, as a food allergy sufferer myself, I do appreciate the fact that schools are putting the safety of today’s children first.
If you are moving to or entering a new school district, be sure to ask about the district’s policies on bringing in food items to school.