According to foodallergy.org right now in the US, life threatening food allergies effect 1 in 13 children under the age of 18 accounting for roughly 2 children in every school classroom. Peanut allergy is the most common of the "top 8" food allergies in the US and is also the most likely to cause a food related death. Furthermore, those with a peanut allergy are 2-4 times more likely to suffer from asthma and other allergic conditions, and those with asthma are at a much higher risk for having the most severe and fatal cases of anaphalaxyis when exposed to a particular allergen (peanuts/treenuts). My daughter Ella McCauley is sadly one of the almost 3 million children that suffers from potenitally fatal allergy in America, she also suffers from severe asthma putting her in the even more "high risk" category for potentially fatal food reactions.

Parents of peanut allergy children do everything we can to ensure the safety of our children. We religiously read labels (I have caught myself getting up 4 or 5 times to re-read a label on a new food item), we avoid restaurants, warn everyone providing care for our children, use medical ID tags and carry benadryl ans EPI pens everywhere we go. Sadly, that is not enough. Children die at alarming rates from inadvertently being exposed to peanut products. Recently, in the town that I live in, a 13 year old girl died after taking a bite of a peanut butter laced rice crispy treat at a summer camp, despite spitting it out and never swallowing it, being given benadryl and 3 EPI pens and her father who was a doctor providing CPR to her all to no avail, she was pronounced dead on arrival to the local hospital.

In 2013 the CDC released voluntary guidelines for schools to follow to help prevent the risk of exposure to peanut allergic children that includes handwashing, food preparation segregation and separate tables for children with peanut allergies. This is not enough to protect these children. First, its voluntary, no school HAS to do this. Second, some children are so allergic that simply being in the same room as peanuts can lead to anaphylaxis, my own daughter has wheezed from being in the same room and has also borken out in hives after just being touched with hands that are not clean. We can not serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a school cafeteria and trust that every 6 year old is going to have the understanding to wash their hands after. Third, if peanut products are allowed to brought from home in school lunches, there is simply not enough staff to ensure that an act of sharing won't take place on the play ground. Last, I do not want my daughter sitting at her own "special" table possibly all alone, she deserves to be treated like and sit with all the other children in her school.

The best way to protect these nearly 3 million children is complete avoidance. As parents we have enough to worry about in the world. One thing I would like to cross off my list is worrying that when my child goes to school that a simple act of sharing on the playground, a high five or a hug will be the thing that ends my child life that day. Please sign this petition and help to protect my Ella and the nearly 3 million other children that have been so unlucky as to be found allergic to peanuts/treenuts!