Lunch Room Changes

SunButter+option+in+the+lunch+room+

Bailey Hahn

SunButter option in the lunch room

Rekha Morgan, Reporter

The popular peanut butter bar dessert is gone from the Burroughs lunchroom, and while some students  may be sad, it is Burroughs’ way of  making sure everyone feels safe while eating lunch. The Food Allergy Research Association reports that 5.9 million children have a food allergy, and so Burroughs has taken many steps this year to accommodate kids with allergies, specifically to peanuts, in the lunchroom. Before this year, lunch provider Sage and the Burroughs administration took more behind-the-scenes precautions, but now these safety measures have become public with the decision to add a sunbutter station and to get rid of peanut butter bars.
For the past years, the regulations have occurred largely hidden from the greater student body, decisions which have often gone unnoticed by allergy-free students. In order to ensure students’ safety, Burroughs contacts the families who have a student with an allergy, designates specific tables for those with allergies, and ensures that those students don’t have jobs. Each lunch period, certain staff members are made aware of students with severe allergies at their tables. Coach Meredith Thorpe ‘95 sits at the head at one of these designated tables and  says, “I like to have students with allergies sit closest to me, and those who would prefer to eat peanut butter must sit at the far end of the table and scrape their own plates.”
Those with food allergies also don’t have to have jobs, and they  can sit farthest away from the peanut butter station. While some people may think this is unfair, contamination of allergens can happen easily. Peanut butter can be on a napkin or someone’s hands, so it’s important to always be aware of who is eating anything with an allergen on it. The severity of an allergy varies from person to person, so Burroughs tries to accommodate each student’s needs.
Burroughs now has taken more steps to accommodate students with allergies while also recognizing many people like a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. School nurse Casie Tomlinson explained that Burroughs’ precautions go beyond the lunchroom and “faculty and staff are emailed at the beginning of the year about bringing food into the classroom and are reminded about food allergies and the need to keep our students safe.”
 Burroughs continues to ensure that everyone feels safe, while keeping in mind that people do love peanut butter.