During second quarter, students, faculty/staff, and parents were notified of a change to the McNicholas High School food policy. Due to the food allergies, the policy now states that students will no longer be allowed to eat whatever food they like in class.
Concerned parents and faculty members asked for changes to be made in an effort to keep those with food allergies safer in all parts of the building. The new policy was implemented on October 3 and states that students are only permitted to eat foods with peanuts in the cafeteria or in one of the few designated rooms for lunch meetings, etc. The majority of the spaces and classrooms at McNicholas are now peanut-free.
Principal Dave Mueller said, “The challenge with having or allowing just any food in a classroom is that one of those students [with a food allergy] could go into that classroom, not aware that somebody had eaten a peanut butter sandwich at the same desk the period before. [They could] come into contact with whatever was left there, and it could be a life threatening situation.”
The new policy allows those students with food allergies to feel safe at school. “Classrooms are supposed to be the safe zones for those students,” Mueller added.
The McNicholas Milestone 