Student works to ban peanut butter from school

Fifth grade student Dylan Aquila is on a mission to ban peanut butter in all Emerson district schools.

“I know that lots of people have peanut allergies, so I wanted to help solve the problem and prevent allergic reactions,” Aquila said. 

Aquila does not have an allergy to peanut butter, but he said he cares about peers at Patrick M. VIllano School with this allergy. He said his plan is to convince district administrators to consider a ban.

“I want to get 100 signatures from the students in Villano so that peanut-butter can not only get banned from Villano, but Memorial and the high school, too,” Aquila said.

Fellow fifth grader Anjali Mathew agrees with a ban on peanut butter. Her sister is allergic to peanuts.

“I feel like peanuts are a common thing that kids are allergic to,” Mathew explained. “I think that the idea of banning peanuts is smart because the school separates kids from their friends if they have peanuts, and I don’t think that this is right.”

Students who bring peanut-related food items to lunch eat at a special designated table in the cafeteria. Depending on seats available, students who bring peanut butter-related food items can also bring a friend to the peanut butter designated able. According to a school nurse at Patrick M. Villano School, there have been no reported allergic reactions to peanut butter ever in school.