13-year-old charged with felony, endangered a student allergic to peanuts

[Mugu]

By Steve Lannen, kentucky.com

A Morton Middle School eighth-grader faces felony charges after putting crumbled peanut butter cookies in the lunch box of another student with a severe allergy to peanuts. The allergic student, another eighth-grader, did not eat the cookies and did not suffer a reaction.

However, even trace amounts of peanut oil can cause severe reactions and even death. Symptoms can include hives, welts and swelling that can restrict airways. Earlier this month, it was reported that a 13-year-old boy died in Australia at a school camp due to an allergic reaction to peanuts.

Letters went home Friday to parents of Morton students notifying them of the incident, according to a press release.

The incident occurred Thursday out on the school's running track, where students had gone to eat lunch and enjoy the warm weather, Fayette Schools spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said. As the students neared the end of their lunch time, a student was seen putting the crumbled cookies in the allergic student's lunch box, she said.

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