This student got exactly what he deserved:
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.
I think the student should also have had the charge of attempted murder thrown in there for good measure as well. It's a well-known fact that peanut allergies are one of the most severe allergies there is, and that even minor exposure to peanuts can cause a sufferer to become deathly ill very quickly. It also doesn't help the student's case that his victim was well-known in the school for being allergic to peanuts, which when combined with his actions could quite reasonably be construed as an attempt to kill the victim. If the student had actually died from the incident, it would likewise be entirely reasonable to seek a full adult penalty for first degree murder.
People can try to rationalize this away as stupid juvenile behavior all they want, but the student who did this got at least a good chunk of what he deserved. Only an idiot would look at this and see something less than an evil and malicious attempt to seriously injure or kill another person.
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