VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Some school boards across North America are taking heat from parents who want to see the peanut ban at their child’s school lifted.

On one side, parents say PB and J sandwiches are a cheap lunch and that’s all their kids will eat. While the other side says my kid could die if peanuts are brought into the classroom.

One proposed solution is to separate the kids during lunch, but psychologists suggest it could lead to bullying or self-esteem problems.

“It’s really important for both sides to try and put themselves in the shoes of the other person,” explains Laurie Harada with Anaphylaxsis Canada. “What everyone is trying to do is protect a child.”

She says it’s up to school boards to see if they can come up with a happy medium.

“They might allow [peanuts] in certain classrooms. Or if there’s a lunch room, let the kids eat the peanut-containing products at a specific table, but it’s being managed. There’s a process in place.”

Harada adds parents and teachers need to show little kids especially how to properly wash their hands, regardless if there’s a ban in place.

The number of kids with allergies has increased over the past two or three decades.