Nut Aware Schools typically don’t place a ban on nuts, but they do encourage nut alternatives and educate their staff and students. They put an emphasis on preventing cross contamination through proper handling of food and proper hygiene, i.e., washing hands before school, washing hands during lunch, and not sharing food. 

Schools that identify themselves as “Nut Aware” will usually ask for the parents of every child, whether they are allergic to nuts or not, to consider peanut and tree nut alternatives when planning individual packed lunches. The same encouragement goes for any snack eaten inside school premises. Typically, if a celebratory treat is sent to school with an intended purpose of being shared, that snack will be required to be free of peanuts or nuts, and also packaged with labeling that confirms the snack is nut free.