The occurrence of childhood food allergies has grown to the point where one in every 13 students in America has one, according to the group Food Allergy Research & Education. And the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) reports that one of five students with food allergies will have a reaction while at school.
With that in mind, the Pennsylvania Legislature in 2010 mandated the state Health and Education departments to issue guidelines for managing life-threatening food allergies in schools. Because they are guidelines, the first stop after your child has been diagnosed should be your school to ask about its policies.
The guidelines cover recommended practices for everyone from the teacher and student to the bus driver and sports coach. Guidelines that schools could follow to limit contact with a food allergen include:
- Establishing allergen-free zones in classrooms and cafeterias
- Establishing food-free zones such as the library and music room
- Enforcing policies requiring students and staff to wash hands before and after eating
- Substituting non-food items as rewards or prizes
- Limiting food related to birthday parties and other functions to a designated area
It’s vital to ask the school for any forms necessary for your child to have medications available in school, as well as for related medical forms including an allergy and anaphylaxis emergency plan. A comprehensive guide from FAACT to terms, forms, and other critical information can help you navigate the paperwork to protect your child.
You should meet with people who regularly interact with your child, such as school nurses, principals, teachers, and assistants, so they know about your child’s allergy, daily precautions to follow, where your child’s medications are located, and emergency procedures. These discussions need to cover many “what if” situations—what if a reaction happens on the playground, the bus or a field trip? Who will be trained to use an epinephrine auto-injector?—commonly known by the brand name EpiPen—in the event of a severe allergic reaction?
These are also the people who need to communicate with other parents—particularly at the elementary level—about precautions that need to be taken and rules regarding food for class parties.
It helps, too, when classmates understand the dangers that a particular food poses to your child. They can help make sure it doesn’t enter the classroom. Depending on the age group, informational handouts can ease worries and give your child an understanding team of friends.
Other tips that can help you, your child, and school staff:
— Keep it clean. Carry hand wipes to easily clean your hands and surfaces that might contain allergens
— Look for allergy swag. Fashionable medication cases, medical alert bracelets and lunchboxes can lighten the burden for your child
— PB and P? Work with your doctor to find acceptable alternative spreads to peanut butter such as pumpkin seed or sunflower seed butter
— Get organized. See the doctor long before school starts for medications and paperwork. The internet is full of memes illustrating the agony of completing seemingly endless medical forms
— It’s on the counter. Keep an emergency shelf-stable lunch at school. That will come in handy when your child forgets his at home or drops his safe-to-eat sandwich on the floor