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PrintAges & Stages - September 2011
Making School Safer for Allergic Kids
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Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. They are milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy.
To the average parent, these don’t sound particularly dangerous. But if you have an allergic child, you know food allergies can be life-threatening.
For parents of the 2.2 million children with food allergies, back to school can be an anxious time. While staying safe at school requires planning, the risk of accidental exposure to foods can be reduced if parents work with schools to minimize risks and provide a safe educational environment.
Here are some guidelines for parents from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network:
- Notify the school of the child’s allergies and work with the staff to develop a plan to accommodate your child’s needs in all areas, including the classroom, the cafeteria, in after-care programs, during school-sponsored activities, and on the school bus. Because food allergy has become such an emerging health issue, many schools have already adopted and implemented food allergy management strategies.
- Provide written medical documentation, instructions, and medications as directed by a physician. Include a photo of the child on a written form. Make sure that a copy of your child’s Food Allergy Action Plan is available for substitute teachers.
- Speak with your child’s teachers about the role of food in the classroom. Determine whether strategies can be implemented to help avoid exposure to food allergens and the risk of your child having an allergic reaction. Such strategies may include having a “no food sharing” or “no food trading” rule, providing the teacher with safe snacks for the entire class so that your child can eat what everyone else does, and using nonfood items for classroom projects, academic rewards, and classroom celebrations.
- Educate the child in the self-management of their food allergy including safe and unsafe foods, strategies for avoiding exposure to unsafe foods, symptoms of allergic reactions, how and when to tell an adult they may be having an allergy-related problem, and how to read food labels (as age appropriate.)
- Provide properly labeled medications and replace medications after use or upon expiration.
More detailed suggestions for creating a specific plan for individual students are available from The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network’s (FAAN) School Food Allergy Program. See www.foodallergy.org/section/guidelines.
