Prevent and Stop Bullying
- Parent Guidelines
- Become Informed and Educated
- Information About Your Child's Food Allergy & Medication
- Build a Team
- Appropriate Storage and Administration of Epinephrine
- Help Reduce Food Allergens in the Classroom(s)
- Consider School Meals
- Address Transportation Issues
- Prepare for Field Trips and Extracurricular Activities
- Assist Your Child with Self-Management
- Appendix 1: Selected Resources
- Appendix 2: Facts About Food Allergy
Any child can be bullied at school, often with devastating results. The bullying of children with food allergies takes on greater urgency because of the life-threatening nature of the condition. Children with food allergies have had severe allergic reactions after being harassed with an actual food allergen (i.e., smearing peanut butter on the face of a child who is allergic to peanuts).
Schools should have strong, proactive anti-bullying prevention programs that include a system whereby all students learn how to recognize and report bullying related to life-threatening food allergy. A helpful educational awareness resource is FAAN’s Be a PAL (Protect A Life™ from Food Allergies) program, designed to assist parents and educators in teaching students what food allergies are and how to help their friends who have food allergies (see Appendix 1).
The school’s response to reported bullying should be made clear at the outset, should be fully implemented as planned, and should be both therapeutic and punitive.
Always be on the lookout for signs that your child might be experiencing bullying or teasing because of his or her food allergy. Potential signs of bullying or teasing include depression, social anxiety, resistance to going to school, and poor academic performance.
If you suspect that your child is being bullied, contact the teacher or the principal. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has further resources on bullying, which are listed in Appendix 1.
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