Team Up for a Smooth School Year

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For many of you, the first day of the school year is almost here. Working with school staff as a team is one of the keys to a safe school year. Here are some suggestions on what ground should be covered when you’re working with schools on food allergy management:

  • Provide the school with all necessary items/information related to your child’s food allergy. This includes up-to-date epinephrine auto-injector(s) and other medications, a Food Allergy Action Plan signed by your child’s allergist, and any other forms required by the school.
  • Identify the school staff members who are most likely to come in contact with your child during the school day (teachers, nurse or health aide, cafeteria supervisor, bus driver, principal, coaches, etc.). If possible, arrange a meeting with any or all members of the team to discuss your child’s food allergy, discuss the importance of epinephrine and provide an auto-injector demonstration, the location of your child’s epinephrine, your child’s Food Allergy Action Plan, responding to an emergency, and any other safety measures utilized by the school to safeguard your child (i.e., special seating arrangements in the cafeteria, modifications to classroom activities, etc.).
  • If possible, meet specifically with the school nurse to discuss creating an Individualized Health Plan (IHP) for your child. IHPs are very common for children with food allergy, and are recommended by the National Association of School Nurses. Another option for parents is the creation of a 504 Plan, which is a written management plan developed under a federal disability law. Some parents choose to pursue a 504 Plan if they feel that their child’s needs are not fully addressed via an IHP. However, in most cases, IHPs for children with food allergy should be sufficient.
  • When discussing where your child’s epinephrine will be located, keep in mind that it must be quickly accessible by a school staff member who is trained to use the device in the event of an emergency. If the medication is going to be under lock and key, make sure the key is accessible! If your child’s school does not have a full-time school nurse, it is crucial that other school personnel be available to administer epinephrine if the nurse is not present. Your child needs to know where to go if the school nurse is not available. He or she should never sit alone in the nurse’s office waiting for someone to return.
  • Schedule follow-up meetings during the school year to discuss the food allergy management plan, check expiration dates on epinephrine auto-injector, and tweak the plan if necessary.
  • Offer to work with the school nurse to train other personnel, students, and parents about food allergy awareness and safety. The training session with school staff should include a demonstration using an epinephrine auto-injector trainer to show how these devices work.