Difficulty: Challenging
Instructions
- Have all necessary medical information available to put in his or her file at school. This shows all relevant school officials that your child has a medical condition (life-threatening food allergy) that is classified as a disability and will require protections guaranteed under the ADA.
- Contact all relevant school officials, in the spring before school starts if possible, to schedule a 504 meeting. School officials can include, but are not limited to: the principle, the school/district nurse, the primary classroom teacher, teacher's aide (if applicable), child's allergist, student services representative, food service director/manager, and, if age appropriate, the student with the food allergy.
- In the meeting, explain what a food allergy is, its severity (contact or ingestion can result in death, brain damage, or coma), and why it is different from a food intolerance. Review anaphylaxis and the risk of cross-contamination.
- Let them know which particular food allergies your child has and provide the medical documentation, including doctor's instructions regarding your child's food allergies and how to use an Epi-pen.
- Provide and request any other documents that will be included in your child's 504 or IHP, including, but not limited to:
A. your emergency contact information,
B. emergency procedures should a reaction occur,
C. lunch procedures and storage of your child's lunchbox (if applicable),
D. letters to other parents informing them of snacks that are acceptable in the classroom and those that are not (revealing your child's identity and medical condition by school staff to anyone other than emergency personnel and those expressed in the 504 Plan is a violation of HIPAA laws),
E. allergen-free classroom (extends to necessities of classroom pets),
F. allergen-free lesson plan guarantee in all classes,
G. hand-washing procedures for students and staff who have contact with the child with the food allergy,
H. state and school/district policy regarding emergency medication at school (Epi-pen, Benadryl, etc.) and always check expiration dates,
I. allergen-free assurance for bus rides (if applicable) and field trips,
J. and anything else you deem important and necessary. - Make a notebook with all the information decided on and approved by yourself and give to the principle, nurse, teacher, and any school staff that will have your child as a student in any area or classroom during the school day and during any extracurricular activities. Be sure to collect these at the end of the school year as well as his or her medications.
- Send out thank-you cards to all those involved in monitoring your child over the school year, unless, of course, there were ongoing problems or allergic reactions due to negligence. If the latter is the case, consider consulting with an attorney.
