With kiddos across the country heading back to school, a parent of a child with food allergies, also has that to worry about. Especially if this is the first time you will ever be sending your child to school. Never mind being in the middle of a pandemic!

I remember when my oldest daughter started kindergarten, we were so concerned about how her food allergy would be handled. She has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts and what is every elementary school child's go-to lunch? PB&J! I had no idea where even to start with ensuring she was safe when she was at school, but I am so thankful her school was so helpful in our transition.

When you finally send your child to school, you start to realize that there are a lot of things you previously had control over that you no longer do. Here are some things that I hope can help you to ease your mind:

Get an Allergy Action Plan

An allergy action plan is a form that you can usually get from your allergist, pediatrician, or child’s school. You fill it out with your health care provider, and they sign off on it. This document will have your child’s name, a list of their allergens, a list of possible substitutions, your child’s medications, and what actions need to be taken if your child is exposed to her allergen. For example, does she have a life-threatening allergy that needs to be treated with epinephrine? Or does she have a mild allergy that needs to be treated with an antihistamine? Will she carry around her epinephrine injection on her own, or will it be in the nurse’s office, or both? When my daughter got into the 4th grade, we determined she was old enough to carry around her epinephrine, but she always had back up in the nurse's office. This plan ensures that the adults that are around your child during the school day, know how to handle her allergy.

Talk to your child’s school

Set up a time with your school's principal before the start of school. Ask that they show you what plans are in place for children with food allergies. For example, my daughter's school has a dedicated "nut-free" table. Only kids with nut allergies are allowed to sit at the table. This keeps the dreaded, homemade PB&J from being at the same table as her. These tables are also cleaned with different rags and water than the other lunch tables. This is great for a child with nut allergies, but what if your child has different food allergies? These are the things you want to talk with his school about. See if the Food Services program his school uses has substitutes and plans in place for children with different dietary needs. His school principal should be able to help you get in contact with the Food Services director. If he will be purchasing lunch through the school, ask how the lunch workers will know whether or not his allergen is present on his tray. My daughter's school has her allergens listed on her profile, so when she goes to "cash-out" the lunch worker can look over her tray and review her allergens listed and tell her whether or not she can have something.

Create a 504 Plan

Nowadays, a lot of schools are more open to making accommodations for food allergies without any fight or pushback. However, if you take the steps above, and you still are not comfortable with your child’s school’s action plan for children with allergies you can see about getting a 504 Plan. In 2008 the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was amended to now include food allergies as a disability. This means that business establishments, public schools, hospitals, etc. must allow for accommodations when needed for dietary restrictions. Details on this amendment can be found here.

So what is a 504 Plan? More information can be found here. But in summary, a 504 Plan is a plan that you come up with, with your child’s school administration, to ensure they are accommodating his food allergy. It is a legal and binding document protected by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. As mentioned above, a lot of schools are very open and understanding with food allergies and a 504 Plan is not necessary, it is just additional peace of mind. We have gotten through 6 years of the public school system without needing a 504 Plan.

Where’s the epi?

Talk with your child, his teacher, the nurse, specials teachers, the principal, even the bus driver. Make sure everyone knows his allergens, and where any and all epinephrine injections are. It truly takes a village to ensure your child is safe.

I am going to sidebar with a story. My daughter's librarian is aware of her food allergy. She loves to do challenges with the classes to get them to read more. My daughter's class won a challenge and the reward was cupcakes. The librarian was planning on baking the cupcakes herself, mind you, I had no idea this was even going on. I received a phone call from the librarian one evening and she told me what she was planning. She typically makes her frosting with almond extract. She remembered my daughter was allergic to peanuts but couldn't remember if she was allergic to additional nuts. She called to confirm to my daughter wouldn't be left out of the celebration. Because I had open communication with all of the adults/teachers that interacted with my daughter, they are always able and willing to go above and beyond to ensure she is never left out.

Education

At the end of the day, no matter what allergy plan you have in place, you have to educate your child. When you are not there to advocate for him, you need to make sure that he can advocate for himself. And yes, even at the age of 5, when he maybe can’t even read yet. Teach him the names of his allergens and how to properly pronounce them. Teach him to always ask an adult if his allergen is present in any food presented to him. Teach him to always ask for permission before eating new things, or things given to him. Teach him, that just because he has eaten something before, doesn’t mean it is always safe. There are different versions of food, or ingredients can change. Yes, it takes a village to help keep a child with food allergies safe. But nothing is better than knowing that he understands his allergy and he can keep himself safe. It’s never too early to educate him on his food allergy.