Food Allergies: Protocol For Managing Risks for Students

The purpose of this protocol is to provide guidelines to parents/guardians and staff on how to provide a safe educational environment for food-allergic students that exposure to food allergens is minimized for affected students. Food allergies can be life threatening - this protocol has been developed to KEEP STUDENTS SAFE. The risk of accidental exposure to foods can be reduced in the school setting if schools work with students, parents, and health care providers to minimize risks and provide a safe educational environment for food-allergic students.

• Each year, complete Registration with complete and accurate information regarding your child’s dietary needs. The Dietary Considerations Section is separate from the Health Section. Within the Dietary Considerations Section there are three (3) possible choices:
  • Food Allergy - When the body (immune system) reacts negatively to specific foods.  Symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening.
  • Food Intolerance - When the body can’t properly digest a food or drink. Symptoms can include nausea, gas, cramps, belly pain, diarrhea, and irritability but are not usually life-threatening. 
  • Food Restriction/Preference - A student’s choice about what foods they eat or avoid based on a variety of factors, including religious restrictions or vegetarian preferences. Substitutes are not guaranteed but provided as reasonable and available. 
• Notify and work with the school nurse to develop an individualized health plan for your student and submit a Food Allergy Action Plan completed by your healthcare provider to ensure the child’s needs are addressed during the school day and at school-sponsored activities. 
  • If your child attends a Before or After-school program, follow their protocols for notifications of dietary considerations.
• Provide to the school the Diet Modification Request Form, instructions, and medications as directed by a physician and signed by the physician, using the Food Allergy Action Plan as a guide.
• Provide properly labeled medications and replace medications after use or upon expiration.
• Provide extra classroom snacks in case unsafe foods are brought to school.
• 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
  • how to read food labels (age appropriate)
• Review protocols/ procedures with the school staff, the child’s healthcare provider, and the child (if age appropriate) after a reaction has occurred.
• Provide current emergency contact information.
• Contact your Building Administrator or the district's Senior Health Services Manager with any concerns about how your child’s school staff are following this protocol.

• Be knowledgeable about and follow applicable federal laws including ADA, IDEA, Section 504, and FERPA and any state laws or district policies/ protocols that apply.
• Review the health records submitted by parents and physicians.
• Identify a core team of, but not limited to, school nurse, teacher, principal, school Nutrition Services Director, and counselor to work with parents and the student (age appropriate) to ensure that strategies will be taken to reduce the risk of an exposure in the school environment.
• School Nurse will develop an individual health plan and emergency plan for staff to follow.  The individual health plan will also include the prevention plan. Any changes to the plans should be reviewed with the core team. Use the Food Allergy Action Plan as a guide.
• School Nurse will provide appropriate training for school personnel in preventing and responding to an allergic reaction.
• Be prepared to handle a reaction and ensure that there is a staff member available who is properly trained to administer medications during the school day regardless of time or location.
• Include food-allergic students in school activities. Students should not be excluded from school activities solely based on their food allergy.
• Coordinate with the school nurse to be sure that all allergy medications, including emergency medications, are appropriately stored, allowing for easy and quick access in the event of an allergic reaction.  Students should be allowed to carry their own epinephrine, if age appropriate after approval from the student’s health care provider, parent and school nurse.
• Take threats or harassment against an allergic child seriously.
• Review protocols/ procedures with the school staff, the child’s healthcare provider, and the child (if age appropriate) after a reaction has occurred.

• Provide an area in the cafeteria that is an “allergy-caution zone” as indicated.  For example, have a “Peanut-
  Free/Aware” table for the student with a peanut allergy to sit.  This area should be properly cleaned and sanitized.
• Provide needed information, including menus and nutritional analysis with allergen information, to parents through Mealviewer, available on the district website. 

Ingredient/Menu Restrictions by Age:

• Menu items for students in pre-school through 5th grade will not contain peanut butter, peanut products, or other nut products.  
• Middle school and high school students will have the ability to purchase individually packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and high school students may purchase other labeled peanut items, such as monster bars.
• All items containing peanut butter or nuts will be clearly labeled so students can easily identify nuts as an ingredient. 

Sourcing/Manufacturing

• The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires manufacturers to clearly list the major allergens (Big 9: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, sesame)that are included/ingredients, while Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules (CGMP & PC) mandate preventive controls (cleaning, physical barriers, procedures) to avoid cross-contact, with Precautionary Allergen Labeling (PAL) like "may contain" being optional. 
• We strive to reduce or eliminate allergen cross-contact by sourcing items from manufacturers that utilize Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) and Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventative Controls (HARPC) for Human Food regulations.  

Cross Contact Disclosure for Families:

• Families should note that allergens may be unintentionally present due to cross-contact during various stages of food processing and handling. 
• Cashiers use software (populated with allergy information provided by families) to identify student allergies as the final step in the cafeteria line. When a student has an allergy on file, cashiers check the items on their tray to prevent allergic consumption."
• Field Trips: Nutrition staff will work with the building administrator and/ or teachers to identify students who will be participating in field trips and who need sack lunches.  Nutrition staff will utilize our software which lists information from the Diet Modification Form to identify those students with allergens who will be participating and need alternates in sack lunches.

• School nurse, building administrator and parents will coordinate with the teacher ways to implement an “allergy-caution zone” in the classroom, including:
  • eliminate any food products served to children or used in classroom activities that may potentially cause an allergic reaction
  • send letters home to parents asking them to not send foods that may potentially cause an allergic reaction; provide list of “safe foods” to parents
  • arrange for special cleaning schedules and protocols as warranted, i.e. clean tables with fresh water and soap, wipe down doorknobs, computer keyboards, etc.
  • determine a procedure for sharing information with other students
• Assure that all staff who interact with the student on a regular basis understands the food allergy, can recognize symptoms, knows what to do in an emergency, and works with other school staff to eliminate the use of food allergens in the allergic student’s meals, educational tools, arts and crafts projects, or incentives.

• Work with the district transportation administrator to assure that school bus driver training includes symptom awareness and what to do if a reaction occurs.
• Enforce a “no eating” policy on school buses with exceptions made only to accommodate special needs under federal or similar laws, or school district policy. 

• Discuss field trips with the family of the food-allergic child to decide appropriate strategies for managing the food allergy.
• Do not allow any food products on the field trip bus/vehicle that may potentially cause an allergic reaction
• Field Trips: Nutrition staff will work with the building administrator and/ or teachers to identify students who will be participating in field trips and who need sack lunches. Nutrition staff will utilize our software which lists information from the Diet Modification Form to identify those students with allergens who will be participating and need alternates in sack lunches.

• Work with parent and student groups to eliminate serving and selling foods at school-sponsored events and through fundraising activities that may potentially cause an allergic reaction for any student participating.
• Do not allow any food products on the activity bus/vehicle that may potentially cause an allergic reaction

• Do not trade food with others.
• Do not eat anything with unknown ingredients or known to contain any allergen.
• Be proactive in the care and management of their food allergies and reactions based on their developmental level.
• Notify an adult immediately if they eat something they believe may contain the food to which they are allergic.