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Food Allergy
Jen748
member
Elementary School...
Jen748
member
in Food Allergy
DD is only 3.5 but we're trying to figure out if we want to move early in 2014 before she starts school to a different district. Our current district is good, but we are looking into others that are equal, possibly a bit better in a few areas.
Current district isn't peanut/nut free - the other two districts we're looking at are. Like lunch food is completely nut/peanut free, no homemade treats in the entire school, etc.
So I emailed the elementary school we'd use in our current district to see how they handle food allergies.
Response:
Teachers are give access to a confidential list and lets them know if any of their students have food allergies.
Classrooms with students with food allergies have a sign posted at their door that there are food allergies in that classroom.
We have a separate table for students with allergies to use in the lunchroom. For example, if they have a peanut allergy they sit at this table; often they invite a friend to join them if that friend has a peanut free lunch.
For outside parties; our nurse gives the PTA moms a list of acceptable foods and we ask that food are selected from that list.
For parents who bring in treats for birthdays, which by district policy must be professionally prepared, our nurse inspects the list of ingredients and makes sure that all the ingredients are acceptable to go to students in that particular classroom.
~~I know that these policies are better than some places, but her current daycare is AMAZING with food allergies (and there are three kids in her class that have them) so the food is safe for all kids, all the time.
I HATE that she'd have to sit at a seperate table. I HATE that on the menu is a PB&J. How they handle food allergies vs the other two school districts is my main reason for wanting to sell our house and move. I know I can't protect her forever, but since she's well cared for in her daycare it's a hard switch to make when she'll only be 5.
Factoring into this that we'd have to use their before and after school care and peanut products are on those menus too. It's a lot of exposure that she's never had before and it makes me super nervous.
Thoughts? Am I making too big of a deal over this?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Elementary School...
DS2 is also only 3.5 but his brother is in first grade. His school has those exact same policies but I've caught mistakes last year and this year. DS1 doesn't have allergies but a kid in his class does. There is a Kindergarten teacher that has allergy kids so the principal said she would make sure DS gets her. Past Kindergarten I'm not too worried about DS. Once he can read and advocate for himself it will be so much easier to manage his allergies.
I'm not ok with DS having to sit at a separate table. The teacher isn't ok with her son sitting by himself either. I would rather DS know how to clean his spot at the regular table, not touch other kids food, and know how to use his epi pen just in case, instead of sitting at the other table. The teacher had her son do these things and the school was fine with it as long as she was.
I wouldn't trust that those policies would be enforced. And the separate table thing is horrible. I would definitely consider moving.
Allergies and their severity has sky rocketed over the last few years, and I think all schools should get on board. An accident could kill a kid.
(I don't have food allergies, and I'm expecting my first, but my 6 year old nephew has horrible allergies so I'm coming to realize the severity of situations and how society changes and should change accordingly.)