School & Food Allergies- Where to begin?
It’s August which means school is starting soon. As a food allergy parent, it’s tough to send our kids off without being there to watch over them. Some parents opt for homeschooling on their own or in co-ops which is great if you have the ability to do so, but those of us that send our kids to the local school need a way to keep them as safe as possible. That’s where a 504 plan comes into play.
Last year was my first year sending Musa to school for the entire day. Prior to this, Musa had done a couple of years in a private pre-school which we both loved. The teachers kept Musa so safe and included which made moving on to a new school so tough; especially not knowing how they would respond to food allergies.
We really lucked out that our school district had kids with food allergies come through before so they were aware and willing to work with me on what Musa needed specifically. Below are a few things that worked for us to get the discussion started with implementing a 504 plan.
- Communication is key. Email the administration or specific person that you know can help you get started with a 504 plan. You might need to call the front office and ask who the person (or people) might be. I would send an email at the beginning of August to get the ball rolling. From there you will get an opportunity to set up a meeting with the administration and your child’s teacher to talk about what accommodations you would like to set in place.
- Find out what accommodations your school has in place already for children with food allergies and assess what you would like to implement, change or add for your child. Our district had portable hand washing stations that they were going to place outside of Musa’s classroom to have students wash their hands at the beginning of the day and after lunch and recess. They were okay with me looking over the crafts they used to ensure no supplies had hidden allergens. Just hearing the accommodations they already had in place eased my anxiety because they seemed to understand the severity of food allergies.
- Once you know what the district has in place check out fare.org for some suggestions and ideas on what your rights and responsibilities are regarding a 504 plan. You can then make a list of accommodations that you would like to add for your child’s specific needs.
- Gather documents and medicines. You will need to submit an Allergy Action Plan to the school. You can fill out the FARE document here. Your allergist can provide you with this document as well. Our school wanted EpiPens in a box with the pharmacy script on with Musa’s name. Even the individual benadryl doses needed to be in the original box. I had it all in a bag with Musa’s name and other important information but the school needed the boxes, etc.
- Talk to your child and keep them informed of what you are doing to ensure a safe and fun school year for them. Musa knew I was meeting with his teacher and principal to discuss his allergies so he could be safe. It gave him more confidence going in.
As for us parents, no matter what we do we’ll be nervous the first day and even in the weeks to come. But getting a 504 plan in place will help ease your worries significantly!