I've grown a little complacent. With my girl in a very protective pre-kindergarten class, she's had no trouble. Her only incidents of anaphylaxis were the original one at one year old, and one this year during a food challenge (in the allergist's office). All our friends are caring and thoughtful about the food they share with us. It's easy for us to forget that she has this life threatening allergy.
And let me tell you, it's life threatening. There is some population of folks out there who seem to think of this as a "sensitivity". That she might just get an itchy rash, and nothing else. And that we are being over-reactive and overprotective. If you've ever seen a child in full anaphylaxis, you'd realize how serious the situation can be. Her eyes swell shut, she looks as if she has been severely beaten, and her throat constricts (not to mention a body full of hives, but those are the least of our worries).
So, as I head into her first year of kindergarten, I need to sit down with the school nurse and make a plan. And I'm not just a parent of a child with this allergy. I am a full time teacher as well and I know the realities of public schools.
I read two recent articles lately that were informative. One was about the hidden places that nuts lurk, and in summer travels, can cause an anaphylaxis response in children with these allergies. I felt such empathy for these parents, because I could see the same thing happening to us, easily.
The next article was about the school response to severe nut allergies (available for purchase from Kappan). I do understand the whole idea of wanting to make schools entirely nut free to protect your child. Having the school nut free seems like a great way to protect your child from a serious reaction, and seems like the best option. But this article showed me what I already knew inside. Schools cannot guarantee that they are nut free, and if they do, they provide a false sense of security. Sure, folks can do their best to not bring in actual nuts, but what about all those products you know well if you are a parent of a child with a nut allergy, where they lurk? Just who is going to check every granola bar, sandwich, cookie or cracker? I know schools, and everybody is busy, busy with educational goals, and their other duties (recess, lunch, study hall). Their plates are already completely full. Checking everyone's lunch bags isn't realistic in regular public schools (maybe so in smaller ones).
The article also makes a very good point that if schools are successful in being nut free, what about everywhere else? Dance classes, summer camps, campgrounds, restaurants-- there are these other places where families and the child will need to learn to deal with the allergy. Eventually, we've got to prepare the child to take on some of the responsibility of managing the allergy, and releasing the responsibility at appropriate developmental levels.
But back to kindergarten. What the school can do is provide a clear plan, usually in the form of a 504, and outline all the ways they will work to keep a severely allergic young child safe. These accommodations can include (among others):
*having no nuts served in the hot lunch program
*providing nut free seating (not a lone table)
*training staff in use of the epi-pen, and how to recognize the first stages of anaphylaxis
*have a strict hand washing policy after lunch
*have no nut classrooms (for in class snacks)
*educating the child (and her classmates) about the allergy
I'll be meeting with our school nurse to discuss this 504 plan to keep my girl safe. But I am not naive. The school can't do it all. By working closely with teachers, the school chefs, the principal and the nurse, we can have a clear plan for how to manage her allergies at school, especially at her young age. This plan will grow and change as she does.
Do you have any tips for an approaching school year with a child with a severe allergy? I'd love to hear them!
6 comments:
I totally understand where you are coming from, but there are kids with other, just as serious allergies. My son has a seriously gluten allergy and nuts are necessary almost daily to his healthy diet and he need to avoid contact with wheat and gluten. Should schools also tell parents for the safety of my son no bread, no granola bars, no crackers, no birthday cup cakes? This issue gets very complicated.
It's sounds like you've got a good plan! Communication really is the key. I worked for a school with about 15% of students having a severe food allergy. We held teacher/staff trainings, had parents filled out emergency plan forms which were kept with epi pens in the classroom, nurse's office, and kitchen, and provided parents with tools to help them teach even the youngest ones food safety for their allergies. We also discouraged nut products from being sent, but the reality is (like you said) that it's not entirely possible to keep all the nuts out of the schools.
The more you talk to the school staff and your daughter, the better.
Our school (a private one) kept posters throughout various offices of pictures kids with life-threatening allergies. This really helped other staff know to be on the look out.
I have no tips, as my son is only 2.5 right now. He has severe allergies to peanuts, milk and eggs. At this point, we have decided against sending him to public school and will be homeschooling him so long as he has the allergies.
I am a very high strung "control freak" and the thought of him being around food where I can't monitor it sends me into an internal panic. Even reading this post made me anxious.
I bet you are in a better place since you work in a school environment and know how the allergy will be handled. You sound very organized and on top of it all.
I look forward to more posts about this. Maybe as I receive more information about other mothers whose children have safely entered the public school system where staff has been eager to work with the allergies, my fears will be calmed.
I'll be the first to admit I am a control freak when it comes to my daughters peanut allergies.(now 7)My anxiety level spiked up several notches when it came close to her starting kindergarten. I got busy doing research on the school and communicating with the school staff. The school nurse, teachers, office and lunch staff were informed.. I put my daughter out there! I wanted everyone in her school to know who she was and let me tell you, by the time school started everyone was aware of my daughter and her allergy!
My daughter and I even sat down and put a kid friendly letter together explaining her peanut allergies for her classmates. (A letter she proudly signs every year.) This letter was the best thing because even now her classmates (and their parents) were aware and brought it upon themselves to look out for her.
To this day sending Lauren to school knowing that every staff member and classmates knows about her allergy gives me a great sense of comfort!!
*letter is available to share with other moms..
Thanks for your comments!
Amy, while I understand your point-- one of my best friends has a son with celiac, I do think the situations are different. Nuts could cause an immediate shot in the leg, possible loss of breathing and unconsciousness, and dialing 911. I know the throwing up/stomach pain caused by gluten is no picnic-- but not life threatening in the immediate sense. This is really complicated, you are right! But if you think about the post, it says that nuts could be at lunch, brought from home, in the cafeteria. Just with some reasonable accommodations. So, your child could have nuts for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner! Just not for snack in the classroom, and he/she would be guided to wash hands after lunch ( a good practice anyway!).
I think this is a very reasonable response, and respects the food preferences, and safety for all involved.
I understand the pain of a life threatening allergies. I have a life threatening mushroom allergy.
Problem is these allergies are on the rise and I do get how it would be hard for a school to be allergy free.
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