Location

Location of EpiPens

In case of an emergency, EpiPens will be located in the following locations in all schools:

All District Schools will maintain Epinephrine and Epinephrine Jr. auto-injectors in unlocked and accessible locations.
All District Schools will maintain Epinephrine and Epinephrine Jr. auto-injectors in the main office and the cafeteria.

Classroom

A safe classroom environment is critical to the continuous growth and development of a student’s educational experience. This is particularly important for the food-allergic student, who may face offending allergens in the classroom. Provisions should be made to develop safeguards for the protection of these students in the classroom. The school nurse should work with the classroom teacher(s) so that the teacher understands and is able to initiate the student’s Individualized Emergency Healthcare Plan, as necessary.

Allergy Aware Classroom Sign.pdf

Conduct training for teachers, aides, volunteers, substitutes, and students about food allergies.
Develop a procedure that will alert substitute teachers to the presence of any students with food allergies and any accompanying instructions.
Develop a letter to parents/guardians of classmates of the food-allergic student (without identifying the student), particularly in lower grades, explaining any prohibitions on food in the classroom.
Discourage the use of food allergens for classroom projects/activities, classroom celebrations, etc.
Encourage the use of non-food items for all classroom events/activities, as a way to avoid the potential presence of major food allergens.
Notify parents of classroom celebrations that involve food with particular attention to notification of parents of food-allergic children.
Encourage students to wash hands before and after eating.
Develop standard procedures for cleaning desks, tables and the general classroom area.

Cafeteria

The district will work to make the cafeteria environment as safe as possible for food-allergic students. This process includes making determinations about serving foods with known allergens and identifying steps that can be taken to reduce the chance of accidental exposure, such as:

Allergy Friendly lunch Table .pdf

Educate cafeteria staff and monitors about food-allergy management and make them aware of the students who have life-threatening food allergies.
Develop standard procedures for cleaning tables, chairs, and trays, particularly those designated as allergen-safe, after lunch periods using dedicated and disposable supplies to avoid cross contact.
When possible, share ingredient/allergen information for food provided by the school to students and parents.
Make allergen-safe table(s) an available option for allergic students and any classmate who wishes to sit at the table as long as they have allergen-safe food. There is no limit to the number of 'friends' who can sit at the table(s). Additional tables will be properly cleaned and made available if necessary to accommodate the number of students.
Discourage students from sharing or trading food/snack items, drinks, straws, or utensils.
Encourage students to wash hands before and after eating.
Consider the benefits and ramifications of serving and/or removing allergen-containing foods or removing a particular food item from the school menu. Note: Some students cannot be in direct proximity to certain allergens that are being cooked/boiled/steamed.
Provide training to food service personnel on food label reading and safe handling, as well as safe meal substitutions for food-allergic children.

Cleaning Protocols & Common Areas

The district and school work together to make the school environment as safe as possible for the food-allergic student. The Director of Buildings and Grounds provides annual training on appropriate cleaning protocols for locations designated as allergy free. Included, but not limited, in the training is the use of dedicated cleaning materials that are identified using a different color so they can be easily identified for exclusive use on surfaces designated to be allergy free.

Additional protocols will be used for appropriate cleaning methods following events held at the school, which involve food as well as for common areas (i.e., libraries, computer labs, music and art rooms, hallways, etc.) to avoid cross-contamination.

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