September 5, 2007
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is an essential part of the elementary school lunchroom.
But for 2.2 million American schoolchildren, this meal and others are off the menu.
Whether it’s milk or peanuts, wheat or soy, several common foods are unhealthy, and often fatal, for children with food allergies.
And as the prevalence of food allergies among the youth population increases, it has become an increasingly important priority for schools to take steps to prevent children from being exposed to allergens.
It’s not as simple as making sure they don’t eat the foods they’re allergic to. Even slight traces of peanut or milk can trigger reactions in children who cannot tolerate them. Touching hands with a student who has been handling these foods and being exposed to surfaces where they have been eaten are dangerous for children with allergies.
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Auburn schools implemented a plan six years ago to alert all teachers who come into contact with a child with a food allergy to their condition. Parents usually notify the school of a child’s allergy and symptoms of a reaction.
This information is then distributed not only to the child’s teacher, but also to the lunch officers, gym, music and art teachers. District nursing supervisor Caren Radell notes that art is a particular danger zone for food allergies due to the use of supplies that may contain products made from peanuts, al most common food allergen.
The dining room is where the most care is taken to protect children with food allergies. Both before and after the meal, all children must wash their hands.
“Just in case there’s a peanut butter smudge on a kid’s hand net later,” Radell said.
The cafeteria staff also works hard to help children with food allergies. Cashiers and dining room aides will know if a child is unknowingly trying to purchase an allergenic item, such as a cookie that may contain peanuts, and will prevent them from doing so.
The Weedsport School District operates a database that alerts cafeteria cashiers when a student with a food allergy is checking out. If a child tries to buy a food that triggers an allergy, the cashier will be able to prevent the student from leaving the lunch line with it, Food Service Director Donna Deyo said.
Moravia School District employs a similar system for its students with milk allergies. As director of school dining at Millard Fillmore Elementary and Middle/High Schools in Moravia, Jennifer Parker-Smith has only handled service for students with milk allergies.
“Most kids do really well, they’re well trained when they know what to look out for,” he said.
In Auburn and Moravia districts, utensils used to prepare items with allergens are not used to make other foods for allergic students.
“If we use a knife and spoon for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we use that knife and spoon for that and nothing else,” Radell said.
Children with food allergies also sit at their own lunch table. Students with lunches at home cannot attend this table due to the possibility that their food is contaminated by allergens. Radell believes this policy protects children from exposure to allergens in the cafeteria without embarrassing students.
“We work closely with parents to make sure they’re comfortable,” she said. “They have to feel comfortable letting their child come to school.”
Port Byron schools also hope to host peanut-free tables starting this school year. Middle and high school nurse Amy Potrzeba, who previously worked with the Asthma and Allergy Diagnostic Office in Liverpool, will work with the primary school nurse to initiate this change. It is also studying the possibility of mandatory hand washing for students.
Auburn schools are also sending a letter to parents of classmates of children with food allergies asking them not to bring any food to the celebrations that could aggravate the allergy. The name of the allergic child is also kept secret to avoid any possible ostracism.
Parker-Smith, also the mother of a first-grader, received a letter from her daughter’s teacher informing her that if any child in the class has a food allergy, Parker-Smith would be told – and to all the other parents in the class.
“The teachers are very well in control of it, so we’re not going to send out peanut butter cookies,” she said.
To date, no child in the Auburn School District has experienced a major allergic reaction to food at school. In the event that he does, however, school staff have been instructed on how to administer an epinephrine injection to stop an anaphylactic reaction.
At Port Byron, Potrzeba created a protocol in March that called for an adrenaline pen to be on hand in case a student experienced an allergic reaction.
The risk posed by food allergies has recently attracted the attention of the Legislature.
In early August, Governor Eliot Spitzer signed the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2007, which will require the New York State Health Commissioner to develop guidelines for schools that minimize the risk of students’ exposure to food allergens.
But with the steps they’re taking to prevent any problems, local school districts seem to be ahead of food allergies.
— Compiled by David Wilcox
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