1. FOOD ALLERGIES AT SCHOOL
Lori Dado, School Nurse
Laurel School District

3.  Schools are required by law to protect the rights of students who have been
diagnosed with potentially life-threatening food allergies and ensure that children
who have a disability are given a free and appropriate public education.
 These laws permit students with special physical and medical needs to attend
school.
 Schools must make reasonable accommodations for these individuals with
disabilities to allow them full and equal opportunities at school. (Munoz-
Furlong, 2004)
 Providing a safe environment for children with food allergies puts schools in a
difficult position.
 Providing this kind of an environment can single out the allergic child while
infringing on the rights of the non-allergic child.
 What is the best course of action? How can a school provide for all children
equally?
 This review sought information to determine the best practices in the management
of children with food allergies. This review found commonalities of the
management of food allergies, determined best practices based on research for
controlling anaphylaxis in these children with known food allergies, and gathered
information on educational practices and management plans.

5. Keeping this in mind, the chance of having
an allergic reaction related to ingestion of
food is high. According to Mudd and No
one, (1995) in studies of fatal and near
fatal anaphylaxis reaction to food, a
majority of the children who died from
food- induced anaphylaxis ingested the
food at school.

6.  peanuts
 tree nuts
 milk
 eggs
 fish
 shellfish
 soy
 wheat
Most will be out-grown with age, but
peanut and tree nut allergies
are life-long.
(Mudd & Noone, 1995)

7.  Child – All students ages 4-21.
 Food Allergy- A body reaction caused by
hypersensitivity to food.
 Management –To respond and control situation.
 Action Plan- Steps used to care for a child who
has been exposed to an allergen (food).
 Anaphylaxis- Severe reaction caused by an
allergen (food).

8. Anaphylaxis or not?
Anaphylaxis can have many looks, some not easy to pick out.

9. Anaphylaxis can affect every part of the body.

10. Laurel Elementary has:
7 SEVERELY FOOD ALLERGIC STUDENTS
14 food allergic students
Laurel High School has:
1 SEVERELY FOOD ALLERGIC
23 food allergic students

11. Some food allergies are air-borne.
This means the student with the food allergy can have a reaction caused by the
smell of a food, the breath of another student, or any other exposure from the
surrounding environment that is in the air.

12. Laurel School District
has a plan to keep
students with food
allergies safe while in
school; however to make
this happen, everyone
will need to work
together.