Talking Allergies

Ficbot, I really appreciate hearing what you have to say as you're able to inform us from the teacher/school perspective, but also as a parent of a child with food allergies.

You may have expressed this previously, so I apologize if I'm asking you to repeat something you've already commented on. As a parent with a child with food allergies, how comfortable would you feel leaving your child at school during nutrition breaks when there is lunch room supervisor responsible for monitoring several classes? Would you leave your child in this situation? I am comfortable leaving my 8 year old daughter (without food allergies) in this situation as she has no health issues and is very mature, but my son will be ready to enter grade 1 at this school next year, and I'm not comfortable with him being in this situation. Not only that, I KNOW there is no way the school can prevent ALL of his food allergens from entering his class (please see his list in my signature below). I plan to bring him home for lunch, or go into the school and oversee his lunch period (or something along these lines). I don't really know what else to do. My son is a very social kid and has lots of friends, but he's also a bit of a homebody, and doesn't mind the idea of coming home for lunch. I want to do this until he has the full maturity to handle his food allergies on his own, without constant adult supervision. He's really very good, but needs many reminders to wash his hands, keep his hands on the table, sit straight at the table and not touch the chair, under the table, etc. etc. There is no way I can expect he will suddenly be able to fully manage his food allergy needs at his age/maturity.

I guess what I really want to hear is your opinion about the safety of children with health concerns eating at school without constant adult supervision. I'm talking about the younger kids... at least up to grade 2 or 3. I'm not comfortable with a roaming lunch room monitor. I was at my daughter's school many, many times at lunch helping out in the class, and I found the monitors just popped in and out, in and out, and didn't stay in one room very long. It seemed like children saw very little of an adult during lunch break.

What are your thoughts? Anyone else?

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14 yr old daughter: no health issues
11 yr old son: allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, sesame, sunflower, mustard, poppy seeds, green peas, some fruits, instructed to avoid all other legumes (except soy & green beans), pollen, cats, horses

After ds had a reaction last week I personally don't know what could be seen as too far. The school he attends preschool in is "Peanut/Nut free" although some teachers allow students to eat peanut butter sandwiches ect away from other students.
Ds had a reaction that scared his teachers (one of which has a teenage daughter whose PA herself). He started clawing at his throat and complaing that it was itchy. Fortunately benadryl halted the reaction. Had he just eaten snack? used the water fountain? No.
They just came back from the washroom, where everything is automatic: urinals, sink taps, soap even. The only thing he touched was the napkins to dry his hands.
Prior to that they played in the gym on scooters!! That is where they figure he'd come in contact with something.

He's also allergic to fish but his class/school does not have a ban on fish or may contain fish (it's out there Danino yogurt for instance). But...he also doesn't react like that to fish.
I don't see it being unreasonable for even one student. This school has 5 kids who are allergic.

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ds 6: ana to peanuts and fish, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, many environmental
dd 12: reacted to pork rinds
dh: brazil nuts
me: shrimp, mangos, environmental

Sorry to hear about your son's reaction! That is very scary. Does your son have an "action plan" from the allergist? i.e. one that details when the epi is going to be given.

Then this school is not peanut and nut free (or should I say "nut safe"). Having a policy that no one abides by or is not enforced is the same as not having a policy at all. Who are they kidding?

Last evening while my daughter and I were at the park a classmate of hers sat beside me and asked why my daughter wasn't allowed to get wet. I wasn't following her so I asked her for an example and she told me that earlier that day at school the class was playing a game called Drip, Drip...Drop. (much like Duck, Duck...Goose, but with a cloth of water) and the teacher wouldn't let her play. I told her that it wasn't a good idea to get the auto-injector wet but that the game sounded fine to me.

It turns out that the teacher was concerned that a child might have had an allergen on their hands and that this could spread via the water causing a reaction in my daughter. So my daughter sat in the middle of the group and watched the other students play.

They're planning to play again today so, I'm off this morning to discuss this with the teacher. I promise to behave myself but, I interpret "reduce the risk of exposure" to mean allow participation but if you are concerned, have the students wash their hands. The teacher has wipes in the classroom for just such a purpose.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Well, I didn't get a chance to discuss the issue with the teacher face to face so I left her a note.

I got a call from her and she was sooo upset! She wanted to know how childrens hands in water is different than pizza residue on door knobs. Umm, it's differnet.

I think this pizza day issue is going to be thrown in my face a lot. That's OK.

I told the teacher that she's done a great job this year and that we parents will drive her crazy as we all have different levels of comfort. Communication goes a long way in dealing with us (isn't this one of the reasons why I have to buy an agenda each year?)

She wanted sympathy (or to lay a guilt trip on me) about how she had to fore go a lot of fun activities this year due to my daughters allergies. Oh, boo hoo-how about dd who never gets to take part in fun activities?!

I just need to vent here because she threw me of guard and I didn't say all of this to her at the time...probably just as well.

2 more days, 2 more days, 2 more days...

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Admirable patience and calm, Ms. S.

Not just with your girl's teacher here, but in general I don't like the teaching approach that's called - let's leave that child out because I'm not sure.

Kids don't want to be left out needlessly folks. C'mon, think it it through.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Wow Susan...I am REALLY glad that the school year is over for your sake (and your daughters)! Hopefully next year will be better!

I loooove our school (for the most part). The "chef" in particular...when we got dd's spt back in March (see below) I told him I would just bring her lunch. Part if their curriculum is that all of the children sit together at meals and eat the same thing and he said he didn't want her to feel different so he every day he makes her an identical meal free of allergens! Isn't he just awesome! (They don't use any of her ana allergens).

One of my gripes is very, very silly. It is that because of allergies, parents can't bring in home baked goods. Well, that's fine and dandy, but dd is the only allergic one in her class and she's allergic to ALL store-bought goods! I would rather feed her home-baked goods that someone else made or at least be able to bake them all myself. Instead, I always volunteer to bring the desserts for parties and I have to go BUY everyone else's (cuz of the rule) and then I have to BAKE hers! It's just a little irritating. They are a little too protective in this area, I believe.

My other gripe is I wish that they would remind parents about the no peanut/tree nut policy more often. There are a lot of kids that bring stuff in at breakfast or their parents send a sack lunch for field trips that contain peanuts. SOMEHOW ds ate some pb product at school that he either picked up in the hall or SOMETHING! Maybe a teacher fed it to him, I don't know (this is before we knew he was allergic)...I just hate how since they aren't SUPER STRICT about the no peanut MY SON had a reaction! Any time I've noticed pb or something and told them, they've immediately thrown it out. But I know teachers dont' see pb from a mile away like I do...so I wish they would remind, remind, remind the parents....k I am rambling... I am going to have to talk to them about these gripes before next year starts...

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Daughter, 10 - NKA

Daughter, 3 - peanut, tree nuts, crustacean, dust mites, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, mangoes, mustard, and very mild outdoor allergies, eczema, asthma

Son, 2 - asthma, mild eczema, peanut, mild soy, mild egg

Yes I can see how a policy that states the children eat the same foods and eat together removes the need (in the schools mind) to educate the parents about food allergies except that you have identified two situations where that knowledge is required; celebratory treats and field trip lunches. Let's not forget about extra curricular activities.

Here in Ontario, part of the legislation is that the school policy includes a "communication plan for the dissemination of information on life-threatening allergies to parents, pupils" and not just employees.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb