1.120 - Students with Food Allergies

State law requires our school district to annually inform parents of students with life-threatening allergies or life-threatening chronic illnesses of the applicable provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other applicable federal statutes, state statutes, federal regulations, and state rules.

Federal law protects students from discrimination due to a disability that substantially limits a major life activity. If your student has a qualifying disability, an individualized Section 504 Plan will be developed and implemented to provide the needed support so that your student can access his or her education as effectively as students without disabilities.  Not all students with life-threatening allergies and life-threatening chronic illnesses may be eligible under Section 504. Our school district also may be able to appropriately meet a student's needs through other means.

Barrington 220 strives for all students to be able to manage their life-threatening allergies independently.  To that end, we encourage all students to increase independence at developmentally appropriate levels. Students are given opportunities to practice lifelong allergy avoidance skills within the school setting.  

If your student has a life-threatening allergy or life-threatening chronic illness, please notify the school nurse and building principal.  

Parents/guardians are asked to provide annually, the Allergy Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan for students with a diagnosed life threatening allergy. This is the basis for students' emergency care plans for school.  For those students whom an Allergy Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan is not submitted, health alerts with student specific allergy information and emergency actions, are noted for teachers. 

To reduce risk of exposure, the District has put a number of measures in place which may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

1. Staff are trained annually on the signs and symptoms, avoidance strategies, cross-contamination, and treatment including epinephrine auto-injector practice.  Appropriate District Staff will be trained in students’ Individual Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan if submitted. 
2. Transportation providers will be informed of students with life-threatening allergies and steps to follow.
3. Individual Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan and emergency medication(s) will accompany students on field trips. 
4. Option to alert families of classroom peers in primary grades (kindergarten, first grade, second grade)  of the life-threatening food allergy, with guardian consent.
5. Option for primary classrooms to post Food Allergy Awareness notices. 
6. Parents/guardians of early childhood and primary grades students will be made aware in advance, when foods will be present within the classroom for instructional purposes or classroom celebrations, by the classroom teacher.  
7. An allergy aware snack area will be provided within preschool and primary classrooms at the elementary level.
8. Early childhood and grade school students will be given the opportunity to sit at an allergy aware section in the cafeteria during lunch.  
9. Allergy aware section in the classroom and the lunchroom will be cleaned with a district-approved cleaning agent and a clean cloth. 
10. School breakfast and lunch menus, and ingredient lists, are available for parents and students to determine the most appropriate options for purchase.
    

Cross Reference:
Barrington 220 Policy 7:285, Food Allergy Management Program