Food allergies: getting ready for fall
Starting at a new school—or starting school at all—is a huge deal for parents of food allergic children. For many of us, it feels like entering a wild world of unknowns.
As a food allergy parent and former elementary school teacher, my recommendation is to start the conversation with your school well before your child begins school, even before summer vacation.
Yes, teachers are often working the week or two before school begins, and a sparse admin team is usually there for most of the summer. After working at four different schools as we’ve moved around the country, I can tell you that there’s no busier time than the week before school begins, and there’s no more inconsistent time to reach staff than during summer vacation.
So my recommendation to you is to start the conversation about allergy protocols well before the current school year ends.
It seems crazy early, I know. But even at the most allergy-aware schools, it may still take some back-and-forth to come up with safety protocols that everyone can agree on.
Reaching out in advance also gives you the opportunity to assess how allergy-aware the school is, and—unfortunately—how tough the fight may be to get your kid what they need.
Regardless, the key phrase is time.
Where to begin?
I started by reaching out to our school nurse. I sent her an email, asking if she’s available to chat. We scheduled a time to meet in-person, and I told her all about my daughter. Just from her questions, I could tell that she had lots of experience with food allergic kids.
Surprisingly, she was the one who brought up a 504 Plan saying that it’s a great tool for everyone to know what the expectations are. I loved this framing of the 504 Plan. Many say it’s a last resort if the school is screwing up, it’s a legal document that protects your child, a 504 Plan is a weapon and a shield. It can definitely be all these things, for sure.
“A 504 Plan is a great tool for everyone to know what the expectations are”
But a 504 Plan can also be a tool, a document with clear protocols and procedures, so that everyone is informed about what your child needs, leaving the guesswork out for teachers and staff that already have so much on their plates.
What is a 504 Plan?
I am going to let the experts at Food Allergy Research & Education tell you all about what 504 Plans are.
Read the article here: (click to open a new window and read) Section 504 and Written Management Plans
Our story
At our nurse’s suggestion, I made an appointment to meet with our school’s 504 coordinator. Prior to the meeting, I made a long wishlist of accommodations that I hope can be on her 504 Plan. I grouped them from “high priority” to “lower priority.” I also brought printouts of her food allergy test results; The 504 coordinator told me that she just needs some kind of documentation that our daughter does in fact have a food allergy.
She looked over the list and said that most of these accommodations were doable! She did mark a few that she wanted to follow up on with admin.
The 504 Plan can’t be complete until our daughter is officially enrolled in the school, which happens over the summer. So she and I made an appointment during the week before school to meet once again and to finalize the 504.
More resources
Here is the primer on 504 Plans from FARE once again
Here is FARE’s brilliant resource page all about school and food allergies, including links to trainings and webinars: Getting Started at School.
I love @TheFoodAllergyMoms’ blog post about 7 food allergy questions for the school.
Allergy & Asthma Network has a great article called School Plans for Students with Food Allergies. It describes the many different plans that your school may suggest, including a 504 Plan.
Here is my wishlist that I brought to my initial meeting with the 504 coordinator.
