what is your school's rule for allergies?

[AnnieW625]

My DD1's school did not send out any allergy related guidelines in the school handbook.

The last two years the teacher has just asked if anyone has any allergies at back to school night, and there have been no instances.

I believe if it was an issue there would be enough tables that the kids with allergies would sit at a different table.

We can bring home made or store bought goods to school. I know in our public school district every treat must be store bought.

At DD2's daycare nut allergies have never been an issue and our DCP cooks 4 out of 5 lunches per week unless the parent prefers to send their own as there are some dairy, soy, and egg issues, but I believe that the child who has those issues goes to preschool in the AM now and usually just eats lunch before the DCP picks him from preschool at 1 pm.

At DD1's old preschool you wrote down your child's allergy on the emergency card and it was listed on the sign in sheet. Of course one could say that is a privacy issue, but honestly it was nice to glance at in case I was bringing in a treat and needed to make it nut, dairy, or egg free, but it never ended up being an issue. They did have a nut free eating area for the few kids who did have a nut allergy.

[Melaine]

No nuts in the classroom but no restrictions for lunch room.

[rin]

Each class has their own restrictions, and there's no school-wide policy. DD's current classroom has no allergies, her last one had no nuts in packed lunches and no nuts, dairy, or pineapple for shared class treats. The rules for each class are printed in the handbook and then you can always request an updated list if there are any changes.

[egoldber]

It has always been on a classroom by classroom basis.

In preschool, they observed kosher, so all snacks to share had to be store bought, sealed, with an ingredient list, and marked kosher. My kids were not in a classroom in preschool with a peanut allergy, but sometimes they were in before care with a peanut allergy child. In that case, since you could drop your child off with breakfast, we were asked that all items be nut free and manufactured in a facility without nuts.

In our public school, there have been various food allergies. For class parties, we were asked, when appropriate, to send in nut free snacks, but lunch has never been nut free. In fact, the cafeteria offers an Uncrustable as a lunch option every day. There are peanut free tables in the cafeteria. I've never gotten a notification about any other type of food allergy, although I know that at least some kids have had a severe dairy allergy and a gluten allergy.

[boolady]

No nut products in any classroom-- every classroom is nut-free. No restrictions in the lunchroom. There are nut-free tables, and a child who has a nut allergy may choose a friend who brings a nut-free lunch to sit at the nut-free table with them. No nut products for snack at the after-school program.

Both as to the school day and the after-school program, this includes anything that indicates it was made in a facility that processes nuts, may have been made on shared machinery, etc. All snacks for classroom and after-school must be properly labeled or will be switched out with a nut-free product from the child's lunch or some spare nut-free snacks the teachers keep on hand.

[citymama]

Both school and preschool are completely nut-free. When we do class potlucks, the teacher requests no pork because of Jewish/Muslim students with food restrictions, but that is purely a request.

[khalloc]

At lunch they have a peanut free table and a peanut table. Anyone who is eating peanuts/peanut butter must sit at the peanut table. I am not sure if allergic kids HAVE to sit at the peanut free table...I guess so since they have it? no idea!

for other allergies, they send notes home. In Kindergarten my DD has a child with a latex allergy in her class. So they were not supposed to wear silly bands, or bring in anything rubber. The teacher provided erasers and stuff like that.

This year DD has someone who is allergic to eggs. You arent supposed to send in eggs for snack. I think like a whole egg like a hard boiled egg, etc...You can still send in something that has eggs cooked into it. like a cake or muffin. Children are not supposed to share each other's snacks.

I think they can eat Peanut Butter IN the classroom provided that there is no one in their class with a peanut allergy.

[icunurse]

At the PS/PK/K that both kids attended, there is no food sharing, no touching during lunch, any child with a FA sits in a designated spot at the same table with the other kids. Food brought in for holidays gets put into a bag and sent home with the child. Birthday parties can only have one of 5 treats and parents may supply an alternative treat if their child is allergic to the one provided.

For the public schools, no restrictions on food. There is an allergy table at some schools. Snacks and lunch are eaten in the lunchroom, not in the classroom. No food items are to be brought in for birthdays and holidays.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Nut free school except in the cafeteria. They wanted to know where the nuts would be so they could clean appropriately. Class parties still allow homemade things but we remind families of allergens specific to the class and offer lists of safe options. The school provides the snack to lower grades, no snacks in the upper grades (k-8 school).

[maestramommy]

All of my kids' classes are nut-free this year. DD1's class also has a couple of other allergies, so for the last class party I sent fruit salad. The cafeteria has 2 nut-free tables, and FA kids are allowed to have one friend sit with them AS LONG AS they are eating the hot lunch, which I gather is nut-free. No food sharing is allowed during snack time, which is eaten in the classroom.

the bigger hurdle is the healthy snack guidelines that just started this year. Anyone who wants to bring a share snack has to bring something that has a stated limit of calories, fat and sugar. They are pretty tight. I bake very low sugar and I still had to measure, my snacks barely squeaked by. So, no candy for parties, and they ask no food treats for bdays if possible. There are definite growing pains with this. Many parents are grumbling for sure. I am on the planning committee and was tasked when soliciting snacks/baked yummies for a parent volunteer thing. i sent out a mass email and the first reply I get is from a parent who feels that in light of the "cupcake ban" she feels it would be unfair for the kids to see parents indulging in baked treats, so she will not bake for this. Sigh.

[cvanbrunt]

No school-wide restrictions but a peanut free table in the cafeteria. Snack restrictions are by classroom. None for my first grader but my pre-K kiddo cannot bring a snack containing peanuts.

[essnce629]

There's no restrictions at DS1's school (small k-4 charter) that I know off.

DS2 goes to a Montessori preschool and it is nut-free and now sesame-free as well since there's a child this year that is allergic to sesame seeds. So no Kashi products, which all contain sesame flour, and no hummus either due to the tahini.

[ellies mom]

Pre-school - Entire school nut free, other allergies dealt with on a case by case basis. There is a child in DD2's class with a gluten intolerance. We don't have to send in gluten-free snacks (his mom sends in snacks) but the teacher sent a list of gluten-free snack ideas so that he can have some of the class snack and not have to eat something different. I'm am more than happy to send in something on the list.

Elementary school - Classrooms are nut free, cafeteria is not but the children with nut allergies are separated from the kids with sack lunches (school lunches are nut free). I get the impression that they will make changes on a case by case basis. The kids do eat a quick snack in the classroom but other than nut free, we haven't received any other guidelines. DD1 usually brings in goldfish crackers.

[MamaMolly]

No restrictions in Lula's school, her teachers monitor what comes in, read labels, ask about ingredients in brought in treats, etc. If there is a question, they send the treat home for me to decide. Lula knows she can trade for safe (and awesome) treats at home. They moved Lula away from the girl who brings in roasted peanuts in the shell for snack. They eat snack in the room.

Dolly's preschool does it on a room by room basis. There is one class that is peanut free in the 4yo group.

[georgiegirl]

School-wide policy: they request peanut-free lunches. Hot lunches are always nut free, and hot lunch and cold lunch sit separately.
All snacks must be store bought.

Classrooms are designated as nut-free if there's a kid with nut allergies in it. Last year, DD was in a nut-free room. Snacks were group snacks and we had a list of acceptable items (things not processed in nut facilities, no cross-contamination, etc.). This year, her room is not nut-free, so there's no restrictions, which makes it easier for birthdays, since last year we couldn't bring anything from the grocery bakeries, since they all contained nut-warnings.

[wencit]

Preschool: no outside food allowed (they provide all snacks).

Public school: anything goes. I believe all food is consumed in the cafeteria, and I think there are nut-free tables for allergic kids, but that's the extent of my knowledge.

[hillview]

class by class. If the kids in primary (we are in a montessori school) ages 3-6 have allergies, parents of kids in that class are advised they CANNOT bring that item in. For children in upper classes (ages 6-8) they allow all items to come in and assume kids at that age are aware of their allergy. That said the kids in upper levels have outgrown or are able to manage allergies. I am not aware (via DS1 who pays a lot of attention to who is allergic to what, i get a full report) of anyone who has life threatening allergies in that class. In late care (mix ages) kids with snacks containing any nuts sit at a separate table.

[elektra]

DS's preschool is no nuts.
However, we do not send in food on a daily basis. They provide the snack. We do send in treats for parties and such though.

DD's school doesn't have a policy. They were having 2 of the kids sit at a separate table which I thought wasn't the greatest way to do it. I was talking to both of the moms of the girls with the allergies, and one of the moms seemed pretty knowledgable, but the other mom was kind of clueless and I had to explain to her that there could be a difference between peanut and tree nut allergies.

[crl]

At ds' preschool, parents noted it on the emergency card and the school required that parents supply a plan signed off on by their doctors (for ds the plan was "don't let him eat or drink milk, apple, strawberry or mango. If he does, notify the parent." For some kids the plan included exclude nuts from the classroom, child may only eat food supplied by parent plus benedryl and epi pen and call 911 instructions).

The school also requested permission to post in prominent places in the classroom a picture of the FA kid with name, food allergy and restrictions. (I very happily granted that permission.) Kids with epis had boxes with their picutres and instructions on them in a cabinet in the classroom. Whether or not foods were excluded was on a classroom by classroom and year by year basis depending on the plans. The school also taught the kids not to share food with each other without checking with an adult first.

Ds' elementary schools have not excluded any foods from the classroom. Allergies are to be noted on emergency cards and field trip forms. When he was allergic to milk, his teachers requested shelf stable safe treats to keep in the classroom for him and would ask for my help substituting in cooking type projects. I went on the only field trip where they were serving restaurant food to the kids (China town field trip) just in case. They have not had separate allergy tables.

I have voluntarily never sent peanut butter to school just because I worry about it being so sticky and easily spread and ds has usually had at least one kid with a peanut allergy in his class--I know because ds tells me. Ds and I have talked about this and he also requests that I not send peanut butter or nuts because he is worried about his classmates.

Catherine

[KDsMommy]

DS' entire school is peanut-free, including the lunch room. I'm aware that there are 2 students in the school that have peanut allergies, although we don't know who.

[chottumommy]

DS1 and DS2's daycare/preschool provides all the food during the day. However I donot think there is any child in either classrooms with allergies. So during potlucks or birthday treats there are no restrictions. I was actually shocked that there were no FA kids but then realized that most kids are non-American (atleast one parent is, lots of them are Europeon, Middle Eastern or Asian)

[JBaxter]

Elementary no restrictions. Nathan takes a PB&J every day for lunch. He has no clue if there are kids with allergies. Jack's preschool class has one child who is peanut allergic. Nuts are allowed in lunches Jack also takes a PB&J 3 days a week. They ask for no peanut products in party goods. I think the child sits at another table for lunch.

We just moved to South Carolina but was the same in Maryland where we moved from.

[MontrealMum]

Our entire district is nut free and I send lunch and snack with DS every day (exxcept hot lunch days). Students eat in their classrooms. Non nut allergies must be on a room-by-room basis. I know there is one child allergic to pineapple and one allergic to chick peas in DS' room but I haven't been asked not to send those in. I only know that from talking to the parents, it's not something that was "advertised" as I guess those children are fine as long as they don't eat the offending item themselves. I think there are 3 allergic to peanuts. On tours of the school I've noticed that pictures of allergens are posted outside some of the classroom doors - so for DS' room there's a large picture of a peanut with a red x through it. Aftercare is nut free as well since it's part of the school. As for sending in treats and things, QC is very health conscious and there are government programs in place to encourage this. The schools are very specific about what can and can't be sent in. We've only ever been asked to send in fruit for treats, lunches are supposed to be "healthy" (no pop, chips, candy etc.). When I sent 1 piece of Halloween candy the day after, it was sent back home.

The daycare/preschool DS attended was similar, except they provided all the food. Each classroom had a sheet with pictograms of the allergen and the child's name above the food prep area in case there was a sub in the classroom.

[wallawala]

Our old daycare center was entirely nut-free. All treats/foods (even if for personal use only like a lunch) had to be store bought and labled from nut-free facility (ie nothing from a local bakery as they didn't lable). They just instituted a NO FOOD for holiday/birthday celebrations policy as we were moving. As snacks and lunches were provided as part of the tution, we didn't need to send anything, so that was easy. There were few kids there with food allergies and food restrictions for other reasons (veg, religious, etc) and those parents brought in lunch/treats for them specifically to meet their needs.

Our new daycare is infant through 2nd grade. The facility has a site wide store bought only policy for any shared treats (obviously home brought lunches can be home made/repackaged). Food restrictions are on a class-room basis. We just were notified that peanut and avocado are now restricted in DD's classroom. Her teacher notes that now on the snack calendar (sent home monthly), and just this week sent a 2 page detailed listing of snacks that are peanut free. It included listing of products made in peanut free facilities only, and gentle reminders on how to check labels. I've learned alot about food allergies here, but it was nice to see that come home as 2 years ago I might have missed the difference between peanut free and also made in peanut free facility. I'm pretty sure it was prepared by the parents as it was very extensive listing and a word document. It looks like something they keep and print with every room change (which is common from the infant to preschool years).