School Safety
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is dedicated to keeping students with food allergies safe in the school environment. Through the years, FAAN has come to understand that there is no single way to manage food allergies in school. Each child’s situation needs careful consideration and cooperation before any plan of action is implemented.
Education, cooperation, and awareness are the keys to keeping children with food allergies safe. Parents, physicians, school administrators, teachers, school nurses, and food service staff need to work together continuously to determine the appropriate precautions, procedures, and individualized plans of action for managing each student’s food allergy in school.
FAAN has developed the School Food Allergy Program (SFAP) to guide and educate school staff and the community about the serious nature of food allergies. It shows how school officials, classmates, and families can provide the needed environment of support and assistance in protecting a child with food allergies. SFAP has already been circulated to more than 20,000 schools nationwide and is available to all schools.
Food allergy safety must be ever-present in the minds of teachers and other personnel in planning lessons, class activities, field trips, lunchroom procedures, and every other aspect of the school day. This way, children with food allergies can participate safely along with their classmates.
Studies have shown that a delay in getting help and administering epinephrine is a major factor in fatal reactions. Just as all school personnel practice fire drills and other emergency precautions, they must also be fully trained and have an action plan ready in the event of a food-allergic reaction.
Of course, children with food allergy must themselves learn to always be vigilant about their food allergy inside and outside of the classroom.
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