Back to School with Food Allergies

I've headed out on the information highway to bring you some of the best information about going back to school with food allergies. While we still have a few weeks until the first day, I realize that many of you have already sent your kids off on the big yellow bus. I'm busy pulling together all my 504 plan documentation and making sure I have physician signatures on all necessary forms. Here are some great back-to-school resources for food allergy families:

• My Food Allergy Back-to-School Checklist
• Grateful Foodie's Back to School Everything
• Kids With Food Allergies- School Planning for Food Allergic Children
• Food Allergy Kids of Atlanta's Tips for Back to School with Food Allergies
• Allergy Ready's Allergy Ready Back to School
• Living Without's Back to School: Tips for Your Food Allergic Child
• FARE's What Every Parent Needs to Know About 504 Plans 
•  The Nut-Free Mom- Resources and Links for a New School Year

Here's to a safe learning year for all students! Please let me know if I've missed any of your favorite back-to-school resources.

Free EpiPens for Schools

EpiPens for Schools

This spring I wrote that our school buildings now have stock epinephrine available for anyone who experiences an anaphylactic reaction.

Great news!

I received news today that schools can apply for free EpiPens through the EpiPen4Schools program.

Even better!

I just sent the information to our school nurse (the forms need to be completed and sent by the school nurse) and would encourage you to do the same. The nurse also must sign off agreeing that the school will "make best efforts to provide appropriate product training to any School personnel who may
administer an EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr® Auto-Injector".  Interested school representatives can also call 1-973-845-7600 to speak with a representative about the program.

I do applaud Mylan and BioRidge Pharma for making this program available to schools.

Is your child's school training staff and making epinephrine available for anyone who may need it?

My Food Allergy Back-to-School Checklist

Food Allergies at School

Ah yes, it's that time of year. One dollar notebooks, one cent pencils and buy one/get one composition books jump off the pages of glossy advertisements. 

Back to school ads are also my prompt to pull out my yellow "Food Allergy School" folder. In it I'll find:

• Copy of 504 Plan
• Form giving permission to carry EpiPen
• Food Allergy and Anphylaxis Action Plan

All of these papers and forms need to be updated annually, so here's my back-to-school checklist:

__ Review 504 plan. Is it still relevant for upcoming school year or are changes needed?

__ Schedule 504 meeting several days before school starts. Invite school nurse, guidance counselor, teacher (or team of teachers)

__ Get doctor to sign form giving permission to carry epinephrine at school.

__ Review Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Action plan with doctor. Attach updated photo.

__ Get prescription for EpiPens as I'll need two extra to send to school.

__ Prepare bag for nurses office to include EpiPen, bottle of Benadryl and a copy of the Action Plan. 

We also meet with the director of the school cafeteria each year to review ingredient changes in foods that have been safe to eat in the past and to see if there are any new foods to add. 

I remember feeling overwhelmed by all this when I first sent my food allergic child off to school. We've been doing this for 8 years now, and it's just become part of the routine...just like shopping for notebooks and pencils.Be sure to communicate early and often and have a great back-to-school send-off.

If you're new to this, check out some of the posts I've written over the years about preparing for school with food allergies:

• Food Allergy Back to School Guide 
• Food Allergy and 504 Plans at School
• Food Allergy at School
• Food Allergies at School: More Tips
• Food Allergy Lingo When Talking to School Administrators

Back to School With Food Allergies

Back to school is on my mind as we enter the final month of summer vacation. I plan to request a 504 plan for my FA 4th grader as I was unhappy with the communication (lack of) related to the Healthcare Plan we used last year. Anyone have any experience with 504 Plans for food allergy?

Also, take a look at Alison's all-inclusiveBack to School Tips for Gluten-Free and Allergy -Free Kids. It's a great checklist, especially if you're sending your FA child to school for the first time.