3 Mistakes I Made With Our Food Allergy Plan At School
Do you like podcasts? This episode of Food Allergy Made Easy includes everything in this blog PLUS personal stories and examples too.
Check it out here:
Updated July 2024
My daughter started preschool in 2011 when she was 3. I wanted to give her a chance at preschool, but I knew we would have to make sure we had an amazing food allergy plan.
Just like all food allergy moms, I took the challenge straight on and did what I thought was best for my child. And yes, she got through pre-school safely, and all the way up to grade 10 in 2023.
But because there's been so much trial and error, it wasn’t without a whole lot of stress on my part.
Honestly, a lot of the first few years of school with food allergies were grasping at straws, trying to figure out EXACTLY what needs to be done and HOW to convey information to the teachers. I knew WHAT I wanted, but had no idea how to make it happen.
Which meant I focused on the wrong things a lot.
I wasted many opportunities to educate our teachers, OR I educated when the time wasn’t right. Each time HOPING that something would stick. And each year, once I’d finally feel like we might have an amazing food allergy plan sorted things out, the year would end and I’d be back to square one with a new teacher.
This may sound familiar to those who already have kids in school or daycare.
The first 5 years were rough, but they were filled with experiences that I learned from and used to make things better. Looking back now, there are a few clear mistakes that I made with our food allergy plan that would have made life easier from the start.
Please note that I use the word school in this post, but this applies to daycare, preschool, playschool, and even middle & high school too!
But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Corinna Meckelborg.
I’m a 16-year Food Allergy Mom and a 6-year Food Allergy Coach. I’ve helped hundreds of families keep their kids safe at school with my School Allergy Plan Template.
I have lots of other resources for food allergy parents too! You can learn more about how I can help you on my Get Help With Food Allergies Page.
Now let’s get to those school food allergy plan mistakes…
3 Food Allergy Plan Mistakes I Made at School
Mistake #1 Feeling Overly Secure With The School’s Allergy Restriction Policy.
This section talks about “nut-free” school policies, but if your child has a different allergy(ies), I’ve got crucial information for you too. Keep reading!
Knowing our school has a peanut and nut awareness policy has been a tremendous source of comfort for me. Especially in the younger grades. And even though it does offer some comfort, I didn’t realize that these policies also have faults.
After several years of being in a school with a peanut and tree nut awareness policy, I know that as much as the school tries to keep nuts out, there are always nuts there. From PB&J sandwiches to Nutella snacks, my kids have seen them around at recess and in the cafeteria. Even if the school is hyper-vigilant, this is the reality. My kids tell me when they see it and we report it to our Principal. At first, I thought they would be rare events, but after it happened several times, I realized that it was a constant battle.
Just like us, teachers also take comfort in allergen restriction policies. This is great, BUT for them, it might mean that they ask for “no nuts” when they’re planning a class celebration (in the case of no nut school), and they think that’s enough.
Unfortunately, food that is made in a home with allergens and without knowledge of cross-contact and how to avoid it, is not allergy-safe because it still "may contain" allergens. This means that even if they don’t actually have the allergen IN THE FOOD, it’s still not safe for someone with an allergy to eat.
This means the allergen restriction policy does nothing and there are still 1-2 kids per classroom that aren't able to partake in the special food celebrations with their classmates and end up isolated and “left out".
Recently there was a study done that examined whether peanut & nut-free policies were effective. There’s a lot to be considered, but in general, the study showed that epinephrine use at school did NOT decrease when peanut and nut-free policies were in place. Even though I think there could be some reasonable explanations for this, it shows that we can’t solely depend on these policies to keep food allergy kids safe.
And of course, restricting one or two allergens does nothing for our friends who have different allergies that are not restricted.
How you can avoid this
If your child has a different allergen that isn’t nuts, consider that a school ban on your child’s allergen may not work the best. Instead, talk with your teacher & school and discuss the best options for the circumstances. This might be allergen removal from your child’s class or an allergy-free table, or something else.
If your child has peanut & nut allergies and the school has a peanut & nut allergen restriction policy, don’t assume it works. Find out how it’s enforced and whether the culture of your school causes compliance from other parents or resentment (resentment can cause people to bend the rules).
Create a solid food allergy plan with your teacher and school that discusses cross-contact, inclusiveness, and staff & peer education. I have a template that you can grab and use right away.
Mistake #2 I Trusted That Every Teacher Knew What They Needed to Keep A Food Allergy Kid Safe.
Wow, was I wrong about this one.
We’ve had some awesome teachers who fully understand food allergies. But I would say most have not been this way. Even the teachers that understood food allergies, didn’t really think too much about inclusiveness. I can say for sure that I’ve needed to teach every teacher at least one or two important things, because even teachers that have a great understanding of food allergies may not know how to effectively deal with them in the classroom.
This mistake plagued me for the first few years. Instead of going over everything with every teacher, I usually focused on discussing things that the previous year's teacher struggled with. This would usually start out ok only to find out a month or two later that I missed discussing something really important.
These days, I assume that the teacher wants to help my daughter and assume they're doing their best. I DON’T assume, however, that they know how to keep my food allergy daughter safe and I spend time making a solid food allergy plan and ensuring they understand it fully.
How you can avoid this.
Assume the best of your teacher. This will get you much further during your discussions and if difficulties arise.
Figure out precisely what your teacher knows about food allergy basics like cross-contact, emergency plans, epinephrine use, and safe foods.
Fill in the blanks for them without overwhelming them with information. I.e. a binder filled with resources is too much! It may get thumbed through or 1 or 2 pages read at best, but it will likely get shelved. Overwhelm is real for all of us, especially an overworked teacher.
Check out the School Allergy Plan Template that I’ve created over 13 years. It covers everything without being overwhelming.
Mistake #3 Not knowing how to educate.
The biggest goals I have for my daughter at school are to prevent an anaphylactic reaction; to make sure my teachers know what to do if there is an anaphylactic reaction, and to keep her included.
Sound familiar?
I think it’s safe to say this is what every food allergy mama wants. But after several years I’ve learned that going from what I want, to it actually happening is really different.
A big part of that is HOW I educate and advocate for my child.
For example, think about how you felt when your child was first diagnosed with food allergies. You probably had NO IDEA how it would affect your life or where to start. Maybe you had heard a lot of false information in the past and you had to “relearn” the real facts about food allergies so that you could keep your child safe.
Your teacher might be in the same boat, and they probably don’t even know that they don’t know the facts. I’ve learned it takes a lot more than just demanding a list of “wants” from my teacher because they first need to realize what they don’t know and how food allergies will affect them & their classroom. Because if people don’t really understand WHY it’s important or HOW it affects them, they may not make it a priority, even if YOU know it’s super important.
How you can avoid this mistake.
Identify the false information about food allergies that your teacher is thinking about and address it before you do anything else.
Be pleasant and easy to deal with when you’re working with your teacher & school. You’re a team and friendly, clear communication is important!
Get help from a food allergy mentor you trust! Don’t make the mistake of thinking you should figure this all out on your own. Getting help could allow a more safe and inclusive classroom right from the start, instead of fear, frustration, and worry every time you drop your child off.
Check out my School Food Allergy Plan Template. It will give you the guidance you need to create a cooperative relationship with your teacher and increase food allergy safety and decrease worry.
Conclusion
Although I made many mistakes with our food allergy plan along the way, I’ve learned from these mistakes and used these lessons to improve how I deal with our school and teachers every year. I deeply believe that an allergy-friendly school year where my child is safe & included starts with a confident teacher meeting every single year.
Remember: It’s not about providing binders and binders of information OR demanding what you want! We can help teachers help us by giving them the RIGHT information without overwhelming them. You can use my School Food Allergy Plan Template to make it easy.
If you need help with what to ask your school or daycare to create the best food allergy plan for your child, I’ve created a thorough template with everything you need! Learn more by clicking the photo of the template below.
I’ve also created a FREE, Food Allergy Kid’s Empowerment Guide to help your child be ready for school. You can grab it here.
Other food allergy articles that might interest you:
8 Essential School or Daycare Supplies for Food Allergy Kids
Write A Food Allergy Letter To Your Teacher or School That Gets Results
