Congress considers food allergy guidelines
School officials concerned with how to deal with the growing numbers of students with food allergies could get some help from legislation pending in Congress that would require the federal government to develop voluntary guidelines.
The House passed the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (H.R.2063) in June. Sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), the bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop guidelines to prevent exposure to food allergens and ensure a prompt response when a child suffers a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction.
A companion bill, sponsored by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), would authorize funding for equipment and training.
NSBA has not taken an official position on the legislation. Any potential concerns were alleviated when language was added to the bill saying the measure would not pre-empt state laws that allow students at risk for anaphylaxis to administer their own medications, says Chrisanne Gayle, NSBA’s director of federal programs.
The guidelines are needed because school administrators often don’t know how to respond to students with food allergies, says Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).
About 2.2 million children are affected, and the numbers are growing rapidly, Munoz-Furlong said. The number of children allergic to peanuts doubled between 1997 and 2002.
Loretta Newsom, who recently left her position as school nurse at Cedar Lane Elementary in Delaware’s Appoquinimink school district, implemented a comprehensive plan to keep children with allergies safe and educate the rest of the students about allergies. Of the school’s 700 students, about 35 had food allergies.
Cedar Lane’s lunchroom has a special “peanut-free table,” and an alert system lets the cafeteria staff know when a student with allergies is moving through the lunch line.
Newsom formed a weekly after-school club for students with allergies. Students learned to read food package labels, shared information with one another, and made posters to raise awareness about allergy issues.
They also talked about their allergies on the school’s televised daily announcements.
Newsom thought “parents would rebel” when all outside food was banned, “but there was not one complaint.” Instead of allowing parents to bring cupcakes for children’s birthday parties, the school arranges for Dairy Queen to bring in ice cream treats—or Italian water ice for those with dairy or peanut allergies—for monthly birthday parties.
Munoz-Furlong suggests school plans should require parents to bring in documentation from physicians describing a child’s allergies and how to deal with them.
There have been cases of children dying from allergic reactions even though they had never had a serious reaction before. For that reason, Munoz-Furlong said, “you need to treat every allergic reaction as if it is severe.”
When children have allergic reactions, school officials “too often are reluctant to call for help,” she said. They usually have children use their inhaler, then call the parents, when the first thing they should do is call 911. “Tragedies happen when school staff do not know how to react or don’t act quickly enough.”
Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2008, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.