Parents, schools work together to manage food allergy concerns

Michigan working on state guidelines to help schools handle food allergies

One in 13 children, about two in every classroom have a food allergy.  In all, Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) reports that about 6 million children in the U.S. have a food allergy.

Trevor Mulheisen, a second grade student at Oak Ridge Elementary school in Royal Oak, is one of them.

"Trevor has tree nut allergies: pistachios, cashew, and walnut," said Elizabeth Mulheisen, Trevor's mother. "If he has a suspected ingestion of his allergen, for my comfort level, he is to be given the EpiPen immediately."

Oak Ridge Elementary is a peanut-restricted school.   All classrooms are peanut and tree nut free.    

The Mulheisen's have a written plan outlining what to do if he is exposed to his allergies at school.   As part of his plan, Trevor has an EpiPen in his lunch box, his classroom and the school office.

"There's a document called a 504 plan, which children with life-threatening food allergies qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act and so that can really help in navigating with the schools to set up a 504 plan that talks about everything to do with your child's needs in the school environment and then that way everybody has a copy of it" said Mulheisen.  "They can reference to really understand the individual child with the food allergy or any other medical condition they might have."

In 2013 the Centers for Disease Control released voluntary guidelines for managing food allergies in schools. Among the recommendations, schools should have a food allergy management and prevention plan. 

Every child at risk for anaphylaxis should also have a written plan like a 504.  That plan would outline how a child will be safely included in activities and how an allergic reaction will be handled.

Mulheisen is on the allergy awareness committee for the PTA at her children's school.  They look for ways to raise awareness about allergies and educate the students.    She is very happy how her school is managing her son's food allergy.

"We've had wonderful open communication, and his teachers have been really proactive," said Mulheisen about working with Dr. Jason Parrott, the school's principal and his staff. "They've just been wonderful to work with, and always asking questions, and making sure that Trevor is not only safe but also included in things that happen at the school."

"It's a lot of education not just to the child but to everyone in his life," said Kim Speck, Palmer and Lanie's mother.

In the Speck family, Palmer, 12, is allergic to peanuts, beef, eggs, dairy, sesame, and mustard and his sister Lanie, 7, has a peanut allergy.  They go to public school in Oxford.

"Sending him to school was obviously very nerve-wracking but we've had great experiences with the public school system and them being very accommodating," Kim Speck said. "Especially now that he's gone to middle school and it's not just into one classroom.  They wipe down his chairs daily, each teacher in between classes wipes his chairs down so his chair is free of any danger.  The same thing happens at lunch.  Everyone is very aware."

Randy Speck said raising children with food allergies helps him with his job as the superintendent of Madison District Public Schools.

"For a lot of kids food is a major staple that they need and schools provide much of that, so we need to make sure that they're safe and families feel like they're safe," said Randy Speck.

Children with severe food allergies are at risk for a potentially fatal reaction called anaphylaxis.  If they have an allergic reaction, they need the drug epinephrine quickly.  In Michigan, all public schools are required to have EpiPens and staff trained how to use them. 

"If our students are coming to school and are worried about being safe, or worried about having something in the building that could hurt them or harm them, then they're not really thinking about what they have to do in the classroom," said Dr. Jason Parrott, principal at Oak Ridge Elementary school.

The Michigan Department of Education is trying to do more and is developing state guidelines for handling food allergies.  The state has convened a group of people that represents many sectors, including education, public health, school nurses, pediatricians, allergists, and parents to help develop the guidelines.  They hope to finalize them this summer so schools can use them in the next school year.

Speck believes it's time for there to be a uniform approach to how schools deal with food allergies.  He said parents shouldn't have to worry.

"Schools have an opportunity to be leaders in this real cause for kids. We would do it for most any other disability, we do it for special education needs because we know there is a need to serve all students when it comes to academics. Well there is a need to serve all students when it comes to their dietary needs as well, we just got figure out a way to do it," Randy Speck said.

"If there was a uniform policy it would make life, it would allow me to breath easier that's for sure and I think it just sends a message across the board that this is a significant issue," Kim Speck said.  "It's on the rise and it's life and death. It's not that they might get sick, it's that they could lose their life."

For more information on the CDC's voluntary guidelines for schools, click here.

For more on the state's guidelines on schools response to ananaphylaxis emergency, click here.