1. Warrick County School Corporation Shenae M. Rowe, RDN Food & Nutrition Director

2.  Nurses  Annual Back to School trainings  Daily/Weekly emails  Keeping up-to-date student allergy information  Copies of FAAP in Nurses Office, Kitchen, F&N Admin Office  Parents  Keep an open line of communication  Help them feel comfortable  Show empathy  Be sure you have a signed FAAP from a licensed physician or allergist  Allow parents access to all food labels, kitchen visits  Organize Parent/Nurse/Teacher Conferences (don’t forget music and art teachers)

3.  Students  Get to know the students- have your staff meet them.  Help the student feel comfortable asking questions  Know their faces, their allergies, the types of reactions they have (Post action plans for your staff to review)  Local Allergist  Call when you have questions or don’t understand the action plan  See if there is a support group to be a part of so you can have a presence in the food allergy community.

4.  Members  3 Local Allergist  1 Nurse Practitioner  Nursing Professor who specializes in food allergies  Child Psychologist  Multiple “Champion” Parents  School Food & Nutrition Director  Activities  Offer annual “Back-To-School with Food Allergies” training (teachers, nurses, parents, food service employees)  Offer Food Allergies 101 Training monthly to newly diagnosed families  Provide food allergy training to schools throughout school year.  Otters Race Fundraiser- purchase training materials and books for local schools.

6. Suggest birthday party snacks be purchased through the Food & Nutrition Department.

8. Offer for parents, teachers or PTO’s to purchase “Treat Tickets” as a reward for the classroom. - Box top or fundraiser winners - Class Party giveaways - Incentive Rewards

9. Require that all extra food and snacks be purchased through the Food & Nutrition Department.  Meet with all administrators  Send notices and order forms to Parent/Teacher Organizations  KG snacks

10. Be sure parents are notified of the food allergies in the classroom. EDUCATION IS KEY!!

12.  Special Food Allergy Tables?  Train staff on proper cleaning procedure (kitchen staff, custodial staff, teachers/aides)  Use warm soapy water  Use a separate cloth or paper towels  Waterless cleansers and instant sanitizer wipes do not remove the allergen protein and should not be used.  Peanut Free Schools? It is important to avoid giving students and parents a false sense of security. Food Allergy kids need to have real work experiences at a young age.

13.  Classroom  Avoid the use of identified allergens in class projects  Avoid ordering food from restaurants  Have rapid access to epinephrine auto-injectors  Use nonfood incentives  Consider methods to prevent cross-contact of food allergens- have students wash hands before and after lunch or snacks  Include info in instructions to substitute teachers  Support parents who wish to provide safe snack items for their child

14.  Transportation  Train staff in how to respond to food allergy emergencies  Have access to epinephrine auto-injectors  Do not allow food to be eaten on buses

15. There is no easy answer to managing food allergies in schools.  Educate, educate, educate  Check food labels everyday  Take all precautions possible  Most Importantly, know how to respond if a reaction occurs!

16.  www.epipen4schools.com www.epipen4schools.com  Provides schools 2 Epi pkg free of charge  Must have a doctors prescription  www.epipen.com/en/my%20epipen www.epipen.com/en/my%20epipen  Provides 2 complimentary carry cases for EpiPens