Food Allergies: Keeping Kids Safe At School

Moms and dads know it’s so hard to send your kid off to school for the first time, but it’s even harder when you know your son or daughter has food allergies, and you may no longer have control over what they eat or they’re are exposed to.

For a food-allergic kid, the cafeteria could be the most dangerous place on the planet. Even if your child has no food allergies, parents need to know that in 2011, at least one kid in your son or daughter’s class probably has them. PIX 11 spoke to experts, moms, and two different schools, one public, one private.

At the Allen Stevenson School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, you’ll find fish, veggies, and snacks, but you won’t find any nuts – at all – and no peanut butter. Susan Ettess, is the Head of the Lower School, " Peanut butter was a problem, because boys would try to take it out of the lunchroom, they could get it on their sleeves, go to the bathroom, use the sink and the next boy that could come in there could have an allergy. And in the kitchen, Nutritional Director Marla Mathew has a quick way to easily eyeball who’s allergic to what - she has pictures of the children who suffer from food allergies up in the kitchen with the names of their allergens written next to them, "We all work together to make sure that the safety net is there on a daily basis." At Jefferson Primary School, in Huntington, Long Island, a guide in the cafeteria makes it clear what foods could hurt a food-allergic student.

What about the old tradition of celebrating birthdays in the classroom? In Huntington, mom Victoria Segal fills us in, "They instituted a new health and wellness policy that actually eliminates food in classroom celebrations not just because of food allergies but because of the rising incidence of obesity." That’s right, no birthday cakes. Victoria Segal says that helps keep her daughter Julia safe because, well-meaning bakers can wash bowls and pans but if there’s a speck of, let’s say, peanut left, you’ve got what’s called cross-contact. And a little can cause a big reaction. Maria Acebal, is the General Counsel for FAAN, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxic Network, "And some of these allergic reactions can be really serious. Some of these allergic reactions can kill you. We don’t mince words. These are potentially life-threatening reactions." Acebal should know, she's also a mom of a food allergic daughter. Her daughter, now 9, almost died when she was 2, "Her face was completely swollen, eyes shut, hives from head to toe, vomiting really violently and trouble breathing and all within probably from beginning to the time we got her to the emergency room, probably 20 minutes."

Acebal gives advice, "A parent has to be very upfront with the educators at the school, let them know about the child’s condition, turn in all the forms you’re asked to turn in on time with the right signatures and turn in the medication you need." Julie Leff's son Scott has allergies. When the school year began, she went to a meeting at Allen Stevenson to talk about his allergies, "Lo and behold, every single teacher that Scott would come into contact with came to the meeting so there was a room of about 30 people."

Acebal says always ask for what you want. You need to know everyone who watches over your child knows the signs of your child’s allergic attack, and knows how to use what's most commonly called an Epipen. One is located on each floor at the Allen Stevensnon, the Upper East Side school. And at Jefferson Primary, they’re at the nurse.

Moms we talked to, like Leff, say there's a great food allergy community to lean on for support, "I think a lot of moms depend on each other for advice and help."

And some moms fight for grants to get the word out – that’s what Segal did. That’s how Acebal got the funds to travel and talk to hundreds of staff in the Huntington School District. Segal says it's just what she does, "If one child is saved by this, it’s more than worth it."

Written by Debra Alfarone