Back-to-School Checklist
Kids may already be back in school, but it’s never too late to double check that you’ve done everything you need to do to keep them safe this year. Instead of scrambling to figure out what needs to be done, just take a look at this helpful checklist designed for parents and kids with food allergies:
Make an appointment to talk to your child’s teacher, principal, and the school nurse. Bring notes or an outline of questions, your child’s rescue medications, and your Food Allergy Action Plan or Individual Health Care Plan. Some questions you might ask during this meeting include…
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Does the school have a food allergy policy?
What safeguards are in place in the cafeteria, classroom and other areas?
Will other parents be notified about the allergy policies and the presence of an allergic child in the classroom?
Where will your child’s emergency medications be kept? Who administers them?
What is the school or class policy for parties, treats bought by parents, or food given as rewards to children?
How many people at the school are trained to recognize and respond to allergic reactions? Is a trained person required to accompany students on field trips?
Provide emergency medications that can be kept at the school, and make note of the expiration dates so you can replace them when necessary.
Ensure that your child wears his or her allergy awareness accesories at all times.
Provide the teacher with a box of safe snacks for your child so she will have an appropriate treat to give him if treats are being given to other students.
Are there other children with allergies in the class? It might be nice to try to contact other parents in the same situation so you can coordinate with them for chaperoning or party hosting duties throughout the school year.
Review safety rules with your child before school starts just to remind him about washing his hands, never sharing food, and which foods might contain ingredients to make him sick.
It’s also a good idea to practice when to tell the teacher something is wrong. For example, if you feel a tickle in your throat, what should you do? Be sure they understand to get help as soon as they suspect something might be wrong.
How many of these items have you checked off the list?
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xo
Iris
Iris Shamus is a mother to three awesome kids & the founder/CEO of AllerMates. AllerMates was born as a result of her food allergic and asthmatic son, Ben. Iris and/or AllerMates have been featured in many places including Fox News, the Doctors, Veria Living, MSNBC, The Today Show & the Huffington Post with helpful advice on keeping kids safe. Based in New York, Iris & her team design & ship their products, create informative content & obsess every day about safeguarding kids.