Back to School Days
Posted in Food Allergies, Gluten Free, News by Lucy
It’s back to school time for our family. My son started first grade on Monday. Wow! Hard to believe.
In the last week we followed the age old pattern of awaiting the news about teacher assignment, then calling around to see which friends would be in the same class. Then we combed the aisles of our nearest discount store to gather school supplies. First grade books now have my son’s name in them! Lunch boxes and book bags have been deemed “keepers” or replaced after too much use last year.
Another list we check off every year has important food allergy items on it. That one is done now too. Epi injector expiration dates have been checked. New anti-histamine packs have been added to emergency kits. New teachers have been trained. New lunchroom staff oriented.
While in some ways this part of the back to school ritual seems just as routine as others, food allergy preparedness is never taken lightly. Each year I enjoy the time I spend with the school staff talking about the signs and symptoms of allergic reaction, then training on epi injector use. To quote the teachers this year:
“Oh, I see!” ”OK, I get it.” ”I can do that.”
“That’s easy!” “I feel so much better about this.”
“Wow, we can handle this.” ”This is really important.”
If you need a little trick for focusing your back to school efforts this year, I suggest “the 3 P’s”: Prevent, Prepare, Participate. I shared this idea recently with the folks at Living Without magazine, and you will can see the write up of my school safety plan in their August/September issue.
Prevent. Work with teachers and staff to recognize, remove or reduce risks.
Prepare. Help caregivers recognize symptoms and understand exactly what to do in the event of an allergic reaction.
Participate. Share your knowledge, ideas and commitment to food allergy safety. You could be the food allergy expert at your school and your energy might be just what’s needed to make things the best they can be for your child and others.
