Allergy vigilance: Parents of children with food sensitivities make sure schools are no threat

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Allergy vigilance

Parents of children with food sensitivities make sure schools are no threat

By Shohet West, Globe Correspondent | September 2, 2007

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/02/allergy_vigilance/

Kim Fitzpatrick's 5-year-old daughter is thrilled at the prospect of

kindergarten starting Tuesday at the Carlisle Public School.

She, however, is apprehensive. It's not that she doesn't think her

gregarious daughter will fit in well and make new friends; it's the fear

that one of them will innocently offer the child a snack that could send

her into anaphylactic shock.

Fitzpatrick, of course, is not the only parent who sees the start of

school as a potentially frightening situation. According to the Food

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, a worldwide nonprofit organization

dedicated to education on the topic of food allergies, the incidence of

food allergy has doubled in the past 10 years and now affects

approximately 2.2 million school-age children nationwide.

But rather than simply worrying, Fitzpatrick took a proactive approach

over the summer. She has already spoken several times with Carlisle School

nurses Kathy Horan and Lori Desjardin, who have reassured her that they

have firm policies in place to deal with food allergies. Additionally,

Fitzpatrick has been in frequent touch with another Carlisle mother, Amy

Versaggi, whose first-grade daughter also has a peanut allergy.

Many of the techniques Versaggi has learned regarding allergy management

have come, in turn, from another local mother, Ann Warner, whose

peanut-allergic son is approaching fourth grade.

Though not members of an established group, Fitzpatrick, Warner, and

Versaggi are part of an informal network of parents who share information

on food allergies via e-mail and conversation, and have found in each

other a foundation of support, education, and comfort.

Kathy Hassey, president of the Massachusetts School Nurses Association,

said that Carlisle's policies are typical of many public schools

throughout Massachusetts. These include extensive staff training regarding

the recognition and treatment of allergic reactions, designated nut-free

tables in the cafeteria, absolutely no nuts or nut products used in the

school cooking facilities, and a written notice to parents in any

classroom that includes a child with allergies.

Hassey deems these measures " an appropriate course of action. "

But a handful of schools have taken even more drastic steps. The Alcott

School in Concord, for example, has declared itself completely nut-free,

allowing no one to bring any food that contains nut products onto the

campus.

Although it sounds like a sensible solution to the burgeoning number of

nut allergies, Hassey said that from a professional perspective, there is

a very serious downside to a move like that of the Alcott School.

" Calling a school 'nut-free' or 'peanut-free' can convey a false sense of

security, " she said, adding that even if all students are prevented from

bringing lunches or snacks that contain nuts to school, there is no way to

guarantee that their food has been prepared in peanut-free kitchens where

there is no chance of contamination.

Moreover, although peanut allergies tend to get the most attention, there

are also children with egg, milk, soy, and fish allergies. " If I were the

parent of a child with an egg allergy and my child went to a peanut-free

school, wouldn't I then want to demand that the school go egg-free as

well? " Hassey asked.

Chaffin, also of Carlisle, remembers how frightening it was to watch

her son 's face swell up to double its normal size after a small

taste of salmon last fall, though she can laugh now as she recalls her

reaction.

" My husband and I couldn't convince ourselves the situation was serious

enough to call 911, " she said. " We left a message with our pediatrician's

answering service. While we waited to be called back, I remembered that my

neighbor, Sandy Nash, has a son with food allergies, so I phoned her. "

Nash instructed Chaffin to call 911 immediately. was stabilized in

the emergency room and returned home soon after. The next day, the two

mothers got together to talk. Nash urged Chaffin to familiarize herself

with the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network website (foodallergy.org),

which she considers an invaluable resource.

Horan is sympathetic to parents' concerns. " I completely understand that

it is very frightening to send your child to school with any kind of

serious health issue, " the school nurse said. " That's true not just of

allergies but of children who are diabetic, asthmatic, undergoing

chemotherapy, or recovering from injuries. "

Every year, Horan trains each school employee -- teachers, administrative

staff, and cafeteria workers, as well as bus drivers (who are technically

employees of the bus company and not the school system) -- on how to

recognize an allergic reaction and how to administer an EpiPen, a handheld

device through which a user can deliver a shot of epinephrine, the drug

best able to counteract the effects of anaphylaxis. For each child known

to have significant allergies of any kind, the school keeps on file an

Emergency Allergy Action Plan, filled out by parents and the child's

physician.

Allergy policies at the school extend to the infrastructure as well. All

the food prepared in the cafeteria is nut-free, and there is a designated

lunchroom table for youngsters with allergies. Each child who sits at the

so-called " nut-aware " table may invite a friend to sit there as well in

order to avoid feeling ostracized, as long as the guest has a nut-free

lunch, too. Trained cafeteria monitors pay special attention to this

table.

Some parents affected by the issue say it would be a relief if the

Carlisle School would ban all peanuts and nuts on campus.

" For children with nut allergies, having peanut butter or nut products in

their environment is like having a knife in school, " said Regina Troast,

whose son was a kindergarten classmate of Versaggi's daughter and has a

tree nut allergy. " It's life-threatening. "

But even other parents of children with allergies concede this may not be

a viable solution.

" It simply isn't possible to control everything that comes into the school

environment, " Nash said. " Our goal has to be to make each child

comfortable being his or her own advocate. "

Horan agreed. " This is an issue that requires constant vigilance. Adults

need to be constantly watching for problems, and at the same time,

children as they grow will learn to manage their medical issues. Whether

it's an allergy, diabetes, or epilepsy, children are empowered when they

learn to help control the situation. "

Shohet West can be reached at nancyswest@....

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