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Parents, schools join forces over food allergies
Zach Jones started first grade this year at John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School in Leesburg.
His teacher has a rule that only healthy, peanut-free snacks are allowed in class, and for birthday parties, students bring non-food treats to share.
This is because four children in Zach's first-grade class have food allergies.
Zach, 6, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. He was diagnosed at 18 months old when he first tasted peanut butter and immediately went into anaphylactic shock and stopped breathing.
Zach's parents said he was tackled by paramedics as soon as they got through the door, and he was rushed to the hospital.
"Once you get how dangerous food allergies can be for these little kids, it's easy to understand how bringing pencils or stickers for birthdays is so much better for everyone," said Zach's mom, Penny Jones.
Parents like Jones, as well as allergy experts, have praised Loudoun County schools for protecting students like Zach. They say for the most part – especially with the help of a new Loudoun group -- the schools' staff members have done well at accommodating students with food allergies.
Since Jones witnessed her son's reaction to peanut butter, she has been an advocate for kids with food allergies. Her informal meetings with other parents in Loudoun County helped launch what is now the Loudoun Allergy Network, a group of about 110 parents of children with food allergies.
Maria Hardy, of Lovettsville, the parent of a 2-year-old with food allergies, officially founded the group about a year ago.
"It seemed like everyone was trying to reinvent the wheel at their own school," she said. "So we started a blog that got the attention of School Board member John Stevens, and he asked if he could come to one of our meetings."
From there, communication between the school system and LAN grew.
In April, members of LAN made a presentation to the School Board's Health, Safety and Wellness Committee and talked with Student Health Services Coordinator Cathy Sturgeon.
Each school in the county has different students with their own needs, so there is no one plan for how to deal with food allergies. But according to the LCPS Web site, all 75 schools are required to do all they can to keep every student safe.
In the case of food allergies, this includes identifying a core team of staff members to work with the family and providing accommodations to keep the student away from the allergen.
Students with food allergies are included in all school activities, and teachers of those students receive training each year. Cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other employees also are notified when dealing with a student with food allergies.
In August, LAN launched the School Page section of its Web site, which provides parents with guidelines for navigating Loudoun County Public Schools.
Jones said her family has been pleased with the way Zach's school has handled his allergy.
This year in late August, she and her husband, Waide, met with Zach's principal, teacher, nurse and about 15 other staff members at Tolbert Elementary. That meeting allowed the family to explain their situation and talk about Zach's needs.
"We had the most positive experience," Jones said. "It's so great when you can have people understand like that."
Zach's teacher, Patty Lee, said students in her first-grade class wash their hands when they come back into the classroom after lunch, and so far she's had no problem enforcing the non-food birthday celebrations and healthy, peanut-free snacks.
"Most of the parents have been very positive about it," she said. "They pretty much understand that it could be life-threatening for these kids, so for the most part they've been very supportive of it."
In Loudoun County, more often than not, it seems that principals and teachers are willing to work with parents to do all they can, but not all schools districts are that way.
Anne Munoz-Furlong, CEO and founder of the national Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, which is based in Fairfax, said some school systems are not as responsive to children's needs.
"We still hear of cases where schools turn away a child or refuse to work with the parents," she said. "That being said, we are encouraged because more and more schools are getting on board with managing food allergies."
Munoz-Furlong said this is because there are many more children today with food allergies than there were five or 10 years ago.
"We have heard good things about Loudoun County schools," she said, "and that speaks to the cooperative nature of the staff wanting to work in partnership with the parents."
Ryan Elarde, 9, a student at Leesburg Elementary, also has had a good experience dealing with his food allergies at school.
Ryan is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and wheat.
His mom, Karen Elarde, said Ryan's lunch table is cleaned each day before he sits down to eat, and there is a computer designated for him to use to prevent him from coming into contact with peanut butter from other children's hands.
"The school has been awesome," Elarde said. "They are on top of the food allergy issue."
Although the school has been supportive, Ryan has had issues with classmates who make fun of him because of his allergy.
"In kindergarten, they treated him like he had the plague," Elarde said. "They didn't want to sit near him. They thought they could catch it."
Jones said so far she hasn't seen any bullying with Zach, but it all starts with the parents.
"If parents of kids who don't have food allergies say things like, 'You can't bring that to school because of your classmate who has a peanut allergy,' it makes the students seem like they are different," she said. "The tricky part is not putting him in a bubble. You have to let him be a kid too."
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com
I have been impressed with how aware and active the Loudoun County Public Schools are regarding food allergies. Our family relocated from another part of Virginia recently, and it was so refreshing to register my child for school and find out that I didn't need to reinvent the wheel. Policies and procedures were already in place. It wasn't that easy where we used to live. Kudos to the Loudoun Allergy Network and to the LCPS for your effective leadership!
Posted by dnharaburda
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Ms. Coe, thank you for publishing this article. Luckily, food allergy bullying is at a minimum in Loudoun and LAN does not focus on the actions of other parents. When the opportunity came up to work closer with LCPS, we presented positive solutions that can benefit everyone. Like Tolbert and Leesburg Elementary, we’ve found the best programs are centered on overall wellness and respect for others. Many thanks to the two families for participating and also to LAN’s Webmaster for leading the school page effort on our website. Our coordinated efforts have made a big difference!
Posted by mhardy
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