By: Elizabeth Corridan
BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (WGGB) – There is an alarming statistic among our children and it means schools have to take extra precautions to keep them safe in the classroom and in the cafeteria. Since 1993, the number of school-aged children diagnosed with food allergies has increased 18%. The number of children requiring hospital treatment for their allergy-induced symptoms has tripled. While the jury is still out on why exactly food allergies are on the rise, one thing is certain: schools are not taking any chances.
When school nurse Diane Janas started her career more than a decade ago, she had only one student with a food allergy requiring an epi-pen. Today, albeit in a larger school, she has 14 students requiring an epi-pen. Janas says, "It's a great concern and we do our best to make sure the kids are safe."
Keeping kids with food allergies safe has become a school-wide effort. At the Swift River School in Belchertown, there is an allergy-sensitive classroom for each grade. Each room is identified with a sign on the door letting anyone who enters know that their hands must be clean. Staff and students are drilled in good hand-washing skills. Along with washing when they first enter, students must also wash their hands several times throughout the day and before and after eating. Snacks containing peanuts or tree nuts are not allowed.
In the cafeteria, peanut products are not banned but there is a peanut-free table. It is monitored closely and washed separately. All students with a food allergy have their own trays to prevent contamination. All hot lunches served are peanut-free, allowing any student to sit at the table so that allergy-sensitive students do not feel isolated. Janas says parents appreciate the efforts taken to protect their children at school.
While the care plans are appreciated, the question remains, why are they increasingly necessary? Allergists like Dr. Robert McGovern cannot pinpoint an exact reason but believe the same medical advances that keep kids healthier could be leaving some at risk. McGovern says, "The kids today don't get as many infections as they did previously so they stay in the allergic state."
In the meantime, schools will have to be proactive, making allergy-sensitivity part of the everyday curriculum.
All that hand-washing is not just protecting the students with food allergies. Allergy-sensitive classrooms report far fewer cases of highly contagious illnesses like strep and conjunctivitis when compared to traditional classrooms.
