Anaphylaxis in Schools 3rd Edition

School Anaphylaxis Plan
Appendix C
School administrators can use the following as a base to develop their own anaphylaxis plans.
Examples of current practices are noted below. Successful school anaphylaxis plans have been built
on respect for others, sound medical (vs. anecdotal) information, and realistic expectations of what the
school community can do to help safeguard students at risk of anaphylaxis.
Elementary School Environment
Elementary schools have adopted different practices to reduce the risk of exposure to peanut- and tree
nut-containing products which have been a leading cause of food-related allergic reactions and fatalities:
• Lunch supervisors should ensure that procedures for proper hand washing and cleanup are being
followed. A ‘no sharing’ policy of food, utensils, containers, straws, etc. should be enforced for foodallergic
children.
• Some schools appeal to the community to keep peanut butter and other peanut/tree nut products
out of the school.
• Some schools have children who bring peanut/tree nut-containing products to school eat lunch at a
designated table in the lunchroom.
• Some schools ask children with food allergies to sit at a table which has been designated “allergysafe”
or “allergy-aware.”
Strategies to reduce the risk for other food allergies (e.g. milk, egg, sesame) and stinging insect allergy are
usually developed in consultation with school staff, nurses (where available) and parents of allergic children.
(See Appendix G for examples of ways in which some schools are managing the risk for other allergens.)
Secondary School Environment
The secondary or high school student must be able to take on primary responsibility for allergen
avoidance at school and in other environments. Students move around the entire campus and interact
with many teachers and peers. Therefore, the high school setting is much harder to control than
smaller elementary school settings. It is important to be realistic about what can be controlled. For
example, there is limited supervision at lunchtime; in some schools there is only one staff member on
duty to supervise hundreds of students. Many students leave the campus for lunch.
Secondary schools should follow recommendations outlined in the consensus statement, while
adapting specific practices to respect the needs of older students (e.g. more discreet areas to post
Anaphylaxis Emergency Plans). Teens are thought to be at higher risk for a severe allergic reaction,
requiring greater vigilance. Secondary school age students are more vulnerable to peer influences and
may deny their vulnerability and take greater risks.
Anaphylaxis in Schools & Other Settings
Copyright © 2005-2014 Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
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