Part of every school day is eating lunch with classmates and playing at recess – but for students with severe allergies and anaphylaxis both of these activities can be dangerous, if the proper precautions aren't taken.Over the past few years, schools in Alberta have began taking extraordinary steps to ensure that students with allergies are able to attend classes safely and to partake in other day-to-day school activities just like their fellow students.Awareness is key when it comes to dealing with allergies, meaning principals, teachers and other staff need to know what to do if allergic reactions do occur, says Allan Tarnoczi, assistant superintendant in charge of corporate services with Chinook's Edge School Division.“Chinook's Edge has had great success in providing students that have allergies an environment where they can learn and excel,” he says. “We've done this through communication with school officials, parents and students.”The Allergy and Asthma Information Association suggests that parents make an appointment with school officials ahead of time to discuss any special instructions, and that those instructions be written concisely and provided to the school.It's important to support students regardless of their needs, and the school division is able to do that through a wide range of solutions, one being control of the student's environment, he said.“We can control the environment and we can change the environment,” Tarnoczi says. “For example, allowing students who may have a severe peanut allergy a space to eat in the classroom that is peanut free.”For students with allergies to non-food items, arrangements can be made when it comes to field trips and recess time, he explained.“If a student has a severe bee allergy and it's bee season, we will make arrangements for them to stay inside or else find an area of the playground that doesn't have bees so that they can play and be outside with the other students,” he said.Chinook's Edge instituted the provincewide Allergy and Anaphylaxis Informational Response (AAIR) policy in 2007.That policy was introduced to all schools in Alberta, including public, charter, private and Francophone schools, after the Alberta School Board Association recognized the need to implement a consistent approach in dealing with students with severe allergies.AAIR's overall goal is to create an allergy-safe and allergy-aware environment, instead of an allergy ‘free' environment.Allergy avoidance is something that AAIR focuses on, with all students encouraged to wash their hands frequently to cut down cross-contamination risks for those students with food allergies.As well, students are made to comply with the school ‘no eating' policy during daily travel on school buses.In case of an allergy emergency, there are various response plans in place, including having the teachers and other school officials aware of triggers, symptoms and how to respond if there is an issue, he said.Teachers and other school officials have first aid training and most have training in the use of EpiPens (epinephrine auto-injector devices, used to counter allergic reactions), he said.Parents are encouraged to supply the school with a photo and instructions with any medication their child may need, he said.The Alberta School Board Association suggests parents of a student with allergies heed the following tips: • Inform the school about the child's allergies, updating the school on any changes in diagnosis, additional allergies or outgrowing the allergy.• Provide the child or school with an epinephrine auto-injector which is not expired and provide consent which allows school staff to use the epinephrine auto-injector in an emergency.• Educate the allergic child on avoidance strategies.• Communicate with school staff about field trip arrangements .• Meet with food service staff to inquire about allergen management policies and the items on the school's menu.• Provide non-perishable foods and safe snacks for special occasions for students with food allergies.
