Woodland schools give allergies new attention

Woodland Elementary District in Gurnee revised its guidelines for students who suffer food allergies and now offers nut-free classrooms in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Few Illinois school districts have such policies, said the head of a statewide advocacy group. Woodland used a Wilmette school district's policy as a model.

"They're ahead of the curve," said Julie Campbell, an attorney and president of the Illinois Food Allergy Education Association. Campbell and other parents prodded Wilmette Elementary District 39 into crafting its food allergy guidelines in 2005.

About 3.1 million children in the United States have food allergies, double the total from 10 years ago, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network of Fairfax, Va. Peanut and tree nuts represent about 92 percent of fatal and severe reactions.

Responding to the concerns of some parents of children with food allergies, District 50 now offers nut-free classrooms in kindergarten through fifth grade. There must be documentation of a child's life-threatening allergy to create nut-free rooms.

District 50 Superintendent Joy Swoboda said an administrative committee spent nearly 20 hours revising previous practices and guidelines after receiving feedback from parents. The new policy is more detailed than what had been in place.

"The result of this joint effort between parents and the schools is a comprehensive guideline for all staff with regard to how we assist and protect children who have life-threatening allergies," Swoboda said.

Woodland pupils in the designated classrooms aren't allowed to possess or eat any foods with nut products. Parents of children without food allergies may request a classroom switch if they believe compliance would be difficult.

In addition, teachers, bus drivers and other District 50 employees are being trained on the basics about food allergies and in using an epi-pen -- a pen-like device to inject a child with epinephrine, also known as adrenaline -- to control a severe reaction.

Donna Duray of Gurnee was among four parents who assisted in updating the guidelines. She said it's easy for food allergies to go unrecognized by schools, which is why the parents raised with issue with District 50.

"If you don't live with it, it might not resonate with your thinking," Duray said.

Under the revised and expanded Woodland guidelines, parents or guardians of students with a life-threatening allergic condition are asked to meet with a school nurse and administrators to form an individual health care plan.

Its policy states the health care plan should detail preventive and emergency procedures needed for a student with food allergies.

Lisa Block of Gurnee, another parent who worked on the Woodland committee, said the enhanced policy is important because teachers and other school employees might not be in tune with the nuances of food allergies.

"Teachers went to school for various reasons, but not likely to give a needle to a child," Block said.