District 15 to study how it handles students with food allergies

Palatine Township Elementary District 15 plans to look for ways to improve how schools handle students with life-threatening food allergies.

District 15 has had a food allergy policy based on an Illinois State Board of Education initiative since 2010. However, officials said, the district's 21 buildings do not have a consistent way to address the issue.

"I will say that each school has some uniqueness to it - the number of students, the kinds of students, the physical makeup of the building," Superintendent Scott Thompson said. "So, each school has guidelines, but they implement them differently."

At the suggestion of board President Lisa Szczupaj, the elected officials recently agreed to study the building policies and determine where procedures can be changed and improved. They'll start by gathering input from school leaders, students and parents.

"There have got to be some schools that just do it fantastically and it works really well, and we can get that benchmark information back," Szczupaj said. "And then schools that are struggling, and know they are not doing it as well as they could be, would benefit from the ideas coming from the schools that are really doing it well."

District 15's current policy notes that school attendance may increase a child's risk of exposure to allergens that could trigger a food allergy reaction in classrooms, on field trips, in the cafeteria or while using student transportation.

The management program calls for a cooperative effort by families, employees and students to reduce risks and provide accommodations and proper treatment for allergic reactions. The policy also states all employees are supposed to be educated and trained on handling students with food allergies.

Parent Dave Barnett said District 15 can improve on how it handles students with life-threatening food allergies. He's the father of a boy with food allergies entering first grade at Hunting Ridge Elementary School in Palatine.

Barnett told the school board it would help if a parent advisory committee for food allergies was created to recommended practices and protocols. He said parents could tap into their personal experiences, such as seeing how children with food allergies can be made to feel different by classmates and teachers.

"What we want is an environment that is safe and inclusive for our children to learn," Barnett said. "Put simply, that's all. Unfortunately, at times, safe and inclusive feel like they're at odds."