I think that we need to be more aware of kids in the school system who have food allergies. My own three children have food allergies, and as a parent it can make you very nervous while you child is away at school. Lynda Mitchell who is the president of the Kids with Food Allergies has a great blog that can help you stay updated about the food allergies. It can be very overwhelming just trying to go to the grocery store and buy something that you usually don't buy.
As educators we need to be very aware that a student can come into our classroom and have either severe food allergies or be allergic to a wasp or bee sting. At least I know what to expect and what to look for, but there are so many out there who don't know anything about allergies. All it takes is a child getting one small bite of something that they are not supposed to have and it could lead to a severe allergic reaction or death. I think that it would be a good idea for everyone who works in the school system to be prepared and be educated on food allergies.
I wanted to comment here that we had training last year at AHS with epi-pens in response to a student who had a severe allergic reaction. I grew up with mild to severe allergies and had 8 years of injection treatments. I'm lucky that they seemed to work and that I only have to take some medication when I run into something really overwhelming. For many people, their allergies are not going to go away and they have to be careful constantly. I've know people with asthma and migraine headaches that could be set off by perfumes and other strong scents. It's amazing that when I ask my students not to spray stuff in class that they don't respect those requests. Sometimes there's just no way to get through to them until they see someone passing out in class (or however they react).
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