1. GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING FOOD ALLERGIES AT
SHANGHAI AMERICAN SCHOOL
Shanghai
American
School
is
committed
to
providing
a
safe
learning
environment
for
all
students.
Although
we
cannot
guarantee
a
completely
allergen
free
environment,
our
goal
is
to
minimize
the
risk
of
exposure,
encourage
self-­‐responsibility
in
children
to
make
healthy
choices,
and
have
a
plan
in
place
for
possible
emergencies.
As
peanuts
and
tree-­‐
nuts
comprise
over
90%
of
all
serious
allergic
reactions,
the
guidelines
will
be
focused
on
these
allergens.
Students
who
have
allergies
to
other
foods
will
be
dealt
with
on
an
individual
basis.
Guidelines for Nurses
• As
soon
as
possible
after
starting
school,
contact
the
student’s
parent/guardian
and
develop
an
Individual
Health
Care
Plan
for
the
student.
o This
should
include
what
the
student
is
allergic
to,
symptoms
of
the
allergic
reaction,
treatment
plan,
where
medications
are
kept,
and
contact
information
for
parents.
• Request
2
EpiPens
from
parents.
1
Epi-­‐pen
to
be
kept
in
the
nurses’
office
and
1
Epi-­‐
pen
to
be
kept
with
the
child
or
in
their
backpack.
• Have
stock
Epi-­‐pens
for
undiagnosed
students
and
for
students
who
do
not
have
their
own
Epi-­‐pens.
• Input
allergy
information
on
“Medical
Alert”
in
Power
School.
• Document
and
keep
current
records
of
parental
consent
for
medication
administration.
• Provide
information
about
students
with
life
threatening
allergies
and
their
photos
to
teaching
staff
and
any
other
staff
member
who
has
contact
with
the
student
at
the
beginning
of
the
school
year
or
whenever
a
new
student
with
an
allergy
is
enrolled.
• Conduct
annual
education
and
training
for
staff
regarding
life-­‐threatening
allergens,
symptoms,
risk
reduction
procedures,
emergency
procedures,
how
to
access
emergency
help,
and
how
to
administer
an
Epi-­‐pen.
• Educate
families
and
staff
that
they
cannot
bring
nuts
or
foods
containing
nut
products
to
school.
• Educate
teaching
staff
about
how
to
implement
risk
reduction
procedures
to
avoid
anaphylactic
reactions
in
the
classroom,
i.e.
hand-­‐washing
before/after
meals,
no
food
sharing,
wiping
down
of
desks,
no
peanuts/tree-­‐nuts
in
classrooms,
periodically
sending
out
reminders
to
families
to
not
send
any
foods
to
school
that
contain
nut/nut
products,
especially
before
a
celebration
where
parents
or
students
are
encouraged
to
bring
in
food.

2.
• Assist
and
educate
students
to
manage
their
food
allergies
as
is
developmentally
appropriate
(i.e.
no
food
sharing,
read
labels
as
appropriate,
wash
hands
before
and
after
meals,
learn
to
recognize
symptoms
of
an
allergic
reaction,
inform
an
adult
as
soon
as
possible
after
an
accidental
exposure
occurs
-­‐
take
responsibility
for
food
allergies
as
is
age
appropriate).
• Keep
Epi-­‐pens
in
a
secure
but
unlocked
place.
Ensure
that
staff
know
where
to
find
Epi-­‐pens
if
the
nurse
is
not
available.
• Annually
check
medications
for
expiry
dates.
• Notify
returning
parents
at
the
end
of
each
school
year
bring
back
updated
meds
as
necessary.
• Ensure
emergency
transportation
is
available
when
students
are
on
campus.
• If
an
accidental
exposure
occurs
the
following
people
should
be
notified
as
soon
as
possible:
o All
divisional
nurses
so
they
can
be
alerted
for
any
further
reactions.
o Head
nurse
will
notify
the
Safety
and
Security
Manager
and
Facilities
Director
so
they
can
pull
food
out
of
cafeteria
or
wherever
necessary
and
follow
up
with
an
investigation.
o Head
nurse
will
alert
the
administrative
team
so
they
are
aware
an
incident
has
occurred.
o An
incident
report
will
be
completed
on
Power
School
and
copied
to
the
Principal/Vice-­‐Principal
o Contact
parents
1-­‐2
days
after
the
incident
to
check
on
student
condition
and
treatment.