Salem Drive School is aware that food allergies can be a life threatening medical condition. Severe food allergies affect about 2 million school-age children across the country.  Avoidance and education about food allergies is the key to minimizing risk of allergic reactions in schools. In order to make a lifelong impact on allergy management, we strive to "Educate not Eliminate". In a concerted effort to educate all school personnel, students, and parents about students with severe food allergies, Salem Drive School has developed a comprehensive plan and is self-designating our school as Food Allergy Aware.

Our Food Allergy Aware School plan:

• Severe food allergies are defined as an allergy which is life threatening and there is a documented possibility of an an anaphylactic/life threatening reaction.
• Written plan to address severe food allergies is in place.
• Parents are notified at registration about our Food Allergy Aware program.
• Avoidance practices are instituted and revised based on the individual needs of each student.
• Parent and school work together to develop an Emergency Care Plan (ECP) and Individualized Health Care Plan (IHCP) as appropriate and based on the documented medical needs of the student.
• Staff, students, and parents are educated about food allergy awareness.
• Food Allergy alert signs posted in designated areas.
• A team of staff members is designated to respond to an anaphylactic/life threatening reaction.
• School stock emergency Epinephrine Auto-Injectors are located in a central accessible location to staff.
• Student individual Epinephrine Auto-Injectors are located with one in the classroom and one in the cafeteria along with their ECP & IHCP.
• Students are not excluded from school activities solely based on a severe food allergy.
• Classroom food celebrations are kept at a minimun and are avoided for any birthday celebration. Unplanned food celebrations are not permitted. 

Parent Responsibilities

• Provide the school with requested documentation by a physician about the child's severe food allergies at enrollment and update each school year and more often as needed (Includes medication permission, emergency action plan, allergy testing, and/or doctor recommendations).
• Provide necessary emergency medication(s)prior to starting school-according to school medication policy.
• Participate in meetings and communicate with the school in developing an individualized health plan and emergency action plan as appropriate.
• Provide parent contact numbers and at least 2 local emergency contacts at all times.
• Parents provide the health office with a few safe snacks to keep on hand.
• Teach your child to use avoidance practices, recognize symptoms of an allergic reaction,and how to communicate this clearly to an adult.
• Report any allergic reactions outside of the school environment to the school nurse as soon as possible.