Allergies are no joke. When I was in school, I don’t remember any student being catered to for any specific dietary needs but times have changed. If a child is allergic to peanuts and is offered peanut butter cookies as a snack, you could have an epi-pen emergency on your hands. It is your responsibility to make all parents in the class aware of any allergies in your class so they can be aware when they send in snacks. The parents of children with special dietary restrictions are usually very good about making you aware of the danger of allergens. Be sure you post a warning outside your classroom door as well as tell all of the other teachers who work with your children about certain allergies or dietary restrictions. There are children in classrooms who are not allergic but are vegetarian or restrict certain foods that are offered in the lunchroom for religious reasons . Early in the year, have a private conversation with every child with certain dietary restrictions or allergies and tell them you want to respect their needs but you will depend on them to also not take something they know they don’t normally eat. You and the child can be accountability partners. You are not going to force anything on a child and he is not going to try and sneak to eat something that is forbidden. Usually kids with allergies are very aware of the foods they need to avoid and are good about letting you know when something being offered is restricted for them. While you will not likely offer a student a forbidden food, sometimes another child may accidentally forget. My experience is that the allergic child is very good about monitoring foods he didn’t bring from home.

In addition to allergies, I have had insulin dependent diabetic children, asthmatic children who needed regular breathing treatments and even a child in a motorized wheelchair who came with his own personal para pro to help him navigate the building. These children have specific medical needs that you must take care of if the need arises. The school nurse is aware of these issues and is usually very helpful with understanding what is an emergency and what is not. Most school age children have learned to recognize the warning signs. A diabetic child may need a cracker or peppermint if his blood sugar drops or may feel the need to check his blood sugar with his own testing device at an unusual interval. Be sure to be sensitive to all of those children with medical needs and tell the child to not hesitate when he feels the need to get up and check his blood sugar. Mothers of children with specific medical needs are usually very good about sending in the medication, equipment, or even foods or juice that the child might need during the day. Aside from candy or juice, all medical equipment and medication must be kept in the nurse’s office.