6124 - Severe Allergy Procedure ## Severe Allergy ## Procedures

Avery County Board of Education strives to provide a safe environment for students and employees. Procedures are used in order to protect students from intentional exposure to allergens and to prepare staff to deal with allergic reactions if they occur.

It is the responsibility of parents of a student with a life-threatening allergy to a food to provide the school principal with documentation from a licensed health care provider of the specific allergic condition of the child.

The school nurse will work with the parents to develop a health care plan and an emergency plan (in the event of an allergic reaction) in order to minimize the specific risks to the student.

Schools at which there is a student who has provided documentation of a life-threatening food allergy will provide a table in the cafeteria that is to be kept free of the types of allergen(s) that impact the identified students(s).

All school staff who have contact with a child with life-threatening allergies to foods will be made aware of the child’s emergency plan and trained to recognize the symptoms of and respond to an allergic reaction.

It is impossible to create an allergen-free environment. To create the illusion that the school environment is free of allergens would be misleading and potentially harmful. Instead this guideline has been designed to increase awareness and communication, to prevent possible exposure to identified allergens, and to create an emergency procedure for allergic reactions.

Adopted: 2007-11-13