Student Health - Support of children with food allergies

Our Lady of the Assumption School is a caring community, and committed to promoting and protecting the rights of everone in the school.  As such, the school aims to do our best to ensure the safety of children who experience food allergies, taking special care in cases where the reaction is anaphylactic.  There are currently children in the school with severe allergies to a range of foods including nuts, shellfish and eggs.

Rather than an outright ban on these products, the school takes a risk minimisation approach, in line with the recommendations of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.  The school will do this by adopting the following policy:

1. Parents of children with severe food allergies will need to provide a current action plan to the school.  For those at risk of anaphylaxis this will need to be an "Action Plan for Anaphylaxis" signed by a medical practitioner.
2. Children with food allergies are encouraged to only consume food that is provided by their parents/guardians.
3. Drinks and lunch boxes provided by parents for their children with food allergies should be clearly labelled with the child's name.
4. If food is to be purchased from the tuckshop for children with a food allergy, parents will need to check the appropriateness of their choices with the tuckshop convenor.
5. Food should not be given to children with food allergies unless parental permission has been granted for each specific food on each particular occasion.
6. All children will be discouraged from trading or sharing food or food containers.
7. The needs of children with severe food allergies will be considered when planning classroom activities that involve food (such as experiments or cooking instruction) as well as school activities and events to minimise exposure to allergens.
8. Staff will consider the requirements of children with food allergies early in the planning of outside school activities like excursions and camps, in particular relevant catering requirements and emergency plans.
9. Parents who donate 'home baking' to the tuckshop will be asked to provide a list of ingredients to the tuckshop convenor.
10. Sharing and giving food treats for special occasions is discouraged, including items such as Easter eggs and candy canes.