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Scarsdale Middle School Food Allergy Awareness - Protocols and Practice

At Scarsdale Middle School, there are students throughout the building that possess food allergies and/or sensitivities.  It is our goal to recognize the challenges posed to these students when faced with food choices and food-centered activities, and to implement protocols and practices to best support and protect these students, while also encouraging developmentally appropriate self-advocacy skills.  With these aims in mind, we have identified current practices regarding issues of food use/choice, as well as protocols that to help faculty, students and parents address questions and concerns.

    • Food is a part of everyday life.  Our cafeteria offers lunch service, with vending machines available for student use throughout the day.  Any food prepared in our cafeteria is nut free. The daily menu can be found on line-click SMS>parent>cafeteria.  Vending machines list ingredients of all items contained within. 
    • Students are permitted to bring in lunches containing nuts or nut products.  Tables are cleaned between lunch periods by cafeteria staff. 
    • Food is not used in classrooms; we do allow the use of food in our lunchrooms when it is an integral part of the lesson plan/material being covered.
    • Our Student Government Organization (SO) does sponsor pizza days (lunch), candy sales (after school) and seasonal hot chocolate and munchkins mornings (before school).  Our PTA sponsors a nut-free international lunch, with ingredients posted. Advance notice is given for all of the aforementioned events.
    • Family and Consumer Science classes for 8th graders- Recipes are plant based and nut free.  Students with gluten intolerance/allergy have access to separate cooking utensils, gloves and customized gluten free recipes and ingredients.

    • The health office keeps records of student health history/needs.  Parents are asked to update these records annually, and in the case of any changes.
    • Students with food allergies are identified in our student record system (Infinite Campus) and faculty are alerted to these conditions.
    • Our school nurses work closely with faculty members who supervise field trips and extracurricular activities to support students with allergies.
    • In individual cases, nurses and/or deans work closely with faculty members and students to identify, support and troubleshoot issues for students with severe allergies.
    • Each year the faculty receives guidance and training on the use of EpiPens and on general issues related to food allergies.