Contains: Courage FARE Summit 2019

One in thirteen children has a food allergy, and the numbers continue to grow. Food allergy incidences are now reaching epidemic proportions; diagnoses of anaphylactic food reactions increased 377% between 2007 and 2016. The implications of this issue in a school setting are wide-ranging. Schools must create strong policies and inclusive environments so they’re following the law and promoting the well-being of everyone in their community.

Progressive school communities are realizing how food plays a critical role in an inclusive campus. From supporting ethnic student groups and heritage months to ensuring that those with different diets feel welcome and are not bullied, food has a unique role in schools. Some broad-minded educators are proactively incorporating inclusive policies and curricula, including policies about food and food allergy management, to further their school’s mission and embrace all community members equally. This session provides a different expert lens on the role food can and must play in maintaining an inclusive school community. 

Lesley Vogel, SAGE Dining’s Nutrition Director, will outline how schools can mitigate the physical risk of food allergies, explaining various scenarios of accommodations for this ADA-protected condition. She’ll explain the specific skill sets that students with food allergies should develop as they navigate their food allergies more independently each year. She’ll also discuss specific dining strategies for food allergy accommodations and the scenarios in which they work. She’ll provide examples of school-wide policies and explain how successful parent-student-school-dining communication matrixes are developed and implemented. 

Participants will leave with tools to bring back to their community, questions to ask food service directors, and policy considerations for their teams.