Food Allergies and Birthday/Holiday Celebrations

Students are welcome to bring treats for birthday and holiday celebrations according to the following guidelines: Non-food items are highly encouraged, please see the following list for ideas: Stickers, Pencils, Mini Notepads, Colorful Erasers, Bookmarks, Bubbles, Bouncy Balls, and Party Favors. Guardians must provide at least 24-hour notice to the teacher and office by sending a note with the student or calling the school if they are bringing food for the birthday celebration. Prior to bringing snacks to the class, please inform the teacher and admin if your snacks contain the following: Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Shellfish, or Fish. ALL snacks or treats brought to Rebecca Creek Elementary may NOT contain peanuts or tree nuts. This is to protect our students and staff who have severe food allergies. Per Health Department regulations, any food items MUST be store bought with labels that provide an allergen statement. In an effort to make sure students with food allergies are inclusive in birthday celebrations, the 24-hour notice will be strictly enforced. If no prior notice is given, birthday treats will not be allowed until the following day. Birthday treats will be distributed in the last 30 minutes of the day.

Why is this important? According to FARE, there are approximately 15 million Americans living with food allergies. One in 13 children have food allergies, that’s about 2 students per classroom. The only cure for food allergies is to avoid eating foods that cause reactions.

Although students can be allergic to any food, the most common food allergies seen in schools are associated with the “Big 8”, including milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. In the United States, it is required by law that food manufacturers list these common food allergies.

What are we doing to protect our students? • Electronic alerts in the cafeterias for students with food allergies, dining with Child Nutrition. • Interdepartmental communications and meetings with regards to students with food allergies. • Guardians, staff, and, students are educated through newsletters, email communications, and district webpage about the need to monitor food and snacks that are brought on campus. • Policies and procedures are practiced consistently throughout our district to keep schools as allergy- friendly as possible. Resources FARE https://www.foodallergy.org Comal Wellness Policy http://www.comalisd.org/dynimg/_qaAAA_/docid/0x7BD9071366A3D6E4/25/CISD_FFARegulation+2.pdf