Responsibility of teachers...frustrating

[dinorn92]

I work at a K-8 school that is split between 2 buildings within walking distance with a total of 1300 students. I am the only nurse and I do not have any assistants but I do have some GREAT secretaries.

For the past 2 years I have been having difficulty with my elementary school (K-3) teachers not taking food allergies seriously ("I just wasn't thinking about it") and/or being "surprised" when a parent of a peanut allergy studnet complains to them about why peanuts were allowed in a classroom party ("I didn't realize little "Joey" was allergic to peanuts.)

Let me tell you how I alert teachers: At the begining of the year, every classroom and specials teacher gets a list of only the students they see that have food allergies, severe bee sting allergies, asthma, diabetes, or any other life threatening illness. All other info such as constipation, history of ear tubes, etc is not shared (trying to follow the "need to know" rule while maintaining privacy of course). I do give all teachers who have a student with a peanut allergy a peanut free room sign also...have I forgotten a room sign?...of course....apparently this year. This is how the teacher put it to the prinicpal: "Since I wasn't given a room sign, I didn't know I had any allergy students to watch for." Seriously???

Would love some feedback on this.....how do you alert your teachers to life threatening allergies/illnesses? How does your school handle that gap of what information you give to teachers and the teachers not "paying attention" to that information?

I am afraid that something serious is going to happen at this building with how lax these teachers are about this. I want to cover myself from liability but I dont' feel like should have to spoon feed this stuff to the teachers.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Not a school nurse but do you send home letters. This year my son has a classmate with a severe peanut/tree nut allergy. All students (including the allergic child so it wasn't an accidental " outing" of a health condition) were sent home a letter from the school nurse requesting no nuts or nut containing products be sent in for snack or party treats. She included some examples of safe treats and terms to look for that indicate possible nut contamination and links to the food allergy & anaphylaxis network. Any questions are referred to the school nurse. There was also a list of local places that offer but free treats such as a local soft pretzel franchise.

She sends a quick reminder if the teacher alerts to a planned occasion that may involve treats sent in from home ( it gets attached to the party notice from the teacher).

The school does not ban food from the cafeteria but school nurse, parent & PCP make a determination of appropriate accommodations for students with food allergies.

[hsnurse1]

I do the same thing you do. I alert every teacher (via email so there is a paper trail) as to which students they have who have life threatening conditions. I also send out general first aid procedures for events like seizures, anaphylactic reactions, diabetic emergencies, etc. to all teachers so that everyone has the information needed to respond to an emergency until I can get there. I feel it is the teacher's responsibility to act on the information I give them. On the other hand, I am typically the last one to learn about updates in students conditions or students who have had surgery, etc. No one ever thinks to alert the school nurse:-)

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

On the other hand, I am typically the last one to learn about updates in students conditions or students who have had surgery, etc. No one ever thinks to alert the school nurse:-)

I HATE when that happens!

[mycsm]

I will not only send and email notifying the teachers of their classroom allergies, but I REQUEST A CONFIRMATION EMAIL in return stating the will acknowledge and confirm that they have the student and will abdie by the allergy rules.

Paper trail...yes

covering my butt...yes

giving the teacher back the responsibility..done

[amoLucia]

To OP- this is NOT a reflection of you but I hope you carry malpractice insurance for yourself. The cavalier attitude of those 'professionals' around you is alarming. But as THE designated health professional, their laxity could cause YOU a problem down the road. Your insurance carrier will be there to protect you.

I'd be curious to know if there are any faculty or other staff in your buildings that have any of their own kiddos with serious similar allergies. Maybe their input at a next staff meeting could hammer home the severity of your situation, esp in light of our so litigious society.