Food Allergy Management Policy

District-Wide (K-12)

• No peanuts or tree nuts or products containing peanuts or tree nuts may be brought into classrooms for any purpose, such as snacks, classroom parties, birthdays, etc.
• No peanuts or tree nuts or products containing peanuts or tree nuts will be served in the school cafeterias.

The policy also contains changes that are grade-level specific. Provisions listed below are in addition to the District-wide (K-12) restrictions.

Note: The policy restricts peanuts and tree nuts and products containing peanuts and tree nuts. The restricted food items are referred to as "nuts" in this text.

Grades K-2

• Students may not have nuts in their lunches or classrooms. The restrictions apply, but are not limited, to:
  • Lunches
  • Snacks, including snacks for events such as classroom parties, birthdays, etc.
  • Any other items brought into the school by students, parents, patrons, vendors or others.
• No nuts will be served in the cafeteria.
• To provide an extra measure of protection, the cafeteria will have a designated nut-restricted table, which will be specially cleaned following each use. Students with known nut or tree nut allergies are required to sit at this table, unless the parents request otherwise

Grades 3-5

• Students may have nuts in their lunches to be consumed only in the cafeteria during lunchtime.
• Students may not have nuts in their classrooms. The restrictions apply, but are not limited, to:
  • Snacks, including snacks for events such as classroom parties, birthdays, etc.
  • Any other items brought into the school by students, parents, patrons, vendors or others.
• No nuts will be served in the cafeteria.
• To provide an extra measure of protection, the cafeteria will have a designated nut-restricted table, which will be specially cleaned following each use. Students with known nut or tree nut allergies are required to sit at this table, unless the parents request otherwise.

Wydown Middle School

• Students may have nuts in their lunches to be consumed only in the cafeteria during lunchtime.
• Students may not have nuts in their classrooms. The restrictions apply, but are not limited, to:
  • Snacks, including snacks for events such as classroom parties, birthdays, etc.
  • Any other items brought into the school by students, parents, patrons, vendors or others.
• No nuts will be served in the cafeteria.
• To provide an extra measure of protection, the cafeteria will have a designated nut-restricted table, which will be specially cleaned following each use. Students with known nut or tree nut allergies are required to sit at this table, unless the parents request otherwise.

Clayton High School

• Students may have nuts in their lunches to be consumed only in the cafeteria.
• Students may not have nuts in their classrooms. The restrictions apply, but are not limited, to snacks and other items brought into the school by students, parents, patrons, vendors or others.
• No nuts will be served in the cafeteria - with the exception of specific vending machines and a la carte items that meet the following requirements: A la carte and vending machine items that do contain nuts may be sold if they are individually packaged with the ingredients clearly marked and displayed with signage warning that some of the items contain potential food allergens and that cross contamination may occur.
• Students with known nut or tree nut allergies are not required to sit at a nut-restricted table, unless the student's parents and physician request otherwise.

Please recognize that additional accommodations may be implemented to meet the medical needs of an individual's student health plan.

The School District of Clayton is working to ensure that our schools are welcoming and safe for all students, including those with life-threatening or other serious food allergies.  This is a very serious issue affecting an ever-increasing number of Clayton students. With the safety of all children and staff in mind, The Family Center restricts peanuts and tree nuts, and products that may have been produced in a facility where peanuts or tree nuts may have been processed or present.

Your cooperation is essential to the safety of our children and staff.  Peanuts and tree-nuts are in products that one wouldn't necessarily expect. It is important to become an ingredient label reader. Examples of cross-contaminated products that we cannot have in the classroom are:

• M&Ms
• Ritz Bits with cheese
• Nestle Chocolate Chips
• Schnuck’s Bakery Products

Please check labels on pre-packaged items.

The Family Center, on both the Gay Avenue and the Clayton High School campuses, continues to restrict products that may have been produced in a facility where peanuts or tree nuts may have been processed or present. Please note that our policy is different from the District policy for grades K-12, which does not restrict products that may have been produced in a facility where peanuts or tree nuts may have been processed or present. Please read ingredient lists and labels carefully. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Clayton’s policy is centered around restricting the presence of peanuts and tree nuts and products containing peanuts and tree nuts. But what are tree nuts? Tree nuts include, but are not limited, to:

In grades K-12, the District is not restricting products that may have been produced in a facility where peanuts or tree nuts may have been processed or present.

What is a Life-Threatening Food Allergy?
A food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. Ingestion of the offending food may trigger the sudden release of chemicals, resulting in symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergy reactions in the country: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. The Massachusetts Department of Education reported in 2002 that peanut and tree nut allergies account for 92% of severe and fatal reactions.

What is Anaphylaxis?
One in three people with a peanut or tree nut allergy have the serious medical condition called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening medical condition that occurs when allergic individuals are exposed to their allergen.

According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, food allergies are believed to be the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside of the hospital setting, causing an estimated 150 deaths and 50,000 emergency room visits each year in the United States.

What are tree nuts?
Tree nuts include, but are not limited, to: almonds, beechnuts, brazil nuts, bush nuts, butternuts, cashews, chestnuts, chinquapin, coconut, filberts, ginkgo nuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, lichee nuts, macadamia nuts, nangai nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, shea nuts and walnuts.

What Other Steps is the District Taking?
All staff will be trained annually on common food allergens, recognition of symptoms, importance of allergen avoidance, cross contamination, Epi-pens, emergency response protocols and more. Students will receive age-appropriate education regarding food allergies. The District will respond to a student’s allergy by creating a team to develop an individualized Food Allergy Action Plan. Additional accommodations may be implemented at a school to meet the specific medical needs of a student’s health plan.