Working with students with food allergies is a growing concern among parents, and we will take all reasonable measures to work with parents of children with allergies. If your child has a food allergy, the first thing parents should do is obtain a diagnosis from your physician, and bring it to your child’s school building so they can update the information in our cafeteria point of sale system. This alerts cashiers to the student’s allergy so they can screen their lunch for food that may cause an allergic reaction.
For students with severe or life threatening allergies, parents are encouraged to contact their child’s building, or the Food Service Department (614-527-4209) to develop a plan to allow your child or children to participate in the meal programs. We don’t post allergen information on menu items because we prefer to physically check labels before serving to students with allergies. That way, we avoid the risk of having a product substitution that may cause an allergic response.
If a child can’t drink milk we will make an alternate beverage available if we have a note from the parent indicating the need. We currently offer soy milk as a milk substitute. USDA guidelines prevent us from offering water as a substitution for milk.
For more information on food allergies check out The Food Allergy Network at foodallergy.org
