I Feel Like People Don't Get It.

[Hayleesdad]

My daughter has been gluten-free for almost a week now.I've met with the school nurse and they are trying to devise a plan to make her lunches for her and breakfast.But I feel like I'm not getting through to them.

For instance , she went to school this morning,she had her breakfast at home.

She went to the lunch room and they served her Breakfast pizza.(come on)

Even the nurse ask me when I talked to her,if it was OK too give her cupcakes every once in a while.

like on special occasions.(hell no)

I've given them all the info they need and it stilll doesn't seem to be getting through.

My kid is 6 years old and this is all new and hard for her to adjust too.

If someone(like her school) gives her pizza or a cake or something,she's gonna take it.

What to do?

[CarlaB]

Take it to the top! Meet with the principal, tell him/her how serious it is, give him/her documentation on celiac and tell him/her that it's VERY serious if anyone even gives her a crumb, much more so when they give her a pizza! Tell them that they need to take this every bit as seriously as a peanut allergy ... seems schools are equipped to deal with that!

[jerseyangel]

Hi,

I agree with Carla--you need to speak to the principal. Go armed with your literature, doctor's notes, etc.

Putting it to him/her in terms of a peanut allergy is a good idea because people are accustomed to being careful of that.

Be specific about cross contamination issues as well, and that it is *never* ok to give your daughter anything that hasn't been approved by you.

Is it possible to send her to school with food from home? If so, you could also send in "treats" for the special occasions, and stipulate that she gets nothing except what you provide.

[Hayleesdad]

  jerseyangel said:

Hi,

I agree with Carla--you need to speak to the principal. Go armed with your literature, doctor's notes, etc.

Putting it to him/her in terms of a peanut allergy is a good idea because people are accustomed to being careful of that.

Be specific about cross contamination issues as well, and that it is *never* ok to give your daughter anything that hasn't been approved by you.

Is it possible to send her to school with food from home? If so, you could also send in "treats" for the special occasions, and stipulate that she gets nothing except what you provide.

I sent food from home today,The little poot walked right to the lunchroom and grabbed a tray.haha

I've set up a conference with the head school nurse and superintendent of schools.We're gonna get this fixed

.I guess the worry of contamination is always there isn't it?

Thanks for the replies ladies.

[chrissy]

i don't trust the school lunchroom. i think even if they tried, it would be really difficult to prevent cross-contamination----especially with so many kids eating there.

[Guest nini]

I met with the principal, vice principal, school nurse, teachers, cafeteria manager, dietician for entire county school system and even the art teacher and the p.e. coach. I printed out letters from the Cel-Kids network to explain the importance of strict adherance to the diet. I also spent loads of time educating my daughter that she is not to eat any thing unless it is approved by me. (Until she got the hang of the diet and has learned what she CAN have... if she's in doubt she won't eat it until I give the ok.)

Kids are going to be kids, so we have to be their best advocate and if she's gonna be a stinker and march into the cafeteria, you need to have a plan in place... my daughter gets food from the cafeteria now, but only after verifying what was gluten-free with the county dietician and planning her meals every week with the help of the cafeteria manager. I print out her menu selections for each week and give one copy to the cafeteria manager, one copy to the lady at the head of the lunch line who prepares her tray ahead of time for her, and the cashier, all of them are aware that she is only to get food off of the selected menu, she can't make substitutions. Once I'm sure she is more confident about choosing safe foods I will give her more choices... until then, she doesn't have a choice (other than helping me pick out the menu at the beginning of each week).

[Guest alex j]

  CarlaB said:

Tell them that they need to take this every bit as seriously as a peanut allergy ... seems schools are equipped to deal with that!

You know, though schools do try to take peanut allergy seriously I think there are very few that are equipped to actually feed children with allergies or celiac.

If they can't even understand that the ocassional cupcake isn't OK, it's going to take a LOOOONG time for them to grasp the idea that they can't use the same spoon for her food as everyone else's, or that they can't make her sandwich on the same counter, or that they can't use the same jar of mayo... you get the picture.

If it were me, I'd send food, and make a really clear rule that she can only eat food from home - and make sure the lunch staff know it too. We homeschool but that's what we had to do when my son went to camp. Even though this was a camp that dealt with celiac (it was a diabetes camp) they just COULD NOT GRASP his nut allergy. Even though I set the 'only food from home' rule in the first place, literally 5 minutes after I dropped him off the first morning they gave him something with nuts in it. And reassured him the doctor said it was OK so he should go ahead and eat it... .luckily I'd forgotten something so I happened back.

Sorry to be so negative but safety has to come first.

Alex

[Guest cassidy]

I totally think you are doing the right thing by talking to everyone at school.

Also, I realize this is all new for your daughter but does she feel sick when she eats gluten? I know that adults remember what foods or drinks they think made them sick, such as people who can longer drink tequila. I would think that is almost an innate process, you eat something, you get sick, you remember not to eat it anymore. So, is there anyway to tell her that if she eats food from the cafeteria, or food that you say is not ok, that is what is going to make her feel bad? If she can realize that what she is doing isn't just not listening to her parents but is actually making her feel bad, then maybe she won't think it is a fun game to eat stuff she shouldn't. I don't know much about kids that age so I don't know if that is a lesson they can learn yet.

Hopefully the adults at school will get it together and help you out but if she can learn to "just say no" then that may help if someone doesn't do their job.