so be prepared to be able to get these from your allergist. Recognize that for us, we have had to have our allergist fill out forms. Documentation for food allergies 504 plans That way, if your requests are denied you have a paper trail showing your pursuit of getting a meeting. However, many places require the request in writing–and it is ALWAYS good to have everything in writing. I let them deal with coordinating between all of them. I have simply called the school and asked to schedule a 504 meeting with the principle, that I am self referring, and asked that when I come he/she include the teacher and school nurse and to let me know when that availability is. How do I get a 504 plan for food allergies? I’ve heard that even those schools often receive funding–it’s just not as obvious, but that they often receive grants and other aid and governmental donations for their school, which then qualifies them. I’ve also heard that parents are nervous if their child goes to a charter or private school. I plan to do one all of the way until college. We fill one out every year, and then have a sit down meeting with the school principle, school nurse and the teacher to assess if there need to be changes or updates depending on my son’s medical history that year, his level of maturity and any other changes that happen as kids grow. My understanding is that a 504 plan is a national document, and that any school who receives any type of federal funding can do a 504 plan. It also allows you, if heaven forbid something happen that harms your child, to have some recourse if they have broken their end of the deal. I’m not sure why anyone wouldn’t want that. Now, I know some of you might wonder if food allergies fall under “disabilities” and in this instance, they do! I’ve heard moms ask things like: “Well, we just have one food allergy, so do we need one?” My answer to that is always yes! To me, I see it as a legal, binding document that holds the school accountable for the way they will safeguard my child. They’re covered under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which is a civil rights law.” These plans prevent discrimination and protect the rights of kids with disabilities in school. If you’re new to 504 plans, I love this definition from : “504 plans are formal plans that schools develop to give kids with disabilities the supports they need. What is a 504 plan? And, can you get a 504 plan for food allergies? If you’d like more official clarification, at the bottom of the post I included other resources. I’ve tried to include official definitions, as well as the way I’ve learned and see how things work. Be sure to watch! Plus you get to enjoy looking at my ghostly white knees the whole time since we haven’t figured out the best spot to do a live from in our new house! Yay you! (Seriously–why is it so hard to find a screen shot!) It’s about an hour long, and really in depth and has some great pointers. I seriously can’t tell you enough that these lives, where we get to interact and hear FROM YOU, are one of my absolute favorite parts of blogging. (We do those every Monday at 9 pm Mountain Time–join us!) It was a fantastic live with thoughtful questions, helpful examples from other allergy parents and was just all around great. I was talking about attending my 504 meeting at my son’s school when I got a lot of direct messages about 504 plans–so naturally we decided to do our following live allergy-life Q&A all about 504 plans. The best way to do that is through a 504 plan. While that alone can be an unnerving process, it’s extra anxiety inducing because as an allergy mom, you now have to worry about training a new teacher on how to handle food allergies, educating and setting up processes to keep your allergic child safe while they’re out of your care. We recently moved, which meant my son has to start all over at a new school. If you’ve followed me for even a hot minute–you know that I LOVE to share in real time what’s going on in our allergy world via Instagram stories. Her exact 504 plan accommodations are listed to give you an idea of what to ask for, and to give you a starting place to build out your own 504 plan. An allergy and EOE mom’s advice on how she’s navigated the 504 process for her son with multiple food allergies.
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