title: Assessing the readiness of a school system to adopt food allergy management guidelines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of potentially fatal food allergies in school-aged children is rising. It is important for schools to have a food allergy management policy and an emergency action plan for each affected student.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the current status of food allergy guideline and/or policy implementation and adoption in a large school system in southeastern Wisconsin.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 24-item anonymous electronic survey was developed and completed by school principals and administrators in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee School System (approximately 125 schools) in southeastern Wisconsin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One in 4 responding schools reported no guidelines or policy. Schools that reported having students with special needs due to food allergy were more likely to have a local food allergy policy compared to schools that did not report having students with food allergy special needs (OR 6.3, 1.5-26, P = 0.01). Schools with food allergy guidelines/policies were 3.5 times more likely to require student individual action plans than schools with no guidelines or policies (OR 3.5, 1.00-12.2, P = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gaps in evidence-based food allergy policy implementation were found in this school system. Schools with food-allergic children with special needs were more likely to have guidelines/policy, however, they were not more likely to require emergency action plans. The majority of schools (66, 90%) reported interest in receiving further information or training on food allergy management.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eldredge
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schellhase
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016134:Organizational Policy; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology