School and Food

I know food is important.  It nourishes and enriches our lives.  We use it socially to welcome, to comfort, to educate.  It expresses our culture and heritage, it reminds us of family.  We celebrate our life cycles around certain meals or festivities that include food.  With all that in mind, I still cannot understand why it must be incorporated into every second of every day, especially in a school environment. 

The Allergy Babe is not in school yet.  Based on her birthday, I have over a year before she is required to start Kindergarten.  I am trying to be proactive, and am looking into the various schools in my vicinity.  One tour has been completed, and I am scheduling another.  I am not looking at the educational components but the physical environment.  That seems bizarre, but the Babe will get an education wherever she goes.  She is bright, and we have access to any supplemental tools necessary if the school fails in some way (which hopefully it won't).  So, while we live in a large district that has a few magnate schools, I don't care whether the building has Wi-Fi.  Great, but not my concern.  I want to know whether there is a cafeteria, that there's a maintenance person on staff, a nurse present, etc. 

For my friends who have food allergic kids in school, I'm amazed at how some of the teachers cannot grasp the basics of the child's food allergy action plan, created under Section 504 of the Civil Rights Act.  Yes, our food allergic children are protected under federal law as having a disability.  There's a lot more to what goes into a 504 plan, much of which I am only beginning to learn about.  However, in some cases, an individual plan can mandate no food be allowed in the classroom (if a cafeteria is available).  That seems pretty simple and basic.  Yet, for some elementary educators, they cannot grasp this.  They have to have lesson plans around food.  There are so many other lessons that can be taught without food.  Even an overview of basic nutrition can be done without actual food in the classroom.  That is why I am hoping an early start will help.  I suspect I will become the educators' educator when it comes to food and my child.  Based on the principal I just met, he is open to new information.  We will see how they respond though once they have my child under their roof.  I don't want to start off in a hostile environment for my child, despite my drive to fight for what's right.  I will push for everything possible to make sure she is safe, and hope that when its time, all she has to do is learn.