Greenwich, CT: 5% of students in 2015 "had life-threatening food allergies"-staff Epi Pen training

Aug 17, 2017, Greenwich (CT) Times: New Greenwich district-wide allergy awareness program to start in fall http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/New-Greenwich-district-wide-allergy-awareness-11882426.php When classes resume in two weeks, Greenwich Public Schools will roll out new resources for teachers, parents and students on how to keep children with severe food allergies safe. Principals will be armed with letters, lesson plans, worksheets and book recommendations approved and vetted by district officials aimed at spreading food allergy awareness. “It’s about saving lives,” said Abbe Large. The district needed to have a formal plan in place “to allow people to empathize and to protect their friends and to reduce the risk of accidental exposure.” ... National statistics put the number of children with food allergies at one in 13, or about two students per classroom. In 2015, Pupil Personnel Services Director Mary Forde estimated about 5 percent of students in the school district had life-threatening food allergies; local numbers are hard to quantify these days because food allergies are on the rise, Large said. … Greenwich High School is now the only public school in Greenwich to serve peanut butter on its cafeteria menu. ... “Last year we introduced training for staff and administration on the administration of epinephrine to previously unknown reactors,” said Keller. “This was a big step in providing more coverage. We expect regulations to come through sometime this year that will even further expand the coverage.”...