Iowa City schools revamp food-allergy policies

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Iowa City Community School District is updating its food allergy protocols after staff last month inadvertently served a student with peanut allergies a peanut butter sandwich.

Changes will include keeping peanut butter locked in kitchen managers' offices when staff isn't using it and requiring additional allergy-related training, district nutrition and health leaders said.

These updates come after Chauncey Parker, a student with a peanut allergy at Hoover Elementary, experienced an allergic reaction in October when district staff made him a sandwich with peanut butter in it.

Alison Demory, the district's nutrition services director, said nutrition staff at City High makes lunches for Hoover students and that the incident occurred when a staff member was making about 25 sandwiches for Hoover sack lunches. She said the staff member mistakenly used peanut butter for the sandwiches instead of a sunflower-based alternative that the district typically uses.

"We took the steps to make sure that doesn't happen again by locking up the peanut butter," Demory said.

Lee Parker, Chauncey's father, said Chauncey raised his hand after eating the sandwich to tell a staff member his mouth felt itchy and he had a lump in his throat. Parker said a custodian listened to his son's concerns, but that staff didn't respond by giving Chauncey instructions for handling the incident, so Chauncey went out to recess.

Susie Poulton, the district's health and student services director, said although Chauncey visited the nurse's office after he came in from recess, staff should have acted earlier.

"The staff should have followed up," Poulton said.

Exposure to a food allergen can sometimes lead to anaphylaxis, a sudden and severe allergic reaction that can cause death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

This year, ICCSD records show parents self-reported 223 students with some type of