5.6.1 Anaphylaxis Policy

Policy Statement

SelfDesign Learning Foundation (SDLF) is committed to protecting learners with anaphylactic allergies.

Definitions

Anaphylaxis – pronounced [anna-fill-axis] – a sudden and severe allergic reaction, which can be fatal, requiring immediate medical emergency measures be taken.

Policy

SelfDesign Learning Foundation will put measures in place to prevent serious reactions and deaths due to anaphylaxis. While SDLF cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment when learners are engaged in-person in SelfDesign Learning Community camps or in-person gatherings, reasonable steps will be taken to provide an allergy-safe and allergy-aware environment for learners with life-threatening allergies by implementing the following:

• Identifying Anaphylaxis.

• Identifying Individuals at Risk.

• Records Keeping.

• Emergency Procedures.

• Use of Medical Identification.

• Provision and Storage of Medication.

• Allergy Awareness, Prevention, and Avoidance Strategies.

• Training Strategy.

Protocol

Identifying Anaphylaxis

If a learner expresses any concern that a reaction might be starting, the learner should always be taken seriously.

An anaphylactic reaction can involve any of the following symptoms, which may appear alone or in any combination, regardless of the allergen:

Signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction can occur within minutes of allergen exposure and, although reactions usually occur within two hours of exposure, in rarer cases reactions can develop hours later. Warning signs as well as the severity and intensity of symptoms can vary from person to person and sometimes from reaction to reaction in the same person.

Because of the unpredictability of reactions, early symptoms should never be ignored, especially if the person has suffered an anaphylactic reaction in the past. When a reaction begins, it is important to respond immediately, following instructions in the learner’s specific Learner Emergency Procedure Plan if the learner is anaphylactic. The cause of the reaction can be investigated later.

Identifying Individuals at Risk

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities:

• Notifying the school principal when a child is diagnosed as being at risk of anaphylaxis.

• Providing the school with updated medical information annually or, in a timely manner, following a new diagnosis/significant change.

• Providing the school with updated medical information whenever there is a significant change related to their child.

Responsibilities of those shown an individual learner’s emergency procedure plan

Those who are shown an individual learner’s emergency procedure plan (e.g., principals, educators, volunteers, classmates) have a duty to maintain the confidentiality of all learner’s personal health information.

In the Online Classroom:

1. At the beginning of each school year, or in a timely manner following a new diagnosis/significant change, parent(s)/guardian(s) are responsible to provide the school principal with updated medical information related to their child.
2. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) complete the Learner Emergency Procedure Plan.
3. The school principal or designated contractor files Learner Emergency Procedure Plan into learner records.
4. Educators know where to find a learner’s Learner Emergency Procedure Plan within learner records and review all pertinent Learner Emergency Procedure Plans annually before classes commence.

On a Field Trip:

1. At time of registration for each in-person event, parents/guardians are responsible to complete the Medical Administration Authorization Form.
2. The Medical Administration Authorization Form is submitted to the school principal or designated contractor. The school principal or designated contractor files Medical Administration Authorization Form into learner records.
3. The school principal or designated contractor alerts educator of learners who now have Medical Administration Authorization Forms on file.
4. If, through the Medical Administration Authorization Form, a child is identified as being at risk for anaphylaxis, the educator will share the learner’s Learner Emergency Procedure Plan with other educators on the field trip, the first aid designate, and the field trip/camp facilitator(s). All educators, first aid designates, and field trip/camp facilitators are responsible to review all shared Learner Emergency Procedure Plans.
5. If consent was obtained on the Medical Administration Authorization Form from the learner’s parent/guardian, the first aid designate will post the learner’s Learner Emergency Procedure Plan in their supply kit and in food consumption areas (e.g., cafeterias).
6. The form will be put on the learner’s Permanent Learner Record annually.

Records Keeping

Responsibilities

School Principal or designated contractor:

• Keeping accurate records for each learner at-risk of life-threatening allergies.

• Making certain at time of field trips/camps that medication provided is not expired.

• Accurate records shall include the Learner’s Emergency Procedure Plan.

• Provide an annual inventory of individual Learner Emergency Procedure Plans to make certain they are up-to-date.

• Aggregating data when reporting, to ensure alignment with privacy legislation:
  • The school principal annually compiles and reviews anaphylactic incident statistics in aggregate form (comparing the number of at-risk anaphylactic learners to the number of anaphylactic incidents).

Board:

• Reporting to the Ministry of Education and Child Care annually with respect to anaphylaxis policy and implementation.

Monitoring

Learner Emergency Procedure Plans are:

• Obtained annually.

• Kept on the learner’s Permanent Learner Record as defined in the Permanent Learner Record Order.

• Reviewed at the time they are received:
  • All educators are responsible to review pertinent Learner Emergency Procedure Plans prior to the commencement of class.

• Reviewed before field trips:
  • All pertinent educators, first aid designates, and field trip/camp administrators and facilitators are responsible to review Learner Emergency Procedure Plan before field trips.

• Accessible at all times to school principal and vice principal(s).
• Managed by the school principal, who is solely responsible for the records management of Learner Emergency Procedure Plans.

Learner Emergency Procedure Plans contain:

Learner:

• Photograph.

• Name.

• Emergency contact information.

• Allergy description.

• Symptoms.

• Emergency procedures plan.

Physician:

• Diagnosis.

• Medication.

• Signature.

Emergency Procedures

In the Online Classroom:

1. Educators review the definition of anaphylaxis annually before classes commence to recognize symptoms if a learner has a reaction during online classes.
2. Educators review the learner level emergency procedure plans to know what to do if a learner has a reaction during online classes:
   1. Call emergency medical care (911 – where available).
   2. Call learner’s emergency contact information (parent/guardian).

On a Field Trip

The school principal ensures that the parents/guardians and learner (where appropriate), are provided with an opportunity to meet with designated staff (camps administrator and lead facilitator), prior to the beginning of each camp/field trip or as soon as possible to develop/update an individual Learner Emergency Procedure Plan. The Learner Emergency Procedure Plan must be signed by the learner’s parents/guardians and the learner’s physician. A copy of the plan will be placed in readily accessible, designated areas (e.g., the camp facilitator’s handbook and the camp office, facilitator room, first aid room, kitchen) with consent from the parent/guardian. The Learner Emergency Procedure Plan is always accompanied by the Medication Administration Policy.

Procedure:

One person stays with the child at all times. One person goes/calls for help.

1. Administer the learner’s auto-injector (single dose) at the first sign of a reaction. Note the time of administration.
2. Call emergency medical care (911 – where available).
3. Consult the Learner’s Emergency Procedure Plan.
4. Call the learner’s emergency contact (parent/guardian).
5. If, within 5 to 15 minutes symptoms have not improved, administer a second dose.
6. If an auto-injector has been administered, the learner must be transported to a hospital (the effects of the auto-injector may not last, and the learner may have another anaphylactic reaction).

These emergency protocols are outlined in the Handbook of Camps Procedures and Protocols and are included in the Board’s training policy.

Plan Development

Plans are developed in conjunction with the learner’s parents/guardians and the learner (where age appropriate), then approved by a qualified physician or allergist. Learner emergency procedure plans are signed by the learner’s parents/guardian, the learner (where age appropriate), and the approving physician. Plans are kept on file and are readily accessible.

The school principal is required to provide an annual inventory of individual Learner Emergency Procedure Plans to make certain they are up to date.

The school principal will also make certain at time of camp/field trips that medication provided is not expired.

Use of Medical Identification

As it is possible that a learner may have more than one life-threatening condition. In this complex environment it is important to be able to quickly identify a learner and have an idea of their medical needs. To this end, the Board has included an education plan for anaphylactic learners and their parents, encouraging the use of medical identifying information (e.g., MedicAlert®) by anaphylactic learners.

Provision and Storage of Medication

Children at risk of anaphylaxis who have demonstrated ability to self-administer will always carry one auto-injector with them and have a back-up auto-injector stored with the camp first aid supplies, which are identified by a red bag/box, and always located in a central, easily accessible, unlocked location. For children who have not demonstrated maturity, their auto-injector(s) will be stored with camp first aid supplies as outlined above.

All camp/field trip facilitators, participants, and other personnel are oriented to the location of the learner auto-injectors at the beginning of each camp/field trip.

Parents/guardians will be informed that it is the parents/guardians’ responsibility:

• To provide the appropriate medication (e.g., single dose epinephrine auto-injectors) for their child.

• To inform the school when they deem the child competent to carry their own auto-injector .(children who have demonstrated ability to self-administer should carry their own auto-injector). It is their duty to ensure their child understands they must always carry their medication on their person.

• To provide a second auto-injector to be stored in a central, accessible, safe but unlocked location .

• To ensure anaphylaxis medications have not expired.

• To ensure they replace expired medications.

Allergy Awareness, Prevention, and Avoidance Strategies

Awareness

With the consent of the parent(s)/guardian(s), the school principal and the field trip/camp facilitators will:

• Ensure that the learner’s peers are provided with information on severe allergies in a manner that is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the learners

• That strategies to reduce teasing and bullying are incorporated into this information

• That the strategy stresses the confidentiality of learners’ personal health information

Additional best practice, where possible:

Posters which describe signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and how to administer a single dose auto-injector will be placed in relevant areas and/or used as a resource for orientation and education of peers and camp staff.

Avoidance/Prevention

While the key responsibility lies with the learners at risk and their families, the school community must participate in creating an allergy-aware environment. Special care is taken to avoid exposure to allergy-causing substances. Along with parents/guardians, field trip/camp participants are oriented to and asked to abide by the guidelines set out in the Handbook for Camps Procedures and Protocols on Food Safety. Non-food allergens (e.g., medications, latex) will be identified and restricted (where/when possible) from field trips/camps where a child with a related allergy may encounter that substance.

This policy has been established and is maintained annually, outlining allergy avoidance strategies:

• All learners at risk of anaphylaxis will be identified

• On field trips/camps, allergy aware environments will be created

• School is prepared to manage risk associated with rarer allergies (e.g., allergies to latex, etc.)

Training Strategy

• School principal communicates to all school community members (e.g., learners, parents/guardians, educators, volunteers, etc.) the school’s anaphylaxis policies and procedures.

• Prior to the beginning of each field trip/camp, all facilitators will review the policy and plans for identifying and treating anaphylaxis. Efforts shall be made to include the parents/guardians, and learner (where appropriate), in the training. Camp or field trip participants will learn about anaphylaxis in camp/field trip orientation.

• Emergency protocols are included in the Board’s training policy.

Training initiative reflects key recommendations from the national anaphylaxis consensus guidelines, Anaphylaxis in School and Other Settings, 3rd Edition Revised.

Related Documents

• Anaphylaxis in School and Other Settings, 3rd Edition Revised.

• Anaphylaxis Protection.

• Anaphylaxis Protection Order.

• B.C. Anaphylactic and Child Safety Framework.

• Emergency Preparedness Policy.

• Camp Procedures & Guidelines Handbook (Overnight).

• Medication Administration Policy.

• Permanent Learner Record Order.