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Hi everyone,

I hope those of you on the east coast are safe and with adequate provisions. 

And apologies for cross-posting (and length of post!).

I'm hoping that those of you with kids with celiac (especially kids on the younger side -- i.e., pre-readers) in public schools can share your experience with public schools and/or 504 plans to date.

Brief background: My child is 4.5 and was diagnosed about 3 years ago. Since that time, he has been in daycare; a small, independent pre-k program; and now, at present, in a pre-k classroom in a public school in a large urban area. In each of these settings, I have provided all of my child's meals and snacks AND had conversations with teachers and administrators about my child's celiac and need for adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. 

This year, my child's school nurse was very keen to draw up a 504 plan for my child. I didn't feel it was necessary, but since the nurse seemed to feel so strongly, I agreed.

My child's class conducts a weekly "cooking project" (all no-bake projects, as the class has no oven). The lead teacher volunteered to make all projects gluten-free (unprompted by me). I expressed some concern about feasibility, but she assured me it would be very do-able, as many projects are made with produce, pudding, applesauce, etc. At this point, I had also already shared my written overview of celiac and what the gluten-free diet entails, as well as met with her for about an hour on the subject. 

Fast forward three weeks from implementation of 504 plan: During the weekly cooking project, my child's teacher used -- and offered my child -- conventional (gluten-contianing) Kellogg's brand Rice Krispies. 

When I arrived to pick up my child (which happened to be as the cooking project was wrapping up), I saw the box and panicked a bit. The assistant balked, saying she'd read the box, but (obviously), this was a huge mistake on their part. 

To her credit, the lead teacher asked if I would stay for a bit while my child went out to play so that she and I could discuss what had just happened one-on-one. She apologized very sincerely and took full responsibility. She also volunteered to send me all future "recipes"/cooking project plans several days in advance. I received this week's plan over the weekend and while gluten-free, to my surprise, it contained nuts -- and… (you know where this is going), it's a nut-free classroom.

I emailed the teacher yesterday (Sunday) morning for clarification, both about ingredients and the no-nut policy (I suppose it's possible it has changed/doesn't apply to this particular classroom, though we were told it applies to all pre-k rooms at the school….) I still have not heard back and said cooking project is tomorrow.

At this point, my confidence is rapidly dwindling, and I guess I'm just looking for some perspective.

Is this just par for the course and I need to get used to it…?

In this case, I am upset for two reasons:

1. My child's 504 has been violated in the first month, and 

2. It is scary to me that there is a nut-free policy for the program and this week's project includes nuts.

I realize that losing it -- on the teacher and/or principal -- won't get me far. It won't change the past and it will likely make them less inclined to want to work with me (or other families with food restrictions) in the future. At the same time, I want to do all I can to advocate for my son and ensure his safety and classroom inclusion. 

I would be grateful for any thoughts or even experiences any of you have had re the 504/public school road. I don't know that I'm willing to have my child sit out the cooking projects (yet, anyway!). Short of that, what do you all think…? Is this a case of hope for the best and expect the worst? (OK, that's a bit extreme, but hopefully you know what I'm saying…!!) Is there anything else I could be doing to ensure my child's safety AND full inclusion?

Thanks for reading -- and thanks in advance for any thoughts on all this.

Monica
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