I received an email back from DD's allergist's office, and they feel she can participate with accommodations (and obviously cannot eat what's made).
I spoke with DD about how she felt about that. She's fine with doing that except for the frittatas recipe during which she does not want to be in the classroom. DD seemed disappointed when I told her she could not eat anything made in the class, including the recipes without egg. This class couldn't come at a worse time developmentally. She's been flirting with pushing the risk boundaries (e.g., she pushed back about me not letting her eat dinner at La Madeleine with her GS troopmates), and this is going to be a challenge because she's really chafing at being "left out of everything" as she put it to me the other day.
Here's the email I just sent the school:
Mr. 504C and Mrs. Teacher,
I’m sorry that it took a while to get back to you. I reviewed the recipes on the web site, consulted with DD’s allergist’s office, and touched base with DD. The allergist’s office thinks that DD can participate with modifications; the allergist stated that the greatest risk would be from ingestion and that a reaction from egg residue would result in localized hives. DD’s last reaction to egg was to an imperceptible amount of egg residue; it resulted in hives and some swelling and redness of the eye she rubbed the egg protein. I think you should know what her last reaction was so that you can know what to look for in the classroom.
I noticed in Clarity last week that the assignments for FACS were listed (but with first semester dates). Will the same recipes from the first semester be used this semester? I saw that the following recipes were used last semester: cinnamon bow ties, frittatas, cupcakes, and pasta. Can you confirm if these will be done or provide information on which recipes will be used this semester.
I’ll list what general accommodations are needed and then accommodations specific to the recipes.
General Accommodations
• DD cannot eat anything made during the cooking labs.
• DD cannot handle eggs or items that come into contact with eggs. This includes washing pans, etc. and cleaning of lab surfaces.
• DD should be allowed to leave the classroom at any point she feels unsafe during a cooking lab.
• Should DD show signs of a reaction, she should go the nurse with an escort if the reaction is localized hives so that she can be given Benadryl/Zyrtec as treatment. If she shows signs of anaphylaxis, she should remain in the classroom, and her allergy action plan should be followed (administer the EpiPen, inform the nurse, contact 911 for transport to the hospital, and inform her parents).
Recipe-Specific Accommodations
• Cinnamon Bow Ties: There are no accommodations needed. DD cannot eat the finished product.
• Frittatas: DD would prefer not to participate in this lab; we’ll need to find an alternative assignment.
• Cupcakes: DD can measure the dry ingredients but should not add the dry ingredients to the wet, stir the batter, or pour the batter into the muffin tins. She can handle the baked cupcakes to ice them (so long as the icing does not have egg in it). If the cupcakes contain chocolate chips, she cannot handle the chocolate chips (most are cross-contaminated with nuts).
• Pasta: There are no accommodations needed if this is the baked ziti or cheesy pasta bake listed on the web site. If the recipe is lasagna, DD can help boil the noodles and heat the sauce but cannot layer the pasta or make the cheese layer. DD cannot eat the finished product.
DD said that tomorrow will be a cooking lab and that the class will be making the cinnamon bow ties. DD can participate in that lab; I’ll send a note into class with her providing my permission in case this email doesn’t get to you before class.
Once we have the listing of which recipes will be done this semester, we can finalize the accommodations and add them to DD’s 504 plan. Thank you for your help and cooperation. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. My work phone number is listed below and I can also be reached on my cell phone at.
