Consdering a new 504 accommodation

[ajasfolks2]

Considering request for official 504 accommodation that states LTFA child may go to front of line to get cafeteria food.

Would never have considered except that the cafeteria(s) at both schools (Middle and High) are running out of food -- and often it will be the main thing that is considered acceptable for the LTFA child, so far as ingredients.  The other "options" are not options due to ingredients.

Not sure how to address . . . anyone here ever had this situation and what have you done so far as accommodations to address?

[ajasfolks2]

Adding:

But even with "go to the front of line" accommodations, if the child has "last" lunch period, the cafeteria still may have run out of the item(s) that are deemed edible by LTFA child.

Then what?

[daisy madness]

That's a tough one.  Can you ask for an accommodation where you "order" the items ahead of time and the cafeteria staff would have it on a separate tray when lunch started? They could pass it over the counter.  Or would that make your child feel embarrassed in front of friends? 

[Janelle205]

I don't know how big the school is or how many people they are serving.  But couldn't they set aside a portion for the child each day?  I'm thinking that this would require some planning - maybe going through a monthly menu and preselecting choices for each day and giving it to the food service staff, but that seems to be the easiest solution to me.  On the other hand, this might call attention or make the child feel 'singled out'.

[Macabre]

And maybe scheduled not to have last lunch.

[ajasfolks2]

thanks  . . .

too late to change class schedules so to NOT have last lunch.  Both kids have last lunch every other day (and opposite days from each other).

Planning which days they will eat cafeteria food, ahead of time, is too hard.  So many variables . . . and some days we don't know until everybody gets up:  it's part athletics, what's on menu, what we ran out of & I cannot punt to fix as I'm too far from grocery store, if kid is staying after school for activity, and and and . . . so "planning" not gonna happen with regularity.  (Plus we're dealing with 2 schools on this.)  I also live too far away from schools to come & bring substitute meal if there is nothing to eat in cafeteria. 


I will reach out to school 504 coordinator and ask what they might suggest and if this has come up with other LTFA families whose kids can/do eat cafeteria lunch.

[ajasfolks2]

makes me think that the school must have SOME sort of plan in event a student who MUST eat at school (fed subsidized meals) has LTFA and cannot be left with zero to eat . . .

I'll have to ask.

[Janelle205]

Is there a way that they could put in an order each morning and have it set aside?  Like if the homeroom teacher has to do an attendance report, just attach it to that?

[ajasfolks2]

Thanks, Janelle . . . I'm thinking there may need to be something like that implemented.  It would mean that the kids must DECIDE what they are eating that morning . . . which is fine, too.  Takes a little bit of "choice" out of their equation (cannot just decide spur of the moment) but that should be least of their concerns.  They need to know they have safe food to eat when they get to cafeteria.

Because, otherwise, it's gonna be a looooooooong, hungry day!

[Macabre]

Yeah, I was mainly thinking about next semester/trimester.  It would be great if they offered more that is safe so there were more options for them.

DS said that sometimes the vegetarian option is not safe. Then he goes to the cafeteria manager, and she gets something for him. I don't quite know how that works--just am glad it has. And I didn't hear about it until the week before school started, so it apparently worked fine.

But yeah--there are so many situations where not having enough food could cause a problem.


And can I just acknowledge how utterly wonderful it is to have the option to buy lunch?  I know you'll agree with me ajas. especially because of the school activity factor--it's just lovely they can do this. And DS can buy a banana or something else as an after school snack.

Love it. And I swear I will never take it for granted!

[ajasfolks2]

Yes, Mac, we are loving this too . . . with a teen son who is a food-burning machine, having food available from school is extremely helpful. 

Thanks for all the great suggestions, everybody!  This community always is so helpful!!   

[becca]

Unrelated to allergies, our elementary school asks the kids to choose in the mornings so the cafeteria does not waste meals or run out of what kids want.  I know they make extra above that, too, because some kids go back for a second lunch or second main course portion, etc... 

The pre-selection in the morning sounds do-able.  and safer, as it can be kept apart from other foods that are not  safe, right?  Set aside, waiting for your child.  Temperature may be an issue, though.  How would their choices then be any different than later?  I think the cafeterias likely have their choices planned by the beginning of the day.  Our schools all put out the menu for the menu for the month, so the kids know what the choices are each day well ahead. 

To my relief, dd never wants to buy.  If she gets extra hungry, she will buy a packaged item with a label.  She mostly does not want to deal with the lines and prefers the extra time she gets by not having to wait on line.  2000 kids at our HS. 

[ajasfolks2]

Thanks, becca!

Part of the "decide early" challenge for my 2 teens (and for others) is that they may not be very hungry in the AM when they make decision "order" but might be SUPER hungry by time lunch rolls around -- at which point they might make entirely different choice based on hunger (not pickiness).

Both of my kids have varying lunch period -- A day is one time and B day is another time (one late, other earlier).

I've only been inside the back rooms of the middle school cafeteria.  Really don't understand how the "warm up" is handled, etc. . . . but nothing is prepared in-house.  It comes in chilled/frozen and then stuff is heated that must be.  Cold stuff to be served cold just put out.


There *are* some unsafe / unacceptable (food-allergy-wise) items on the menu.  There are some concerns that there might be more temptation to make unsafe choices when faced with nothing much that is safe to eat . . . especially if super hungry . . .

. . . goes to teen risk-taking as well.

(Yes, there is sort of a "fail safe" in that the lunch acct's are flagged with their allergens and should not allow them to buy certain foods . . . but that is only as good as the nutrition labels and ingredient input has been at the county level . . . )

~ ~ ~

Which makes me think, should we suggest a "test" of the system and see what happens if we did try to buy an "unsafe" item under child's acct to see if child would actually be blocked?  Has anyone here gone in personally to verify this works as advertised?

Hmmmmm . . .