Resources for Texas Schools

Food allergy is a growing public health issue that impacts almost every school across the United States. Nearly 6 million children in the U.S. – which equates to 1 in 13, or roughly 2 in every classroom – have a food allergy. In Texas, Senate Bill 66 was passed through the Texas Legislature in June, 2015 and SB579 and SB1367 were passed in May 2017 allowing for stocking of epinephrine auto-injectors in Texas public schools, publicly funded charter schools, private schools and public colleges to be used in a life threatening severe allergic reaction. Physicians can write an epinephrine prescription to a school or school district.

Schools should develop policies to manage food allergies appropriately, including information on handling medical emergencies and taking preventative measures to avoid a student’s exposure to a known food allergen. Physicians, families, and school staff should work together to formulate reasonable and practical plans that will keep students with food allergies safe.

A variety of resources are available to schools to be used to help train school personnel to use epinephrine auto-injectors in an appropriate situation. These include:

The Texas Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society (TAAIS) is a group of more than 300 board-certified Allergists/Immunologists in Texas.
An Allergist/Immunologist is a physician, usually an Internist or Pediatrician, who has had special training and experience in the field of Allergy and Immunology and who is considered to be an expert in the diagnosis and management of immune system disorders such as asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), eczema, urticaria (hives), drug reactions, food allergies, immune deficiencies, and all general aspects of anaphylaxis.
A Board Certified Allergist/Immunologist is a physician who has passed the certifying examination of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. A list of Board Certified Allergists can be found here. Those with “ABAI” under Board Certification are Board Certified Allergists/Immunologist.

MACRA: Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) is a bipartisan legislation signed into law on April 16, 2015.