Lake City High School goes latex-free

COEUR d'ALENE — Balloons are an indicator of celebrations and can help create a festive atmosphere for pep rallies and birthday parties.

But for one student at Lake City High School with a latex allergy, those same balloons could be a death sentence.

This semester, the high school has taken steps to remove latex balloons from school events to ensure the student's safety. It's a move that also highlights the education and cooperation based approach the Coeur d'Alene School District has when it comes to allergens in its schools.

"While we cannot control all aspects of the environment at all times, we can certainly be responsible by not allowing latex balloons into the building and not decorating events with latex balloons," said Lake City High School Principal Deanne Clifford added. "I strongly believe that any minor changes we can make to keep a student safe is the least we can do."

Clifford told The Press the precautionary measure is a reasonable one, and latex is the only allergen school officials have asked the public to refrain from bringing on campus. The move is not a guarantee, according to Clifford, that the student with the latex allergy will be protected from harm.

Rather, she said, it is a simple measure the school can take to improve the student's safety that has little to no impact on daily operations.

"No one asked us to do this, and no one has complained about it," Clifford said. "This is just how we operate — if we can be of assistance to a student we will. We have a culture at LCHS where we try to make sure we are taking care of one another, so this just feels like the logical approach."

She added that, on the rare occasion balloons are delivered to the campus, they are usually made of Mylar.

"Our focus when it comes to allergens is on the education of our staff, as well as students and their families," Laura Rumpler, district spokeswoman, said.

Schools in the district identify students with allergies when they register for school, she added, and create an emergency plan alongside parents.

The district then "flags" student profiles in its nutritional services computers and the student data system. Whenever a student's profile is accessed by a cafeteria employee or school nurse, an alert pops up on the computer screen noting the student's allergy, type of allergy, and proper treatment in the event the student is exposed.

"We do training and are ready in case something happens," said Ed Ducar, director of nutrition services. "What we don't want to do is assume (that the cafeteria is allergen-free) — somebody could bring something from home."

Ducar told The Press each of the cafeterias have peanut/nut-free tables for students who are allergic. His staff uses a different bucket when cleaning the tables, he added, to ensure there is no cross-contamination.

For a considerable amount of time, cafeteria employees have used gloves not made of latex, Ducar said.

The nutrition department also makes sure to have a variety of foods on hand in the event a student is sensitive or allergic to a fruit and vegetable. Ducar said that ensures an allergy does not prevent a student from having a school meal.

"As the students themselves get a little bit older, they know what they can and can't have," Ducar added. "They are the best label readers and some of the best educated on this."

Rumpler told The Press that for the past year, district officials have been looking over current policy as it relates to allergens. Additions and updates to the policy are possible in the future, she added.

"We are always looking for the best practices," Rumpler said.