Food Allergies, Intolerance and Disabilities

The USD 232 De Soto Student Nutrition Department will:

• Make meal modifications prescribed by a licensed physician to accommodate a disability.
  A Medical Statement form must be submitted.
• At its discretion, make meal modifications prescribed by a licensed physician due to a food allergy/intolerance or other medical condition that does not rise to the level of a disability.
  A Medical Statement form must be submitted.
• Will not make substitutions for fluid cow’s milk due to a food allergy/intolerance. Students will have the opportunity to decline milk and select juice due to our "offer" food service program.
  
  

Menu Modifications for Disabilities

The Student Nutrition Department strongly encourages the submission of an updated copy of the Medical Statement form (see link below) each school year to ensure the building cafeteria is prepared to accurately modify your student’s meals.

2012-2013 Medical Statement form

Please follow the Medical Statement instructions carefully for each meal category. Each section needs to be filled out in its entirety and the physician’s signature is required before modifications can begin.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Amy Droegemeier at 913/667.6207. Otherwise, please return the completed medical statement to:

Amy Droegemeier, Director of Student Nutrition
35200 W 91st St, De Soto, KS 66018
adroegemeier@usd232.org * Fax: 913/667-6202

After receiving your completed form, we will contact you to discuss how to implement a special diet for your student.

Menu Modifications for Non-Disability Medical Reasons

If your student has a physician-documented food allergy or intolerance that does not meet the disability critieria, our department may be able to make menu modifications. However, these will be decided on a case-by-case basis with input from the building kitchen manager and nurse. Parents/guardians must submit the Medical Statement form (see link above) to be considered for these substitutions. Please contact Amy Droegemeier, Director of Student Nutrition, at 913/667.6207 or adroegemeier@usd232.org with questions regarding this process.

Menu Modifications for Non-Medical Reasons

We plan our menus with great care to incorporate choices that will satisfy all students' needs. If your student's diet is not being met with our current menu offerings, please feel free to contact us to discuss additional options. At our discretion, we will partner with you in an attempt to come up with an acceptable solution that honors your student's diet preferences for ethical or religious circumstances.

Nut Policy

Due to the large number of severe nut allergies in our district, the Student Nutrition Department prepares and produces school meals as nut free as possible. We also have many schools and classrooms that have been designated as peanut-restricted zones.

Elementary Schools: Our policy is generally to avoid all nut-related products at the elementary level. There may be nut products in these building for use in our catering program. These items are prepared on separate tables from where school items are produced, and thorough sanitation procedures are enforced. Our department checks the ingredient labels of purchased items for the elementary meals to ensure, to the best of our ability, that they do not contain nut ingredients or are processed in a plant that manufactures peanut products. Please note there are pre-packaged Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich entree options in sack lunches.

Secondary Schools: We offer pre-packaged products that contain nuts in the secondary snack/a la carte options, as well as a pre-packaged Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich entree option periodically on our main menu. We do not prepare these items in our kitchens where any of our other foods are located. We also offer designated tables for students with peanut and tree nut allergies in the cafeteria seating area.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our department or the nurse's office at your student's school.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Voice).  Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.