All over the country, parents are getting ready to send their children back to school.
Our children, Alexander Solomon, Amanda Solomon, and Draya Ramer, have celiac disease. Returning to school presents special challenges every year…challenges that are magnified if a child is starting a new school or even moving to a new classroom.
That is why we are so excited to learn about the Celiac Disease Management Plan being sponsored by the Celiac Disease Foundation, Children’s National Health System, and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). The Celiac Disease Management Plan is the first comprehensive effort to engage leading celiac disease medical experts and school administrators in the development of national standards for individual 504 plans for children with celiac disease in learning environments from preschool to college. The Celiac Disease Management Plan will be finalized at a conference in Washington DC on Monday, July 22 where results of a Celiac Disease Foundation-sponsored study to analyze gluten exposure in the classroom and cafeteria will be presented. The Plan includes recommendations for training of professional staff, students, and families about celiac disease, and detailed guidelines on how to minimize gluten exposure in the school setting.
The Celiac Disease Management Plan will be extensively promoted to make parents and educators aware of the guidelines including training videos for professional staff.
Speaking as parents, consistent, expert-developed guidelines for individual 504 plans for children with celiac disease are long overdue. We have talked to many educators who agree. If you are a parent of a child with special needs, you know how difficult the 504 meetings can be, not to mention the ongoing monitoring of school compliance. The Celiac Disease Foundation, along with Children’s National Health System and NASPGHAN, is committed to making this happen for the celiac disease community. This commitment to our community is one of the many reasons we enthusiastically support the Celiac Disease Foundation, and why we are encouraging you to do the same.
To support this effort, we ask that you make a tax-deductible donation to the Celiac Disease Foundation of $100 or whatever you can afford.
Thank you,
Linda Solomon & Jordan Ramer, Celiac Disease Foundation Board Members
P.S. If at all possible, please consider making your gift monthly. You can learn more about the Celiac Disease Management Plan here. Thank you for your generosity.
Managing Celiac Disease in School